What do these nearly extinct 1940s slang terms actually mean?

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What Did It Mean If Someone Said They Were "Cooking With Gas"?

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Who Was Referred To As A "G-Man" In The 1940s?

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If A Friend Told You To "Chew The Fat" What Did They Want To Do?

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What Was Someone Doing If They Were Said To Be "Cutting A Rug"?

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What Part Of The Body Were You Referring To As "Gams"?

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What Kind Of Individual Was Known As An "Eager Beaver"?

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If You Called A Man A "Chrome-Dome" What Was Unique About Him?

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What Does The Phrase "Hot Diggity Dog" Express?

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What Was A "Gumshoe's" Profession During This Era?

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If You Told Someone To "Clam Up" What Were You Asking?

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What Was A "Dreamboat" In 1940s Slang?

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What Did It Mean If You Were Feeling The "Heebie-Jeebies"?

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What Was A "Fuddy-Duddy" Known For?

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If Someone Called You A "Drip" What Did They Think Of You?

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What Was A "Killer Diller" In The World Of Jazz?

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What Kind Of Woman Was Often Called A "Canary"?

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If You Were Asked To "Take A Powder" What Should You Do?

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What Was A "Knuckle Sandwich" According To A Tough Guy?

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What Did The Phrase "Blow Your Top" Mean?

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If Someone Was "Decked Out" What Did That Mean?

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What Was A "Jitterbug" In The 1940s?

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What Does It Mean To Be "Behind The Eight Ball"?

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If You Referred To Money As "Lettuce" What Did You Mean?

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What Was A "Crumb" To People In This Decade?

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What Did The Exclamation "Holy Mackerel" Mean?

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If A Man Was A "Hepcat" What Was He Like?

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What Did It Mean If You Were "In Cahoots" With Someone?

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What Was "The Big House" A Nickname For?

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What Was A "Hubba Hubba" Used To Express?

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If You Were Told To "Snap Your Cap" What Happened?

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What Does It Mean To "Cook With Helium"?

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If Someone Called You A "Ducky Shincracker" Who Were You?

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What Was An "Ameche" In The 1940s?

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What Was An "Armored Cow" In Military Slang?

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If You Said Something Was "Baloney" What Did You Mean?

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What Was The Act Of "Bubble Dancing"?

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What Did It Mean If You Were "Whistling Dixie"?

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What Was A "Rhubarb" In The World Of Baseball?

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If Someone Mentioned "Peepers" What Were They Talking About?

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What Does It Mean If Everything Is "Copasetic"?

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What Was A "Grandstander" Known For Doing?

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What Did It Mean To "Take A Beating" In This Era?

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If Someone Was Said To Be "On The Beam" What Were They?

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What Was A "Dish" In 1940s Hollywood Slang?

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What Did The Word "Moxie" Describe In A Person?

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If You Were Told To "Check Your Oil" What Were You Doing?

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What Kind Of Person Was Described As Being "Zooty" In The Late 1940s?

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What Did It Mean To "Flip Your Wig"?

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What Was A "Gobbledygook" To A Government Official?

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What Did It Mean To Be "Beat" In The 1940s?

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What Was An "Apple-Knocker" In Casual Conversation?

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If You Said You Were "Above Board" What Were You Being?

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What Was A "Coffee Cooler" In The Workplace?

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What Did It Mean If You Were "Chipper"?

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What Was A "Cookie" To A Young Man?

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What Did It Mean To "Get A Load Of" Something?

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What Was A "Flatfoot" In The 1940s?

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What Did It Mean To Be "On The Level"?

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What Was A "Pill" In Social Circles?

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What Did The Phrase "All-Out" Mean?

1

Turning on the kitchen stove to boil water

2

Smelling a strange odor coming from the oven

3

Preparing a large family dinner for Sunday

4

Making great progress or doing something the right way

This popular phrase meant someone was finally moving at a good pace or performing a task very effectively.

1

A gardener who tended to the neighborhood flower beds

2

A gentleman who always opened doors for young ladies

3

A man who worked for the local garbage company

4

A special agent working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation

The term G-Man was a popular nickname for federal agents who worked for the United States government branch.

1

Exercise their jaw muscles before singing in the choir

2

Argue about the price of groceries at the store

3

Eat a very greasy meal at the local diner

4

Have a long and casual conversation with you

Chewing the fat is an old expression for sitting down to gossip or talk about daily life events.

