1940s

/KUUK-in with gas/

Doing very well

Origin: 1939 gas industry ad campaign

"Now we're cookin' with gas!"

/KAK-ee WAK-ee/

Girl infatuated with soldiers

Origin: WWII home-front slang

"Betty's gone khaki wacky over that GI."

/snah-FOO/

Situation Normal: All Fouled Up

Origin: WWII military acronym

"The whole supply line is a snafu."

/GOB-uhl-dee-gook/

Bureaucratic nonsense

Origin: Coined 1944 by Maury Maverick

"The memo was pure gobbledygook."

/daym/

Woman

Origin: Old French 'dame'

"Some dame walked into the diner."

/gam/

Leg

Origin: Carried over from 20s

"She had gams that went on forever."

/joh/

Coffee; or an ordinary guy

Origin: Possibly from US Navy

"Pour me a cup of joe, will ya?"

/tayk uh POW-duhr/

Leave quickly

Origin: 1920s, popular WWII

"He took a powder before the MPs arrived."

/wutz thuh BUHZ/

A common greeting used to ask for the latest news or gossip.

Origin: 1940s urban and jazz culture origin.

"What's the buzz, Jackson? You hear about the dance tonight?"

/BURD/

A young woman or girl.

Origin: Early 20th century British slang that became heavily used by US soldiers in WWII.

"Look at that bird on the corner; she's really dressed to the nines."

/EYE-urn MEN/

Silver dollars or individual one-dollar bills.

Origin: 1940s hardboiled crime fiction and street slang.

"The boss gave me five iron men for the overtime I put in."

/PAL/

A very close friend or "buddy."

Origin: Variation of 'pell' (brother) from 17th century Romany, popularized in mid-century America.

"Don't worry about the check, the drinks are on the house for my best pal."

/KILL-er DILL-er/

Something or someone that is excellent, impressive, or the best of its kind.

Origin: 1940s jive and swing music culture.

"That jitterbug is really killer diller on the dance floor!"

/KRAYT/

A jalopy or an old, beat-up car or airplane.

Origin: WWI aviation slang that moved into general automotive use by the 1940s.

"I had to walk home because my crate broke down on the highway."

/un-der yur som-BRER-oh/

Keep a secret or keep something quiet.

Origin: Southwestern US influence on general 1940s slang.

"Keep it under your sombrero; we don't want the sergeant finding out."

/koh-puh-SET-ik/

Excellent, fine, or all in good order.

Origin: Likely African American English origins, popularized by Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson in the 30s and 40s.

"Everything is copacetic now that the supplies have arrived."

/JEL-ee BEEN/

Dressed in a flashy or stylish manner (a "dandy").

Origin: 1940s teen and jazz slang.

"That's a real jelly bean suit you're wearing to the party."

/SKRAM/

To leave quickly or get out of a place immediately.

Origin: Derived from 'scramose' (to run away), popularized by 1930s-40s gangster films.

"Let's scram before the cops show up to break up the party."

/MAK/

A generic name used to address a man whose name is unknown.

Origin: 1940s urban American slang, often used for laborers or tough guys.

"Hey Mack, you got a light for this cigarette?"

/WET RAG/

A person who is no fun or ruins the excitement for others.

Origin: Derived from the 19th-century 'wet blanket,' specific to 1940s youth slang.

"Stop being such a wet rag and come out to the club with us!"

/DISH/

A physically attractive woman.

Origin: 1940s Hollywood and noir slang equating a woman to a tasty meal.

"She's a real dish, the prettiest girl in the whole steno pool."

/BEEZ-waks/

A way of telling someone to mind their own business.

Origin: Teenager slang from the 1930s that peaked in 1940s domestic use.

"Mind your own beeswax and stay out of my private affairs."

/BLOH yur WIG/

To lose one's cool, become extremely excited, or get angry.

Origin: 1940s jive talk used by jazz musicians.

"Don't blow your wig just because I'm ten minutes late."

/LIT/

Drunk or intoxicated.

Origin: Early 20th century slang that remained a staple during the WWII era.

"He was a bit lit at the wedding, singing way too loud."

/LET-is/

Paper money.

