Turn of the Century

/TWEN-tee-three skuh-DOO/

Scram; get out fast

Origin: Coined c. 1906, possibly from Flatiron Building winds

"Twenty-three skidoo, the cops are coming!"

/beez neez/

Something excellent

Origin: 1900s nonsense phrase, popularized in 20s

"That new motorcar is the bee's knees."

/SPOO-ning/

Romantic cuddling

Origin: 1800s, peak use 1900s

"Caught them spooning on the porch swing."

/mayk WHOO-pee/

Have a good time; party

Origin: 1900s, popularized by song in 1928

"Let's make whoopee at the fair!"

/KAYK-ee-tuhr/

A ladies' man; dandy

Origin: 1910s American

"That cake-eater's been by three times this week."

/FLIV-uhr/

A cheap car, esp. a Model T

Origin: 1910 American auto slang

"I cranked up the old flivver and away we went."

/HORS-feth-uhrz/

Nonsense

Origin: 1900s American

"Horsefeathers! He never said any such thing."

/pip/

An admirable person or thing

Origin: British, popular 1910s

"Old Reggie is a pip."

/SUHM PUHMP-kinz/

Someone or something of great importance, impressive quality, or high status.

Origin: American colloquialism dating to the mid-1800s but peaking in usage around 1910.

"Look at that fellow's new check suit; he is certainly some pumpkins!"

/LAH-dee-DAH/

A person who is overly pretentious, affected, or puts on aristocratic airs.

Origin: Late 19th-century British music hall influence that became common in US cities by 1905.

"See that swell in the high collar? He thinks he's a real lah-di-dah."

/AP-uhl-sawss/

Nonsense, lies, or flattery that isn't believed.

Origin: Emerging in the late 1900s from the idea of cheap, ubiquitous food used to filler a meal.

"Don't try to hand me that applesauce about working late."

/too the BOW-wowz/

Ruined, failed, or fallen into a state of decline.

Origin: A variation of 'to the dogs' popularized in the early 1900s.

"The neighborhood has gone to the bow-wows since the factory opened."

/THREE-sheet/

A large, flashy advertising poster for a theatrical performance.

Origin: มาจาก the standard size of printing paper sheets used for billboards in the 1900s theater world.

"I went to the nickelodeon and saw a three-sheet for the new Mary Pickford film."

/TIGHT-wod/

A person who is exceptionally stingy or misery with money.

Origin: Early 1900s Americanism referring to someone who keeps their roll of bills tied tightly.

"Old Man Harrison is a real tightwad who won't even buy a Sunday paper."

/BAHM uv GILL-ee-ad/

Money used as a bribe or 'hush money.'

Origin: A biblical reference to a soothing ointment repurposed by early century underworld figures.

"I had to give the copper some balm of Gilead to keep him from closing the back door."

/OSS-if-eyed/

Extremely intoxicated or drunk.

Origin: Literally meaning 'turned to bone,' used as slang for being stiff with drink by 1900.

"After three rounds of whiskey, he was truly ossified."

/AP-ul-sawss/

Flattery or nonsense; empty compliments

Origin: American slang, early 1900s, implying something sweet but worthless

"Don't give me that applesauce, I know you want my last nickel."

/BAWLD up/

Confused; in a state of disorder

Origin: American vernacular, derived from tangled yarn or rope imagery

"The telephone operator got all balled up and connected the wrong party."

/BEE-nur-ee/

A cheap, low-class restaurant or lunch counter

Origin: American slang, from the cheap bean dishes served at such establishments

"We grabbed a quick bite at the beanery on Fifth before the show."

/BIB-ul-BAB-ul/

Idle, foolish chatter; meaningless talk

Origin: Reduplication of babble, widespread in American vernacular by 1905

"Enough bibble-babble, gentlemen — the foreman is watching."

/BLATH-ur-skyte/

A person who talks at great length without making sense

Origin: Scottish blether plus skite, popularized in American press by 1900s

"That blatherskite at the corner has been speechifying for an hour straight."

