
Historical Dictionary of American Slang
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cabin-fever
( n ) Irritability from being cooped up indoors. I'm getting cabin-fever; I'm going fishing.1910s -
cactus
( n ) Something doomed. When I get up with him, he's cactus!2000s -
cake
( adj ) Easy, simple. I didn't need to study so hard for that test. It was cake or a cake course.1970s -
call
( n ) Prediction, interpretation. The weatherman made a good call about when the storm would come.1950s -
call on the carpet
( vp ) To scold, chastise. The third time Winfred was late for work the boss called him out on the carpet.1900s -
call-girl
( n ) A prostitute who makes appointments by telephone. Miriam was a call-girl before she became a guidance counselor.1940s -
can
( n ) A bathroom or toilet. Do you know where the can is around here?1950s -
can
( n ) Jail or prison. Grady just got out of the can and is on parole.1940s -
can
( v ) To fire. She talked back to the boss and got canned.1900s -
can
( n ) The buttocks. Frieda slipped on a banana peel and fell on her can.1930s -
can of corn
( n ) Something easy. That test was a can of corn.1990s -
cancer stick
( n ) A cigarette. Hey, man, don't light up that cancer stick.1960s -
candy
( n ) An extremely good looking guy or girl. What a nice couple! They are pure candy.1980s -
candyass
( n ) A weak, indecisive person. Get that candy-ass out of here; he can't do anything right.1970s -
canned
( adj ) Drunk, intoxicated. The woman is canned; have her husband take her home.1920s -
canoodle
( v ) To hug and kiss. Their parents caught them canoodling in the living room.1850s -
cap
( n ) A bullet. I have piece but no caps.1980s -
cap
( v ) To capture or arrest. If you don't quiet down, I'll have to cap you.1580s -
cap
( n ) To punch someone in the face. Slow down or I'll cap you one.1990s -
cap
( v ) To shoot. They said they were going to cap that guy.1980s -
caper
( n ) A crime. Sturgeon thought he was a master mind but the cops caught up with him after 4 or 5 capers.1920s -
caramello
( adj ) Busy, with a full schedule. I can't go to the mall today; I am totally caramello all afternoon.1990s -
card
( n ) A witty showoff. He's quite a card. Which one? The joker.1830s -
carry a torch
( vp ) To love someone. Maxwell's carrying a torch for Madeleine.1920s -
cash
( v ) To use up, finish off. We cashed a 12-pack of Mountain Dew before he came over.1980s -
cat
( n ) A spiteful woman or prostitute. His wife is a cat who makes his life miserable.1670s -
cat
( n ) A guy. He was a real cool cat.1950s -
cat's meow
( np ) Something excellent, outstanding. Wow, Kathleen! That new hat is the cat's meow.1920s -
cat's pajamas
( np ) Something excellent, outstanding. I hear LaVern's new Duisenberg is the cat's pajamas.1920s -
catch
( n ) A hidden condition on an offer. You'll sell me your car for $200? What is the catch?1850s -
catch feelings
( vp ) To get an attitude. Just because she was talking to your boo, don't go catching feelings.1990s -
catch on
( v ) To understand a tricky concept. Sam calls the ranch he gave his sons the 'Focus' Ranch because it is where the son's raise meat. Catch on?1880s -
catch on
( v ) To be picked up by a lot of people. My record was played on several radio station but it didn't catch on.1880s -
catch some rays
( vp ) To sunbathe. I'm going to lie on the beach and catch some rays.1960s -
catch some z's
( vp ) To sleep. I need to catch some Z's before I go on my trip.1960s -
catty
( adj ) Spiteful. She made a catty remark that upset Linda.1950s -
certifiable
( adj ) Crazy, insane. Stay away from that woman; she's 100 percent certifiable.1930s -
cha
( int ) Whatever; as if. Go out with that dork? Cha!1990s -
chanky
( adj ) Disgusting, nasty, ugly. Who was that chanky chick I saw you with last night?2000s -
chariot
