A Historical Dictionary of American Slang (2024)

( np ) Tense, nervous. By the time I got my convertible out of the car wash, I was all nerves.

( n ) A restaurant that stays open all night. It was 3 AM but they found a little all-nighter on the corner where they could get a cup of java.

( adj ) Crazy, insane. The guy went bananas when I asked him to leave.

( n ) Fun, pleasure. I get a bang out of bungee jumping.

( n ) A try, an attempt. Move back and let me have a bash at it.

( vp ) Be outrageous. Doesn't that beat all?

( pp ) In trouble; disliked by someone. I forgot Mavis's birthday and now I'm behind the 8 ball.

( adj ) Upset, angry. After being bent for so many years, Barry is now a broken man.

( v ) To hug and kiss. Don't you just love to bill and coo with your girl on the beach?

( n ) Someone who talks too much. That blabbermouth told my girlfriend that he saw me with another girl.

( n ) A very fat person. I hate to have a blimp sitting next to me when I fly.

( v ) To hit. He gets into trouble at home when he boffs his brother.

( n ) Jazz of the 30s and 40s. Boogie-woogie is really cutting the rug!

( n ) A con game, a deceitful transaction. Government contracts are often thinly veiled boondoggles.

( v ) To swindle or cheat. Heathcliff was boondoggled into selling his car for half of its value.

( adj ) Without money. I'm broke man; don't ask me for money.

( np ) Money. I need to make a quick buck.

( int ) Form of address for a male in the South. Hey, buddy, can you spare a dime?

( v ) Make angry, mad. That really burns me up!

( v ) To escape. His mother and three of her buddies busted out of prison but was caught 3 days later.

( adj ) Crazy, insane. Stay away from that woman; she's 100 percent certifiable.

( adj ) Cheap. That really was a chintzy present you got him.

( v ) To kill. The mob cooled him a year or so ago.

( n ) A white person (offensive). That cracker just doesn't get jive.

( v ) To study hard. He didn't study all semester and had to cram before exams.

( v ) To hug and kiss. Let's go over to my front porch and cuddle some.

( v ) To dilute. They cut the whiskey with water at that bar.

( adj ) Quiet. This disco is really dead tonight.

( np ) Much money. Her boyfriend has deep pockets.

( n ) A claim. I have dibs on the shotgun seat.

( n ) A stupid or foolish person. The guy who flunked four out of five classes is really a dip.

( v ) To knock down. Say another word and I'll drop you.

( int ) Absolutely not! Drop dead! I'll never go out with you.

( n ) Clothes. I see you got some new duds for the dance.

( v ) To kill. The mob dusted him off when he ratted on them.

( v ) To leave. I have homework to do, man, let's fade.

( n ) A broken down car. Stewart will never get me into that old flivver his father drives.

( n ) A great time, something hilarious. The new comedy on TV is a real gasser.

( vp ) Have initial success trying to seduce someone. He couldn't get to first base with her, let alone score.

( adj ) Sexy. She is the ginchiest girl I've ever seen.

( vp ) To lose control of yourself, go crazy. I am going to go bananas if I don't have a vacation soon.

( vp ) To date only one person. They went steady for a year, then broke up.

( v ) Loaf, waste time. They used to goof on their way home from work.

( n ) A stupid thug or bodyguard. The mob boss was accompanied by a couple of his goons.

( n ) Courage. It takes a lot of guts to give the boss your true opinion.

( np ) A cool jazz-lover. Nathan is the hep cat who took me to Birdland for the first time.

( pp ) Taking bribes. You'll have to find a judge on the take to get out of this one.

( adj ) Over, done with. I don't have any idea where my old boyfriend is. He's history.

( adj ) Stolen. The police stopped them because they thought the car was hot.

( np ) A critical position with great pressure for success. Dwayne is in the hot seat now: if he doesn't make his quota, he is history.

( n ) A person who thinks he is very important. Look at Bud with his collar up; he thinks he is such a hotshot.

( n ) A stupid or foolish person. The jerk left his date at the party.

( adj ) Wanting to, excited about {British}. I'm keen to go to the motion pictures.

( n ) The buttocks. Llewelyn slipped on the wet floor and fell on his keister.

( n ) A short musical improvisation. He isn't that creative a trumpeter; he gets most of his licks from others.

( n ) Someone who cannot get things done. You don't want to give a job this important to a lightweight.

