Gang Slang

A

Actor - Show-off




Agitate the Gravel - To leave (hot-rodders)




Ankle-biter - A child





Ape - Used with go - to explode or be really mad




Are you writing a book? - You're asking too many questions




B




Baby - Cute girl, term of address for either sex


Back seat bingo - Necking in a car

Bad news - Depressing person

Bash - Great party

Bent eight - a V-8 engine (hot-rodders)

Big Daddy - An older person

Big tickle - Really funny

Bit - An act

Blast - A good time

Blow off - To defeat in a race (hot-rodders)




Bobbed - Shortened




Boss - Great




Bread - Money




Bug - "You bug me" - to bother




Burn rubber - To accelerate hard and fast (hot-rodders)



C


Cast an eyeball - To look


Cat - A hip person (Beats)

Chariot - Car (Beats)

Cherry - Originally, an unaltered car. Later, anything attractive (hot-rodders, originally)

Chrome-plated - Dressed up

Circled - Married

Classy chassis - Great body

Cloud 9 - Really happy

Clutched - Rejected




Clyde - Term of address, usually for a normal person (Beats)




Cook, cookin' - Doing it well




Cool - Indefinable quality that makes something or someone extraordinary




Cool it - Relax, settle down




Cooties - Imaginary infestations of the truly un-cool




Cranked - Excited (Beats)




Crazy - "Like crazy, man" Implies an especially good thing




Cream - Originally, to dent a car. Later, to badly damage (hot-rodders, originally)




Cruisin' for a bruisin' - Looking for trouble




Cube - A normal person




Cut the gas - Be quiet!




Cut out - Leave




D




Daddy-O - Term of address (Beats)




D.D.T. (Drop Dead Twice) - Response: What, and look like you?




Deuce - A 1932 Ford (hot-rodders)




Dibs - A claim - as in "got dibs" on that seat




Dig - To understand; to approve






Dolly - Cute girl




Don't have a cow - Don't get so excited


Drag - (hot-rodders) A short car race; (Beats) A bore

Duck Tail, Duck Butt or D.A. - Hairstyle of greasers where hair in back is combed to the middle, then with end of comb, make a middle part.

E

Earthbound - Reliable

Epistle - Letter

Eyeball - Look around



F




Fake Out - A bad date




Fast - Someone who was sexually active




Fat City - A great thing or place; Happy




Fire Up - Start your engine (hot-rodders)


Flat out - Fast as you can

Flat-top - Men's hairstyle. A crewcut which is flat across the top

Flick - A movie

Flip - To get very excited

Flip-top - A convertible car

Floor it - Push the accelerator to the floor (hot-rodders)

Fracture - To amuse

Fream - Someone who doesn't fit in

Frosted - Angry




G




Get Bent! - Disparaging remark as in "drop dead"




Get with it - Understand




Gig - Work, job (Beats)




Go ape - Get very excited




Go for pinks - A drag race where the stakes are the car's pink slip (hot-rodders)




Goof - Someone who makes mistakes




Goopy - Messy




Goose it - Accelerate the car fully (hot-rodders)


Greaser - A guy with tons of grease in his hair, which later came to describe an entire group of people.

Grody - Sloppy, messy or dirty

H

Hang - As in "hang out" which means to do very little

Haul ass - Drive very fast (hot-rodders)




Heat - Police (Beats)




Hep - With it, cool. Someone who knows the situation.




Hip - Someone who is cool, in the know. Very good.




Hipster - Same as above




Hopped up - A car modified for speed (hot-rodders)


Horn - Telephone

Hottie - A very fast car (hot-rodders)

I

Illuminations - Good ideas, thoughts

Ivy Leaguer - Pants style. Also any person who attended an Ivy League college




In orbit - In the know




J




Jacked Up - Car with raised front end. (hot-rodders)




Jacketed - Going steady






Jelly Roll - Men's hair combed up and forward on both sides, brought together in the middle of the forehead.




Jets - Smarts, brains




K




Kick - A fun or good thing; Also, a fad




Kill - To really impress




Knuckle sandwich - A fist in the face




Kookie - Nuts, in the nicest possible way




L




Later, also later, gator - Goodbye. See ya later, alligator. Response: after while crocodile.




Lay a patch - To accelerate so rapidly that you leave a patch of rubber on the road.




Lay on - To give (Beats)




Lighter - A crew cut




Like crazy; like wow - Really good, better than cool




M




Machine - A car (hot-rodders)




Made in the shade - Success guaranteed




Make out - A kissing session




Make the scene - To attend an event or activity




Meanwhile, back at the ranch - From TV Westerns. Usually used to get a storyteller back on track.




Mirror warmer - A piece of pastel fabric (often cashmere) tied around the rear view mirror. A 50s version of the Medieval wearing your lady's colors.




Most - A in "the most" - high praise usually of the opposite sex




N


Nerd - Same as now. Bill Gates without the money.

Nest - A hair-do

Nod - Drift off to sleep

Nosebleed - As in hey, nosebleed - hey, stupid. Not a compliment!

No sweat - No problem

Nowhere - Opposite of cool. Nowheresville was a boring, bad place to be. (Beats)

Nuggets - Loose change




O




Odd ball - someone a bit off the norm




Off the line - start of a drag race (hot-rodders)




On the stick -Pulled together. Bright, prepared...




P




Pad -Home




Paper shaker -Cheerleader or Pom Pom girl




Party pooper -No fun at all


Passion Pit -Drive-in movie theatre

Peepers -Glasses

Pile up Z's -Get some sleep

Pooper -No fun at all

Pop the Clutch -Release the clutch pedal quickly so as to get a fast start




Pound -Beat up




Punch it -Step on the gas (hot-rodders)




R




Radioactive -Very popular


Rag Top -A convertible car

Rap -To tattle on someone (Beats)

Rattle your cage -Get upset

Raunchy -Messy or gross in some other way



Razz my berries -Excite or impress me




Real gone -Very much in love. Also unstable. Hmm, there's a difference?




Reds -The Communists




Righto -Okay




Rock -A diamond




Rocket -A car (hot-rodders)




Rod -A car (hot-rodders)




Royal shaft -Badly or unfairly treated




S




Scream - Go Fast




Screamer -A hot rod




Shoot low, they're riding Shetlands -Be careful




Shot down -Failed


Shuck, shuckster -A deceiver, liar or cheat

Sides -Vinyl records

Sing -To tattle or inform on someone (Beats)

Sounds -Music

Souped up -A car modified to go fast

Spaz -Someone who is uncoordinated. A clutz.

Split -Leave




Square -A regular, normal person. A conformist.




Stacked -A woman with large er, ah...you know, well endowed.




Stack up -To wreck a car (hotrodder)




Submarine races -While waiting for the submarines to race, which might take quite awhile :>) couples found creative ways of killing the time.




Subterranean -A hipster. Used by both Ginsberg and Kerouac. (Beats)




T




Tank -A large sedan (usually driven by parents)




Tear ass -Drive (or go) very fast




That's close -Something wrong or not true




Think Fast -Usually said right before someone threw something at you




Threads -Clothes




Tight -Good friends




Total -To completely destroy, most often in reference to a car




U




Unreal -Exceptional




W




Wail -Go fast




Wazoo -Your rear end




Weed -A cigarette




Wet rag -Someone who's just no fun




Word from the bird -The truth (Beats)




What's buzzin, cuzzin -What's new?




What's you tale, nightingale -What's the story?




Wheelie -Left the car's front wheels off the ground by rapid acceleration