19 Old-Timey Slang Terms to Bolster Your Vocabulary

One of my favorite reference books on our office bookshelf is the Dictionary of American Slang (1967 edition). Here are some words and phrases you should awkwardly shoehorn into conversation.

1. In the ketchup: Operating at a deficit
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2. John Hollowlegs: A hungry man [hobo use]
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3. Lobbygow: One who loafs around an opium den in hopes of being offered a free pipe
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4. Happy cabbage: A sizable amount of money to be spent on self-satisfying things
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5. Zib: A nondescript nincompoop
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6. Give someone the wind: To jilt a suitor with great suddenness
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7. The zings: A hangover
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8. Butter and egg man: A wealthy, unsophisticated, small-town businessman who tries to become a playboy, especially when visiting a large city
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9. Cluck and grunt: Eggs and ham
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10. Off the cob: Corny

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11. Dog robber: A baseball umpire
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12. Happies: Arch supporters [shoe salesman use]
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13. High-wine: A mixture of grain alcohol and Coca-Cola [hobo use]
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14. Flub the dub: To evade one's duty
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15. Donkey's breakfast: A straw mattress
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16. George Eddy: A customer who does not tip
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17. Wet sock: A limp, flaccid handshake
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18. Gazoozle: To cheat
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19. On a toot: On a drunken spree

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