Feature: Gangsterisms – Speakeasy to Easy Speak
HBO’s critically acclaimed gangster series Boardwalk Empire transports us to another fascinating era. Set in Atlantic City during Prohibition, the show revolves around the lives of infamous ‘20s outlaws and bootleggers, principally Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson. With the first season coming to Blu-ray and DVD on the 9th of January, we’ve decided to help you ‘jazz’ up your vocabulary with this list of 1920s gangster lingo.
Babe, Brim, Broad, Doll or Dame – A woman
The 1920s gave way to the liberation of women, who were now more commonly working and enjoyed more social and sexual freedom. Such nicknames were employed as a result of their more fulfilling social lives.
Gun Moll – Gangster’s girlfriend
‘Molly’ is archaic nickname for Mary, which was a euphemism for prostitute, and ‘Gun’ implies a woman who can handle a firearm. This term originated in the 1920s and referred to gangsters’ girlfriends.
Dumb Dora – Stupid girl
Dumb Dora was slang for a stupid girl. It was made popular by the vaudeville act in which Gracie Allen played Dora, an idiotic and illogical woman. In 1924, Dumb Dora was turned into seven day features by Chic Young. Young’s Dora was a typical liberated woman of the ‘20s, with a boyfriend… and a crowd of other suitors.
The Big House– Jail
Home to hundreds of criminals, prisons were popularly referred to as ‘The Big House’. This term became very popular in the 1920s because organized crime, corruption, and therefore incarceration, were at an all time high. In order to punish every outlaw, large scale prisons were created.
Bop, Bump off or clip – to kill
Many synonyms for “kill” formed during the Prohibition because the crime rate was so high due to gangster culture. Every gangster had his style, and every style needed cool and intriguing ways to describe murder.
Applesauce – nonsense, flattery
“ Applesauce” is said to date back to 1921 and is attributed to cartoonist Tad Dorgan. It was supposedly used to mean “nonsense” because applesauce was cheap fare served in boarding houses. Although confirmed, this tale sounds like a lot of applesauce.
“The Real McCoy” – “the real thing”
This saying is based on Prohibition’s most famous rum-runner, William McCoy. William McCoy was known as an “honest lawbreaker” because in addition to selling only clean uncut alcohol, he also never associated with politicians or gangsters to obtain protection. While it finds its origin in the Prohibition era, “the real McCoy” is still a well known English expression – and makes us quite hungry.
Giggle water – Alcohol
Even though Prohibition was vigorously enforced during the decade, alcohol was available. Flappers called it giggle water, while men preferred the more macho name “hooch”. Gurgle that giggle.
Bee’s knees – The best, the greatest
The expression was coined in the 1920s by American cartoonist, Tad Dorgan, who graced the language with such corny superlatives as “the cat’s pajamas” and less durable ones such as the “the flea’s eyebrows” and – a real clunker – “the canary’s tusks.”
Goon – Hired Thug
A goon designates a hired thug, henchman whose role it is to blindly follow orders and most often beat up opponents. ‘20s henchman were called goons because they were usually the muscled men that didn’t think much, simply followed orders, and were only good to fight. So how about that football team…
Impress your ‘moll’ or ‘goons’ with your new gangster slang – and pick up some more with Boardwalk Empire, on Blu-ray and DVD January 9th.
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