recorded and compiled<\/a>. Below, I\u2019ve highlighted my favorites from this category of vernacular. You\u2019ll likely notice that there are a lot of different words for \u201cdetective.\u201d It took me a while to figure out that a \u201cshamus\u201d was a detective. My absolute favorite of these slang words are the greetings (\u201cHow\u2019s tricks?\u201d \u201cWhat\u2019s the score?\u201d) and the ways to tell people to get lost (\u201cGo fry a stale egg!\u201d).<\/p>\nHopefully, reviewing this list will help you better understand the next hard-boiled detective novel you read. And maybe you\u2019ll even sprinkle some of these words into your daily vocab to mix things up with some gritty old-school lingo.<\/p>\n
Big house. <\/b>Federal prison.<\/span><\/p>\nBird.<\/b> Person, either male or female, but frequently female.<\/span><\/p>\nBite an egg.<\/b> Take breakfast.<\/span><\/p>\nBlow. <\/b>To leave.<\/span><\/p>\nBo. <\/b>Generic address; guy; jack; pal.<\/span><\/p>\nBooby-hatch.<\/b> Mental hospital.<\/span><\/p>\nBull.<\/b> Cop.<\/span><\/p>\nButter and egg man. <\/b>Sugar daddy; implication is one fairly free with his money.<\/span><\/p>\nButtons.<\/b> Cops.<\/span><\/p>\nBuzzer.<\/b> Police badge; identification.<\/span><\/p>\nC-note.<\/b> Hundred-dollar bill.<\/span><\/p>\nChicago overcoat. <\/b>Coffin.<\/span><\/p>\nChiseler.<\/b> Low-life; hanger-on; somebody chiseling money from others.<\/span><\/p>\nDance on air.<\/b> Hang, as from a noose.<\/span><\/p>\nDarb.<\/b> A person with money, who can be relied upon to pay a check.<\/span><\/p>\nDead soldier. <\/b>Empty liquor bottle.<\/span><\/p>\nDeadpan.<\/b> Bodyguard; tough guy; gunny with a sheen of respectability.<\/span><\/p>\nDip the bill.<\/b> To have a drink.<\/span><\/p>\nDish.<\/b> Attractive woman.<\/span><\/p>\nDraw a lot of water. <\/b>To have a lot of influence; to exert great influence.<\/span><\/p>\nDrop the arm. <\/b>Arrest; nab; apprehend; snatch.<\/span><\/p>\nDry-gulch.<\/b> To ambush; surprise; sneak attack or attack from behind.<\/span><\/p>\nDumb onion.<\/b> A fool; dupe; idiot.<\/span><\/p>\nDust. <\/b>Take a hike; get lost; drift.<\/span><\/p>\nFakeloo artist. <\/b>Conman; faker; liar; pretender; deceiver.<\/span><\/p>\nFin. <\/b>$5 bill.<\/span><\/p>\nFlatfoot. <\/b>Detective; shamus.<\/span><\/p>\nFlim-flam:<\/b> Dupe; deceive; trick; take in.<\/span><\/p>\nFloaters. <\/b>Corpses in the water; people dead by drowning.<\/span><\/p>\nFog. <\/b>Riddle someone with bullets.<\/span><\/p>\nGat.<\/b> Gun.<\/span><\/p>\nGee. <\/b>Man; fellow.<\/span><\/p>\nGill.<\/b> A drink.<\/span><\/p>\nGo fry a stale egg.<\/b> Get lost; go jump in a lake.<\/span><\/p>\nGoose-berry lay. <\/b>Stealing clothes from clotheslines.<\/span><\/p>\nGumshoe. <\/b>Detective\/private dick\/PI\/etc.<\/span><\/p>\nGunny.<\/b> Hired gun; thug.<\/span><\/p>\nGunsel. <\/b>Hired gun.<\/span><\/p>\nHackie. <\/b>Taxi driver.<\/span><\/p>\nHard boy. <\/b>Tough guy; bodyguard; hired thug.