/bloh yer WIG/

To lose one's temper; become extremely excited

Origin: American vaudeville slang, referencing a wig flying off in theatrical exaggeration

"Father will blow his wig when he sees the motorcar bill."

/bo-DAY-shus/

Bold; audacious; remarkably impressive

Origin: Dialectal American English blend of bold and audacious, rural to urban by 1910

"That was a bodacious leap across the ditch, I will say that much."

/BONE OR-churd/

A cemetery; a graveyard

Origin: American and British slang, darkly humorous reference to bones beneath the ground

"Old Hargrove will end up in the bone orchard if he keeps his habits."

/BOWN-dur/

A disreputable, ill-mannered man; a cad

Origin: British slang adopted widely in America by 1900, one who oversteps social bounds

"That bounder cut in line at the picture house and tipped his hat to no one."

/BRIK/

A reliable, stand-up person; a true friend

Origin: Victorian British slang imported to America, solid and dependable as a brick

"Old Henderson is a real brick — he lent me the fare without a question."

/BUF-ul-hed/

A foolish, empty-headed person

Origin: Early American and British slang from buffalo-headed, used as an insult by 1900s

"Don't be a bufflehead, Clarence — you can't drive a motorcar into a canal."

/BUL-ee/

First-rate; excellent; well done

Origin: Victorian-era exclamation of approval, still common through Edwardian period

"Bully shot, old sport! You nearly made the top of that hill."

/BUNK-um/

Insincere nonsense; political hot air

Origin: From Buncombe County NC, after a congressman gave a famously irrelevant speech in 1820s

"All that talk of reform is pure buncombe before the election."

/BUT-ur-and-EG man/

A wealthy small-town man who splurges in the city

Origin: American theatrical slang, derived from rural produce dealers flush with cash

"That butter-and-egg man just bought every girl in the hall a drink."

/kuh-HOOTS/

In secret partnership; colluding with another

Origin: American frontier slang from French cahute meaning cabin or partnership

"Those two shopkeepers are in cahoots to fix the price of flour."

/kuh-NAIR-ee/

A female singer, especially in vaudeville or a dance hall

Origin: American entertainment slang, comparing a vocalist to a singing bird

"The canary at the Majestic had the whole gallery on its feet."

/KAND/

Dismissed from employment; fired

Origin: American industrial slang, early 1900s, to be put away like preserved goods

"Three fellows got canned at the mill yesterday for showing up late."

/CHUK-ul-hed/

A foolish or stupid person

Origin: American vernacular, derived from chuck meaning a dull block of wood

"What kind of chucklehead parks a wagon in the middle of the road?"

/KOB-web kun-VEN-shun/

A meeting of outdated thinkers clinging to old ideas

Origin: American editorial slang, early 1900s reformist press

"That party platform reads like the work of a cobweb convention."

/KOJ-ur/

An eccentric or stingy old man

Origin: British-origin term widely used in American vernacular by the early 1900s

"The old codger next door won't part with a cent for the church roof."

/KOR-kur/

Something or someone outstanding; a remarkable specimen

Origin: American and British slang, something that corks the bottle on all competitors

"That new ragtime tune is an absolute corker, I tell you."

/KROH-kur/

A habitual pessimist; one who always predicts doom

Origin: American slang from the croaking of frogs, a gloomy sound

"Don't invite Simmons — he's a terrible croaker and will dampen spirits."

/DED KARD/

A person or idea that has lost all value or usefulness

Origin: American gambling slang from card games, an unplayable discarded card

"Now that the bill failed, Congressman Hart is a dead card in this district."

/DYME NOV-ul/

A sensational, cheap story; lowbrow melodramatic fiction

Origin: Named for the actual cheap paperback serials sold for a dime in 19th-century America

"You have been reading too many dime novels, boy — life is not so dramatic."

