50's Slang

 

A-B    C    D-E    F    G    H    I-K    L-N    O-P    R-S    T-W

The Word From The Bird

 

Actor            Show-off

Agitate the Gravel          To leave

Are you writing a book? You're asking too many questions

Baby            Cute girl, term of address for either sex

Back seat bingo          Necking in a car

Bad news          Depressing person

Bent eight          a V-8 engine (hot-rodders)

Big Daddy          An older person

Big tickle          Really funny

Bit                An act

Blast            A good time

Blow off          To defeat in a race (hot-rodders)

Bobbed          Shortened

Boss            Great

Bread           Money

Burn rubber          To accelerate hard and fast (hot-rodders)

Cast an eyeball          To look

Cat               A hip person (Beats)

Chariot                  Car (Beats)

Chrome-plated                   Dressed up (hot-rodders, originally)

Circled                  Married

Classy chassis     Great body

Cloud 9          Really happy

Clutched          Rejected

Clyde           Term of address, usually for a normal person (Beats)

Cook, cookin'          Doing it well

Cool it          Relax, settle down

Cooties          Imaginary infestations of the truly un-cool

Cranked          Excited (Beats)

Crazy           "Like crazy,man" Implies an especially good thing

Cream                    Originally, to dent a car. Later, to badly damage

Cruisin' for a bruisin'          Looking for trouble

Cube            A normal person

Cut the gas          Be quiet!

Cut out                  Leave

Daddy-O          Term of address (Beats)

Dibs             A claim - as in "got dibs" on that seat

Dig              To understand; to approve

Dolly           Cute girl

Don't have a cow   Don't get so excited

Earthbound          Reliable

Epistle                    Letter

Eyeball          Look around                             

Fake Out          A bad date

Fast             Someone who was sexually active

Fat City          A great thing or place; Happy

Flat out          Fast as you can

Flat-top          Men's hairstyle. A crewcut which is flat across the top

Flick            A movie

Flip              To get very excited

Floor it                  Push the accelerator to the floor

Fracture          To amuse

Fream           Someone who doesn't fit in

Frosted          Angry

Get Bent!     Disparaging remark as in "drop dead"

Get with it          Understand

Gig              Work, job

Go ape                  Get very excited

Goof            Someone who makes mistakes

Goopy             Messy

Greaser          A guy with tons of grease in his hair

Grody                    Sloppy, messy or dirty

Hang           As in "hang out" which means to do very little

Haul a**          Drive very fast

Heat            Police

Hip              Someone who is cool, in the know. Very good.

Hipster               Same as above

Horn            Telephone

Hottie                    A very fast car (hot-rodders)

Illuminations        Good ideas, thoughts

In orbit                  In the know

Ivy Leaguer          Pants style. Also any person who attended an Ivy League college

Jacked Up          Car with raised rear end.

Jacketed          Going steady.

Jets              Smarts, brains

Kick             A fun or good thing; Also, a fad

Kill              To really impress

Knuckle sandwich          A fist in the face

Kookie                  Nuts, in the nicest possible was

Lay a patch          To accelerate so rapidly that you leave a patch of rubber on the road.

Lay on                   To give (Beats)

Machine          A car (hot-rodders)

Made in the shade          Success guaranteed

Make out          A kissing session

Make the scene To attend an event or activity

Nerd            Same as now. Bill Gates without the money.

Nod             Drift off to sleep

No sweat          No problem

Nuggets          Loose change

Odd ball          Someone a bit off the norm

On the stick          Pulled together. Bright, prepared...

Pad              Home

Paper shaker          Cheerleader or Pom Pom girl

Party pooper          No fun at all

Passion Pit          Drive-in movie theatre

Peepers          Glasses

Pile up Z's          Get some sleep

Pound                    Beat up                             

Radioactive          Very popular

Rap              To tattle on someone (Beats)

Rattle your cage      Get upset

Raunchy          Messy or gross in some other way

Razz my berries          Excite or impress me

Real gone          Very much in love. Also unstable. Hmm, there's a difference?

Rock            A diamond

Scream                  Go fast

Shoot low          Be careful

Shot down          Failed

Sing             To tattle or inform on someone

Sounds                  Music

Spaz            Someone who is uncoordinated. A clutz.

Split             Leave

Stacked          A woman with large er, ah...you know, well endowed.

Stack up          To wreck a car

Tank            A large sedan (usually driven by parents)

Think Fast          Usually said right before someone threw something at you

Threads          Clothes

Tight            Good friends

Total            To completely destroy, most often in reference to a car

Unreal                   Exceptional

Wail             Go fast

Wazoo                   Your rear end

Weed           A cigarette

Wet rag          Someone who's just no fun

Word from the bird          The truth

What's buzzin, cuzzin          What's new?