Words your characters would say
1950s slang from St. Louis teenagers
Twenty 1950s slang words from a 1959 list of St. Louis teenage slang, and oaths like doggone and aw, shucks, each explained, with a drive-in scene for Plot.
no sweat
No trouble; nothing to worry about.
St. Louis teenagers
The words
In January 1959 the Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors printed Ethlyne Phelps's list of St. Louis teenage slang, each phrase beside what it meant.
- no sweat“No sweat” … Not worrying or bothering about it. (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- No trouble; nothing to worry about.
- to bug out“Let’s bug out of here.” “I’m bugging out.” Leave the place in a hurry. (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- To leave in a hurry.
- a cool cat“He’s a cool cat.” A person who is up with the times. (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- Someone up with the times.
- to dig“Do you dig me?” “I don’t dig that.” Understand. (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- To understand, or to like.
- the most“He’s the most.” Tops; all right. (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- The best there is.
- a roach“Here comes a roach.” Cop (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- A police officer.
- shook“Don’t get shook.” “Don’t let it shake you.” Upset (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- Upset, rattled.
- a drip“What a drip!” Odd person (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- A dull or odd person.
- a blast“Blast” Wild party (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- A wild party.
- a chick“Chick” A neat girl (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- A girl, said admiringly.
- a square“Square” Person behind the times. (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- Someone behind the times.
- to bug“You bug me.” “Quit bugging me.” Bother me. (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- To bother or annoy.
- to peel out“Come on, cat. Let’s step on a banana and peel out of here.” Let’s leave. (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- To leave, fast.
- a bomb“That’s a real bomb.” Fast car (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- A fast car.
- a model-T“He’s a model-T.” Old fogey. (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- An old fogey.
- to buzz“Buzz me.” Call me on the phone. (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- To call someone on the phone.
- a large charge“Large charge” Get a kick out of something. (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- A thrill; something you get a kick out of.
- see you around like a doughnut“See you around like a doughnut if you don’t turn square.” Goodbye (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- Goodbye.
- digit dazzle“Digit dazzle” Fingernail polish. (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959
- Nail polish.
Swear words and oaths
How people cursed, and the softer words they said instead, from the same dated sources.
- doggone“You know, I’ve made a heck of a lot of money from the studio in 31 years, and I’ve got doggone little to show for it.” (Bob Thomas, Associated Press, Bob Taylor Is Again With MGM, January 7, 1955)1955
- A softened “damned”: very, or blasted. Said here by a film star about his own pay.
- aw, shucks“Aw, shucks,” he said, grinning, showing large strong teeth. (Robert Martin, Just a Corpse at Twilight, January 16, 1956)1956
- Bashful, aw-gee modesty, often put on.
- gosh“Gosh, they’re big.” (Associated Press, Small College Player Unawed in Big Time, March 28, 1956)1956
- A softened “God,” in plain surprise.
- damn near“It’s damn near time he took some positive action.” (Ed Creagh, Associated Press, Only Time to Tell If Ike Did Right, September 27, 1957)1957
- Almost. Strong enough that a senator said it on the record.
EXT. CHUCK'S DRIVE-IN, ST. LOUIS - NIGHT (1959)
Neon over a lot full of tail fins. EDDIE BRANDT (17), ducktail and rolled cuffs, leans on a '49 Ford with flames painted down the fenders. His sister JUDY (16), ponytail and saddle shoes, walks up with two malts. Her nails are a shade of pink their mother has never seen.
JUDY
Some bomb. Does Dad know you bugged out with it?
EDDIE
No sweat. He's at the lodge till midnight. Nice digit dazzle.
JUDY
Ricky Moore's here. He's the most.
EDDIE
Ricky's a drip. A real square.
JUDY
You're just bugged because Carol thinks he's a cool cat.
EDDIE
Carol's a real chick. She doesn't dig me. That's the way the cookie crumbles.
Headlights sweep the lot. A black-and-white noses in by the order board.
EDDIE
Here comes a roach. Get in.
JUDY
Don't get shook. We're drinking malts, not robbing a bank.
EDDIE
Tell that to Dad. He's a model-T. Let's peel out of here.
Judy climbs in and waves out the window at a boy in a letter sweater.
JUDY
See you around like a doughnut, Ricky! Buzz me!
EDDIE
You'll miss the blast at Carol's.
