# 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. 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. 1950s Recorded 1955–1959 no sweat No trouble; nothing to worry about. “No sweat” … Not worrying or bothering about it. (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors ## 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. - that's the way the cookie crumbles“That’s the way the cookie crumbles.” That’s life; that’s the way things happen. (Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors, January 1959)1959 That's life; things happen that way. - 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. The scene 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. In print How often each word appeared in books, against its own busiest year.Shaded: when this era's sources recorded it. Busiest year no sweat 2013 to bug out 2017 a cool cat 2016 that's the way the cookie crumbles 2012 [Counts from Google Books Ngram Viewer](https://books.google.com/ngrams) Recorded in - [Bob Thomas, Associated Press, Bob Taylor Is Again With MGM (January 7, 1955)](https://archive.org/details/hope-star-1955-01-07) - [Robert Martin, Just a Corpse at Twilight (January 16, 1956)](https://archive.org/details/hope-star-1956-01-16) - [Associated Press, Small College Player Unawed in Big Time (March 28, 1956)](https://archive.org/details/hope-star-1956-03-28) - [Ed Creagh, Associated Press, Only Time to Tell If Ike Did Right (September 27, 1957)](https://archive.org/details/hope-star-1957-09-27) - [Ethlyne Phelps, Journal of the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors (January 1959)](https://archive.org/details/sim_initiatives_1959-01_22_2) ### 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. 1. [1920: Radio broadcasts](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-radio-broadcast) 2. [1927: Talking pictures](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-talkies) 3. [1928: Police radio](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-police-radio) 4. [1939: Television](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-television) 5. [1945: Ballpoint pen](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-ballpoint) 6. [1950: Charge card](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-charge-card) 7. [1954: Color TV](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-color-television) 8. [1954: Transistor radio](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-transistor-radio) 9. [1956: Interstate highways](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-interstate) 10. [1958: Jet airliner](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-jetliner) 11. [1963: Touch-tone phone](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-touch-tone) 12. [1963: ZIP code](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-zip-code) 13. [1964: Pager](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-pager) 14. [1966: Miranda rights](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-miranda) 15. [1967: Home microwave](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-microwave) 16. [1968: 911 calls](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-nine-one-one) 17. [1968: Seat belts in new cars](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-seat-belts) 18. [1969: ATM](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-atm) 19. [1971: Home answering machine](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-answering-machine) 20. [1977: VCR](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/period-slang/1950s#era-1950s-objects-title-vcr) Before 1950 #### Already there, still recent When it was new 1. 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](https://ethw.org/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. 2. 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](https://historyofinformation.com/detail.php?entryid=3522) 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. 3. 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](https://ethw.org/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. 4. 1939 Screens and sound Television NBC begins regular television broadcasts in New York as the World's Fair opens. [Early Television Museum, The 1939 New York World's Fair](https://earlytelevision.org/worlds_fair.html) Television in a 1930s scene is a demonstration at a fair or a rich household's toy, not something a family watches at night. 5. 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](https://lithub.com/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 1. 1950 Money Charge card Diners Club issues the first charge card accepted at many businesses rather than one store. [Diners Club International, Our History](https://www.dinersclub.com/about-us/history) 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. 2. 1954 Screens and sound Color TV RCA's first color television set, the CT-100, goes on sale. [Early Television Museum, RCA CT-100](https://www.earlytelevision.org/rca_ct-100.html) Color television in the 1950s is rare and expensive. A family watching at home is almost always watching black and white. 3. 1954 Screens and sound Transistor radio The Regency TR-1, the first transistor radio, reaches stores at $49.95. [Computer History Museum, Regency TR-1 transistor radio](https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102711690) 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. 4. 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)](https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/national-interstate-and-defense-highways-act) 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. 5. 1958 Getting around Jet airliner Pan Am flies its first Boeing 707 passenger service, New York to Paris, with a fuel stop in Newfoundland. [The Geography of Transport Systems, Boeing 707](https://transportgeography.org/contents/chapter1/the-setting-of-global-transportation-systems/boeing-707/) 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 1. 