A . B . C . D . E . F . G . H . I . J . K . L . M . N . O . P . Q . R . S . T . U . V . W . X Y Z

A

A.K. - ass kisser, suck-up; results in being a brown noser (see under B)

All Across - field game requiring no equipment, similar to Red Rover Come Over; either “touch” or tackle

Ape  (go)- to get crazily excited

Apeshit (go) - to get really crazily excited. “He went Apeshit when I told him”.

Ass wagon - cool car

B

 Bad news - a trouble person, as in “he’s bad news”

Bag - thing, as in “it ain’t my bag”

Barf - to vomit after over-imbibing alcohol at a bash (see under B)

Bash - great party

Bombed - really drunk

Boss - something cool, good

Bent - to drop dead, as in “get bent!”

Big Shot - an important person

Bit - an act, premise, as in “get the bit” i.e. to understand

Blast - good time

BMOC- big man on campus

Bob, Bobbed - a short hairstyle, as in “she got her hair bobbed at John Christie’s”

Bread - money

Brown noser - habitual A.K. (see under A)

Bug - to annoy

Bug out - to leave

Burn rubber - to screech off in car

Butt me! - Give me a cigarette

C

Cameo Lounge, the - basement bowling alley and bar on Austin Street

Can’t beat it with a stick- something really great

Cat - cool guy

Chariot - car

Cherry - good; also a virgin

Chinos - khaki trousers with a little belt and buckle in the back

Cinch, a – easy

CH – Forest Hills Community House on Borage Place and Beechknoll Road

Cheesit, the cops! - Run!

Chucker - basketballer who shoots a lot

Chicken fight - 2 vs. 2 wrestling while riding on partner’s shoulder, often played in water

City, the - Manhattan

Club, the - West Side Tennis Club

Coffin nails – cigarettes

Community House- social and athletic center located on Borage Place; commonly “CH”

Cool - indefinable great quality, extraordinary

Cool it! - Relax!

Corona Dukes - fearsome gang often rumored about to invade FH (fearless Al Lassiter vowed, “I’m waitin’!”

Country club - an easy school

Crack up - to laugh heartily, as in “When he said that, it really cracked me up”

Crab races - session of making out (see under M) near body of saltwater; also submarine races (see under S)

Crazy - implies a good thing, as in “That’s crazy, man”

Cream - to ejaculate; also damage

Cruisin’ for a bruisin’ - pushing the limit(s)

Crush-to like someone romantically

Cut out - to leave, as in “I’m cuttin’ out”

D

D.A. – hairstyle resembling a duck’s ass

Daddy-O – casual form of address

Depants - to forcibly remove an individual’s trousers in public

Devil Dogs - devil’s food cake with creamy filling, hot dog bun shaped (12 c)

Dibs! - a claim on something

Dig - to understand

Dinker - in tennis, lobber, soft, and drop-shot artist

Dip, dipshit - real jerk or fool in presence of parents or clergy, dipstick

Dippy - crazy

Ditch - to suddenly leave or disappear on a friend or group

Dixie Dew - horse rentals in Forest Park

Dog - ugly or generally poor

Dork - nerd

Drag - depressing, a bore

Drag- a puff on a cigarette

Dunce- a dope

Dutch treat - something for which you split the check, also go Dutch (see under G)

E

Engineer boots - heavy black work boots worn by Rocks (see under R)

F

Fake out - to fool

Falsies - breast size-enhancers often as simple as toilet paper or tissues 

Far out - weird, cerebral

Fast-more willing to get into heavy petting (see under P) or more (said of girls, for boys it was a given)

Feel cheap-emabarassed, regretful

F.H.G.- Forest Hills Gardens

Fink - to squeal, tattletale

Flagg Flyers - shoes with hinged closure

Flake - unreliable person

Flatleave, flatleaver - disappear, ditch (see under D) a friend or group; one who does this, as in “The flatleaver just left me there!”

Flicks - movies at the Midway, Forest Hills, Trylon, or Inwood

Flip - to get excited (over)

Florida Special- orange juice based non alcoholic beverage served at WSTC (see under W); famous world-wide

Fordham  Baldies - (Mythical?) Bronx gang who preyed on Queens school kids with barbering equipment, leaving victims with shaved heads 

Forty five- record speed and type of popular music record of the era. Also, the player with thick spindle.