JUDY
Riding home with you? That's a large charge.
Recorded in
- Bob Thomas, Associated Press, Bob Taylor Is Again With MGM (January 7, 1955)
- Robert Martin, Just a Corpse at Twilight (January 16, 1956)
- Associated Press, Small College Player Unawed in Big Time (March 28, 1956)
- Ed Creagh, Associated Press, Only Time to Tell If Ike Did Right (September 27, 1957)
- Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors (January 1959)
1950s technology and props
What had just arrived, what was still recent, and what a scene set in these years can't have yet. Each entry names the source that records its date, with a link to it. Dates are for the United States unless an entry says otherwise.
- 1920: Radio broadcasts
- 1927: Talking pictures
- 1928: Police radio
- 1939: Television
- 1945: Ballpoint pen
- 1950: Charge card
- 1954: Color TV
- 1954: Transistor radio
- 1956: Interstate highways
- 1958: Jet airliner
- 1963: Touch-tone phone
- 1963: ZIP code
- 1964: Pager
- 1966: Miranda rights
- 1967: Home microwave
- 1968: 911 calls
- 1968: Seat belts in new cars
- 1969: ATM
- 1971: Home answering machine
- 1977: VCR
Before 1950
Already there, still recent
When it was new
When it was new
- 1920
Screens and sound
Radio broadcasts
Scheduled radio broadcasting begins: KDKA in Pittsburgh airs the 1920 election returns.
IEEE Engineering and Technology History Wiki, Milestones: Westinghouse Radio Station KDKA, 1920
Early in the decade a radio set is a novelty, and a family gathered around one is a scene in itself. By the 1930s it is furniture.
- 1927
Screens and sound
Talking pictures
The Jazz Singer opens in New York with about two minutes of synchronized dialogue. The rest of it is silent, with title cards.
HistoryofInformation.com, The Jazz Singer, the First Full-Length Film with Synchronized Dialogue
A character at the pictures before late 1927 almost always watches a silent film with live music. After it, talking pictures are the novelty people line up for.
- 1928
Police
Police radio
Detroit police dispatch patrol cars by radio. The cars can hear the station but can't answer it.
IEEE Engineering and Technology History Wiki, Milestones: One-Way Police Radio Communication, 1928
A 1920s officer learns of a crime from a call box, a desk sergeant or a one-way radio. To talk back, he pulls over and finds a telephone.
- 1939
Screens and sound
Television
NBC begins regular television broadcasts in New York as the World's Fair opens.
Television in a 1930s scene is a demonstration at a fair or a rich household's toy, not something a family watches at night.
- 1945
Home and office
Ballpoint pen
The ballpoint pen goes on sale in New York, at $12.50.
Literary Hub, This Week in Literary History: The First Ballpoint Pen Is Sold in New York City
Before late 1945 an American character writes with a fountain pen or a pencil.
1950–59
Arriving in these years
On the page
On the page
- 1950
Money
Charge card
Diners Club issues the first charge card accepted at many businesses rather than one store.
A 1940s character pays in cash, by check or on a store's own account. Handing over a card for dinner belongs to the 1950s and later.
- 1954
Screens and sound
Color TV
RCA's first color television set, the CT-100, goes on sale.
Color television in the 1950s is rare and expensive. A family watching at home is almost always watching black and white.
- 1954
Screens and sound
Transistor radio
The Regency TR-1, the first transistor radio, reaches stores at $49.95.
A pocket radio at the beach or under the covers is late 1950s or later. Before it, a radio is a tube set on a table or a portable the size of a lunch box.
- 1956
Getting around
Interstate highways
The Federal-Aid Highway Act starts the Interstate highway system.
U.S. National Archives, National Interstate and Defense Highways Act (1956)
Before the Interstates, most long drives run on two-lane highways through every town on the way, with a few four-lane toll turnpikes such as Pennsylvania's, open since 1940. The long, straight Interstate drive arrives over the decades that follow.
- 1958
Getting around
Jet airliner
Pan Am flies its first Boeing 707 passenger service, New York to Paris, with a fuel stop in Newfoundland.
An earlier transatlantic trip is a long propeller flight, often with a fuel stop, or days on an ocean liner. The jet age starts at the very end of the 1950s.
After 1959
Not yet: keep these out of the scene
On the page
On the page
- 1963
Phones
Touch-tone phone
Push-button Touch-Tone service begins in two Pennsylvania towns and spreads one exchange at a time.
