But authorities catch on to slang, and eventually, new colloquialisms are needed. In the cannabis community, it’s used as code a linguistic way to get around authorities, or nay-sayers. ![]() Slang, after all, is defined as an informal language, often used to conceal unmentionable words. The answer, suggests Jonathon Green, author of Green’s Dictionary of Slang, relates to the illegal status of cannabis. Bubonic chronic, doobie, dank, reefer, bud, grass, ganja… the list goes on.Įven so, how and why are there so many slang terms for the herb, anyway? In fact, there are more than 1,200 different ways to refer to the cannabis plant. There’s a surfeit of nicknames to describe the color, quality, shape and psychoactive qualities of cannabis. In terms of harder stuff, weed became slang for marijuana in the 1920s, perhaps as a shortening of locoweed.The weed lover’s vocabulary – aka stoner slang – is extensive, occasionally absurd, and sometimes practical. The fuzz, slang for the police, is from 1929, while cop a plea is from 1925. (For more on speakeasy language, check out this post from the OxfordWords blog.) The mob, referring to organized crime, originated in 1927. Although the term speakeasy had been around since the late 19th century, it gained wide usage during the Prohibition. Now scofflaw also refers to "one who habitually violates the law or fails to answer court summonses."Ĭontinued demand for alcohol and lack of legal supply led to supply by criminal means. To discourage illegal drinking, in 1924 a national contest was held "to coin a word to characterize a person who drinks illegally." Two contestants simultaneously entered scofflaw, a combination of scoff and law. If you ask me, I want a double Daiquiri." Daiquiri is also the name of a beach in Cuba, and was supposedly invented by an American mining engineer who was there during the Spanish-American War. Scott Fitzgerald in his debut novel, This Side of Paradise, published in 1920: "That great current American phenomenon, the 'petting party.'" ( Petting, in case you were unclear, refers to the "practice of amorously embracing, kissing, and caressing one's partner.") However, not everyone was such a fan of this 1920s version of PDA, such as one Fay King in a 1923 article:ĭaiquiri, a cocktail of "rum, lime or lemon juice, and sugar," is first attested to Fitzgerald in This Side of Paradise: "Here's the old jitney waiter. Now how about those petting parties? The earliest citation goes to F. The earlier non-romantic notion of to deceive or double-cross is from 1922. To two-time, or cheat on a lover, is from 1924. Sugar daddy, a rich older man who lavishes gifts on a younger woman, came about in 1926 gigolo, a male prostitute, is from 1922 and tomcat, to pursue multiple women, is from 1927, says the OED. Sexpert, a sex therapist or expert in sex, is attested to 1924. While we're sure the French kiss existed before the 1920s, the earliest citation in English is from around 1923, with the idea of equating French culture with "sexual sophistication." The earliest attested use referred to the person one was going on the date with. Clara Bow, the star of the movie, became known as the It Girl, which now refers to any fashionable young female celebrity with a certain something.īlind date, a date with someone one hasn't seen before, originated as college slang around 1921, says the Online Etymology Dictionary. In 1921, Chaplinesque entered the vernacular, and in 1927, Valentino, named after movie heartthrob Rudolph Valentino, came to mean a "good-looking romantic man."Īlso in 1927, it meaning "sex appeal," while originally coined by Rudyard Kipling, was popularized by Elinor Glyn in her novel, It, and the film of the same name. Synonyms for the movies arose, including flick ( 1926) and the silver screen( 1924). film industry in general around 1926, three years after the Hollywood sign was erected. ![]() ![]() Hollywood, a district of Los Angeles, came to refer to the U.S. By the end of the decade, "three-quarters of the American population visited a movie theater every week," says. Charles Lindbergh for keeping her mouth shut as her husband flew and being "no 'back seat' driver.")Īmericans were also going to the movies more. There was step on it, as in "step on the gas" or hurry up, in 1923 jalopy in 1924 and in 1927, back-seat driver, "a passenger who constantly advises, corrects, or nags the driver of a motor vehicle," and by extension, "a person who persists in giving unsolicited advice." (This 1929 article lauded Mrs. With " a car in every backyard," automobile-related language entered the everyday lexicon.
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