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1930's Language
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There are definitely some things that we used to say or to hear that are no longer in vogue. I had to be reminded of some of them by a book I have called "Dewdroppers, Waldos and Slackers". All of the ones below are expressions or names that I remember from that time.
A lot of the language centered around the itinerant jobless people who called everyday at our BACK door and asked if they could do a bit of work for a bite to eat. These people always approached the house at the backdoor and would make their request with hat in hand. Mother nearly always had something in the pantry or in the stove to feed these men. There were "Hoboes", "Tramps" and "Bums" and nearly everyone used those terms interchangeably but a few insisted that there was a difference:
hobo-----Many insisted that a hobo was not a hobo unless he was away from home.
tramp---tramps were held to travel but lived by begging and did not work
bums---neither travelled nor worked
The request for food was nearly always put as "Ma'am could I do some work for you for a bite to eat?"
I don't put a lot of stock in those definitions. We used the three terms interchangeably for anyone down on his luck and out of a job--of which there were many.
There was a general alphabet soup of government agencies after FDR took over as President:
WPA--Works Progress Administration
CCC--Civil Conservation Corps--organized on miitary lines and used to improve national parks and scenic spots.
NRA--Nationasl Recovery Act
and many many more.
The most colorful language was that of the soda jerks and restraunt waitresses as they took ones order and shouted back to the kitchen , cook or to the soda jerk any one of the following: (these were remarkably the same over the area I lived in)
A barrel of mud--a chocolate milkshake
A barrel of red mud--strawberry shake
a black cow--a root beer float (these are still available in small country towns in West Texas)
a black stick--a chocolate ice cream cone
a blonde stick---a vanilla ice cream cone
shoot one red---a cherry Coca Cola (some times it is "Hang one red")
shoot one yellow--- a lemon coke
shoot one green---a lime coke
shoot a sissy---a vanilla Coca Cola
punk and gut---a sausage and biscuit sandwich
98---a warning from the soda jerk that a parent of someone in the store had just entered
Bossy in a bowl---beef stew
flop 'em---two eggs over easy
cat beer---milk
a freak--Orange coke
Adam's ale---water
nervous puddin'---Jello
hold the hail---no ice
87 and one half---Wow--Just look at that doll!
95---a customer is walking the check
98--the boss just drove up
pull two on the city--two glasses of water
Hoover flags--pockets turned wrong side out to show that they are empty
First lady--spareribs
Of course there were many many more but this will give you some idea of why you would not have instantly understood everything in the thirties. Sort of silly I guess but I miss 'em sometimes.
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