/DAWG ROB-ur/

An orderly or aide who does menial tasks for an officer

Origin: U.S. military slang, implying one who takes food scraps like a dog would

"The colonel sent his dog robber out to fetch tobacco and newspapers."

/DOH-boy/

An American infantry soldier, especially in WWI

Origin: U.S. military slang, origin disputed; possibly from flour dumplings or adobe clay

"Those doughboys marching down the avenue looked sharp in their khakis."

/DOW-dee/

Unfashionable; dull in dress or manner; frumpy

Origin: British-origin slang common in Edwardian America for a woman lacking style

"She wore a dowdy shirtwaist that had been out of fashion since ninety-three."

/DRUM-ur/

A traveling salesman; a commercial agent on the road

Origin: American commercial slang, one who drums up business, widely used 1880s-1910s

"A drummer from Cincinnati sold Father a new patent medicine last Tuesday."

/DOOD/

A city dandy; an overdressed man unfamiliar with roughing it

Origin: American slang from the 1880s, still widely used in Edwardian era for affectation

"Those dudes from back East don't know the first thing about working a farm."

/EER-ful/

A scolding; a lengthy complaint delivered verbally

Origin: American vernacular, early 1900s, receiving more than enough through the ears

"Mother gave Father an earful when he came home smelling of the saloon."

/EE-zee MARK/

A gullible person; a ready target for a swindle

Origin: American con-man slang, a person easily marked for deception

"The huckster spotted an easy mark in the fellow from the country."

/fan-DANG-ul/

A useless ornament; foolish nonsense or trickery

Origin: American vernacular corruption of fandango, used humorously by the 1900s

"The salesman's pitch was pure fandangle and the crowd knew it."

/FETH-ur-wayt/

A person of little consequence or intellectual substance

Origin: American boxing-derived slang applied socially, one who carries no real weight

"He is a featherweight in city council — no one listens to a word he says."

/FLAP-doo-dul/

Absolute nonsense; foolish or empty talk

Origin: American slang, mid-19th century origin persisting well into the 1910s

"That is sheer flapdoodle — the mayor has no intention of paving that road."

/FLY kop/

A plainclothes detective; an undercover police officer

Origin: American criminal slang, a cop who flies under the radar of recognition

"Watch yourself — I think that man by the newsstand is a fly cop."

/FOR-tee-rod/

Cheap, potent whiskey of very low quality

Origin: American frontier slang, implying whiskey powerful enough to knock you down at 40 rods

"They serve nothing but forty-rod at that hole-in-the-wall on Canal Street."

/FOR-flush-ur/

A bluffer; a person who pretends to be more than they are

Origin: American poker slang, one who bluffs with a four-card flush as if it were complete

"Don't trust Carlisle — he is a four-flusher through and through."

/GAB/

To talk idly and at length; idle chatter

Origin: British and American vernacular, from Scottish gab meaning mouth, used broadly by 1900s

"Stop gabbing with the neighbors, Edna, supper is on the table."

/guh-LOOT/

A clumsy, foolish, or strange fellow

Origin: American nautical and frontier slang, origin uncertain, common by the Edwardian era

"That big galoot knocked over every display in the dry-goods store."

/GAS/

Empty boasting; hot air; or a highly entertaining time

Origin: American slang dual usage, mid-19th century forward, common in vaudeville circles

"His campaign speech was pure gas, but the rally was a gas all the same."

/get thuh MIT-un/

To be rejected by a romantic partner; to be given the cold hand

Origin: American courting slang, a mitten instead of an open hand in rejection

"Poor Herbert got the mitten from the Gibson girl on Maple Avenue."

/GIB-sun GURL/

The idealized fashionable American woman of the early 1900s

Origin: From Charles Dana Gibson's illustrations defining the era's feminine ideal, c.1900s

"She walked in with her hair piled high, every inch the Gibson girl."

/go CHAYS yer-SELF/

Get lost; stop bothering me; an exasperated dismissal

Origin: American vernacular expression of irritated dismissal, common in 1900s-1910s press

"Aw, go chase yourself, I am not buying whatever you are selling."