Origin: 1940s criminal and street slang referring to the green color of bills.

"I have to go to work to earn some lettuce for the rent."

/KUT thuh KAB-ij/

Stop the nonsense or stop lying.

Origin: 1940s slang possibly related to 'cabbage' being a term for scraps or waste.

"Cut the cabbage and tell me the truth about what happened."

/out uv thiz WURLD/

Something extraordinary, superlative, or wonderful.

Origin: 1940s American English, widely used by the swing generation.

"The trumpet player is truly out of this world tonight."

/DEEP FREEZ/

A cold or snubbing social reception; the "silent treatment."

Origin: 1940s term coinciding with the advent of home deep-freezers.

"She was so mad she gave him the deep freeze for a whole week."

/kats puh-JAH-muhz/

Highly admired; something stylish or excellent.

Origin: Flapper era slang that remained highly popular through the 40s.

"That car is the cat's pajamas, I wish I could afford one."

/THREDS/

Clothing or a suit.

Origin: 1940s jazz and zoot suit culture.

"That's a sharp set of threads you've got on, soldier."

/EE-gur BEE-vur/

An overly enthusiastic person or someone who works too hard to impress.

Origin: WWII-era military slang for soldiers trying too hard to please officers.

"The sergeant is a real eager beaver when it comes to morning drills."

/FAT-hed/

A stupid or dim-witted person.

Origin: Early 20th century US slang popular during the WWII decade.

"He's a fat-head if he thinks he can win the race with that old bike."

/NUK-ul-hed/

A foolish or clumsy person.

Origin: 1940s military and cartoon culture (often associated with 'The Three Stooges').

"If you keep acting like a knucklehead, you'll end up in the guardhouse."

/SHUT-eye/

Sleep.

Origin: Early 20th century, becoming incredibly common in 1940s domestic life.

"I'm heading to the motor court for some shut-eye before the long drive."

/DRIP/

A boring, annoying, or socially inept person.

Origin: 1930s-40s campus and youth slang.

"The new guy is a bit of a drip, always complaining about the food."

/buh-LOH-nee/

Nonsense or a lie.

Origin: Derived from 'Bologna sausage' (considered a cheap filler), popularized by Al Smith in the 30s/40s.

"That story is just baloney and everyone knows it."

/on thuh BEEM/

Doing something correctly or being on the right track.

Origin: 1940s aviation slang referring to flying along a radio navigation beam.

"Now you’re on the beam; that’s exactly how the engine should sound."

/hit thuh ROHD/

To leave or begin a journey.

Origin: 1930s jazz slang that went mainstream in the 1940s.

"I gotta hit the road if I want to make it to Philly by dawn."

/FIN/

A five-dollar bill.

Origin: Derived from the Yiddish 'finf' (five), used heavily in 1940s urban hubs.

"Could you lend me a fin until payday on Friday?"

/GAS-pype/

An exceptionally funny person.

Origin: 1940s vaudeville and comedy circuit slang.

"He’s a bit of a gas-pipe, always making jokes at the wrong time."

/flip yur LID/

To lose one's temper or become extremely excited.

Origin: Post-WWII late 40s slang common among teenagers.

"Don't flip your lid just because we're out of coffee."

/SWEL/

Excellent, good, or very pleasant.

Origin: Colloquial American English peaking in use during the late 30s and 40s.

"That's a swell idea, let's head down to the malt shop."

/WOOD-en NIK-el/

To cheat someone or provide something worthless.

Origin: From the 1920s adage 'don't take any wooden nickels,' heavily used in the 40s.

"He tried to hand me a wooden nickel, but I knew the car was junk."

/BOH/

A boyfriend or sweetheart.

Origin: From the French 'beau' (beautiful), very common in 1940s romantic lexicon.

"She's been moping ever since her best beau went overseas."

/ROK-ur/

A person's clothes, specifically a stylish suit.

Origin: 1940s Harlem jive talk.

"Check out the rocker on that guy, he's got quite a stride."

/BUSH'D/

Exhausted or tired.

Origin: 19th-century frontier term that had a resurgence in 1940s labor slang.

"I'm feeling a bit bushed after work today."

/DUD/

Something that fails or doesn't work as expected.