( n ) Car. That old chariot of his won't make it to San Francisco.1950s -
chassis
( n ) The female figure. She is a lovely lady with a classy chassis.1920s -
chatterbox
( n ) A loquacious person. Lucinda is such a chatterbox nobody can get a word in edgewise.1770s -
chauncy
( adj ) Excellent, outstanding. Your new jersey is chauncy!1990s -
cheapskate
( n ) A stingy person, tightwad. Prudence Pender is a cheapskate who keeps a combination lock on her purse.1890s -
cheaters
( n ) Eyeglasses. He can't see past the end of his nose without his cheaters.1920s -
check out
( v ) Look at, examine. Check out that shorty over there.1950s -
check out
( v ) To leave. It's time for us to check out, Suzy; there's a funny smell in the air.1950s -
cheddar
( n ) Money. No wonder he is always happy; that fellow has phat cheddar.1990s -
cheese
( n ) Money. That cat right there makes some serious cheese.1980s -
cheese
( v ) To smile. Don't look so down, man, cheese me one.1990s -
cheese-balled
( adj ) To be under a great deal of stress. I was pretty cheese-balled over final exams.1990s -
cheesecake
( n ) Photography of well-proportioned women. Betty Grable was a popular piece of cheesecake during World War II.1930s -
cheesy
( adj ) Cheap. That is really a cheesy looking outfit.1940s -
cherry
( adj ) Excellent, outstanding. That new rod of James's is pure cherry.1960s -
cherry
( n ) Something excellent, outstanding. That new rod of James's is a real cherry.1960s -
chew out
( v ) To scold, chastise. Dad's going to chew you out when he sees the dent in the car.1940s -
chew the fat
( vp ) To spend time talking. We were just chilling, chewing the fat.1890s -
chew the rag
( vp ) To spend time talking. Let's just spend the evening at home and chew the rag.1880s -
chicken
( n ) Coward. Don't be a chicken.1940s -
chicken out
( v ) To back out from cowardice. We were going to do some bungee jumping but my mom chickened out.1940s -
chief
( n ) A big shot. He thinks he's the chief but he's just another nobody.1950s -
chill
( v ) To relax, take it easy. Chill out, man; don't let them get you riled.1970s -
chill
( v ) Spend time with talking. We're just going to chill at my place after class.1980s -
chill out
( v ) To relax, take it easy. Chill out, man; don't let them get you riled.1980s -
chillax
( v ) Spend time with talking. I was just chillaxing with the homies.1990s -
chintzy
( adj ) Cheap. That really was a chintzy present you got him.1930s -
chips
( n ) Money. I have to find a job somewhere because I need chips badly.1990s -
chisel
( v ) To swindle or cheat Les Cheatham chiseled me out of my lunch money!1800s -
chisler
( n ) A swindler, a cheat. Les Cheatham is the chisler who sold me this junker.1800s -
chizzil
( v ) To relax, take it easy. What are you doing? Ah, nothing. I'm just chizziling.1990s -
choice
( adj ) Really cool, hot, attractive. That girl with the tight sweater is really choice.1340s -
choke
( v ) To panic and be unable to function. Don't choke. We've still got time to study for the final.1950s -
chonies
( n ) Underpants. My chonies were riding up all day.1990s -
chop
( n ) A personal musical phrase used by a jazz musician. He not only has some great chord progressions, but his chops are out of sight.1960s -
chop
( v ) To break down and sell the parts of a car. He worked in a chop shop until the police raided it.1970s -
chop
( v ) To criticize. I got chopped for scratching my brother's bike.1990s -
chopper
( n ) A customized motorcycle. On weekends Lawrence rides the highways with a herd of guys on choppers.1980s -
chopper
( n ) A helicopter. Melvin always takes a chopper to the airport.1970s -
chopper
( n ) Tooth. My dad's teeth were bad but he bought a new set of choppers last week.1940s -
chops
( n ) Jaws, mouth. His chops are moving constantly.1610s -
chow