( int ) Form of address for a male. Hey, Mack, where is the nearest truck stop?

( n ) Nonsense. He said he aced the chem exam. What malarkey!

( adj ) Minor, unimportant. Boswell ran some Mickey-Mouse radio station in Florida for a few years.

( adj ) Alluring, seductive. She is a totally minxy fox.

( np ) Someone who offers advice when it is too late. Fritz is a Monday morning quarterback who is never there when you need him.

( n ) A carrier of illegal drugs. The cartel uses her as a mule to get their drugs into the country.

( n ) A bad or worthless person. So then the nogoodnik tramped across my clean kitchen floor in his muddy boots.

( np ) An eccentric. Freddie is a sort of odd ball who likes to take walks in the park.

( pp ) Nervous. All this waiting to hear from the doctor has me on edge.

( abb ) A private investigator. Serena hired a P. I. to tail her husband.

( n ) Something easy. Working on a computer for me is a piece of cake.

( n ) Anything difficult. Paying $1200 in taxes is a tough pill to take.

( v, n ) To vomit. I feel like I am going to puke.

( adj ) Crazy, insane. Don't listen to that punch-drunk bum; he's crazy.

( vp ) Tell something interesting. Why are you grinning? You look like somebody's put a bee in your bonnet.

( vp ) To raise your hands. Drop that gun and put 'em up!

( n ) A deception. It was an elaborate put-on which I almost believed.

( adj ) Counterfeit. Watch him; he's known for passing queer money.

( adj ) Dirty, grimy. Get out of those raunchy clothes and take bath.

( n ) A great time, something hilarious. The comedy program was a real riot.

( n ) Something excellent, outstanding. His party last night was a rip-snorter.

( adj ) Excellent, outstanding. Let me tell you, it was a rip-snorting party.

( n ) An ugly female (offensive). He was seen last night in a sketchy part of town with a scag.

( int ) An interjection of disappointment (euphemism for s - - -). Shoot! I just ripped my pants.

( n ) A car. He was trying to sell a hot short to a salesman on a car lot.

( np ) A wedding forced by pregnancy. The marriage didn't last because it started out in a shotgun wedding.

( v ) To miss, to not attend. Let's skip chemistry today and go to the library.

( adj ) Crazy, insane. Roland has been slap-happy ever since he left the ring.

( n ) Nose. She popped him on the snoot.

( int ) I don't care. So, Nellie got into Smith. So what?.

( adj ) Excellent, outstanding. That bash at her house was solid!

( v ) Increase the power and speed of a car. Sure, he wins the drag races: his car is souped up.

( adj ) Drunk, intoxicated. He came home soused and his wife locked him out.

( n ) Speedometer. The speedo was showing 35 mph but we seemed to be going much faster.

( v ) To scare, frighten. A snake spooked the horse and he threw his rider.

( v ) To loan. Could you spot me $10 until payday?

( np ) Police car. There is no way out; the house is surrounded by squad cars.

( v ) Force someone to do something unpleasant. He left early and stuck me with cleaning up the house.

( vp ) Come with. Mind if I tag along for the ride?

( v ) To leave. I am tired of all your complaining. Take a hike!

( n ) The latest news or gossip. Say, what's the word on Jenny?

( vp ) Help out with something small. Look, if you make a lot of money, throw your old friend a bone.

( vp ) Dominated by the wife or a woman. Fred can't go fishing on the weekend; he's tied to his wife's apron string.

( n ) A female. That Shelly's one red hot tomato.

( n ) An arsonist, someone who starts fires illegally for money. Burnham Goode was a torch for the mob until the police collared him on the job.

( v ) To commit arson, to burn down illegally. I hear Burnham Goode torched his own restaurant for the insurance money.

( n ) Petty, immature brat. The little twit barfed all over her date at the pizza parlor.

( n ) Superficial person. She is such a twit who spends most of her time shopping.

( v ) To fail to meet an obligation. He welched on his promise to help paint my house.

( phr ) What is wrong with you? Hey, what's with you, man. You're really bent.

( n ) Talented person. He is a whiz at the computer.

( n ) A small, worthless amount The president doesn't know doodly-squat about running a country.

( n ) A stupid or foolish person. This lame-brain thinks it is the Umpire State Building in New York.

( adj ) Stupid or foolish. I've never heard such a lame-brained idea in my life.