Origin: WWI term for unexploded shells, used generically for failures in the 40s.

"The movie was okay, but the ending was a bit of a dud."

/DAM-ij/

The cost or bill for something.

Origin: Early 20th century humorous slang, common in 1940s social settings.

"What's the damage for the two tickets and the popcorn?"

/AR-murd KOW/

Canned condensed milk; tinned dairy in a field ration

Origin: American WWII GI slang for the impenetrable tin cans of military food supplies

"Breakfast was armored cow in your coffee and a biscuit if you were lucky."

/AS-falt ee-tur/

A very fast vehicle or aircraft; something that devours the road

Origin: American WWII military and automotive slang for high-performance vehicles

"That new P-51 is a real asphalt eater — nothing the Luftwaffe has can catch it."

/BAIR-iks LAW-yur/

A soldier who argues regulations without real legal knowledge

Origin: American WWII military slang for the self-appointed rule expert in every bunk room

"Don't listen to Johnson — he is just a barracks lawyer with too much time."

/BAY WIN-doh/

A protruding belly; a prominent stomach on a man

Origin: American vernacular, a bay window being an outward-projecting architectural feature

"He had developed quite a bay window since his days as a running back."

/BEET thuh MEET/

To fail thoroughly; to exhaust oneself for nothing

Origin: American military and working slang for pointless exhausting exertion

"We beat the meat all day setting up that position and then pulled back anyway."

/BURD-farm/

An aircraft carrier; a naval vessel carrying planes

Origin: American USN slang, the flight deck resembling a farm where birds come and go

"The birdfarm was somewhere in the Pacific, too classified to say where."

/bloh yer TOP/

To go crazy with excitement; to lose control with joy or anger

Origin: American 1940s vernacular, applied both to jitterbug enthusiasm and furious anger

"He will blow his top when he finds out the tour is starting in two weeks."

/BLOO TIK-it/

A dishonorable discharge from military service

Origin: American WWII military slang for the blue-colored discharge papers of disgraced soldiers

"He got the blue ticket after the incident in Algiers and never said much about it."

/BOON-doks/

Remote, isolated backwoods territory; the middle of nowhere

Origin: American military slang from Tagalog bundok meaning mountain, brought back from Philippines

"They shipped our unit out to the boondocks and we didn't see a city for six months."

/BRAS HAT/

A high-ranking military officer; a general or admiral

Origin: American and British military slang, referring to the gold braid on officers' caps

"A brass hat from headquarters showed up to inspect the mess hall unannounced."

/BUK PRY-vit/

The lowest-ranking enlisted soldier; a raw recruit

Origin: American military slang, a buck being the lowest denomination or unit

"He was still a buck private three months in, which told you something about him."

/BUZ-ing/

Flying very low over a target or person for show or intimidation

Origin: American Army Air Corps slang, the buzzing sound of low-flying engines

"The pilot came back buzzing the airfield so low he clipped a radio mast."

/KAT WAG-un/

A mobile canteen or military food vehicle

Origin: American WWII military slang for the vehicles that brought food rations to the troops

"When the cat wagon pulled up, every man came running from three directions."

/CHAR-lee/

A foolish or gullible person; an easy target for a trick

Origin: American 1940s vernacular, a proper name turned into a generic term for a dupe

"Don't be such a charley — nobody gives away a watch for two dollars."

/CHIK-un/

A coward; or to describe cowardly behavior

Origin: American vernacular for cowardice, widely solidified in WWII military and civilian use

"He went chicken at the last moment and couldn't jump the fence."

/KROHM DOHM/

A bald-headed man; someone whose head shines like polished metal

Origin: American 1940s slang, chrome being the shiny automotive metal of the era

"The chrome dome at the end of the bar said he remembered Prohibition clearly."

/SIV-eez/

Civilian clothing; non-military dress

Origin: British and American military slang for civilian clothes, from civilian abbreviated

"The moment he got his discharge he changed into civvies and burned his uniform."

/KLAM-bayk/

A chaotic situation; also a disorganized musical performance

Origin: American jazz slang of the 1940s, a session that falls apart like a messy clambake

"The rehearsal was a complete clambake — nobody had learned the right arrangement."

