Key 1920s Slang Terms to Prepare You for the World Premiere of Remi Wörtmeyer’s La Bohème
Close your eyes and imagine the air thick with the scent of expensive perfume and bathtub gin. Somewhere in the distance, a trumpet wails a blue note, and the floorboards of a crowded basement club in the French Quarter vibrate with the frantic energy of the Charleston. You’ve just stepped out of the “Great War” and into a city that is finally finding its rhythm.
At BalletMet, we are currently deep in rehearsals for the world premiere of Remi Wörtmeyer’s La Bohème. While the classic Puccini story usually takes the audience to 1840s Paris, our production will transport you to the sweltering, jazz-drenched streets of 1920s New Orleans. To truly immerse yourself in the world of our Mimì and Rodolfo, you have to do more than just see the costumes—you have to speak the language.
Whether you’re a “Big Cheese” or just looking to “hoof” it on a Saturday night, here is your essential guide to the “berries” of 1920s slang.
Why did everyone suddenly start talking so weird?
The “Roaring Twenties” wasn’t just a nickname; it was a cultural explosion. Following the end of WWI, a younger generation, weary of the stuffiness of the Victorian era, was ready to let loose. This shift was fueled by three major cultural forces: Prohibition, the Great Migration, and the birth of Jazz.
When alcohol became illegal, drinking went underground into “speakeasies.” Because these clubs were secretive, a coded language developed to identify friend from “fuzz” (police). Simultaneously, Black musicians from New Orleans were moving north, bringing with them a rhythmic, soulful vocabulary that redefined American English. The “New Woman,” or the Flapper, topped it all off by adopting “unladylike” slang as a form of rebellion.
The Lexicon: Your 1920s Slang Buckets
THE PEOPLE: WHO’S WHO IN THE QUARTER
In our La Bohème, the characters are the definition of “Bohemian”—artists and dreamers living on the edge of society. Here is how they might describe one another:
- Alligator: A swing fan
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Big Cheese: The most important person in the room; the boss.
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Bent Cigar: A total grouch or someone who kills the mood.
- Flat Tire: A boring person; a “party pooper.”
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Gams: A lady’s legs—a term that became popular as hemlines rose and flapper culture took hold.
- Gate-Mouths: A fellow jazz lover or a hip musician (named after Louis Armstrong).
- Glad Lad: A dapper gentlemen dressed for a night on the town.
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Sheik: The male counterpart; a handsome, charming man.
- Tomato: An attractive woman.
THE VIBES: HOW WE’RE FEELING
Life in the 1920s was about extreme highs and lows. If you were feeling “Jake,” life was good.
- Applesauce / Banana Oil: Phrases used to call out nonsense. If someone says they’re “all that,” you might tell them they’re full of applesauce.
- Bee’s Knees / Cat’s Pajamas: Terms for something or someone truly outstanding or “cool.”
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Berries: Anything attractive or pleasing. (“That new jazz record is the berries!”)
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Ducky: Very good or “swell.”
- The Heebie-Jeebies: The jitters or a nervous, tingly feeling
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Hotsy-Totsy: Perfectly fine or elegant.
- Strictly Jake or Jake: Everything is okay or simply, cool.
- Stuck on: To be in love.
THE ACTION: SIPS, SOUNDS AND SCRAMMING
New Orleans in the ’20s was the heart of the “Wet” movement during Prohibition. If you were looking for a good time, you’d need to know these:
- Canary: A female singer.
- Crescent City: A nickname for New Orleans, referring to the way the Mississippi River curves around the French Quarter.
- Ducats: Tickets.
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Giggle Water: Alcohol, specifically the kind that makes you lose your inhibitions.
- Glad Rags: Your best going out clothes.
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Hoof: To dance. In the 1920s, the “hoofers” were the ones dominating the dance floor with the Charleston and the Lindy Hop.
- Scram: To leave in a hurry (often when the police showed up).
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Speakeasy: An illicit nightclub where you needed a password to enter.
New Orleans: The Heart of the Heat
While the rest of the country was trying to figure out how to be “cool,” New Orleans was busy inventing it. As the birthplace of jazz, the city had its own flavor of slang—often called “Jive”—that was more musical and fluid than the slang found in New York or Chicago. The French Quarter provided a backdrop where high-society “Sheiks” rubbed elbows with starving painters in basement clubs, creating a melting pot of language and art.
How to Use These Today
Modern slang like “The GOAT” (Greatest of All Time) is really just the great-grandchild of “The Bee’s Knees.” While we might not recommend calling your boss a “Big Cheese” to their face, sprinkling a few of these terms into your vocabulary is a “ducky” way to celebrate the history of the era.
As you prepare for the world premiere of Remi Wörtmeyer’s La Bohème, think of these terms as your “ducats” (tickets) into a different world. When the curtain rises on our 1920s New Orleans, you’ll be able to spot the “Shebas,” identify the “Applesauce,” and appreciate the “Berries” of the choreography.
We can’t wait to see you at the Davidson Theatre. Until then, keep it “Hotsy-Totsy!”
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