Slang in the Forties
Example of Slang Used in the 1940's
“Ah boy Ray, ‘aint that broad1 just the cat’s meow2? I’ve been carryin’ the torch3 for the bluenose4 ever since that day she bumped into my ol’ man’s jalopy5 with them smokin’ gams6 of hers!” (Angelfire: 1-6).
(See Slang Today to translate into modern speech).
(See Slang Today to translate into modern speech).
In the 1940’s everything was based off the World War. Any aspect of life that makes a society socialize music, movies, fashion, plays, language, all the way down to even the lifestyles of the people, became all about the war. Michelle L. Carr, a precedent curator of internal programs within the Education Section of the North Carolina Museum of History explained in her article, From Hep Cats to Full Birds: Slang of the 1940s, “When America entered World War II in 1941, military expressions began to creep into everyday vocabulary. Servicemen and women created slang expressions, such as a full bird to represent a full colonel, or military acronyms such as WAC or WAVE. These terms appeared in letters home or in newspaper articles and radio reports about the war. Civilians quickly came to recognize and use military slang in daily speech. Below are a few slang expressions from the 1940s, drawn from popular music and a 1943 army slang dictionary. See how many you can recognize. Are any of these terms still used today? Have their meanings stayed the same, or have they changed? If you want to be a hep cat or kitten, the next time you flap your lips, use some of these slang terms, and you will be cooking with gas."
1940's War Slang (Carr)
Above my pay grade—Don’t ask me Armored heifer—canned milk Bandit—enemy fighter Bathtub—motorcycle sidecar Cook with gas—to do something right Dead hoofer—poor dancer Flap your lips—talk Flip your wig—to lose control of yourself Gammin’—showing off GI—Government Issue, an American service member Gone—knowledgeable Hairy—old, outdated Hen fruit—eggs Hep cat/kitten or cool cat/kitten—hip person Hi sugar, are you rationed?—Are you going steady? |
Hi-de-ho—hello Hit the silk—to bail out, use a parachute I’m going fishin’—I’m looking for a date Killer-diller—good stuff Licorice stick—clarinet Motorized freckles—insects Mud—coffee North Dakota rice—hot cereal One striper—private first class Popsicle—motorcycle Snap your cap—get angry Stompers—shoes Threads—clothing What’s buzzin’, cousin?—How’s it going? Whistle Dixie—to be wrong or mistaken Yuck—a foolish person |
(Carr 1-3).
At times of war a strategical approach for either a country, or just a battalion of soldiers, is to remaining concealed and secretive, as many of you may know. One way to accomplish this cloaked mannerism is through a complex, intricate system of codenames, words, sounds, and motions that no one will understand with exception to those it was meant for. Many of the slang words that were developed as a by-product of World War II were introduced into American civilization with credit given to the soldiers that were fluent in code. Other slang produced by the war was just the common jarhead jargon that was brought back from the battlefields and foreign controlled lands; these were most commonly created to simplify military terms, etc. “Sometimes slang provides a name for a newly developed object. For example, walkie-talkie is the popular name for the small two-way radios that members of the Americanmilitary used during World War II. It is much simpler to call the gadget a walkie-talkie than a “portable, two-way communication device” (Carr 1). A perfect example supplied once again by Ms. Michelle Carr she shows that an everyday device that we still know today as a “walkie-talkie” was associated such a title on the battlefront of World War II. During a battle while I’m ducking down in a trench as bullets zoom over my head I would rather be able to say, “Grab the walkie-talkie and call in reinforcements!” versus, “Grab the portable, two-way communication device...!”