Fracture - to amuse

Frosted – angry

Fruitcake- crazy as in “He’s a fruitcake” or “He’s nuttier than a fruitcake”

Fuzz, the - police

G

Gardens cop - guard who chased non-residents out from parks

Garrison belt - heavily buckled wide leather belt swung in fights by Hoods (see under H), Rocks (see under R)

Gas - Sinatraese for “fun”

Geek - gangly one; sometimes also nerdy and/or dorky

Gee Whiz! - expression of regret or amazement

Get the bit - to understand

Get the heave- to be unceremoniously sacked or thrown out

Get on the stick - to become aware, capable

Get with it! - similar to Get on the stick (see under G)

Gig - occupation, performance

Go ape - similar to Ape (see under A)

Go Dutch - to split or share expenses

Going steady- serious dating relationship

Golly - similar to Gee Whiz (see under G)

Goof-off - [noun] malingerer

Goody two shoes – uncommonly good person (from 1934 children’s story character)

Goose - [verb] usually involving rear end-grabbing, jabbing, poking

H

Hack around - to loiter and/or fool around aimlessly

Hairy-close call or situation, dangerous: as in “That was a hairy ride down S Hill in Forest Park”

Hangout - loitering place such as Sutton Hall soda counter booths, as in “You kids think this is some kind of hangout?”

Hard up - in dire need, as in “If she went out with him she must be really hard up”

Hep - being with it, knowing the situation

Hip - someone cool, in-the-know, up to date

Hi-Fi - expensive record player

Hit the road - to depart 

Hock - to swipe, steal

Hood - hoodlum often clad in black leather jacket, engineer boots, garrison belt (see under G) with DA (see under D)

Hof Hall- CH gym and auditorium

Hot-to-trot- willingly anxious  (usually used in a  sexual context)

Hubba hubba- appreciative remark usually applied to attractive female, often followed by, “ding ding!”

Hump - loser, as in “What a hump!”

I

I.D. bracelet- usually a male’s chain bracelet with rectangular plaque inscribed with name or initials often worn by girlfriend when ( see under G) Going Steady

Indian giver - one who takes back a gift

Indian rope burn - twisting of wrist skin to cause pain

Indian wrestling – strength contest involving pulling opponent off balance while shaking hands

Inn, the – Forest Hills Inn at Station Square a Knott hotel, social center; home of famed Tournament Grill

Iron worm - the subway

Island, the - landmass east of Queens

Ivy League - dress style incorporating pants with a little belt in the back, white bucks (see under W), V-neck sweater often draped around shoulders

Ivy Leaguer - clean-cut collegiate-looking guy; opposite of Hood (see under H), Rock (see under R)

J

Jailbait - underage girl; sometimes Stacked (see under S)

Johnny-Ride-a-Pony - schoolyard game involving vaulting onto players’ backs

Jones’- Austin Street candy store near Ascan Avenue

J.D. - juvenile delinquent

K

K.F.- Kew Forest Preparatory School at Union Tpke. and Austin Street

L

Large charge - something exciting causes it

Lucky duck - fortunate person

M

Made in the shade - success, successful

Make out, making out - kissing and hugging with all four hands above the waist; vs. Petting (see under P)

Make the scene - be there

Matches, the - US National Tennis Championships at the WSTC (see under W)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch – sarcastic prompt to get speaker back on the subject

Mimeo-a copy made by machine (Mimeograph)

Mission - inexpensive, delicious, slightly carbonated, 12 oz bottle of soda in various flavors (10c)

Miss Ehler’s - dreaded (by some) CH-based white glove dancing class

Metro - Metropolitan Avenue

Monkey-in-the-Middle - keepaway street game

Moonshiners - Cameo-based gang of ruffians who reputedly prowled the Gardens looking for victims to  depants (see under D)

Mr B Collar-high rolled collar patented by singer Billy Eckstine

N

No sweat - easy

Noogie - rap on the skull; to hit someone on the top of the head with one knuckle extended.