/GRAFT/

The acquisition of money through dishonest political means

Origin: American political slang, widespread by the muckraking era of the 1900s

"Half the city council is on the take — graft from top to bottom."

/GRAF-tur/

A corrupt politician or official who profits from their position

Origin: American muckraking-era term, one who practices graft in political life

"The reform candidate promised to root out every grafter in city hall."

/GRAND/

One thousand dollars; a large sum of money

Origin: American criminal and gambling slang, early 1900s, adopted into general usage

"They say that motorcar cost three grand — can you imagine such a figure?"

/GROWCH/

A bad mood; or a person who is chronically ill-tempered

Origin: American slang derived from grouchy, popularized in vaudeville comic routines

"He woke up in a grouch and stayed that way clean through to supper."

/HAF-baykt/

Poorly thought through; an idea that is not fully developed

Origin: American vernacular, bread metaphor for incomplete preparation, in use by 1900s

"That is the most half-baked scheme for a bridge I have ever heard."

/HAY shay-kur/

A country bumpkin; an unsophisticated rural person

Origin: American urban slang for rural folk who literally shake hay for a living

"Those hay shakers from Indiana don't know the first thing about the theatre."

/HY-hat/

To snub or treat someone with snobbish disdain

Origin: American slang from the association of top hats with upper-class condescension

"She high-hatted every girl at the dance who wasn't from the right neighborhood."

/HOH-lee KATS/

An exclamation of surprise or alarm

Origin: American mild oath substitute, a softened expletive popular in the 1900s-1910s

"Holy cats, that motorcar nearly ran right over old Mr. Perkins!"

/HOOF-ur/

A professional tap or stage dancer

Origin: American vaudeville slang, from hoofing meaning to dance with footwork emphasis

"That little hoofer at the Palace could outdance anyone on the circuit."

/HORN-swog-ul/

To swindle or cheat someone in a cunning manner

Origin: American frontier slang, 19th century, persisting into Edwardian usage

"That medicine man hornswoggled the whole town before they ran him off."

/HUL-ee GUL-ee/

Wild commotion; a chaotic, noisy scene

Origin: American vernacular exclamation of excited disorder, common in 1900s-1910s slang

"The fire wagon came through and caused a real hully gully in the market."

/in BAD/

Out of favor; in trouble with someone important

Origin: American vernacular of the early 1900s, the opposite of being in good standing

"Malone is in bad with the foreman after that business last Thursday."

/in thuh SWIM/

Active and up-to-date in social affairs; part of the current scene

Origin: American and British expression, swimming in the main current of events

"Since her debut, Clara has been very much in the swim of society."

/JINKS/

A curse or bad-luck charm; a bringer of misfortune

Origin: American slang from jynx, a wryneck bird used in witchcraft, popular by early 1900s

"Don't let Dolan near the team — the man is a jinx of the worst order."

/JIT-nee/

A small bus or car carrying passengers for five cents

Origin: American slang from jitney meaning a nickel, informal transit of the 1910s

"Take the jitney down to the corner and save yourself the walk."

/JOSH-ur/

One who teases or jokes; a good-natured ribber

Origin: American slang from josh meaning to tease, widely used in the early 1900s

"Don't take him too seriously — old Wally is a born josher."

/LAL-ee-gag/

To idle about; to dawdle and waste time

Origin: American vernacular, possibly from dialectal British, used widely by the 1900s

"Stop lallygagging on the porch and come help with the supper dishes."

/LAND sayks/

An exclamation of surprise or mild shock

Origin: American rural softened oath, a substitute for stronger language, 19th-early 20th c.

"Land sakes, Margaret, where did you put the butter churn?"

/LAIR-up/

To thrash or beat soundly; to strike hard

Origin: British and American dialectal slang, in steady use through the Edwardian period

"Father said he would larrup any boy who broke the parlor window again."