1

Tripping over their own feet while walking home

2

Dancing with a lot of energy and style

3

Cleaning the floor with a very sharp knife

4

Using scissors to fix a hole in the carpet

Cutting a rug was a common way to describe someone who was performing an impressive and rhythmic dance.

1

The teeth of an older gentleman

2

The legs of a woman

3

The hands of a hard worker

4

The eyes of a beautiful young girl

This classic slang term was often used by men to compliment the appearance of a lovely woman's legs.

1

An enthusiastic person who volunteers for many tasks

2

A person who has very large front teeth

3

An animal lover who works at the local zoo

4

Someone who enjoys swimming in cold river water

An eager beaver describes a person who is very excited to help others and always works extremely hard.

1

He possessed a very bright and white smile

2

He was a man with a completely bald head

3

He had a very shiny silver car in the driveway

4

He wore a metal helmet for his construction job

Chrome-dome was a playful nickname for men who had lost their hair and had a shiny bald head.

1

A complaint about the summer heat in the city

2

A way to call your pet inside the house

3

A feeling of great excitement or surprise

4

A request for a spicy snack at the game

People used this fun exclamation to show they were very happy or shocked by some wonderful recent news.

1

A sneaky thief who moved very quietly

2

A cobbler who repaired soles with sticky rubber

3

A private investigator or a detective

4

A person who sold bubblegum on the corner

Gumshoes were detectives who wore soft rubber soles to sneak up on suspects during their secret police investigations.

1

To put on a warm coat before going outside

2

To go to the beach and hunt for shellfish

3

To close their mouth while they were eating

4

To stop talking and keep a secret

To clam up meant to become silent and refuse to share any more information with the people around.

1

A very handsome and attractive man

2

A person who slept through most of the day

3

A large vessel used for luxury ocean travel

4

A bed that felt like floating on the water

Young women used this term to describe a man who was so handsome he seemed like a dream.

1

You were feeling very nervous or jittery

2

You were experiencing a fit of uncontrollable laughter

3

You were coming down with a common cold

4

You were feeling extremely hungry for a large meal

The heebie-jeebies is a funny phrase used to describe a feeling of anxiety or a sense of dread.

1

Being an old-fashioned and boring person

2

Wearing colorful clothes to every social event

3

Giving away all of their money to charity

4

Making a lot of noise while they worked

A fuddy-duddy is someone who resists new ideas and prefers to stick to very traditional or old-fashioned ways.

1

They thought you were a very boring person

2

They thought you were a leaky water pipe

3

They thought you were a stylish and cool friend

4

They thought you were a very fast runner

Being called a drip meant that other people found you to be quite dull or lacking any excitement.

1

A musician who played the drums far too loudly

2

Something that was absolutely amazing or the best

3

A dangerous person who lived in the city

4

A type of insect that ruined garden crops

This rhyming slang was used to describe something or someone that was truly excellent and highly impressive overall.

1

A female singer who performed with a band

2

A lady who wore bright yellow dresses often

3

A woman who enjoyed birdwatching in the park

4

A person who talked too much about others

In the big band era a canary was the nickname given to the lovely female vocalist on stage.

1

Leave the area or disappear quickly

2

Help bake a cake in the kitchen

3

Apply medicine to a small scrape or burn

4

Go to the bathroom to fix your makeup

Taking a powder meant you needed to make a quick exit and get away from the current situation.

1

A forceful punch in the mouth

2

A special way of folding a paper lunch bag

3

A handshake that was much too firm

4

A meal made of very bony pieces of meat

Giving someone a knuckle sandwich was a slang way of threatening to hit them with a closed fist.

1

To take off your hat when entering a building

2

To let the wind catch your umbrella

3

To lose your temper and get very angry

4

To clean the dust off the high shelves

When someone would blow their top they were having a sudden and very intense outburst of intense anger.

1

They were lying on the floor after a fight

2

They were working hard on a wooden ship

3

They were decorating their porch for a holiday

4

They were dressed up in very fancy clothes

To be decked out meant you were wearing your very best outfit for a special or formal occasion.

1

A small insect that lived in the garden

2

A mechanical toy that moved across the floor

3

A fast and energetic style of swing dance

4

A person who drank too much strong coffee

The jitterbug was a highly popular and lively dance that teenagers loved to perform to upbeat swing music.

1

To play a game of pool with your friends

2

To be in a very difficult or losing position

3

To stand at the back of a long line

4

To hide your age from other people

This billiard term described a situation where a person was stuck in trouble with no easy way out.