( n ) Food. The chow in that restaurant is crappola.1850s -
chow down
( v ) To eat. I need to find a place to chow down.1950s -
chowderhead
( n ) A stupid or foolish person. Lorenz is such a chowderhead he calls his friends 'bra' not 'bro'.1830s -
chrome-dome
( np ) A bald guy (offensive). The old chrome dome told me that grass doesn't grow where there is a lot going on.1940s -
chrome-plated
( adj ) Dressed up. Madeleine came to the party chrome-plated.1980s -
chuck up
( v ) To vomit. He chucked up most of his dinner on the porch.1940s -
chump
( n ) A foolish or gullible person. The poor chump can't get a date for the big dance.1860s -
chump-change
( n ) A small amount of money. $50 for this board? Man, that's chump-change.1960s -
chumpy
( n ) Something excellent, outstanding. That was a not just a good movie; it was the chumpy.1990s -
church key
( np ) Can or bottle opener. I need to open a Coke; does anyone have a church key?1950s -
cinch
( n ) Something very easy to do. Changing tires on a car is a cinch.1880s -
circle
( v ) To marry. I hear Heddie and Clyde got circled last week.1990s -
circus wagon
( np ) A car with an outlandish paint job. Hey, man, you have to repaint this circus wagon.1960s -
clam
( n ) A dollar. Hey, this suit cost me 20 clams!1920s -
clam up
( v ) To refuse to speak When I asked Joe Bones where he got the money for the car, he clammed up.1910s -
claptrap
( n ) Nonsense. Lucinda Head thinks climate change is just so much claptrap.1720s -
class act
( n ) An excellent, outstanding person. My best buddy is a class act.1970s -
classy
( n ) High-class, tasteful. Portia Radclyffe is too classy to take out to a diner.1870s -
classy chassis
( np ) Great female figure. She is a sassy lassie with a classy chassis.1950s -
clean
( adj ) OK, alright. Have you seen his new wheels? They are clean, man.2000s -
clean-shaven
( adj ) Upright, straight, dependable. Why don't you run around with some clean-shaven kids instead of those punk rockers?1960s -
clear off
( v ) To leave. Clear off and don't come back!1820s -
clear out
( v ) To leave. I don't like it here; I'm going to clear out1850s -
clink
( n ) Jail or prison. You had better clean up your act or you will end up in the clink.1770s -
clip
( v ) To steal. He clips something every time he goes into a store.1920s -
clip
( v ) To kill. Da god fadda wants we should clip Johhny Two-Faces tonight.1940s -
clock
( v ) To hit. Fred, you had better chill with that or I'm going to clock you in the grill.1980s -
clod
( n ) A clumsy, unsophisticated person from the country. That new guy is a clod straight from the country.1700s -
clod
( n ) A stupid or foolish person. What a clod Broderick is; he hasn't the sense to come in out of the rain.1990s -
clodhopper
( n ) A clumsy, unsophisticated person from the country. There are days when I think we have nothing but clodhoppers in the office.1820s -
clodhoppers
( n ) Heavy, coarse work shoes. Malcolm! Get your muddy clodhoppers out of my kitchen!1830s -
close call
( np ) Near catastrophe, very dangerous situation. Buffy had a close call with the police when she ran a stoplight.1870s -
clothes horse
( n ) Someone obsessed with clothing. Maureen is a clothes horse who spends most of her life shopping.1850s -
clown
( v ) To make fun of. Man, are you trying to clown on me?1990s -
clue in
( v ) Let someone in on something. Are you going to clue me in on what your plans are for tonight?1970s -
clueless
( adj ) Having no idea what is going on. Don't rely on Bunny, she is clueless.1960s -
clunker
( n ) A old, beat-up car. I can't go on a date in that old clunker.1950s -
clutch
( adj ) Excellent, outstanding. That chocolate cake you brought to the office was clutch.1990s -
Clyde
( n ) Term of address for males. Let it slide, Clyde; it isn't that important.1950s -
coals
