Some slang words and phrases should never have been forgotten. Especially ones from the 1920s, which defined an era romanticized by the Great Gatsby. In honor of the decade, we take a look at some of its great slang, as listed by Reader's Digest.
1. Icy mitt. Receiving the "icy mitt" is similar to getting the cold shoulder after telling a love interest how you feel about them.
2. Bluenose. You can call anyone who kills the mood, or is a buzz-kill, a "bluenose."
3. Iron your shoelaces. A phrase used when a person excused themselves to go to the restroom. They would announce that they are off to go "iron their shoelaces."
4. Manacle. Today we know manacles to be shackles that bind but back in the 1920s this was slang for a wedding ring.
5. Wurp. Someone who is a kill-joy is a Wurp.
6. Oliver Twist. This has nothing to do with Charles Dickens' novel, but with dancing. An oliver twist is someone who has got the moves.
7. Know your onions.: A fun 1920s slang phrase used to describe someone having extensive knowledge on a certain topic. Today we would say they "know their stuff."
8. Mazuma. Money, cash, ka-ching- you get the idea.
9. Don’t take any wooden nickels. If you want to be 1920s cool you will use this term instead of telling your pal not to do anything stupid.
10. Noodle juice. Some slang words make sense. Others don't. Like noodle juice, which meant tea back in the roaring twenties.
11. Phonus balonus. A person talking nonsense or obviously lying and over-exaggerating about something, deserves to be interjected with the slang term phonus balonus. Teens today would roll their eyes and say "oh please."
12. Sinker. What do you call a doughnut in the 1920s? You guessed it- a sinker.
13. Zozzled. When a person is extremely drunk they are zozzled.
14. Go chase yourself. If you truly want to channel your inner 1920s charm, you won't tell someone to "get out of here" but to "go chase yourself."
15. Gasper. Simply put, gaspers were cigarettes.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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