The New Cab Calloway's Hepsters Dictionary: Language of Jive

In 1944 the American jazz singer, bandleader and future endorser of cylindrical potato-based snacks Cabel "Cab" Calloway III gave his name to a book which set about translating jive talk for the uninitiated.
Here are some of my favourite excerpts of jive terminology. What could be more delightful than dropping some cool hepster slang into your everyday conversation? I heartily recommend using one or more of these phrases whilst you are going about your business, whether it be receiving The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, or perhaps waiting for the checkout girl at Farm Foods to scan your meat.

• A hummer ~ exceptionally good, e.g., "Man, that boy is a hummer."
• Barbecue ~ the girl friend, a beauty.
• Beat up the chops ~ to talk, converse, be loquacious.
• Blew their wigs ~ excited with enthusiasm, gone crazy.
• Boot ~ to give, e.g., "Boot me that glove."
• Buddy ghee ~ fellow.
• Cat ~ musician in swing band.
• Clambake ~ ad lib session, every man for himself, a jam session not in the groove.
• Comes on like gangbusters (or like test pilot) ~ plays, sings or dances in a terrific manner, par excellence in any department. Sometimes abbreviated to "That singer really comes on!"
• Creeps out like the shadow ~ "comes on," but in a smooth, suave, sophisticated manner.
• Cups ~ sleep. e.g., "I gotta catch some cups."
• Dreamers ~ bedcovers, blankets.
• Fine dinner ~ a good-looking girl.
• Fraughty issue ~ a very sad message, a deplorable state of a affairs.
• Frisking the whiskers ~ what the cats do when they are warming up for a swing session.
• Frolic pad ~ place of entertainment, theatre, nightclub.
• Git box ~ guitar.
• Got your boots on ~ you know what it is all about, you are a hep cat, you are wise.
• Got your glasses on ~ you are ritzy or snooty, you fail to recognise your friends, you are up-stage.
• Guzzlin' foam ~ drinking beer.
• Hep cat ~ a guy who knows all the answers, understands jive.
• Home-cooking ~ something very dinner (see fine dinner).
• Icky ~ one who is not hip, a stupid person, can't collar the jive.
• In the groove ~ perfect, no deviation, down the alley.
• Kicking the gong around ~ smoking opium.
• Kill me ~ show me a good time, send me.
• Left raise ~ left side, e.g., "Dig the chick on your left raise."
• Main queen ~ favourite girlfriend, sweetheart.
• Man in gray ~ the postman.
• Mash me a fin ~ give me $5.
• Melted out ~ broke.
• Meter ~ quarter, twenty five cents.
• Mezz ~ anything supreme, genuine, e.g., "This is really the mezz."
• Mitt pounding ~ applause.
• Moo juice ~ milk.
• Mouse ~ pocket, e.g., "I've got a meter in my mouse."
• Muggin' ~ making 'em laugh, putting on the jive. "Muggin' lightly": light staccato swing; "muggin' heavy": heavy staccato swing.
• Nix out ~ to eliminate, get rid of, e.g., "I nixed that chick out last week"; "I nixed my garments" (undressed).
• Nod ~ sleep, e.g., "I think I'll cop a nod."
• Ofay ~ white person.
• Orchestration ~ an overcoat.
• Pigeon ~ a young girl.
• Pounders ~ policemen.
• Salty ~ angry, ill-tempered.
• Skin-beater ~ drummer.
• Sky piece ~ hat.
• Slide your jib ~ to talk freely.
• Snatcher ~ detective.
• Spoutin' ~ talking too much.
• Squeak-box ~ violin
• Trickeration ~ struttin' your stuff, muggin' lightly and politely.
• Trilly ~ to leave, to depart, e.g., "Well, I guess I'll trilly."
• Truck ~ to go somewhere, e.g., ""I think I'll truck on down to the ginmill (bar)."
• Trucking ~ a dance introduced at the Cotton Club in 1933.
• V-8 ~ a chick who spurns company, is independent, is not amenable.
• Yarddog ~ uncouth, badly attired, unattractive male or female.
• Zoot ~ exaggerated.
• Zoot suit ~ the ultimate in clothes. The only totally and truly American civilian suit, as sported here by Mexican actor, singer and comedian Germán Valdés, known popularly as Tin-Tan:

 

B.R. 12/04/2013