/LOWNJ LIZ-urd/

A man who idles in fashionable places seeking wealthy women

Origin: American social slang, early 1910s, a predatory lounger in hotel lobbies

"That lounge lizard has been circling the widow Hartley since Monday."

/LUNK-hed/

A slow-witted, thick-skulled dullard

Origin: American vernacular, lunk meaning a dull thud plus head, widely used by 1900s

"What lunkhead left the motorcar gate wide open in the rain?"

/MUNK-ee-shynz/

Mischievous tricks or clowning behavior

Origin: American slang comparing prankish behavior to antics of monkeys, 1800s into 1910s

"No more monkeyshines, boys — the theater manager is in a foul mood tonight."

/MOK-see/

Nerve; courage; spirited determination

Origin: From Moxie brand soda, whose ads promoted vigor and grit in the early 1900s

"That girl has real moxie, arguing with the foreman and winning."

/MUK-ur/

A coarse, ill-bred, or unscrupulous person

Origin: American and British slang, from muck meaning filth, one who wallows in vulgarity

"Do not invite that mucker Doyle — he ruined the last two socials."

/MUK-ray-kur/

A journalist who exposes corruption and social ills

Origin: Popularized by President Roosevelt in 1906, from Bunyan's man with the muck-rake

"The muckrakers at McClure's have the aldermen running scared."

/NIF-tee/

Clever; stylish; admirably well-made or well-executed

Origin: American slang of uncertain origin, widely in use by the early 1900s

"That is a pretty nifty contraption on the front of your motorcar, Harold."

/no grayt SHAYKS/

Of no special merit; unimpressive; mediocre

Origin: American and British expression, from shaking dice for little gain, 1800s-1910s

"The new tenor is no great shakes, but he fills the house on Thursdays."

/ohld SPORT/

A friendly form of address between gentlemen

Origin: Edwardian British and American social expression of camaraderie between men

"I say, old sport, are you joining us for the motorcar rally on Saturday?"

/on thuh FRITZ/

Not working properly; in a state of malfunction or disorder

Origin: American slang, early 1900s, possibly from the German name Fritz used mockingly

"The automobile is on the fritz again — carburetor trouble, the man says."

/on thuh LEV-ul/

Honest; trustworthy; dealing fairly with others

Origin: American vernacular from freemasonry level symbolism, widely used by 1900s

"Is that fellow on the level, or is he another fast-talking confidence man?"

/on thuh NOHZ/

Exactly right; precisely on time or on target

Origin: American vernacular, radio broadcasting and theatrical timing cue by early 1910s

"The supply train arrived at nine on the nose, no small miracle."

/PEECH/

An exceptionally attractive or admirable person or thing

Origin: American slang, 19th century forward, still common in Edwardian usage

"That new librarian is a peach — smart as a whip and kind as they come."

/PY-kur/

A small-time gambler or a stingy, petty person

Origin: American slang, possibly from Pike County Missouri, associated with cheap behavior

"Don't be a piker, Hopkins — put in your fair share for the excursion."

/PLUG/

An old, worn-out horse; also a hard, determined push at work

Origin: American slang for an unremarkable horse, extended to any mediocre effort

"They hitched that sorry plug to the delivery wagon and off they went."

/RAZ-muh-taz/

Flashy, showy excitement; dazzling but empty spectacle

Origin: American vaudeville and entertainment slang, early 1900s, likely echoic in origin

"The opening act was all razzmatazz and no real talent behind it."

/ROOB/

An unsophisticated country person; a rural simpleton

Origin: American slang shortening of Reuben, a stereotypical rural name, in wide use by 1900s

"The city grifters spotted the rube from a block away."

/run uh-MUK/

To behave in a wildly uncontrolled or violent manner

Origin: From Malay amoq meaning frenzied attack, in English use and American press by 1900s

"The machinery ran amok and destroyed three looms before they stopped it."

/SAV-ee/

To understand; also practical knowledge or common sense

Origin: From Spanish sabe meaning knows, widely used in American vernacular by 1900s

"You savvy what I am telling you? Keep away from that block after dark."