1963 Phones Touch-tone phone Push-button Touch-Tone service begins in two Pennsylvania towns and spreads one exchange at a time. [Hagley Museum and Library, November 18, 1963: Bell Telephone began offering the world's first touch-tone service](https://hagley.org/research/news/hagley-vault/date-november-18-1963-bell-telephone-began-offering-worlds-first) Characters dial on a rotary phone well after 1963. The beep of button tones is a later sound. 2. 1963 Home and office ZIP code ZIP Codes are introduced for United States mail. [Library of Congress, ZIP-a-Dee-Doo-Dah: The ZIP Code Is 50](https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2013/06/zip-a-dee-doo-dah-the-zip-code-is-50/) An envelope addressed before mid-1963 has no ZIP Code on it. 3. 1964 Phones Pager Motorola sells the Pageboy I, an early pocket pager that beeps but shows no message. [Westport Tech Museum, Motorola Pageboy I (1964–1975)](https://www.westporttechmuseum.com/products/motorola-pageboy-i-1964-1975) 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. 4. 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)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/384/436) Before 1966 an arrest rarely comes with a reading of rights. "You have the right to remain silent" becomes routine after the ruling. 5. 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](https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/09/evolution-microwave-exotic-gadget-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. 6. 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](https://mil.wa.gov/news/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. 7. 1968 Getting around Seat belts in new cars Seat belts become required equipment in new cars. [AAA Northeast, A Seat Belt History Timeline](https://magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/life/cars-trucks/auto-history/a-seat-belt-history-timeline/) A car built before 1968 may have no seat belts at all. 8. 1969 Money ATM The first ATM in the United States opens at a bank on Long Island, New York. It only dispenses cash. [HISTORY, First ATM opens for business](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/september-2/first-atm-opens-for-business) Before it, a character who needs cash gets it from a teller during banking hours, or cashes a check somewhere that knows them. 9. 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](https://spectrum.ieee.org/consumer-electronics/gadgets/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. 10. 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.](https://cedmagic.com/history/vbt200.html) 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. [See the Period Language skill](https://www.inkwell.software/skills/period-language) ### 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. Opens as a new Plot project once you sign in or create a free account. Inkwell keeps this copy for 24 hours. [Download](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/writing-starters/period-slang?version=1950s) 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. [Import a draft](https://app.inkwell.software/projects?action=import) ## Related writing resources - [From premise to pages](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/film-treatment) ### [Film treatments, from first idea to final scene.](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/film-treatment) [Read an original film treatment, see how it becomes scenes, and develop your own story with an editable treatment template.](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/film-treatment) [Read the guide](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/film-treatment) - [Follow the stories inside the story](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/subplots) ### [A, B & C plots. One story that holds together.](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/subplots) [Follow three connected storylines through a complete 12-scene example. Compare a missing B story with a revision that earns its ending.](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/subplots) [Read the guide](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/subplots) - [Keep what catches your attention](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/commonplace-book) ### [A commonplace book for a mind at work.](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/commonplace-book) [A practical commonplace book example and template for quotations, observations and connections, with a simple way to find and use what you collect.](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/commonplace-book) [Read the guide](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/commonplace-book) - [A conversation worth staying for](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/book-club-questions) ### [Book club questions worth talking about.](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/book-club-questions) [Choose thoughtful book club questions and download a ready-to-use discussion agenda for fiction, nonfiction or memoir.](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/book-club-questions) [Read the guide](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/book-club-questions) - [Monologues to perform](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/monologues) ### [Monologues you can learn tonight.](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/monologues) [Free audition monologues for teens and adults, comic and dramatic, plus two Shakespeare speeches. Each says who is speaking, what they want and what to play.](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/monologues) [Read the guide](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/monologues) --- Canonical page: