1920s Fun
February 1, 2019 9:51 am 1 Comment
Have you ever wanted to talk like someone from the 1920s? Below is a list of some slang terms from the 1920s. This is berries!
In the 1920s:
- Electricity, indoor plumbing , Kool-Aid and Band-Aids are invented along with the Model-T, roads and highways making life a lot easier
- Inventions: telephone, frozen meals, talking movies, electric record player, and penicillin
- The cost of:
- A car – $295
- A house – $7,809,
- A gallon of gas – .22 cents,
- A loaf of bread – .10 cents,
- A 5lb bag of sugar – .35 cents,
- A dozen eggs – .68 cents.
- Women’s jobs and pay per year: Teacher $1,200; Librarian $1,000; Seamstress $1,496; Nurse $1000; Telephone operator $1,872
- Men’s jobs and pay per year: Knocker-Uppers $9,482 = knocked on people’s windows to wake them up in the morning; Factory worker $1,300; Traveling salesman $6,500; Banker $631; Farmer $402
| Ankle: | to walk |
| “Bank’s closed”: | what you tell someone to stop making out |
| Bearcat: | a lively, spirited woman, possibly with a fiery streak |
| Berries: | like “bee’s knees,” denotes that something is good, desirable or pleasing. “That sounds like berries to me!" |
| Bimbo: | refers to a macho man |
| Cancelled stamp: | a shy, lonely female, the type one would describe as a “wallflower |
| Cash: | a smooch |
| Darb: | something deemed wonderful or splendid, similar to “berries” |
| Dewdropper: | lollygagger, a slacker who sits around all day and does nothing, often unemployed |
| “Don’t take any wooden nickels!”: | “Don’t do anything dumb!” |
| Dumb Dora: | an unintelligent woman |
| Egg: | a person who leads an absurdly wealthy, extravagant lifestyle |
| Flour-flusher: | someone who mooches off the money of others in order to feign wealth |
| Gasper: | cigarette |
| Giggle water: | liquor, alcoholic beverage |
| Handcuff: | engagement ring |
| Hotsy-totsy: | attractive, pleasing to the eye |
| Icy mitt: | rejection from the object of one’s affection, as in: “He got the icy mitt.” |
| Iron one’s shoelaces: | to excuse oneself for the restroom |
| Mazuma: | dollar bills, cash, money |
| Mrs. Grundy: | an uptight or very straight-laced individual |
| Noodle juice: | tea |
| “Now you’re on the trolley!”: | “Now you’ve gotten it right!” |
| Oliver Twist: | an extremely good dancer |
| Quilt: | an alcoholic beverage that keeps you warm |
| “Phonus balonus!”: | “That’s nonsense!” |
| Sinker: | a doughnut |
| Sockdollager: | an event or action of great importance |
| Spifflicated: | inebriated |
| “Tell it to Sweeney!”: | what you say when you believe something to be untrue |
| Upstage: | arrogant, snobby |
| Whoopee: | to have a good time |
| Wurp: | wet blanket or person seen as a buzzkill |
| Zozzled: | drunk |
In the credit union industry:
- On April 24, 1928 the Post Office Employees Cooperative Credit Association was legally authorized to commence business. This makes the Post Office Federal Credit Union the oldest credit union in the State of Nebraska.
- Centris FCU had not been established yet
Content credit: https://thoughtcatalog.com/nico-lang/2013/09/59-quick-slang-phrases-from-the-1920s-we-should-start-using-again/
1 Comment
Very interesting stuff! Fun facts!! love it!