/KAW-fin NAYL/

A cigarette; any tobacco product smoked from a paper wrapper

Origin: American anti-tobacco metaphor turned into everyday slang, common in the 1940s

"He was on his third coffin nail before the morning briefing even started."

/KOOK with GAS/

To perform at peak ability; to function brilliantly

Origin: American WWII-era slang, modern gas stoves being a symbol of efficiency and power

"The combo was really cooking with gas by the second set — best I'd heard all year."

/KRUM KAS-ul/

A low-grade rooming house; an inferior hotel room

Origin: American military and civilian slang, crumbs being associated with dirty lodgings

"The only room left was a crumb castle near the rail yard, but it had a bed."

/DIG/

To understand; to appreciate something deeply; to truly grasp

Origin: American jazz and African-American slang entering mainstream WWII-era usage

"You dig what I am saying? This is our one shot and we cannot blow it."

/DIP-see DOO-dul/

Deception; a tricky maneuver; a misleading course of action

Origin: American 1940s slang from a 1937 song title, used for any tricky or crooked dealing

"The whole negotiation was a dipsy doodle from start to finish."

/DISH thuh DURT/

To gossip; to spread private or scandalous information

Origin: American vernacular, serving up dirty or scandalous details like a dish of food

"The girls gathered around the lunch counter to dish the dirt about the new foreman."

/DAWG FAYS/

An Army infantry soldier; a ground-pounding grunt

Origin: American WWII military slang for the foot soldiers of the United States Army

"Every dog face in the platoon would have followed the sergeant anywhere."

/EER BEN-dur/

A person who talks incessantly and won't let you get a word in

Origin: American 1940s slang, one who bends your ear sideways with endless talking

"Avoid Kowalski at the USO — that ear bender has not stopped since Pearl Harbor."

/FETH-ur MUR-chunt/

A civilian who avoided military service; a non-combatant

Origin: American WWII GI slang for those back home who had soft wartime jobs

"While we were in the Pacific, those feather merchants were doing all right at home."

/FIN/

A five-dollar bill

Origin: American slang from Yiddish finf meaning five, firmly embedded in 1940s currency talk

"The bellhop held out his hand until the man produced a fin."

/FLAP/

An alarm or state of frenzied activity; a crisis or commotion

Origin: British RAF slang adopted by American forces, a sudden urgent situation requiring action

"There was a flap at the airfield when two fighters came back badly shot up."

/FLOO-zee/

A woman of loose morals; a disreputable or promiscuous woman

Origin: American 1940s slang, possibly from flossy meaning showy, a flashy disreputable woman

"His mother warned him about every floozie between here and San Diego."

/FOO-foo JOOS/

Perfume; any strongly scented cologne or fragrance

Origin: American military slang for the heavily scented products civilian women wore

"The WAC who delivered the orders was wearing so much foo-foo juice you smelled her first."

/FOWL UP/

To make a mess of something; to bungle a task completely

Origin: American military slang as a sanitized version of a stronger expletive, WWII era

"Someone fouled up the supply requisition and we got six cases of soap instead of ammo."

/get thuh PIK-chur/

To understand the situation; to grasp what is being explained

Origin: American vernacular of the 1940s, a picture making something clear to the viewer

"You get the picture, soldier? Hold this position until we come back for you."

/GOLD-brik/

To shirk duty; to avoid work while pretending to be busy

Origin: American military slang, a goldbrick being something that appears valuable but is not

"Half the men on kitchen detail were goldbricking behind the mess tent."

/GON-if/

A petty thief or swindler; a crafty and dishonest schemer

Origin: American Yiddish-origin slang for a thief, in wide urban use by the 1940s

"That gonif charged me double for a coat that was already secondhand."

/HAWL TAYL/

To move very quickly; to hurry away from a place fast

Origin: American military and civilian slang, hauling one's tail out at high speed

"When the sergeant called formation, every man hauled tail to the parade ground."

/HEET/

Police scrutiny; official attention or pressure on a criminal

Origin: American underworld slang, heat from the law meaning intense investigative pressure

"The heat is on downtown so we lay low until Friday and then move the merchandise."