( n ) An object for which a name is unavailable. What was that thingamajig he was holding?

( v ) Be workable Your idea doesn't have legs; it won't fly.

( vp ) To leave, elope, or escape. When he saw you coming up the walk, he flew the coop.

( n ) A weak, indecisive person. That drip doesn't know how to tie his shoes.

( n ) Slick con man. Some worthless spiv married Myrtle, took her money, and left her.

( n ) Something you like. Playing quoits on a Sunday afternoon is not quite my cup of tea.

( v ) To serve, to do something hard or harsh. Tommy isn't afraid of flamers; he can dish it out with the best of them.

( np ) Something you like. Playing quoits on a Sunday afternoon is not quite my cup of tea.

( n ) A nervous person. Calm down, Donny, don't be such a jitterbug.

( n ) Climax, critical point. Bertie is someone you can count on in a crunch.

( v ) Stick out, protrude. Millie, why is your stomach pooching out like that?

( n ) Photography of well-proportioned women. Betty Grable was a popular piece of cheesecake during World War II.

( v ) To accelerate something suddenly. When Pedro saw Maria down the road, he gunned his old jalopy.

( v ) To finalize, bring to an end. Merlyn wrapped up his presentation with a chorus of "Happy Days" played on the piano.

( np ) Something worthless. That car of his isn't worth a plugged nickel.

( n ) A bribe to promote a song on radio or TV. It is hard to believe that most of the songs we sing are popular only because disc jockeys received payola.

( n ) Brains, intelligence Ask Jean-Phillippe; he has a lot of savvy when it comes to car engines.

( int ) Interjection of surprise. Yikes! That was a close call!

( adj ) Tired, exhausted; worn out, broken down. I can't go anywhere tonight: me and my car are shot.

( pp ) Excellent, outstanding. Maggie's gown for the prom is out of this world.

( n ) Male hom*osexual That sweet old nelly wouldn't hurt a fly.

( adj ) Crazy, insane. You're completely bats if you think I'll lend you $5.

( n ) An old car or plane. You can always find some schnook to sell that old crate of yours to.

( n ) A thug; a dumb but nice guy. The big lug never forgets my birthday.

( adj ) Smart, stylish, nice looking. Did you see that snazzy new car Sue Barew is driving around in?

( adj ) Simple-minded, trite. I get so tired of Hugh Jeego's corny jokes I don't know what to do.

( n ) A stupid or foolish person That boob O'Reilly picked his nose three times at the dinner table.

( n ) Cheap wine, wine of poor quality. Mable, we can't serve plonk with these bugers; they deserve better.

( n ) A situation in which you feel comfortable, competent. I just can do this, man; I'm not in my groove.

( n ) An uproar, commotion. Why all the hoo-ha over calling my secretary "Sweetie-pie"?

( v ) To kill. Maxi got scragged in a car accident

( n ) A drink of hard liquor. After a day like today, I need a belt before going to bed.

( v ) To hit. Frannie bopped me on the head, mommy!

( n ) An important, visible, hard-working member of an organization. Correy Publican was a wheel-horse of the GOP before her arrest.

( n ) The buttocks. Frieda slipped on a banana peel and fell on her can.

( n ) umph Couldn't you get a little more, I don't know, umph into this ad campaign?

( ) Spirit, strength, power. You need to sing that song with a little more oomph to get it across.

( n ) A man who croons. (Bing Crosby was the first crooner.) That raspy-voiced Rusty Horne thinks he's a crooner!

( vp ) Leave, dismiss, kill. Why don't you just kiss off if you don't want to work.

( adj ) Expert. He's an ace reporter.

( n ) Affectionate term of address for either sex. Come on, baby, let's go home.

( int ) Female appellation. Come on, baby doll, let's go home.

( np ) Trouble. You didn't get any financial aid? That's bad business.

( np ) Trouble. Stay away from this guy; he's bad news.

( adj ) Tired, exhausted. After working all day I am really beat.

( n ) A dance to fast big band jazz. Harry James was playing and everyone be-bopped till midnight.

( n ) A disagreement, argument. After we ignored Jim we had a beef with his whole crew.

( n ) A drinking spree. Every Monday Lucien comes home from a weekend bender.

( n ) Business. Well, that's show biz.

( n ) Police car. He was surprised to see his house surrounded by black-and-whites when he arrived home.

