Possesses no virtues⁠—is no good.

Challenge to battle in terms that don’t mean maybe.

An indelicate but accurate designation of any sexy dance, the bump being the popular current example.

Sarcastic abbreviation of “big boy.”

Negro. A contraction of “Booker T.,” used only of and by members of the race. My own favorite among all the synonyms of Negro, of which the following are current: “Cloud,” “crow,” “darky,” “dinge,” “dinky,” “eight-ball,” “hunk,” “hunky,” “ink,” “jap,” “jasper,” “jig,” “jigaboo,” “jigwalker,” “joker,” “kack,” “Mose,” “race-man,” “race-woman,” “Sam,” “shade,” “shine,” “smoke,” “spade,” “zigaboo.”

Friend and ally. Buddy.

To fall below expectations, disappoint. He who escorts a homely sheba to a dickty shout “brings mud.”

A form of address, usually ironic. A bystander, witnessing the arrest of some offender, may observe: “It’s too bad now, brother.”

A shout characterized by a forward and backward swaying of the hips. Said to be an excellent aphrodisiac. Also said to be the despair of fays.

Buttocks.

Buttocks.

To take leave, usually under urgent pressure.

To defeat. To turn one’s damper down.

A chorus girl.

A chorus man.

See boogy.

See boogy.

Provider of affection and other more tangible delights.

See boogy.

Adj.⁠—Swell.

Noun⁠—High-toned person.

See boogy.

See boogy.

Any extraordinary person, thing, or event. “Ain’t this a dog?” is a comment on anything unusual.

“More power to ye!”

Designation of some place familiar to both parties talking.

Exhibit one’s best. Show off.

The number 8 pool ball is black.

Extremely, as an “evermore red-hot mamma.”

Plumbing the nadir of inebriation. Soused to helplessness.

A person who, so far as is known, is white. “Fay” is said to be the original term and “ofay” a contraction of “old” and “fay.”

Something for nothing, as complimentary tickets to a theater.

Of extraordinary experience and skill.

I.e., with something. Escape unpunished for audacity; to triumph, as does the successful jiver or the winner at blackjack.

To dismiss one with finality. To “give one the gate.”

Unearned increment. Freeby.

Exclamation of wonder.

“Haul hiney.” Depart in great haste. Catch air. “It,” without an obvious antecedent, usually has pelvic significance. “Put it in the chair” means “Sit down.”

Enjoying the elevated spirits of moderately advanced inebriation. “Tight” in the usual slang sense. Cf. tight in the Harlemese sense.

Affectionate diminutive for hindquarters. “It’s your hiney” means “It will cost you your hiney,” i.e., “You are undone.”

Kindling admiration. As overdone among jigs as is “marvelous” among fays.

Pronounced hot-choo. Equivalent to Oh no, now! q.v.

Why?

See boogy.

“You said it.” Ex “Some sheba, huh?”⁠—“I mean.”

See boogy.

See boogy.

See boogy.

1. The modern American musical idiom, of course.

2. Sometimes synonymous with jive, q.v.

See boogy.

1. Pursuit in love or any device thereof. Usually flattery with intent to win.

2. Capture.

In either sense this word implies passing fancy, hence, deceit.

One who jives.

“Doggone.”

See boogy.

Extreme sarcasm for dickty, q.v.

Kitchen mechanic, i.e., cook, girl, scullion, menial.

Lost. State in which it’s one’s hiney.

Exclamation of wonder.

Potential or actual sweetheart.

Jocose designation of death. Derived from Bert Williams’ story: “Wait Till Martin Comes.”

Fail. A question is characteristically answered by use of “miss” or some equivalent expression. Ex. “Did you win money?”⁠—“I didn’t miss” or “Nothing different.” “Do you mean me?”⁠—“I don’t mean your brother” and so on.

Dude.

“Cake-eater.”

See boogy.

Nonspecific designation of “swell” whites. Ex. “Boy, bootlegging pays. That boogy’s got a straight-eight just like Mr. Charlie’s.” “Yea, and his mamma’s got a fur coat just like Miss Anne’s, too.”

See bring mud.

You said it. I mean.

Exclamation of admiration.

Dumbbell.

Beyond mortal experience or belief.

1. See daddy.

2. Equivalent to brother.

I.e., play that game, hence, to countenance or tolerate.

Be distinguished, excel.

Premature, hence, presumptuous. He who tries to break into a ticket-line is likely to be warned, “Don’t get too previous, brother.”

To report one to some enemy or authority in order to have one punished.

To handcuff. Hence to render helpless. Most frequently heard in reference to some form of gambling, such as card games and love affairs.

To injure one deliberately.

See boogy.

Somewhat hotter than hot. Extremely striking.

Somewhat in excess of perfection.

Nevertheless.

Antithesis of dickty.

Stronger than dog.

See boogy.

Give one aid. “See me go for breakfast?” means “Pay for my breakfast?” It is the answerer’s privilege to interpret the query literally, thus: “See you go⁠—to hell.”

Striking “Keen.” A beautifully dressed woman is “sharp out this world.”

Queen. Frail. Broad.

1. Ball. Prom.

2. A slow one-step in which all the company gets happy.

1. To kid.

2. To slip in the dozens, to disparage one’s family.

See boogy.

“Give the once over.” Observe critically.

Verb⁠—To calm, to quell anger. What sweet mamma does to cruel papa when he gets tight, q.v.

Adj.⁠—1. Cunning, “slick,” as a smoothe jiver. 2. —Faultless, as a smoothe brown.

See do one’s stuff.

1. Talent, as above.

2. Hokum. Boloney. Banana oil. Ex. “They tell me that sheba tried to commit suicide over her daddy.”⁠—“Huh. That’s a lot o’ stuff.”

Exclamation of agreement and approval.

Designation of abstract authority. He who trespasses where a sign forbids is asked: “Say, biggy, can’t you read the man’s sign?”

This signifies complete agreement with a previous assertion. It is equivalent to saying, “That is beyond question.”

Tough. Redoubtable. Hard. Not “drunk” in the usual sense, for which the Harlemese is high.

To be bested.

To bear actual or pretended malice against.

1. Marvelous.

2. Extremely unfortunate.

Right. Unquestionable. Full remark is “You are doggone tootin’.”

Strut one’s stuff.

To reduce the temperature of one who is hot, q.v. Hence, to choke.

Yes.

No.

High-hat.

How do you do?

No complaint.

See boogy.