Hot Diggity Dog! 75 Slang Terms from the '40s

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Learn about the coolest, goofiest, and most absurd 1940s lingo

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: August 19, 2025 Fact Checked

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People

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Descriptions

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Money

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Actions

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Objects

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Idioms

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Insults

There are few periods in history with more fascinating, flashy, and inventive slang terms than the 1940s. Anyone who has ever seen a Humphrey Bogart movie knows the pitter-patter energy and bounce of language from back then. So, listen here, bucko—we’re going to drop the dope on all these cold fish to break down all the gobbledygook from that hairy eta. Erm, to translate that, we’re going to share some of the most iconic and interesting slang terms in the 1940s.

Most Popular 40s Slang and Lingo

People: Bird (young woman), black and white (police officer), chrome dome (bald person), jive bomber (good dancer)
Descriptions: Ace (excellent), crummy (no good), gobbledygook (nonsense), moxie (courage)
Actions: Bellyache (complain), flip your wig (lose your temper), jitterbug (dance), whistling dixie (wasting time)
Money: Bacon, bread, clams, dough, lettuce, smackers

Section 1 of 7:

1940s Slang Terms for People

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1
Anchor Clanker A sailor.
- I wouldn’t mind being an anchor clanker, but I’d never sign up for the army.
2
Bird A young, (usually) attractive woman.
- I’m not busy tonight. Probably just going to try chasing birds at the local bar.
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3
Black and white A police officer, typically one in a police car.
- Don’t do anything stupid tonight—the black and whites are all over the neighborhood.
4
Chrome dome A bald person.
- That chrome dome is so slick you could cook an egg on it!
5
Cookie A cute girl.
- Hey, Cookie! How’s it hanging?
6
Cold fish Someone who isn’t every responsive or emotive.
- I don’t know if Alex likes hanging out with us. He’s such a cold fish sometimes, I can’t get a read on him.
7
Dame A woman.
- This dame walked into my office the other day, turns out she was a tax auditor!
- Fun fact: The roots of “dame” go way back before the 1940s when it became a super popular slang term. It comes from the Latin word “domina,” which means “woman of power.” Originally, the term was a title for women in positions of authority.^{[1]
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Dead hoofer A bad dancer.
- Holly is a dead hoofer if I’ve ever seen one. She’s basically got two left feet.
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Dish Any attractive person, male or female.
- Check out that dish in the corner of the bar. I’m going to go talk to him!
10
Doll dizzy Someone obsessed with a woman to the point that they’re losing control of themselves.
- I would have invited Frank to the party, but he’s a doll dizzy these days.
11
Gumshoe A detective.
- I was on the force for a few years before I got promoted and became a gumshoe.
- Fun fact: Detectives are said to be called gumshoes because they supposedly used to wear rubber-soled shoes. They made less noise than the regular leather shoes beat cops would wear so that the detective could sneak around without alerting anyone!
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Jive bomber A good dancer
- Check out that jive bomber. I bet he’d give Fred Astaire a run for his money!

Section 2 of 7:

1940s Slang Terms for Affections & Feelings

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1
Ace Basically, this means excellent.
- That dinner was ace, ma!
2
Brainchild Something that you created and really care about.
- This project is my brainchild—I’ve been working on it for years, now.
3
Crummy No good.
- Aw, this crummy apple has a worm in it.
4
Decked out Dressed really nicely.
- She was decked out in this beautiful bedazzled dress and fancy heels.
5
Gas Something that was really funny or entertaining.
- Come to the party tonight. It’s going to be a gas.
6
Gobbledygook Nonsense.
- Stop it with that gobbledygook!
- Fun fat: “Gobbledygook” was coined by Maury Maverick, a US congressman, who described government manuals as so hard to read that they might as well belong to a genre of literature called “gobbledygook.”^{[2]
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Hairy Outdated or old-fashioned.
- I don’t know about that shirt, it’s kind of hairy.
8
Killer diller The absolute best.
- That movie was killer diller!
9
Khaki Wacky Obsessed with a boy.
- Angela is all khaki wacky over Kyle. It can’t be helped.
10
Moxie Nerves; courage.
- That kid has moxie!
- Fun fact: Moxie is the name of a soft drink. It was the first pop to be mass-produced in the United States. It was marketed as a drink that helped the consumer “improve their nerves” so “moxie” became associated with steadfastness.^{[3]
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Section 3 of 7:

1940s Slang Terms for Money

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1
Bacon It’s believed that “bacon” as slang for “money” goes back to carnival games from the 1920s where visitors would compete to win a cash prize by catching a greasy pig.^{[4]
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- I’m bringing home the bacon.
2
Bread Food is important. Food costs money. Therefore, people made the connection!^{[5]
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- I’ve got enough bread to cover dinner tonight.
3
Clams This is a fun one. A “clam” refers specifically to a $1 dollar bill. It’s thought that the term comes from stories about Native American tribes using shells as a form of currency.^{[6]
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- Bring a few clams. We’re hitting the town tonight and you’ll need small bills to tip.
4
Dough Like “bread,” food-related nicknames just reflect the fact that people need food and money buys food.^{[7]
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- I don’t have any dough to go out this weekend.
5
Greenbacks US dollars are green, so “greenbacks” is just a reference to the color of money.
- I can write you a check but I don’t actually have any greenbacks on me.
6
Lettuce Like “bread” and “dough,” food is just important and it costs money. It probably helps that lettuce is green, too.
- I got a raise at work so I’ll be bringing more lettuce in.
7
MoolahNobody really knows where this one comes from, but it’s thought that it’s a play on the word “mule,” which was a common trade item in the Mediterranean.^{[8]
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- How can we make some moolah this summer?
8
Simoleons This was a popular slang term in the late 1800s, but it was still used in the 1940s. It is probably a pun on “Simon,” which was British slang for a sixpence, combined with the word “Napoleon.”^{[9]
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- Fun fact: Simoleons are the imaginary currency used in the Sims video games!^{[10]
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Smackers It’s unclear where this one came from. A few sources suggest it might come from the sound of money being slapped in someone’s hand, but that seems a little loose to us.
- I have 50 smackers in my pocket that say you’re wrong about the date!
- Popular variation: Smackeroos. What a fun word to say!

Section 4 of 7:

1940s Slang Terms for Actions

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1
Bellyache Complain.
- Ah, quit your bellyaching. We’ll go out for dinner next week.
2
Cut a rug Go out dancing.
- I want to cut a rug this weekend!
- Popular variation: Rug cutter. As a noun, a “rug cutter” is someone who loves to dance.
- Fun fact: The term “cut a rug” developed in 1942 as a result of the jitterbug dance, which involved not moving your feet a lot. Since the dance involved standing in a single spot, it tended to leave marks in carpeted floors.
3
Flip your wig Lose your temper.
- Don’t flip your wig, it’s not like I forgot your birthday or something. I just missed a phone call!
4
Goof Make a mistake. Yep, this popular slang term originated in the 1940s!
- I looked something up on a website that wasn’t wikiHow. What a goof.
5
Grandstand Show off in an over-the-top manner.
- The mayor was talking about lowering rents somehow, but he was so bombastic and dramatic about it that I think he was just grandstanding.
6
In cahoots To conspire with.
- I don’t actually think Tom and Jerry are enemies. I think they’re in cahoots and just putting on a show.
7
Jitterbug A fast and energetic dance that was popular in the 1940s. It can be used as a verb (“let’s jitterbug!”) or a noun (“the jitterbug is a fun dance”).
- Suzie and I were jitterbugging all over the dance floor this weekend.
8
Mug To make a face. It can be used as a verb (“stop mugging me”) or as a noun (“get a load of that mug!”).
- Take a look at that sorry mug.
9
Rag To make fun of.
- Hey, quit ragging on your brother. He’s had a tough week.
10
Rhubarb An argument or loud disagreement.
- My neighbors got into this rhubarb last night and kept me up until 3 am.
- Fun fact: If you didn’t know, rhubarb is actually a vegetable. The origin of this one is very odd. In 1938, two baseball fans got into an argument and one of them shot the other. A bartender who witnessed the fight described it to reports as a “rhubarb.” Nobody knows why and the bartender never explained themselves, but it stuck!^{[11]
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Stick around To stay. This one is still in use today!
- Hey, stick around for a while, will you? We’re ordering pizza and Johnny really wants to see you. He’ll be here in 20 minutes.
12
Whistling dixie Wasting time.
- Hey! Stop whistling dixie and get back to work!

