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Franken-Slang

[whitespace] How to speak Rat Packenese

By Richard Peters

Bag: As in "my bag," a person's particular interest.

Barn burner: A very stylish, classy woman.

Beard: A male friend who acts as a "cover," usually for extramarital affairs.

Beetle: A girl who dresses in flashy clothes.

Big-leaguer: A resourceful man who can handle any situation.

Bird: A "suitcase" word sometimes used in reference to the pelvic section.

Bombsville: Any kind of failure in life.

Broad: Affectionate term for a girl or woman with sex appeal.

Bum: A person who is despised, most frequently linked to people in the media.

Bunter: A man who fails in almost everything he does, the opposite of gasser.

Cash out: Leave, as in "Cash me out of this party." I.e., "I'm leaving."

Charley: A general term for anyone whose name has been forgotten. See also Sam.

Charlies: Admiring word for a woman's breasts.

Chick: A young and invariably pretty girl.

Clam-bake: A party or get-together.

Clyde: A word used to cover a multitude of personal observations: viz "I don't like her clyde" means "I don't like her voice," etc.

Cool: A term of admiration for a person or place. An alternative word, meaning the same thing, is "crazy."

Creep: A man who is disliked for any reason whatsoever.

Crumb: Someone for whom it is impossible to show respect.

Dame: A generally derogatory term for a probably unattractive woman. The word dog is also sometimes substituted.

Dig: A term of appreciation for a person or thing, as in "I dig her."

Dying: As in "I'm dying," which means "I'm slightly upset."

18 karat: All the way, full-out: "An 18-karat idiot."

End: A word to signify that someone or something is the very best.

Endsville: A term to express total failure, and similar to bombsville. See ville.

Fink: A man who cannot be relied upon, whose loyalties are suspect.

First base: The start of something, usually applied in terms of failure when someone has failed to reach it.

Fracture: As in "That fractures me," meaning "That's an amusing joke."

Gas: A great situation, as in "The day was a gas."

Gasoline: A term for alcohol, more specifically, Frank's favorite drink, Jack Daniel's bourbon whiskey.

Gasser: A man or woman highly admired, considered to be the best or "The End!"

Gofer: Someone who does menial jobs or runs errands, as in "go for drinks," etc.

Good night all: A term of invective to change the subject of conversation.

Groove: As in "in the groove," a term of admiration or approval.

Harvey: A man or woman who acts in a stupid or naive fashion. Sometimes shortened to "Harve."

Hacked: A word used to describe someone who is angry, as in "He's hacked off."

Hello!: A cry of surprise to no one in particular when a beautiful woman is seen.

Hunker: A jack-of-all-trades rather like the gofer.

Jokes: A term used to describe an actor's lines in a film script.

Let's lose Charley: A term used among intimates who want to get rid of a bore in their company.

Locked up: As in "All locked up," a term for a forthcoming date or engagement, private or public.

Loser: Anyone who has made a mess of their life, drinks too much, makes enemies, etc.

Mish-mash: Similar to loser but refers specifically to a woman who is mixed up.

Mouse: Usually a small, very feminine girl who invites being cuddled.

Nowhere: A term of failure, usually applied to a person, viz "He's nowhere."

Odds: Used in connection with important decisions, as in "The odds aren't right," meaning not to go somewhere, accept anything or buy something.

Original loser: A man or woman without talent. Sometimes more fully expressed as "He (she) is the original Major Bowes Amateur Hour loser."

Platinum: Having a big heart, generous. "You're platinum, pussycat!"

Player: Term for a man who is a gambler by nature, who makes friends easily, and never gives up trying.

Punk: Any undesirable, in particular mobsters, gangsters or criminals.

Quin: Derisive term for any girl or woman who is an easy pickup.

Rain: As in "I think it's going to rain," indicating that it is time to leave a dull gathering or party.

Ring-a-ding: A term of approval for a beautiful girl, viz "What a ring-a-ding broad!"

Sam: Used in the same way as Charley for a person whose name has been forgotten, most often applied to females.

Scramsville: To run off.

Sharp: A person who dresses well and with style.

Solid: Definite, reliable. (Note: this was also used by Linc in The Mod Squad.)

Square: A person of limited character, not unlike a Harvey.

Swing: v. To hang out and drink, smoke, sing, generally get real loose.

Tomato: As in "a ripe tomato," a woman ready for seduction or even marriage.

Twirl: A girl who loves dancing. An alternative word with the same meaning is "twist."

Witch doctor: Member of the clergy.


Thanks to Rebecca Pranger, Robert Stephens, Jason Landman and Jim Sweet for the additions.

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From the June 11-17, 1998 issue of Metro.

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