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Franken-Slang
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.
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How to speak Rat Packenese
Thanks to Rebecca Pranger, Robert Stephens, Jason Landman and Jim Sweet for the additions.
From the June 11-17, 1998 issue of Metro.