( adj ) Apathetic, indifferent. I feel so blah after taking five midterms in one day.

( v ) To waste, lose. He blew all his money gambling.

( vp ) Lose your temper. Hey, don't blow a fuse.

( adj ) Crazy, insane. That noise they call music is driving me bonkers.

( n ) A brat, a rascal. I gave the little booger $5 to put gas in my car and he spent it on his girl.

( v ) To register an arrest. They just booked Rusty for forging checks.

( n ) An isolated place in the country. He lives somewhere out in the boondocks.

( n ) Liquor or other alcoholic beverage. I promised to bring two bottles of booze to the party.

( v ) To dance wildly to the big band jazz of the 40s. We bopped all night at Collingwood's last night.

( n ) A woman (offensive). Never tangle with that broad; she's tough.

( v ) To borrow. Can I bum ten bucks until the end of the week?

( np ) False accusation. They kept him after school for smoking in the men's room but he got a bum rap.

( vp ) To serve time in prison. Yeah, if you do that, you'll be busting rocks for 10 years.

( vp ) To scold, chastise. I'm going to bust his chops for leaving his date at the party when I see him.

( vp ) To die. If you don't kick the ice cream habit you're going to buy the farm.

( n ) Tipsiness. I had a buzz on after the third martini.

( n ) A prostitute who makes appointments by telephone. Miriam was a call-girl before she became a guidance counselor.

( n ) Jail or prison. Grady just got out of the can and is on parole.

( adj ) Cheap. That is really a cheesy looking outfit.

( v ) To scold, chastise. Dad's going to chew you out when he sees the dent in the car.

( n ) Coward. Don't be a chicken.

( v ) To back out from cowardice. We were going to do some bungee jumping but my mom chickened out.

( n ) Tooth. My dad's teeth were bad but he bought a new set of choppers last week.

( np ) A bald guy (offensive). The old chrome dome told me that grass doesn't grow where there is a lot going on.

( v ) To vomit. He chucked up most of his dinner on the porch.

( adj ) That is no longer or can no longer be pursued. After 24 hours, all the leads in the case were cold.

( np ) An unresponsive person. My date for the dance was such a cold fish I left without him.

( vp ) To do something right. As soon as he got the grip on his golf clubs right, he was cooking with gas.

( n ) Guy or gal. He's a tough cookie.

( v ) To calm down. Things should cool down in a day or two.

( n ) A policeman. The cop showed me his badge.

( vp ) To open a bottle. Let's crack open a bottle for his birthday.

( v ) To make laugh. That Trudy cracks me up with her jokes.

( n ) A mean, despicable person. That creep ran off with my girl.

( n ) To die. If I take another bite I am going to croak.

( v ) To record. She cut a new record last week.

( int ) Emphatic adjective (euphemism for damn). I'll be dang if I didn't leave my watch at home!

( int ) An interjection of disappointment. Dang nabbit! I dropped my chewing gum.

( int ) Emphatic adjective (euphemism for damn). I'll be danged if I didn't leave my watch at home!

( adj ) Dress up. Fred was really decked out for his date with Wendy.

( v ) To leave someone who is with you. I'll ditch my younger brother with my grandmother.

( v ) To follow relentlessly. She dogged me all the way home.

( n ) A girl or a woman. He liked to pick up dollies at the local bars.

( n ) The head or skull. Look at old chrome dome (bald guy) over there.

( adj ) In big trouble, finished. I just let the car roll into the lake. I'm done for when the rents find out.

( n ) Information. So what's the latest dope on Jamie?

( v ) To kill. Don't move or I'll drop you in your tracks.

( n ) Something that doesn't work properly. He bought a new refrigerator but it is a dud--it doesn't keep anything cold.

( n ) Something excellent, outstanding. His grandmother is really dynamite.

( v ) Calm down. She's working a mile a minute; she has to ease up soon.

( adj ) Nervous. Why don't you put down the gun; it's making me edgy.

( n ) A cigarette. Give me a fa*g, man; I'm having a nicotine fit.

( n ) A stupid or foolish person. The fat-head thought Moby Dick is a social disease.

( v ) Start your engine. OK, fire it up and let's ride.

( n ) Dose of narcotics. The addict needs another fix.

( vp ) To talk. You can flap your lips all night but I won't change my mind.

( n ) A policeman or detective. We have a flatfoot walking a beat by our house every day.