Section 5 of 7:

1940s Slang Terms for Things

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1
Ameche A telephone. It can also be used as a verb to mean “telephone someone.”
- I need to call my bud, can I borrow your amenche?
2
Bender A drinking spree, or staying out way too late.
- Ugh, I can’t even see straight. I went on this massive bender last night.
3
Bupkis Nothing.
- How much money would I donate to a nonprofit charity dedicated to putting fancy hats on dogs? Bupkis. Zilch. Nada.
4
Cheaters Sunglasses, usually of the fancy variety.
- The sun is in my eyes. Do you have an extra pair of cheaters I could borrow?
5
Choppers Teeth.
- Take a look at those brilliant white choppers!
6
Dope Information or gossip.
- Who has the dope on Andy and Katie’s date? Did they end up hooking up?
7
Hen fruit Eggs.
- Boy, hen fruit sure is expensive these days, huh?
8
Joe Coffee.
- I’ll take a donut and a cup of hot joe to go, please.
9
Sauce Alcohol, typically hard alcohol (like vodka or whiskey).
- I need to take a break from the sauce. I’ve been going out way too much lately.
10
Shuteye Sleep.
- I might take a sick day tomorrow just to catch up on some shuteye.

Section 6 of 7:

1940s Slang Phrases & Idioms

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1
Above my pay grade To be not in charge of something, or unaware of something because you aren’t in the loop.
- I don’t know who they’re planning to fire. That’s way above my pay grade.
2
Cooking with gas
- I just bought a new car. We’re really cooking with gas the next time we go to the track.
- Fun fact: This term emerged because the natural gas industry was trying to convince people to switch to the newer gas stoves. Thus, “cooking with gas” came to be something new and desirable.^{[12]
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Dang Rabbit A term you use to replace any curse word.
- Why won’t this dang rabbit car start?!
4
Holy mackerel A phrase that indicates you’re excited or impressed.
- Look at that St. Bernard! Holy mackerel that’s a big pup!
5
Hot diggity dog A phrase used to express excitement.
- We’re all going to get a bonus this year, hot diggity dog.
6
Natch Of course.
- We’ll find a way to fit dinner into our schedule, natch.
7
Off the hook To not be in trouble.
- I definitely am responsible for the toilet overflowing, but I think I’m off the hook since they mentioned they have no way of proving who did it.
8
On the beam Cool; on track.
- I’ll graduate next year so I’m on the beam to move out on time.
9
On the nose To be 100% accurate or correct.
- You made some really good points earlier. I think you’re definitely on the nose about how a tax increase would impact us.
- Fun fact: We don’t know where “on the nose” comes from, but there are two very interesting theories. One is that boxers used to aim for the nose as the “bullseye” when they were boxing. The other is that radio broadcasters used to touch their nose to indicate that the show was running on time.^{[13]
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Take a powder To leave.
- I’ll just take a powder if Randy starts talking about his Beanie Babies again.
11
What's buzzin', cousin? How is it going?
- Henry! I haven’t seen you since last year. What’s buzzin’, cousin?

Section 7 of 7:

1940s Insults & Negative Reactions

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1
Able Grable A girl with “low” morals who dates around.
- I’d never take an Able Grable to prom!
2
Belly up A failure.
- You’ll be belly up in no time with that attitude.
3
Drip Anyone who is unfun to be around.
- Louis is such a drip that he never stays out later than 6 pm.
4
Geezer A derogative term for an older person.
- Check out that geezer feeding the pigeons. What a cliché!
5
Knucklehead A foolish person.
- Don’t be a knucklehead, you have to apologize to Randy for kicking his dog, even if it was just a mistake.
6
Schnook A gullible person; someone likely to be robbed or tricked.
- I took this schnook for $10 at the poker table.
7
Swigger Someone who drinks a lot of alcohol.
- We don’t typically go to Dan’s house on the weekend. His old man is a huge swigger and he tends to interrupt us a lot when he’s drinking.
8
Yuck A foolish person.
- Timmy is such a yuck I think you could convince him the sky isn’t blue.
- Fun fact: “Yuck” slowly became a word meaning “disgusting” over the course of the next 20 years. It’s an example of one of the fastest evolutions in slang in c contemporary memory.^{[14]
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