O

Oddball - strange person

Ollie Ollie in come free!-you can come out of your hiding place, you are not “it”

Olquom – Youth club of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs (OLQM) Church

Out-to-lunch - dazed mental state

P

Pad - apartment, home

Pajama party- group sleepover (usually girls and ONLY girls)

Panic, a - something funny

Party pooper - event spoiler

Passion pit - drive-in theater

Pea shooter-small straw-like tube for shooting  beans or peas from mouth (bane of moviegoers)

Peel out - burn-rubber departure

Pegged pants - formal trousers especially for Hoods (see under H), Rocks (see under R)

Penguin - teaching nun

Petting - making out (see under M) with hands possibly drifting below the waist

P.F. – Pilgrim Fellowship youth organization of Church- In- The- Gardens

Pididdle - one headlighted car; supposed reason for a kiss from date

Pinkball - Spalding rubber ball; also stickball

Potsie - sidewalk game aka hopscotch

Pusher-drug dealer

Put out - girl willing to Pet (see under P)

R

Rank, Rankout - clever put down, usually as humorous and insulting as possible, as in,  “If  b.s. was cement, you’d be a ten lane highway to Alaska”

Rat fink - tattler or total jerk

Raunchy - messy or gross

Red Rover Come Over - field game sans equipment similar to All Across (see under A); good groping

opportunities when played co-ed

Ring-a-Levio - form of hide and seek

Rock - Hood (see under H); antonym of Ivy Leaguer (see under I)

Royal Shaft - similar to Shaft (see under S) applied by, or to, noblemen or high-ranking personages

Rubber - condom; often used in sarcasm, as in “What’s that got to do with the price of rubbers?”

Rumble - gang fight

Running Bases - 3-man catch and tag game similar to Monkey-in-the–Middle (see under M) that simulates a player getting caught in a rundown between bases

S

Salugi - keepaway game involving the snatch of something (usually hat or school book) belonging to another and tossing it back and forth with a third person to prevent the owner from getting it back

Say, say, say - Bill Knockey turn of phrase usually followed by “eliminate the fooling around”

Scene, the - the place or event

Schoolyard, the-  PS 101 fenced in athletic field

Scream - something very funny

Shaft - imaginary anal missile

Shotgun! - front seat call, Dibs! (see under D); used when traveling with family; mothers always trumped call

Skitch - winter sport comprised of riding car bumpers on snowy streets

Smarty pants- a know-it-all

Smartass- wiseacre (see under W) know-it-all

Sock hop - informal dance

Spaldeen - Spalding made rubber ball, pinkball (see under P)

Split - to leave

Spud - game of It involving throwing a ball to tag the victim; also putrid-tasting cigarette brand

Stacked - large-breasted, referring to a female

Stickball - broomstick-bat pinkball (see under P) baseball played in street; also 2-man version on schoolyard wall

Stick up - to defend, as in “Why don’t you stick up for me?”

Stoop ball - game played with tennis ball or Spaldeen (see under S) batless baseball variation

Straighten up and fly right - behavioral advice similar to Wise Up! (see under W)

Straight Arrow- well-behaved goody two shoes (see under G)

Submarine races –making out (see under M) near water

Suckahatchee! - supposed vile Japanese curse

Super - building maintenance man, often residing on premises

Square, a - uncool conformist

Square, the - Station Square    

T

Tear ass - to go very fast

Think fast! - reflex check

Threads - wardrobe

Three on a match - bad luck to third person (dates to WWI trench warfare; third man often shot by snipers)

Thrown to the wolves - to sacrifice; due to shortage of wolves, today synonymous phrase is “throw under the bus” 

Tinkle - ladylike term for urination

Townies - prep school attendees’ derisive description of local residents

Tracks, the- LIRR tracks paralleling Burns and Austin Streets through the Village (see under V)

U

Up yours! - verbalization of  middle finger gesture often accompanied by upfisted crook arm flourish

Upsie daisy - cute saying while helping one to one’s feet after mishap

V

Village, the - Austin Street

Village, The - Greenwich Village

W

Wasted - drunk

Way out! - innovative

Wazoo - anal canal often used to in quantitative description, as in “I’ve got homework tonight up the wazoo!”

Weed - cigarette 

West Side - West Side Tennis Club (WSTC)

White bucks - laced white suede shoes with red soles

Wild - amazing thing

Wiseacre - smartass (see under S)

Wise guy - smart aleck 

Wisenheimer-sarcastic variation of wise guy, wiseacre (see above)

Wise up! - truculent behavior suggestion

XYZ

Yackahooeydingding - supposed vile Chinese curse involving some sort of exotic copulation