Home Sweet HomeGlossary of popular expressions
from the 1930s
Every era has its favorite words.
Here are several examples of words and phrases from the book
that were common during the Great Depression.
Some of them are still used today. How many do you recognize?
Blown his top ~ Lost his temper
Bootlegger ~ An illegal seller of alcohol during the prohibition
Chip off the old block ~ Similar in character to a close relative
Corker ~ Remarkable
Doozy ~ An extraordinary one of it's kind
Dumb Dora ~ A stupid female
Fix your hash ~ Prevent another person's success
Floozy ~ A loose woman
Full of guff ~ Full of lies
Gave him the willies ~ Produced an odd feeling
Gee Whilikers ~ An expression of surprise
Google-eyed ~ Enormous
Gumption ~ Resourcefulness
Holy Cow ~ An expression of amazement
Humdinger ~ Something remarkable
It's the berries ~ Something that is attractive or pleasing
Jalopy ~ A junky old car
Judas Priest ~ A substitute oath used to avoid swearing when expressing surprise or annoyance
Lead pipe cinch ~ A sure thing
Leapin' Lizards ~ A strong exclamation used by Little Orphan Annie in the comic strip
Real pistol ~ Extra special
Ring-toed fit ~ Very upset or disturbed
Snazzy ~ Flashy
Speakeasy ~ An unlawful bar selling bootleg liquor
Spiffy ~ First rate
Stuck on each other ~ Romantically attracted
You're a brick ~ Understanding ~ Excellent ~ First rate
Take the next step and find out how all these phrases are used in the book after visiting the bookstore or you may continue to explore the website.