A to Z: Hardy-Har-Har

 
It's no joke--the A to Z Challenge is almost ov-ah! Getting a little slap-happy here toward the end, but cheers to all of you whose A to Z posts have cracked me up through the month. What a lovely community of bloggers, where there's no brewhaha, only bwahaha...

Laughter is the best medicine, so they say, so let's administer this next healthy dose of 1920s slang:

~*~  YOU SLAY ME!  ~*~

Meaning: That's funny!

"Sir, what day is it?"
"Thursday."
"So am I. Let's go have another beer."
"Ha! Fella, you slay me!"

A to Z: The Toxic 'Tude

I hate to burst your bubble, but the A to Z Challenge is almost over, ya know. No one involved is posting anything tomorrow since it's Sunday, and then after that, there are only three more days left in April. Bummer.

But I don't mean to be the Eeyore of the bunch and kill your spirits. The glass may be well more than half empty, but we still have four letters left to go (including today), which means your 1920s slang lesson ain't over 'til it's over, see?

And since today is "Double-U," I'm going to double the fun with a BONUS WORD! See? Things aren't all that bad, right? So let's party like it's April 1...

~*~  WURP  ~*~

Also, WET BLANKET 
(or FIRE EXTINGUISHER if a chaperone)
Meaning: A killjoy, Debbie Downer


~*~  WHOOPEE  ~*~
Meaning: To have a good time
(not necessarily sex, you dirty birdies)

"Geez, there goes Milli again, being a total
wurp when she should be making whoopee."

A to Z: Shyeah, Right!

 
If I told you we're so close to being done with the A to Z Challenge, that I've managed to keep up with every letter of the alphabet so far, would ya believe it? I hardly can myself, but it's true--see for yourself, starting from here: A to Z: Talk the Talk for Walking the Walk.

And just to show that I'm still sticking with the program, I'll put my money where my slang-speaking mouth is with this next installment of Twenties terminology...

~*~  TELL IT TO SWEENEY  ~*~

Meaning: Tell it to someone who'll care/believe it.

"I just did the Charleston with an elephant!"
"Oh, yeah? Tell it to Sweeney."

A to Z: Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight?

Feeling fancy of foot? Well, put on yer dancin' shoes for the A to Z Challenge! Whether you do the Collegiate Shag or Varsity Drag, those spectators you're wearing are not for spectating today.

My personal favorite move? Knocking your knees while criss-crossing your arms over them.

Charleston, Charleston

Made in Carolina...

So peel yourselves away from the sidelines, my little wallflowers (and see if you can't get in a good neck when the chaperone's not looking).

~*~  RUB  ~*~

Meaning: A dance party for high school or college students.

"Say, Mary, this rub ain't such a flat tire after all."

A to Z: The Wet Blanket

In wrapping up the third week of Aprils' A to Z Challenge, I'm feeling the warm fuzzies from everyone's visits so far. Of all the blogs in all the A-to-Z world, you didn't have to pop into mine, but you did, so I hope this gin joint's been worth it. :)

Speakeasy, I mean, speaking of gin, if there's one thing to glean from a lot of this 1920s slang, it's that spirits warmed the spirit back then--significantly so, as alcohol became the forbidden fruit and rebellious young women who dared to bare more skin cloaked themselves instead in more than a lover's arms...

~*~  QUILT  ~*~

Meaning: A drink that warms you up.

"Who needs clothes when I drank a quilt?"

A to Z: The Whiskey with Whiskers

The manufacture and sale of alcohol might've been outlawed under Prohibition, but drinking it sure wasn't. While you could procure proper liquor through illegal channels, another option lay closer to home--as in right in the bathtub, if not by other moonshine means that gave you a real (boot)leg up on the law.

Forget the cat's meow; today's slang put the ROAR in "Roaring Twenties." And it's what my character Lon Ashby guzzles from a hollowed-out cane in SEVEN FOR A SECRET, learning the hard way that this kitten's got claws!

~*~  PANTHER PISS  ~*~

Also, PANTHER SWEAT
Meaning: Homemade whiskey.

"And now a splash of fusel oil to give our panther piss a good kick."