/SKOF-law/

A person who flouts the law, especially regarding minor offenses

Origin: American neologism coined in 1924 but the concept was forming in 1910s Prohibition debates

"Half the neighborhood is a scofflaw when it comes to the speed ordinance."

/SHY-stur/

A dishonest lawyer or person who uses unethical methods

Origin: American slang, mid-19th century, possibly from German Scheisser, still common by 1900s

"Do not hire that shyster Pemberton — he lost five cases last term alone."

/SLIK/

Smooth-talking and clever, especially in a dishonest way

Origin: American vernacular, from the image of something slippery and hard to pin down

"Watch yourself — that salesman is too slick for his own good."

/SAWFT SOHP/

Flattery; insincere praise used to manipulate someone

Origin: American expression, soft soap being more malleable and thus slippery, 1800s-1910s

"You can spare me the soft soap, Whitmore — I am not giving you an extension."

/SKWAIR MEEL/

A full, satisfying, nutritious meal

Origin: American nautical slang from square wooden plates used on ships, widely adopted by 1900s

"After three days on the road, all that soldier wanted was a square meal."

/STRAP-hang-ur/

A standing urban transit passenger; an ordinary city commuter

Origin: American urban slang, from the leather straps commuters held on trolleys and elevated trains

"Every morning the straphangers packed onto the Third Avenue El like sardines."

/TIN LIZ-ee/

A Ford Model T automobile; any cheap, rattling motorcar

Origin: American slang for the mass-produced Ford Model T, widely used from 1910s onward

"He puttered past in his tin lizzie, horn beeping and engine knocking."

/TOGZ/

Clothes; one's outfit or garments

Origin: British slang imported to America, from togeman meaning coat in thieves' cant

"Put on your best togs, we are dining at the hotel this evening."

/tom-FOO-lur-ee/

Silly or foolish behavior; nonsensical mischief

Origin: American and British expression from Tom Fool, a stock clown figure, widely used 1900s

"There will be no tomfoolery in this schoolroom, is that perfectly clear?"

/TOOT/

A drinking spree; a prolonged bout of revelry

Origin: American slang, 19th century origin, one who is on a toot is on a bender

"He came back from a three-day toot looking like he had lost an argument with a ditch."

/TROT owt/

To display or produce something for approval or inspection

Origin: American equestrian-derived expression, showing a horse's gait for buyers

"The senator trotted out his usual promises about the harbor improvements."

/TUM-bul/

To catch on; to suddenly understand a situation

Origin: American vernacular, one tumbles to the truth when it hits them, in use by 1900s

"It took him a week but he finally tumbled to what was going on at the docks."

/up uh-GENST it/

Facing serious difficulty or hardship; in a desperate position

Origin: American vernacular of the late 19th and early 20th century, backed against a wall

"Since the foundry closed, half the men in town are up against it."

/vuh-MOOSE/

To leave quickly; to clear out immediately

Origin: American slang from Spanish vamos meaning let us go, common in the early 1900s

"When the foreman started hollering, every man vamoosed to his station."

/WAL-up/

A powerful blow; also to strike someone with great force

Origin: American and British vernacular, from old French and Germanic striking imagery

"That pitcher can really wallop the ball — third time it cleared the fence."

/WIP-ur-snap-ur/

A young, presumptuous, or impertinent person

Origin: American and British expression, from cracking a whip for attention, used since 1600s

"That little whippersnapper had the nerve to argue with the bank manager."

/WIZ/

A person of remarkable skill; also something excellent

Origin: American slang from the sound of something moving at high speed, in use by 1900s

"Young Fletcher is a whiz with the adding machine, I will give him that."

/YEL-oh JUR-nul-iz-um/

Sensational, exaggerated reporting for shock value

Origin: American press term from the Yellow Kid comic strip and the Hearst-Pulitzer rivalry

"You cannot believe a word of it — that paper practices pure yellow journalism."