( vp ) To lose control of yourself, go crazy. Josh got so mad at his brother that he flipped his wig.

( v ) To make someone laugh. He fractures me with all his jokes and antics.

( n ) A fanatic. He is some kind of ecology freak that doesn't read because he doesn't want to use paper.

( n ) Something that costs nothing. The pen was a freebie I picked up at a show.

( adj ) Confused by alcohol or otherwise. I was totally fubar at Philip's party last night!

( n ) A great time, something hilarious. The party last night was a real gas! ).

( n ) A gun (from Gatling gun). Paul, is that a gat under your coat?

( n ) An old person (offensive). Those old geezers up there are driving too slowly.

( vp ) Look at. Get a load of Frankie's new car!

( vp ) To annoy, bother, annoy. These Friday quizzes are getting under my skin.

( vp ) To do something (unpleasant) to someone. If you don't behave, I'm going to give it to you.

( n ) FBI investigator. G-men broke up his still and sent him up the river for 5 years.

( v ) To kill. I could have you dusted (off) tomorrow, you rat.

( vp ) To fail or go bankrupt. The company went belly up under his management.

( adj ) Knowledgeable about the current scene. He's a real gone cat.

( v ) To make a mistake, error. If I called you 'Clarissa', I just goofed.

( n ) A loiterer, someone who wastes time. This company can no longer afford good-offs.

( n ) A stupid thug or bodyguard. The mob boss came in with one of his gorillas on either side.

( n ) Easy money. This job is pure gravy.

( n ) A dollar. He opened his wallet and I saw a thick bundle of greenbacks in it.

( v ) To interrogate intensely. The police picked him up and grilled him for an hour.

( n ) A private investigator. Sally hired a low-life gumshoe to tail her husband.

( vp ) To quit. I have decided to hang up my teaching job.

( n ) A member of the counterculture of the 40s (Origin of 'hippie'). He was a cool hipster you saw in all the jazz joints back in the 40s.

( v ) To marry. Did you hear? Buffy and Lance got hitched last night.

( vp ) Borrow. Let me hold 5 bucks; you know I will pay you back.

( int ) An interjection of surprise. Holy mackerel! We won the lottery!

( n ) The boss, commanding officer. Who is the head honcho around here?

( n ) An attractive female. There were a lot of honeys at the bar last night.

( int ) An interjection of surprise. Hot diggity dog! Bonzo brought home the Marilyn Monroe movie.

( int ) An interjection of surprise. Hot dog! I got second base on the baseball team.

( n ) A souped-up car. Oliver's been working on that old hotrod of his for two years, now.

( adj ) Expert. Malcolm, they say, is a hotshot reporter for a big newspaper up north.

( pp ) In my opinion. He an OK guy in my book.

( pp ) Knowledgeable, aware. Let's ask Perry; he is usually in the know about these things.

( v ) To make sense, fit. Nothing you say jives with what your wife told me.

( n ) A prison, jail. When he got out of the joint, he went legit.

( n ) Juvenile delinquent. Those juvies are always stealing things.

( n ) A stop (to something). The rents put the kibosh on the party Saturday night.

( n ) Enjoyment. I get a kick out of watching him paint.

( n ) Fun. She gets her kicks by going to the beach.

( ap ) Really huge. That Caddy his dad has is king size.

( v ) To kill. Bugsy finked on the mob and they knocked him off.

( v ) To quit. He knocked off work early today.

( adj ) Asleep. Lem is knocked out; he worked all night long.

( np ) A punch in the mouth. Shut up or I'll give you a knuckle sandwich.

( vp ) To shoot someone. If you don't stop grabbing for my gun, I'm going to let you have it.

( pp ) Really fast. We're studying like crazy for the exam tomorrow.

( n ) An untrue story or statement. Cornelius shot me some line about being an Eskimo who wandered too far south.

( n ) Something excellent, outstanding. That shot he made outside the 3-point zone was a lulu!

( vp ) To flirt with, try to seduce. He made a pass at me but I wasn't interested.

( n ) A stupid or foolish person. So then the meatball leans over and let's his cigarette drop into the open carburetor.

( n ) A lot of money. He made megabucks when he sold his company.

( n ) Money. This guy Seamus Allgood has mucho moolah.

( n ) Face. Get out and don't let me see your mug in her again.

( v ) To make faces. He loves to mug with hit grandchildren.