( n ) Cigarette. Be careful you don't sit on my coals.1980s -
coals
( n ) Ashes from a cigar or cigaret. Hey, man, don't flip your coals on the carpet!1980s -
cock-eyed
( adj ) Crazy, cockamamie. A solar-powered flashlight? What kind of cock-eyed idea is that?1940s -
cockamamie
( n ) Nonsensical, crazy. Cars that drive themselves? I've never heard such a cockamamie idea!1860s -
coin
( n ) Money. I need something to eat, dude; do you have any coin?1400s -
coins
( n ) Money. It's going to take some serious coins to get us into that concert.1980s -
cold
( adj ) Unemotional. I find Phillip rather cold.1170s -
cold
( adv ) Completely, immediately. Marguerite stopped Paul cold with her question.1900s -
cold
( adj ) That is no longer or can no longer be pursued. After 24 hours, all the leads in the case were cold.1940s -
cold fish
( np ) An unresponsive person. My date for the dance was such a cold fish I left without him.1940s -
collar
( v ) To capture or arrest. I knew they would collar the robber sooner or later.1970s -
come onto
( vp ) To flirt with, try to seduce. He came onto me but I wasn't interested.1960s -
come up for air
( vp ) Take a break. He has to come up for air or he will die from exhaustion.1970s -
come up on
( vp ) To steal. I'm fixing to come up on that pack of chocolate muffins.1990s -
comeuppance
( n ) Just reward. I hope Wimplesnatch gets his comeuppance for cheating all those people.1850s -
commodore
( n ) A slow computer. I'll never finish my assignment on this commodore!1980s -
communist
( adj ) Stupid or foolish. Man, this test is so communist.1990s -
con
( v ) To swindle or cheat. Don't try to con me.1880s -
confuddle
( v ) To confuse, befuddle. Oh, Buffy, all these figures just confuddle me! I don't know if I have enough money for a movie or not.2000s -
conk
( v ) To hit. I think a brick must have fallen and conked Fuzzy on the noggin.1920s -
conk
( v ) To hit. He threw the brick straight up in the air and when it came down, it conked him on the noggin.1820s -
conniption
( n ) A fit, seizure. Now, Mabeleine, don't have a conniption, but I forgot the laundry.1830s -
conversate
( v ) To converse. I saw Mick and Jagger standing on the corner conversating a minute ago.2000s -
cook
( v ) To do something right. Now, you're cooking! Keep on doing it that way.1950s -
cook with gas
( vp ) To do something right. As soon as he got the grip on his golf clubs right, he was cooking with gas.1940s -
cook your goose
( vp ) Get you in trouble. As soon as he opened his mouth, he cooked his own goose.1840s -
cookie
( n ) Guy or gal. He's a tough cookie.1940s -
cookie-cutter
( adj ) Identical. The twins wear cookie-cutter clothes all the time.1960s -
cool
( adj ) Slow, romantic (music). I like my jazz cool, not hot.1950s -
cool
( adj ) Knowledgeable about the current scene. Jed is cool, man, you can talk to him.1950s -
cool
( adj ) OK, alright. I'm cool with that.1950s -
cool
( adj ) All told, every bit of. He made a cool million (dollars) in the animal waste business.1720s -
cool
( v ) To kill. The mob cooled him a year or so ago.1930s -
cool beans
( np ) Amazing, incredible. Man, that her apple pie is cool beans, I mean, really!1970s -
cool down
( v ) To calm down. Things should cool down in a day or two.1940s -
cool head
( np ) Someone in control. Look, the boat is sinking. We need a cool head in charge.1950s -
cool it
( vp ) To calm down. If you guys don't cool it, the neighbors are going to complain.1960s -
coolio
( adj ) Excellent, outstanding. Her new bikini is coolio, dog.2000s -
cootie
( n ) A body louse. I wouldn't go out with him; they say he has cooties.1910s -
cop
( n ) A policeman. The cop showed me his badge.1940s -
cop
( v ) To steal. How did you get the road sign? I copped it.1870s -
cop out
( v ) To give up or give in. We were going to do some bungee jumping but mom copped out.1960s -