1

You were feeling very healthy and full of energy

2

You were talking about green paper bills

3

You were saving your coins in a glass jar

4

You were planning to buy fresh vegetables

Lettuce was a popular slang word for cash because American dollar bills are green just like the vegetable.

1

A person who always forgot their wallet

2

A repulsive or mean-spirited person

3

A small piece of bread left on the plate

4

A very tiny child who was still crawling

Calling someone a crumb was a way to say they were a lowlife or a very unpleasant individual.

1

That you were very surprised or impressed

2

That you were eating a very salty fish

3

That you were going fishing on a Sunday

4

That you were attending a religious service

Holy mackerel was a common and polite way to express total shock or amazement at something quite unexpected.

1

He was someone who stayed up all night long

2

He was a person who worked in a jazz club

3

He was a very stylish and trendy person

4

He was a man who owned many house cats

A hepcat was a person who was very cool and well informed about the latest trends in jazz.

1

You were living in the same neighborhood

2

You were conspiring or working together in secret

3

You were sharing a large meal at a restaurant

4

You were wearing the same style of boots

Being in cahoots meant two or more people were partners in a secret plan or a sneaky deal.

1

A large hospital located in the city center

2

A federal or state prison

3

The local city hall or government building

4

A mansion owned by a very wealthy family

In old movies the big house was the common slang term used for a large and secure prison.

1

A sound made while eating a delicious meal

2

A request for a ride in a motorcar

3

Strong approval or excitement for someone's looks

4

A way to say goodbye to a close friend

This catchphrase was often yelled out by men to show they found a woman to be very attractive.

1

You made a loud noise with your fingers

2

You closed your suitcase for a long trip

3

You broke the brim of your favorite hat

4

You lost your temper and became very angry

To snap your cap was another way of saying that you had finally lost your patience and temper.

1

To speak in a very high and squeaky voice

2

To make a meal that is very light and airy

3

To act very fast or get moving quickly

4

To use a balloon to lift heavy kitchen pots

Cooking with helium meant you were performing a task with great speed or dancing at a very fast pace.

1

A person who was a very talented dancer

2

A farmer who raised many birds on a pond

3

Someone who accidentally kicked their own legs

4

A person who wore very shiny black leather shoes

A ducky shincracker was a fun and lighthearted way to describe someone who was exceptionally good at dancing.

1

A type of stylish Italian hat

2

A new kind of radio for the home

3

A nickname for a telephone

4

A famous actor from the silent movies

Named after actor Don Ameche this slang term became a common way for people to refer to telephones.

1

A cow that was kept inside a safe barn

2

A very tough piece of steak for dinner

3

A heavy tank used on the battlefield

4

A can of condensed or evaporated milk

Soldiers often called canned milk an armored cow because it came in a sturdy and thick metal container.

1

You thought the information was total nonsense

2

You were hungry for a cold meat sandwich

3

You were talking about a city in Italy

4

You were describing a round and flat object

Baloney was a very common way to tell someone that you did not believe their silly or false stories.

1

The job of washing dishes in a kitchen

2

A way of bathing in a very large tub

3

A game played by children on the sidewalk

4

A performance where dancers used giant bubbles

Bubble dancing was a humorous way to describe the chore of scrubbing dishes in a sink full of suds.

1

You were trying to attract someone's attention

2

You were singing a song from the south

3

You were waiting for a friend to arrive

4

You were wasting your time on something useless

The phrase whistling Dixie meant you were engaging in a futile effort that would not lead to any results.

1

A game that was cancelled because of rain

2

A loud argument or a heated disagreement

3

A red vegetable served at the concession stand

4

A player who was not very good at hitting

A rhubarb described a noisy scuffle or a fight that broke out between players and umpires on the field.

1

The eyes on a person's face

2

People who looked through windows at night

3

A group of small birds in a nest

4

A type of glasses worn for reading books

Peepers was a common slang term used to describe eyes especially when someone was looking at something very closely.

1

Everything is extremely expensive to purchase

2

Everything is very messy and disorganized

3

Everything is fine and in good order

4

Everything is moving much too slowly today

When things are copasetic it means that the situation is completely satisfactory and there are no problems at all.

1

Selling peanuts and popcorn at the ballgame

2

Sitting in the front row of the stadium

3

Building a large porch on their new house

4

Showing off to get attention from others

A grandstander is a person who behaves in a very dramatic way just to impress the people watching them.

