The Cat's Meow - Slang in the 1920s

Sparkly! Beaded Cap
Image Courtesy: Queens of Vintage

The 1920s was the first decade that emphasised the culture of youth over older generations. In celebration of this social shift, new slang and vernacular language emerged, such as seen on the conversations in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher mysteries.  Many of the terms and phrases coined during this period are still widely used today.

• Applesauce - an expletive same as horsefeathers
• Bank's Closed - no kissing or making out 
• Bearcat - a hot-blooded or fiery girl 
• Bee's Knees - An extraordinary person, thing, idea; the ultimate
• Cat's Meow or Pyjamas - The best or greatest, wonderful.
• Cheaters - Eyeglasses
• Clam - a dollar
• Dead soldier - an empty beer bottle
• Dolled up - dressed up 
• Dry up - shut up, get lost 
• Ducky - very good 
• Fire extinguisher - a chaperone 
• Gams - A woman's legs
• Hair of the Dog - a shot of alcohol
• Heebie-jeebies - The jitters
• Hotsy-totsy - Pleasing
• Joe - coffee 
• Joint - an establishment, usually a bar or a speakeasy
• Moll - A gangster's girl
• Razz - to make fun of
• Real McCoy - The genuine article
• Ritzy - Elegant
• Rubes - money
• Sinker - a doughnut
• Speakeasy - An illicit bar selling bootleg liquor
• Spiffy - Elegant 
• Swanky - Ritzy
• Wet Blanket - a solemn person, a killjoy
• Whoopee - To have a good time or an intimate encounter
• You slay me - that's funny

The Roaring Twenties - Fashion Style

Actress Alice Joyce wears a 1920s
beaded evening gown.
Image courtesy Library of Congress
Prints & Photographs Catalogue

The fashion of the 1920s celebrated youth and life. F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is a fantastic depiction of this lifestyle adopted by young men and women. Following the dark and emotionally heavy World War I period, many young men and women turned to a life of lively dance and Jazz music, alcohol and cigarettes and adopted a carefree philosophy that openly challenged conservative attitudes of the preceding period.

In the 1920s, flappers broke away from the Victorian image of womanhood and an androgynous "bachelor girl" shape emerged. Corsets were discarded and chests were wrapped to flatten the chest. Hair was cropped short into a bob, and often tucked under a "cloche hat". Layers of clothing were reduced, became lighter and more flexible and the waistline was lowered to allow ease of movement. Stockings became more sheer (as opposed to the predominant black wool stockings of the previous decade) and were often rolled down. Women began to wear make-up and even apply it in public, created the concept of dating, and took control over their sexual experiences.

Fringed flapper dresses,  long strand pearls and feathered bandeaux characterised 1920s fashion. Evening wear was predominantly made with silk, but velvets, chiffon and taffeta were also common. Embellished with elaborate beadwork, dresses were typically sleeveless and often had trailing sashes, trains or asymmetric hemlines. Fancy combs, scarves, feathers or a bandeaux were often worn in the hair.

Women found their lives changed in more than appearance, however. With women attaining the right to vote, society began to accept that women could be independent and make choices for themselves in education, jobs, marital status, and careers. This was definitely a turning point in history for women - They created what many consider the "new" or "modern" woman.

F. Scott Fitzgerald unpublished story found

Print from vintage cigarette
advertising (1920).
Courtesy of
Vintage Ad Browser.

This month, The New Yorker magazine released a previously unpublished short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby.

The story was found by Fitzgerald's grandchildren amongst a collection of his papers. According to archives, this unpublished work titled "Thanks for the Light" had been rejected for publication by The New Yorker in 1936.

Fitzgerald's short story, "Thanks for the Light", is about an independent business woman in the 1920s who goes about her daily affairs whilst in search of a light for her cigarette. A charming little story and a wonderful insight into the attitudes of women and the importance of appearances during this period.

Be sure to read the full story here.