copacetic
( adj ) OK, alright. Everything between me and my baby is copacetic.1920s -
copper
( n ) Policeman. Where are the coppers when you need one?1840s -
corked
( adj ) Drunk, intoxicated. Lorimar is too corked to go home alone.1920s -
corker
( n ) Something excellent, outstanding. Boy, that storm last night was a real corker, wasn't it?1880s -
corny
( adj ) Simple-minded, trite. I get so tired of Hugh Jeego's corny jokes I don't know what to do.1930s -
couch potato
( np ) A lazy person who watches too much TV. He is a couch potato.1970s -
couch-surf
( v ) To sleep on different couches each night. Hey man, where you staying? Dude, I'm couch surfing right now.1980s -
cougar
( n ) An older woman dating a younger man. I saw Harold with a notorious cougar at the movies last night.2000s -
cough up
( v ) To give up, stop holding back. I know you have my glove; now, come on, cough it up.1890s -
cow
( n ) A fit. When she saw the damage to her car, she had a cow.1950s -
cow
( n ) An obnoxious or misfortunate woman. Poor cow, having to live with that man.1860s -
cow college
( np ) An agricultural college. He grew up on a farm and went to a cow college when he graduated from high school.1950s -
cowboy up
( v ) To get strong, tough. Bo Dega cowboyed up at the bar last night and left with a black eye.2000s -
crack
( adj ) Expert. Jeremy was a crack reporter for the Chronicle for years.1800s -
crack open
( vp ) To open a bottle. Let's crack open a bottle for his birthday.1940s -
crack up
( ap ) Praise, be reputed. Rhoda isn't all she is cracked up to be.1820s -
crack up
( v ) To make laugh. That Trudy cracks me up with her jokes.1940s -
crackalack
( v ) To happen, take place. Hey dude, what's crackalacking?1980s -
crackberry
( n ) A PDA someone is addicted to. You can't talk to Winne since she got her new crackberry.2000s -
cracked
( adj ) Crazy, insane. Lureen must be cracked to think that she can make the men's team.1700s -
cracked out
( adj ) Out of touch. Francis puffed a little too much and is totally cracked out.1980s -
cracker
( n ) A white person (offensive). That cracker just doesn't get jive.1930s -
crackers
( adj ) Crazy, insane. He offered me $250 for my Stutz-Bearcat. He must be crackers!1920s -
crackhead
( n ) A person addicted to crack cocaine. He was a crackhead but now he is trying to get straightened out.1970s -
crackhead
( n ) A stupid or foolish person. You hear Johnny jumped off his roof? Yeah, he's such a crackhead!1990s -
crackpot
( n ) A crazy person with unworkable ideas. Thor Pearson has some crackpot idea about making powdered water.1910s -
cram
( v ) To study hard. He didn't study all semester and had to cram before exams.1930s -
crank
( n ) Irritable, short-tempered person; an eccentric person. That crank Josephine told me to buzz off when I asked her for a dollar.1830s -
cranked
( adj ) Excited, enthusiastic. When do you want to start painting the house? I'm cranked to get hopping.1970s -
cranky
( adj ) Irritable, short-tempered. Don't ask Marvin for a raise today: he got out of bed cranky and has remained that way.1850s -
crap
( n ) Nonsense. Cut the crap and let's get to work.1890s -
crappappella
( adj ) Bad, of poor quality. That flick was totally crappapella.1990s -
crappola
( adj ) Bad, of poor quality. The chow here is totally crappola.1970s -
crappola
( n ) Nonsense. Cut the crappola and let's get to work.1970s -
crappy
( adj ) Bad, of poor quality. That cafe has the crappiest food in town.1840s -
crash
( v ) Go to bed; go to sleep. I got to go crash; I'm so tired from partying all night.1960s -
crash
( v ) Totally collapse. I came home from shopping all afternoon and just crashed on the sofa.1950s -
crate
( n ) An old car or plane. You can always find some schnook to sell that old crate of yours to.1930s -
Crazy!