1

To lose a lot of money in a deal

2

To exercise until you were very tired

3

To win a race by a large margin

4

To hit a rug with a heavy stick

Taking a beating usually referred to a significant financial loss or being defeated badly in a specific competition.

1

They were on the right track or doing well

2

They were feeling very dizzy and off balance

3

They were walking across a high wooden board

4

They were shining a bright light in the dark

Being on the beam meant you were functioning perfectly or following the correct course of action for success.

1

A satellite used for receiving radio signals

2

A ceramic plate used for serving dinner

3

An attractive or good-looking person

4

A piece of gossip about a famous celebrity

Calling someone a dish was a high compliment used to say they were very physically appealing to others.

1

The style of clothes they wore to work

2

The amount of money they had in the bank

3

Their courage or their spunky personality

4

Their ability to cook a delicious meal

Moxie is a term for someone who has a lot of nerve and a very energetic spirit.

1

Opening the hood of your motorcar

2

Adding more dressing to your garden salad

3

Going to the doctor for a physical checkup

4

Looking someone over in an admiring way

To check someone's oil was a cheeky way of saying you were giving them a very thorough look.

1

Someone who moved very slowly and lacked any energy

2

Someone who was dressed in a very flashy or stylish manner

3

A person who lived in a zoo and cared for animals

4

A person who was very grumpy and complained about everything

Zooty was a term for people who wore zoot suits or other very flashy and extravagant clothing styles.

1

To change your mind about a big decision

2

To have your hairpiece fall off your head

3

To perform a very difficult acrobatic stunt

4

To lose your cool and react wildly

Flipping your wig meant you had a very strong emotional reaction or completely lost your sense of self-control.

1

A secret code used during the second world war

2

A person who talked too much in meetings

3

A special turkey dinner served on holidays

4

Nonsense language that is hard to understand

Gobbledygook refers to overly complicated or wordy language that makes very little sense to the average person listening.

1

To be a person who was very unlucky

2

To be extremely tired or exhausted

3

To be a musician who played the drums

4

To be the winner of a difficult game

When someone said they were beat they meant they had absolutely no energy left after a long day.

1

A door knocker shaped like a red apple

2

A person who enjoyed eating fresh fruit

3

A person who lived in the country or a hick

4

A worker who harvested apples in the fall

Apple-knocker was a mildly insulting term used by city folks to describe someone from a rural farm area.

1

Standing on the top deck of a large ship

2

Following the rules of a complex board game

3

Earning more money than the average worker

4

Honest and open about your intentions

Being above board means you are acting with total honesty and have absolutely nothing to hide from others.

1

A machine that makes the coffee less hot

2

A person who enjoys drinking iced coffee

3

A small ceramic plate for a coffee cup

4

A person who is lazy and avoids hard work

A coffee cooler was a slang term for a loafer who spent more time resting than actually working.

1

You were a person who cut wood into pieces

2

You were feeling very cheerful and healthy

3

You were a person who enjoyed eating potatoes

4

You were feeling very cold during the winter

Being chipper meant you had a very bright and positive attitude and were in a very good mood.

1

A person who worked as a professional chef

2

A small round object used in a card game

3

A cute girl or an attractive young woman

4

A sweet treat baked in a kitchen oven

A cookie was a popular and sweet nickname used to describe a girl that a man found attractive.

1

To listen to a very long and boring story

2

To fill your car with a lot of gasoline

3

To take a good look at something interesting

4

To carry a heavy box up a flight of stairs

When people said to get a load of something they were telling you to pay close attention to it.

1

A person who wore very thin and flat shoes

2

A person who had a medical condition with feet

3

A dancer who did not move their legs much

4

A police officer who patrolled on foot

Flatfoot was a very common nickname for a policeman because they spent all day walking around on the sidewalks.

1

To be the same height as another person

2

To be standing on a very flat surface

3

To be telling the absolute truth

4

To be living in a house with one floor

If a person was on the level they were being completely sincere and honest in what they said.

1

A small medicine used to cure a headache

2

An annoying or very disagreeable person

3

A round ball used in a game of tennis

4

A person who was always very healthy

Calling someone a pill meant you found them to be very bothersome or difficult to be around socially.

1

Going to a party outside in the garden

2

Making a total and maximum effort

3

Being completely finished with a task

4

Turning off all the lights in the house

Doing something all-out meant you were giving it every bit of energy and resources that you had available.

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Step back in time with our nostalgic 1940s slang quiz! Revisit the colorful language your parents used and see if you still remember the secret code of the swing era.

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