Characters dial on a rotary phone well after 1963. The beep of button tones is a later sound.
- 1963
Home and office
ZIP code
ZIP Codes are introduced for United States mail.
An envelope addressed before mid-1963 has no ZIP Code on it.
- 1964
Phones
Pager
Motorola sells the Pageboy I, an early pocket pager that beeps but shows no message.
Before the 1980s a pager is a work tool for someone on call. It only beeps, so the character has to find a phone and call in to learn why.
- 1966
Police
Miranda rights
The Supreme Court decides Miranda v. Arizona.
Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966)
Before 1966 an arrest rarely comes with a reading of rights. "You have the right to remain silent" becomes routine after the ruling.
- 1967
Home and office
Home microwave
Amana sells the first countertop microwave oven for the home, at $495.
The Saturday Evening Post, The Evolution of the Microwave from Exotic Gadget to Ho-Hum Appliance
A 1950s or early 1960s kitchen almost always heats food on the stove or in the oven. A microwave at home is a late 1960s luxury.
- 1968
Police
911 calls
The first 911 call is made in Haleyville, Alabama.
Washington Military Department, 50 years ago this month, first 911 call made
For years after 1968 many places still have no 911. A character in trouble dials the operator or the police station's own number.
- 1968
Getting around
Seat belts in new cars
Seat belts become required equipment in new cars.
A car built before 1968 may have no seat belts at all.
- 1969
Money
ATM
The first ATM in the United States opens at a bank on Long Island, New York. It only dispenses cash.
Before it, a character who needs cash gets it from a teller during banking hours, or cashes a check somewhere that knows them.
- 1971
Phones
Home answering machine
The PhoneMate 400 brings the answering machine into the home, recording messages on tape.
IEEE Spectrum, The Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame: PhoneMate 400
Before the 1970s answering machines are rare, expensive and mostly in offices, so a call nobody picks up at home is usually missed, unless an answering service takes a message.
- 1977
Screens and sound
VCR
The first VHS videocassette recorders go on sale in the United States.
CED Magic, 1977: The First VHS VCR Is Introduced in the U.S.
Taping a show or renting a movie to watch at home is mostly a late 1970s and 1980s scene. Home recorders existed before that, such as Betamax from 1975, but they were rare and costly, so a show a character missed was usually gone.
Check a whole script for anachronisms
Inkwell's Period Language skill reads your pages against the era you set. It flags words, objects and references that hadn't arrived yet and offers period alternatives as changes you can accept or skip.
Make it yours in Plot
Start with this example or bring your own draft. Develop the story, try another version, and keep the work you want.
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Field notes
Writing dialogue that sounds like its time
Date the word, not the feeling
Check every period word against a source from the time, not a list that sounds old. A dictionary entry or a published novel tells you the word was in use by that year. It does not tell you when it started, so a word recorded in 1859 can belong to a character in 1850, and probably not one in 1750.
Use less than you found
One period word every few lines is enough to place a scene. A speech packed with slang reads like a costume. Let ordinary words carry most of the dialogue and save the slang for the moments a character wants to sound like they belong.
Make the meaning clear from the scene
A reader or an audience never gets a glossary. Put the word where the action explains it: the stolen hat on the table before anyone calls it a rum nab, the sack of silver before anyone says swag. If a word needs a footnote, the scene is not doing its job yet.
Slang says who belongs
Grose and Matsell recorded cant: the private language of thieves, meant to keep outsiders out. A character who uses it is in the gang, and one who misses it is not. Use that. The 1920s words did the same for a young crowd, the 1930s ones for detectives and crooks, the 1940s ones for soldiers and the teenagers they left at home, and the 1950s and 1960s ones for teenagers keeping their parents out. The 2000s words came from rap and the internet, and spread as fast as both.
Where to find more
Dictionaries of slang and cant from the period, novels and plays written at the time, newspapers, and court records all show how people talked. Prefer sources written in the era over histories written later, and keep a note of where each word came from so you can check it again.
Hear it before you keep it
Read the scene aloud, or hold a table read. Period dialogue that looks right can sound stiff when spoken. Cut what an actor trips on, and keep the version you like as a save point before you try another.
Already have a draft?
Bring your Word document or screenplay into Plot and keep developing it with save points and alternate drafts.
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