( n ) Nothing. We searched her car and found nada.

( n ) Audacity. You have some nerve telling me what to do!

( int ) Interjection of congratulations. Nice going on that 3-pointer you just shot.

( int ) An interjection of rejection. I ask him for $10 but he said: No dice!

( adj ) Crazy, insane. You are completely nuts if you think I will go with you.

( pp ) Exonerated, cleared of guilt. I'm glad Lloyd confessed to blowing the toilet; that let's me off the hook.

( n ) Mother. My old lady burned the pancakes.

( pp ) Exactly. Boy, are you right on the nose when you say gas prices are high.

( np ) Annoyance. My wife's best friend is a pain in the neck.

( n ) A scapegoat. Roy stole the horse and left me behind to be the patsy.

( n ) Hand. Get your paws off of my body!

( n ) Little money. I am not going to work for peanuts.

( n ) Eyes. Cast your peepers at the hottie over by the door.

( n ) A dynamic person. Martha's in every organization in town: she's a real pistol.

( n ) Influence. Ask Fred to help you; he has a lot of pull at city hall.

( vp ) A chastising, a tough questioning. He came home potted last weekend and his wife ran him through the wringer.

( v ) To lead. Who is going to quarterback the meeting?

( n ) A hom*osexual. He is a queer with an odd perspective on life.

( v ) To make fun of, tease. My brother is always ragging me about my girlfriend.

( phr ) Raise your hands. Drop that gun and reach for the sky!

( n ) An old performer making a comeback. It was supposed to be a great show but it was just a bunch of retreads doing old stuff.

( n ) A diamond or other precious stone. Whenever Arlene complains about being a kept woman, Mortimer gives her another rock and she shuts up.

( n ) Ice. Would you like your whiskey on the rocks?

( v ) To play rough. OK, you guys. No roughhousing in the living room.

( v ) To kill. Several members of the competing gang were rubbed out.

( n ) A toupee, a wig. Is that a rug on his head?

( vp ) To lose interest or momentum. The politician ran out of gas during the campaign.

( adj ) Gullible. He is so sappy I'm surprised he hasn't bought the Brooklyn Bridge.

( adj ) Overly sentimental. I hate those sappy movies where everyone gets married and lives happily ever after.

( adj ) Drunk, intoxicated. Man we got sauced last night at that party.

( v ) To make a mistake, error. He screwed up when he bought that car.

( v ) To betray someone. He wouldn't sell me out; he's my closest friend.

( adj ) Excellent, outstanding. I've heard the new night club is really sharp.

( n ) A try, turn, go. I'll give the puzzle another shot.

( v ) Keep (contemptuous rejection). You can take your job and shove it.

( n ) Sleep. I've been working all day long; I have to get some shut-eye.

( v ) To inform or tattle. If Malcolm sings to the cops, they'll get us all.

( v ) To leave with someone in pursuit. She took the money and skipped town.

( v ) To hit. Don't talk to me that way unless you want to be slugged in the chops.

( v ) Force out, make come out. The cops smoked the shooter out of the house with tear gas.

( v ) To hug and kiss. I guess they are going steady; I saw them smooching on the porch last night.

( n ) A drunk. All I saw coming home was a couple of souses lying on the sidewalk in front of the bar.

( v ) To vomit. He barely made it to his car, then spewed through the sun roof.

( v ) To tell everything one knows. When the cops picked him up, he spewed his guts out.

( n ) A spy. Word has it, Melvin was a spook for the CIA in his youth.

( v ) To frighten. The cows were spooked by the howling of the wolves.

( v ) Let out, let loose. Somehow he got sprung from jail.

( adj ) Having a nice female figure. She was polite, pretty, and really stacked.

( v ) Stay. The atmosphere was cozy, so I decided to stick around for a while.

( n ) Way out in the country. Delbert lives somewhere way out in the sticks.

( adj ) Without ice. He drinks his scotch straight up.

( np ) A rich man who supports a female. Daddy Warbucks was Little Orphan Annie's sugar daddy.

( adj ) Excellent, outstanding. He found a really sweet job the other day.

( vp ) Look at, examine. Take a gander at that hunk standing by the door.

( v ) To leave. Look, if you don't like it here, take a powder.

( v ) To deprive of money. Can you loan me $5 till Friday? I'm completely tapped (out).