<\/span><\/p>\nHard number.<\/b> Tough guy.<\/span><\/p>\nHay. <\/b>Useless scrip\/fake bills\/etc.<\/span><\/p>\nHeel. <\/b>Jerk; low life; scumbag.<\/span><\/p>\nHeeled. <\/b>Packing; carrying a gun.<\/span><\/p>\nHow’s tricks? <\/b>A greeting, akin to “How’s it going?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nJake [also jakeloo]. <\/b>Fine; okay; acceptable; no big deal.<\/span><\/p>\nJasper.<\/b> Man; handsome fellow.<\/span><\/p>\nKeyhole peeper. <\/b>Detective\/private dick\/PI\/etc.<\/span><\/p>\nLoogan.<\/b> A guy with a gun.<\/span><\/p>\nLug. <\/b>A guy; generic address for a man; connotation of thick-headedness or limited ability\/usefulness; not necessarily connoting goon, thug.<\/span><\/p>\nLulu.<\/b> A good-looking woman.<\/span><\/p>\nMake with the feet. <\/b>Get lost; scram.<\/span><\/p>\nMauler.<\/b> Brass knuckles.<\/span><\/p>\nMickey Finn (mickey). <\/b>A surreptitiously adulterated drink (or the drug added to the drink to make it so) given to somebody for the purpose of rendering them insensible or unconscious.<\/span><\/p>\nMiscount the trumps.<\/b> To overlook something.<\/span><\/p>\nMoll. <\/b>Gangster’s girlfriend\/woman\/partner.<\/span><\/p>\nMugg.<\/b> A man (sometimes referring to dumb ones), guy, person; possible connotation of not being entirely on the up-and-up.<\/span><\/p>\nMuggle-smoker\/muggle. <\/b>Pothead; druggie.<\/span><\/p>\nNevada gas.<\/b> Cyanide.<\/span><\/p>\nNewshawk. <\/b>Reporter.<\/span><\/p>\nNo soap. <\/b>No luck.<\/span><\/p>\nNuts to you. <\/b>Go to hell (mild).<\/span><\/p>\nPie-eyed. <\/b>Very drunk.<\/span><\/p>\nPiker. <\/b>Amateur; small-time operator.<\/span><\/p>\nPolish an apple:<\/b> Talk up; chat up; suck up to.<\/span><\/p>\nProwl car. <\/b>Police car.<\/span><\/p>\nReal cream. <\/b>A good person.<\/span><\/p>\nRodded.<\/b> Carrying a gun (rod).<\/span><\/p>\nRooster. <\/b>Man who picks a fight, or somebody who carries himself like a rooster; confrontational.<\/span><\/p>\nSap.<\/b> Fool; fall-guy; love-struck sucker.<\/span><\/p>\nSawbuck\/double sawbuck.<\/b> 10 dollars\/20 dollars.<\/span><\/p>\nShamus.<\/b> Detective\/private dick\/PI\/etc.<\/span><\/p>\nSharper. <\/b>Detective; private operator.<\/span><\/p>\nSitting on dynamite.<\/b> In the crosshairs; in the middle of a (figuratively) explosive situation.<\/span><\/p>\nSlip (one’s) clutch. <\/b>Losing it.<\/span><\/p>\nSmart little egg. <\/b>A fool; dupe; idiot.<\/span><\/p>\nSneezer.<\/b> Jail.<\/span><\/p>\nSquibbed (off). <\/b>Killed.<\/span><\/p>\nStool-pigeon.<\/b> Rat; fink; an informant; criminal who talks to the cops.<\/span><\/p>\nTake a flutter (at something). <\/b>To make a passing attempt.<\/span><\/p>\nTwist. <\/b>Woman, with possible connotation of girlfriend, or somebody seen on the side.<\/span><\/p>\nTypewriter. <\/b>Machine-gun.<\/span><\/p>\nWhat’s the score? <\/b>What’s going on; what’s up; etc.<\/span><\/p>\n
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