/HEP KAT/

A devotee of jazz and swing music; a stylish and knowing fan

Origin: American jazz slang combining hep meaning aware plus cat meaning a cool person

"Every hep cat on 52nd Street knew the band was going to record that Thursday."

/HIT thuh SAK/

To go to bed; to lie down and sleep

Origin: American military slang, sack being a sleeping bag or bunk in army parlance

"I'm hitting the sack early — we move out at oh-four-hundred."

/HOT ROKS/

An overly eager or recklessly daring person; a showboat

Origin: American military slang for a pilot or soldier who takes unnecessary risks for glory

"That hot rocks took his aircraft into a dive nobody else would have attempted."

/in thuh GROOV/

Playing or performing at peak inspiration; in perfect rhythm

Origin: American jazz slang, from a record needle sitting perfectly in the groove of a disc

"When the trumpet player is in the groove, the whole band lifts with him."

/JEEP/

The general-purpose military vehicle; also a new or inexperienced recruit

Origin: American WWII military slang from GP for general purpose, or possibly from comic character Eugene the Jeep

"Two jeeps brought the replacement troops up to the forward position at night."

/KIL-roy wuz HEER/

A graffiti slogan; WWII GI all-purpose mark left at every location

Origin: American WWII phenomenon, possibly from James J. Kilroy who marked rivets at shipyard

"Someone had scratched Kilroy Was Here on the wall of every bunker on the island."

/NOK yer-SELF OWT/

Go ahead; do as you please; feel free to proceed

Origin: American 1940s vernacular expression of permission given with mild sarcasm or warmth

"You want to try reorganizing the filing system? Knock yourself out, kid."

/LOO-pee/

Slightly crazy; goofy; not quite in full possession of one's senses

Origin: American 1940s slang, possibly from the looping of a confused or dizzy person

"She gets a little loopy after one glass of champagne, so go easy."

/MAYK thuh SEEN/

To arrive at a place; to show up and participate in an event

Origin: American jazz and hipster slang of the 1940s, making one's appearance at the scene

"All the cats who made the scene at Minton's knew they were witnessing history."

/MIK-ee FIN/

A drink secretly drugged to incapacitate someone

Origin: American underworld slang, possibly from a Chicago saloon keeper named Mickey Finn, c.1900s

"He never made it home — someone had slipped him a Mickey Finn at the bar."

/MOOS MILK/

Any strong or illicitly made alcohol; powerful home-brewed spirits

Origin: American and Canadian military slang for the dangerously strong homemade alcohol of camp

"The supply sergeant produced a canteen of what he called moose milk and said nothing more."

/PEEL owt/

To accelerate a vehicle quickly, leaving rubber on the road

Origin: American automotive slang of the 1940s, tires peeling against the pavement on takeoff

"He peeled out of the lot so fast the MPs couldn't read the license plate."

/POWND thuh PAVE-munt/

To walk the streets looking for work; to job-hunt on foot

Origin: American Depression-and-wartime vernacular for the exhausting search for employment

"He pounded the pavement for two weeks before the shipyard finally took him on."

/SAD SAK/

A hapless, unlucky, or incompetent soldier; a born loser

Origin: American WWII slang popularized by Sgt. George Baker's comic strip Sad Sack in 1942

"Poor Kowalski is the original sad sack — nothing goes right for that man."

/shnoz-OH-luh/

A very large or prominent nose; Jimmy Durante's self-adopted nickname

Origin: American Yiddish-influenced slang expanded from schnozzle, popularized in the 1940s

"Even with that schnozzola, Durante got more laughs than anyone in pictures."

/SHOOT thuh WURKS/

To risk everything; to go all in with no reservation

Origin: American gambling slang, shooting all one's money on a single roll or bet

"They decided to shoot the works on the opening night and hired a full orchestra."

/SHUK/

A fraud; a deception; to fool or mislead someone

Origin: American vernacular from shucking corn, removing the outer layer to reveal emptiness

"The whole investment was a shuck — the company never existed in the first place."

/SNAF-oo/

A chaotic situation; everything has gone wrong at once

Origin: American WWII military acronym for Situation Normal, All Fouled Up

"The landing was a complete snafu from the moment the radio went out."