( np ) Federal prison. Grannis served 10 years in the big house.

( np ) An isolated place in the country. Greta married some yahoo from the sticks.

( v ) To hold scoreless. We skunked them 5-0 in baseball.

( adj ) Too bad. You have a date tonight? That's tough; you have to baby-sit.

( np ) Weak advice, opinion. Well, that's my two cents worth.

( n ) Women's underwear. When Gladys bends over you can see her unmentionables.

( pp ) Available to anyone. This is a sale. Everything is up for grabs.

( adj ) Crazy, insane. I've never known a wackier person than Smoot.

( n ) Money. You don't want to carry a wad like that with you in the big city.

( phr ) What is going on? Hey, buddy, what's cooking? Did somebody get hurt?

( phr ) What is going on? What's up? Aren't we shooting hoops today?

( vp ) To be mistaken. If you think you can make a good hotrod for $2000, you're whistling Dixie.

( int ) An interjection of surprise. Wow! You won the lottery?

( vp ) Think hard. I wracked my brain but couldn't come up with the answer.

( int ) Speech punctuation. Then he ran out, you know, and then he, you know, wanted us to take him home.

( adj ) Bad, no good Where did you get such a crummy baseball mitt?

( n ) An extremely attractive person. Buster is such a dreamboat he had Sally snowed on the first date.

( n ) Something unimportant or indescribable. We need a blivet to get this thing to work and I have no idea what kind.

( n ) An object for which a name is unavailable. What was that thingamabob he was holding?

( np ) Forbidden notes taken to an exam. Farnsworth couldn't past this test with crib notes.

( adj ) An interjection of emphasis (euphemism for G. D.) That is none of your dad-blamed business.

( adj ) Dressed up. (See spiffy, too) Boy, don't we look spivvy today?

( n ) Pretty woman. Now, that Bobby Sue, she's a real dish!

( n ) A dance to fast big band jazz. Boogie-woogie, bebop, jitterbug, I love all the fast dances.

( adj ) Old, out-dated. I'm tired of listening to his hairy jokes that went out in the 20s.

( adj ) Crazy, co*ckamamie. A solar-powered flashlight? What kind of co*ck-eyed idea is that?

( n ) Rich, famous people who love bright lights and cameras. All the glitterati turned out for the Academy Awards.

( v ) To kill. Da god fadda wants we should clip Johhny Two-Faces tonight.

( adv ) Naturally, of course. Did I take him up on the offer? Natch, it was too good to pass up.

( n ) A stupid or foolish person. The yucks who chose the TV shows don't know what they are doing.

( v ) To shoot. I don't have anything to do with the mob; that's a good way to get yourself blasted.

( n ) Strong desire for a person of the opposite sex. Wendy told me that Fran Tastik has the hots for Gordon Lowe.

( n ) Argument, squabble. Harry Batten was thrown out of the game for getting in a rhubarb with the umpire behind homeplate.

( n ) A drinker. Mojo was a heavy swigger in his youth.

( n ) Aggressively forward male. Stay away from Lance Sterling; he is the biggest wolf in school.

( int ) Interjection of frustration or emphasis. Hang! I can eat six hotdogs in in 10 minutes.

( n ) A stupid or foolish person. That knucklehead can't read his own name without moving his lips!

( n ) An ejection, throwing out physically. Frothingschloss became so rambunctious in the bar that they gave him the old heave-ho.

( n ) A rebuff, snub. Every time I ask dad for a job, I get the brush-off.

( v ) To rebuff, snub. Carly brushed off all my advances like I was a bug.

( n ) A tediously detailed account. You don't have to give me the whole megillah, just the highlights.

( int ) To leave, go away. Stop bothering me! Get lost!

( n ) A stupid thug or bodyguard who carries a gun. You never see Robin Banks without a couple of gunsels with him.

( n ) Nothing, zip. I worked all day for him and he gave me bupkis!

( v ) To hit someone over the head. Helen Highwater crowned her old man on the head with a frying pan.

( n ) A stupid or foolish person. That fathead thought Moby Dick is a social disease.

( n ) A sucker. You can always find a schnook to sell that old crate of yours to.

( n ) Nose. Ferlin has trouble kissing because his schnozz gets in the way.

( n ) Nose. Marvin would be handsome if he had less of a schnozzola.

( n ) Nonsense. That old gasbag talks nothing but gobbledy gook.