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Saturday, March 03, 2012

The Beatnik's Glossary. We Spoke This Language in College, Did You?

We talked this Beat Lingo in college.  We used terms like "cool", "groovy", "bread", "bugged" in those days because, well, it was cool. Teenagers and adults still use it. Do you know the origin? The following words comprise of the Beatniks' Glossary I got through Molly Fisk (thanks Molly) and it brought those days back. After reading "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac I became more interested in their lingo.

 

So it is here for the Beat Generation, the Beat Poets, musicians, collegians, of those days and now THE BEATNIKS' GLOSSARY:

 

BEATNIKS' GLOSSARY

 

Angel = One who pays the bill

Axe = Musical instrument

Beat = Way of life for a select few Thank God!

Beatnik = One who lives like there's no tomorrow

Beatkel =Tourist

Blow the Jets = To become angry

Bread = money

Bugged = bothered

Beatsville, Swinsville = a good place (for beatniks)

Blast the Edison = Turn off the lights

Bent Brummel = Bow Tie

Barrelsville = Las Vegas

Cat = Cool Jazz musician

Cool = Wonderful, he who enjoys without showing emotion

Crazy = good beatnik, accepted

Cube = worse than square, strict conformity

Chick = single girl

Chicken = engaged girl

Plucked chicken = married woman

Cover = lingerie

Make with cover = to get dressed

Cheap creep = freeloader

Cave = office

Can the lip = stop talking

Cyclops = eye glasses

Cool it = slow down

Crazy quilt = new dress

To "Cherry Tree" = to lie

Dad, Daddy O = Term of affection

Dullsville = unpleasant place

Dig = to understand

Dummy up = shut up

The End = the most wonderful

Face = identification

Freebee = freeloader

Flat = analyst's couch

Fuzz = police, federal agents

Fall in = to enter

Fall on = rough an individual up

Fall out = to leave, exit

Flick = motion picture

Goat = beard, goatee

A groove = a thrilling exciting thing to do

A groovie = one who understands the swing of things

A gas = something wonderful

Gone = really with it, swinging

Ginchiest = the greatest

Galaxy = one's circle of friends, group

Germsville = hospital

Cooney roost = library

George change = change for a dollar

Graveyard = deadbeat

Hip = to be with it, to understand

Hipster = best character, musician

Hootenanny = a wild beat party

To feel hairy = to feel good

Handcuffs = parents

Head shrinker = psychoanalyst

To be high = enjoying oneself

Men house = security house

Hustling Hershey = ex

The Horn = the telephone

An Ivy = suit of clothes

Ivy tower = university, college

Iron pile up = getaway

Hot iron = a gun

Icck = a bow tie

Jazz = music, collection of items

Jazzing = to make love

Juice = liquor

Juicehead = one who drinks

Juiceman = bartender

Johns, Long Johns = trousers

Kick sticks = cigarettes

King's jive = English language

Kookie = wild character

Knuckles to the creep = to do physical harm to someone

The Lama = the leader of the group

Later = goodbye

Leathers = shoes

Large charge = double drinks

A mazda = a very hip person

Moo juice = milk

Moo goo = butter

To make = accomplish an action

Moss, moss = etc. etc.

A mickey mouse = a wrist watch

Murgatroid = an outcast, a square, a dope

Money run = very easy, ordinary

Muscle cats = rock and roll-ers

Nadaville = nowhere, dull place

Orbs = eyes

Our St. Beatnik = Santa Claus

Off the wall = very far out, extremely unusual

Pad = apartment

Pick up on = to dig, to understand

Pucker palace = drive in movie

Rags = sportswear

Short trip to Rio = coffee break

Hot or Cool Rod = nice automobile

Fuzz rod = police car

Swinging = one who is with it

Swinging like sixteen = really wild

Shades = sun glasses

Swings in squareville = inferiority complex

Squaresville iron = jail

Squaresville peep = police line up

Stable = garage

Stable the iron = park the car

Solo flight = going stag

Snagged stag = going steady

Shake it = forget it

Soco = social conscience

Slides = photograph records

Squatchel = love making

Turn up the stereo = listen to me

Torniquette = wedding ring

Twin trees = high heels

Thrill pills = benzadene, dexidrine

Tough toenails = very difficult

Tuned in = with it

Vitamin village = grocery store

A Washington = a dollar bill

A words = an attorney

Way out = unusual

Wild = terrific, unusual

To wail = to have a good time, to play a tune well

Whistleburg = Centre where many girls pass by

Wasteland = far away


I am @johnwriter on Twitter and John.Matthew on Facebook. I blog here.

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