They Say Em' From the Golden Era - Slang & Memorable Phrases

[Miss Sis]

Drip... that's a good one!

"Chase aunt Fanny round the garden" sounds like "Go chase yourself!" as in "scram!".

It doesn't really sound like that is what she means when she says it though. I will have to ask!

 

[Fletch]

Flann O'Brien, the ww2 era Irish humorist, had a few expressions that I think have a golden era snap (rather than an Irish lilt). Unproductive activity was "foosterin around," and to view or examine something was "havin a screw at" it (use with care - it would not be appropriate to get back from a showing of My Favorite Wife and say you were "havin a screw at Irene Dunne").

 

[SamReu]

Spokes Man

Well, gloriosky. How 'bout: "Hi there, cats and kittens" when entering a room, or "See ya 'round, cats and kittens" when leaving?
Don't forget this: "Aaaah, keep your shirt on."
An expression of surprise, courtesty of my grandmother: "Well, blow me down."
I could come up with more, but I got to blow this pop stand, take a powder, and Pat & Charley it on home.

 

[bingolittle]

whats the skinny?........ bring your twist around about 3........whats the rhumbas?

 

[Twitch]

I used to be fond of saying "saddle up" when my kids were little and we were all going someplace. Simply means to get ready to move out. Picked it up as Marine long ago. My kids hated it too.

 

[The Wolf]

When it is time to leave an establishment I usually tell my kids to "saddle up', sometimes "let's hit the bricks".

Sincerely,
The WOLF

 

[Guiduce]

Ya father’s moustache, used in disagreement; ya mother wears combat boots, a put down; hit the road, beat it, get lost ,scram, take a hike, all interchangeable for go away! Milton Berle’s favorite: I’ll give ya a shot in the head; It must be jelly cause jam don’t shake that way, a reference to a woman’s sway.

 

[The Wolf]

"aw, your old man's moustache"

I was at a Benihana restaurant many years ago and a man whom had drunk a lot of sake would say "Your father's moustache" to the servers anytime he was given something. He explained that it sounded like Japanese or "thank you". The irony is that the mnemonic for "you are welcome" in Japanese is "don't touch my moustache" which isn't really that close either.lol

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[MikeBravo]

my fave

I just love "take a powder" .. not sure where it comes from

 

[Snookie]

Yesterday I was at Target and there was a hipster teen calling something the "bee's knees". She was very self-conscious about it, but it was still cute.

 

[Merlin]

It's probably not vintage, per se (though it's likely been around a while), but I've always been fond of the term "Bob's your uncle."

My very own uncle heard the term on the BBC (radio) once in the 1960s, and had no idea what it meant. He rang the local British consulate and asked the receptionist, who informed him that it meant something along the lines of "There you go."

About 15 years ago, when I was showing my by then elderly uncle how to use his first microwave oven, I told him to "put the food in, punch in the time, press start, and then Bob's your uncle!" He understood perfectly.

 

[Sunny]

"Hold your horses" is one I've grown up with.

I've also picked up "Your mother's bicycle!" from Milton Berle's radio show.

Yesterday I was at Target and there was a hipster teen calling something the "bee's knees". She was very self-conscious about it, but it was still cute.

That's sweet!

 

[Spitfire]

"To save ones bacon"

...is RAF slang form the 1940's, which means to save ones life.
And there is a lot more:
"Cheesed off" = Had enough
"Collect a Gong" = Recieve a medal
"Get some in" = (sarcastic) to learn something
"On top side" = In the air
"In the drink" = Downed at sea
"Piece of nice" = entertainment of any kind
"Flap" = an airaction
"Shakey do" = a bad flap
"Take the day off" = It's not that important
"Tally Ho!" = r/t signal for going in to attack.
"Panic bowler" = steel helmet.
"Chocks away" = Let's go
"To kip" = To sleep
To hold the can = To have the responibility
Piece of Cake = Easy
Popsie = A girl
...now I understand why WWII took so long. They couldn't understand each other

 

[Guiduce]

Yesterday I was at Target and there was a hipster teen calling something the "bee's knees". She was very self-conscious about it, but it was still cute.

Sounds something like "cat's pajamas" in my day.

 

[ClayBob]

My brother and I own a small delivery service and the business is named "Lickety Split Delivery". Of course Lickety Split means at great speed, but many people giggle when they hear the name and seem to associate the term with an off color reference to something else. To confuse things further it never dawned on either one of us at the time we were naming the business that the acronym is LSD which evokes a whole other reference.

 

[Amber DeCadence]

Sounds something like "cat's pajamas" in my day.

and quite possibly 'the mutts.....' thesedays? lol I'll have to have a ponder on some I know and get back to you

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I'm still fond of the classic "Are you on the level?"

 

[RAF Man]

Being at ' sixes and sevens' is a phrase that I know I use, when some thing is in total confusion or disarray, as in 'the bar staff were at sixes and sevens when the rowdy football crowd arrived for drinks.'
Can't for the life of me think where or how it came about though. Never heard it used in US, but more commonly in UK and Australia. See Upstairs-Downstairs or Miss Marple for good examples of use, along with many more.

 

[staggerwing]

"Balls to the Wall" has been passed down by aviators over the decades. The knobs on the end of the throttles and other engine controls in early aircraft (up to the mid 60s even) were invariably round bakelite balls. Typically, there would be two (throttle and mixture) or three (if the airplane had variable pitch propellers) such controls for each engine. For full power, you push all the controls forward, towards the firewall, hence "balls to the wall" meaning to go fast, or to do something in a powerful manner. It creeps into my everyday language with nonpilot coworkers from time to time and usually gets me strange looks because of the off-color sound of it.

 

[Quigley Brown]

'Bust this for me, Jackson'...a way of asking a cashier to get change for a dollar bill. Got it from the film 'Out of the Past.'