1920s Slang: 79 Words and Phrases, With a Printable Cheat Sheet
1920s slang words and phrases with meanings: praise, insults, people, Prohibition, crime and money. Plus a printable cheat sheet and how to use them at a party.
1920s slang is the fast, cheeky talk of jazz clubs, flappers and Prohibition: the bee's knees for something excellent, applesauce for nonsense, giggle water for alcohol, and a speakeasy for the illegal bar where you drank it. Below are 79 words and phrases, grouped by what you would want to say, with a printable cheat sheet to put on the tables at a Gatsby or speakeasy party.
The words, by what you want to say
Saying something is great
Slang
Meaning
the bee's knees
excellent, the best
the cat's pajamas
excellent (also "the cat's meow")
the berries
wonderful
copacetic
fine, all in order
swell
great, very good
keen
attractive, appealing
ritzy
fancy, expensive
hotsy-totsy
just right, pleasing
the real McCoy
the genuine article
hitting on all sixes
running perfectly
knows her onions
knows what she is talking about
and how!
strong agreement
Calling nonsense
Slang
Meaning
applesauce
nonsense
horsefeathers
nonsense
banana oil
nonsense, flattery
baloney
nonsense
bunk
nonsense, lies
says you!
I don't believe it
the heebie-jeebies
the jitters
wet blanket
someone who spoils the fun
flat tire
a dull date
People
Slang
Meaning
flapper
a fashionable young woman who breaks the rules
sheik
an attractive young man
sheba
an attractive young woman
dame
a woman
doll
an attractive woman
moll
a gangster's girlfriend
gold digger
someone who dates for money
lounge lizard
a man who hangs around clubs to meet women
hoofer
a dancer
big cheese
the boss
good egg
a decent person
sap
a fool
palooka
a clumsy oaf, a second-rate boxer
rube
a country bumpkin
bluenose
a prude
Drinking and Prohibition
Slang
Meaning
speakeasy
an illegal bar
juice joint
a speakeasy
gin mill
a cheap bar
blind pig
a low-end illegal bar
hooch
liquor, usually illegal
giggle water
alcohol
bathtub gin
homemade gin
bootlegger
someone who makes or sells illegal liquor
rum-runner
someone who smuggles liquor
dry / wet
for Prohibition / against it
ossified
very drunk
spifflicated
very drunk
zozzled
drunk
blotto
drunk
Crime and the law
Slang
Meaning
bump off
kill
take for a ride
kill (by driving someone somewhere quiet)
rub out
kill
gat
a gun
torpedo
a hired gunman
pinch
an arrest; to arrest
the big house
prison
on the lam
on the run
sing
confess, inform
stool pigeon
an informer
fall guy
the one who takes the blame
frame
set someone up
racket
a criminal business
flatfoot / copper
a police officer
gumshoe / shamus
a private detective
mouthpiece
a lawyer
Money and everyday things
Slang
Meaning
dough / clams
money
fin
a five-dollar bill
sawbuck
a ten-dollar bill
C-note
a hundred-dollar bill
glad rags
your best clothes
cheaters
glasses
gams
legs
dogs
feet
kisser
mouth, face
lid
a hat
flivver
a cheap old car
scram / beat it
go away
blow
leave
How to use 1920s slang at a party
Slang is a costume for your voice. Like a costume, a little goes a long way.
Pick three words and wear them out. "Swell", "applesauce" and "the bee's knees" will carry a whole evening.
Use it to react, not to explain. "Applesauce!" works when someone tells an obvious lie. A long sentence of slang just loses people.
Put the cheat sheet where people stand. On the bar, by the food, in the bathroom. Guests pick words up through the night.
Give a prize. "Best Slang" or "Best Accent" at the end makes people try.
Match the slang to the character. A gangster says "gat" and "bump off"; a society heiress says "ritzy" and "the cat's pajamas"; a detective says "flatfoot" and "sing".
At a murder mystery party, slang does a second job: it makes accusations fun. A few lines to borrow:
"Don't hand me that applesauce. I saw you by the office at ten."
"Somebody here bumped him off, and it wasn't the band."
"If you know who did it, it's time to sing."
"I'm no stool pigeon, but ask the bartender where he was."
Death at the Speakeasy is our 1920s murder mystery. It is Chicago in 1927, and Vinnie Marlowe, owner of The Velvet Hour, is found poisoned in his office during a fake police raid. It plays 6 to 16 guests, from the headline singer to the bootlegger, the off-duty cop and the rival club owner. It runs about two hours: three rounds of 20 to 30 minutes, then the vote and the reveal. Each guest gets a private link with their character and a costume suggestion, the clues show on your TV, and the host plays too. Setting up is free and you pay $29 when you press Start Round 1. Hosting 16 players or a 1920s birthday? Those pages have the details.
Questions hosts ask
What are some popular 1920s slang words?
The bee's knees and the cat's pajamas (excellent), applesauce and horsefeathers (nonsense), giggle water and hooch (alcohol), speakeasy and juice joint (an illegal bar), and swell (great).
What does the bee's knees mean?
Excellent, the best of something. It is one of the best-known pieces of 1920s slang, along with the cat's pajamas and the cat's meow, which mean the same thing.
What is 1920s slang for money?
Dough or clams for money in general, a fin for a five-dollar bill, a sawbuck for a ten and a C-note for a hundred.
What did 1920s gangsters call a gun?
A gat. A hired gunman was a torpedo, to kill someone was to bump them off or take them for a ride, and an informer was a stool pigeon.
How do I use 1920s slang at a party without overdoing it?
Pick three or four words and use them often. One "applesauce!" lands better than a sentence of ten slang words nobody follows.
Ready to host?
Set up your murder mystery party, free.
Guests get their characters on their phones. No printing, no prep. Pay $29 once, when you press Start.