( int ) An interjection of surprise. Their relationship crashed when he grew the beard.1960s -
cream
( v ) To badly damage. He ran into a tree and totally creamed his dad's car.1960s -
cream
( v ) To beat or defeat roundly. Our team creamed them when we played on our home court.1950s -
creechy
( adj ) Eccentric, odd, peculiar. Her house was creechy with all those skeletons.1990s -
creep
( n ) A mean, despicable person. That creep ran off with my girl.1940s -
creep
( n ) A sneak thief. He was making a marginal living as a creep until the cops caught him at his trade.1910s -
creep
( v ) To cheat on someone romantically. I've been creeping on my boyfriend.1990s -
creepy
( adj ) Scary, repulsive. It is so creepy in our attic, I'm afraid to go up there.1950s -
crewcut
( n ) A haircut so short that the hair stands straight up. All his friends have crewcuts; I only mess around with guys wearing duck tails.1950s -
crib
( n ) Where you live. Have you found a crib yet?1980s -
crib
( v ) To steal or plagarize. He cribbed most of his term paper from the Web.1740s -
crib notes
( np ) Forbidden notes taken to an exam. Farnsworth couldn't past this test with crib notes.1940s -
croak
( n ) To die. If I take another bite I am going to croak.1940s -
croon
( v ) To sing (lovesongs) in the lowest range of the voice in a conversation al style Mike Raffone likes to croon a few toons now and then.1790s -
crooner
( n ) A man who croons. (Bing Crosby was the first crooner.) That raspy-voiced Rusty Horne thinks he's a crooner!1930s -
crop duster
( np ) A car with loud glasspacks. I can hear his crop-duster coming a mile away.1960s -
crow
( v ) To brag, boast. Marlene can't stop crowing about her new boyfriend.1520s -
crown
( v ) To hit someone over the head. Helen Highwater crowned her old man on the head with a frying pan.1940s -
cruise
( v ) To drive around aimlessly and flirt. The skier was cruising down the hill.1950s -
crumb
( n ) A mean, despicable person. The dirty crumb walked out and stuck me with the tab.1910s -
crummy
( adj ) Bad, no good Where did you get such a crummy baseball mitt?1940s -
crump
( adj ) Feeling good. I'm crump, man, let's have some fun.1990s -
crunch
( n ) Climax, critical point. Bertie is someone you can count on in a crunch.1930s -
crunk
( adj ) Crazy, insane. The scene at the club last night was totally crunk.1990s -
crush
( n ) An infatuation. She has a crush on her teacher and spends all day studying biology.1920s -
crushed
( adj ) Drunk, intoxicated. He came home crushed and his mom was waiting in the living room.1990s -
crusty
( adj ) Dirty, grimy. Hey, man, how did you get so crusty?1980s -
cube
( n ) An old-fashioned person. He's pretty cool but his rents are cubes.1970s -
cuddle
( v ) To hug and kiss. Let's go over to my front porch and cuddle some.1930s -
cup of tea
( np ) Something you like. Playing quoits on a Sunday afternoon is not quite my cup of tea.1930s -
cupcake
( v ) To hug and kiss in public. I get so sick of seeing Phil Anders and Lucy Lastic cupcaking I don't know what to do.2000s -
curtains
( n ) The end. If we don't win this game, it's curtains for the coach.1910s -
cushy
( adj ) Easy, simple. He has a really cushy job with a septic tank cleaner.1910s -
cut
( v ) To dilute. They cut the whiskey with water at that bar.1930s -
cut
( v ) To miss, to not attend. Let's cut physics today and go to the library.1950s -
cut
( v ) To record. She cut a new record last week.1940s -
cut out
( v ) To leave. It is late; I have to cut out.1950s -
cut-throat
( n, adj ) Cold, unemotional (person). Barb Dwyer is a cut-throat businesswoman.1560s
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