An Introduction to Contemporary Harlemese
Expurgated and Abridged
ain’t got ’em
Possesses no virtues—is no good.
ask for
Challenge to battle in terms that don’t mean maybe.
belly-rub
An indelicate but accurate designation of any sexy dance, the bump being the popular current example.
biggy
Sarcastic abbreviation of “big boy.”
boogy
Negro. A contraction of “Booker T.,” used only of and by members of the race. My own favorite among all the synonyms of Negro, of which the following are current: “Cloud,” “crow,” “darky,” “dinge,” “dinky,” “eight-ball,” “hunk,” “hunky,” “ink,” “jap,” “jasper,” “jig,” “jigaboo,” “jigwalker,” “joker,” “kack,” “Mose,” “race-man,” “race-woman,” “Sam,” “shade,” “shine,” “smoke,” “spade,” “zigaboo.”
boy
Friend and ally. Buddy.
bring mud
To fall below expectations, disappoint. He who escorts a homely sheba to a dickty shout “brings mud.”
brother
A form of address, usually ironic. A bystander, witnessing the arrest of some offender, may observe: “It’s too bad now, brother.”
bump
bumpty-bump
bump-the-bump
A shout characterized by a forward and backward swaying of the hips. Said to be an excellent aphrodisiac. Also said to be the despair of fays.
butt
Buttocks.
can
Buttocks.
catch air
To take leave, usually under urgent pressure.
choke
To defeat. To turn one’s damper down.
chorine
A chorus girl.
chorat
A chorus man.
cloud
See boogy.
crow
See boogy.
daddy
Provider of affection and other more tangible delights.
darkey
See boogy.
dickty
Adj.—Swell.
Noun—High-toned person.
dinge
See boogy.
dinky
See boogy.
dog
Any extraordinary person, thing, or event. “Ain’t this a dog?” is a comment on anything unusual.
do it!
do that thing!
do your stuff!
“More power to ye!”
down the way
Designation of some place familiar to both parties talking.
do one’s stuff
Exhibit one’s best. Show off.
eight-ball
The number 8 pool ball is black.
evermore
Extremely, as an “evermore red-hot mamma.”
drunk down
Plumbing the nadir of inebriation. Soused to helplessness.
fay
ofay
A person who, so far as is known, is white. “Fay” is said to be the original term and “ofay” a contraction of “old” and “fay.”
freeby
Something for nothing, as complimentary tickets to a theater.
from way back
Of extraordinary experience and skill.
get away
I.e., with something. Escape unpunished for audacity; to triumph, as does the successful jiver or the winner at blackjack.
give one air
To dismiss one with finality. To “give one the gate.”
gravy
Unearned increment. Freeby.
great day in the morning!
Exclamation of wonder.
haul it
“Haul hiney.” Depart in great haste. Catch air. “It,” without an obvious antecedent, usually has pelvic significance. “Put it in the chair” means “Sit down.”
high
Enjoying the elevated spirits of moderately advanced inebriation. “Tight” in the usual slang sense. Cf. tight in the Harlemese sense.
hiney
Affectionate diminutive for hindquarters. “It’s your hiney” means “It will cost you your hiney,” i.e., “You are undone.”
hot
Kindling admiration. As overdone among jigs as is “marvelous” among fays.
hot you!
Pronounced hot-choo. Equivalent to Oh no, now! q.v.
how come?
Why?
hunk, hunky
See boogy.
I mean
“You said it.” Ex “Some sheba, huh?”—“I mean.”
ink
See boogy.
jap
See boogy.
jasper
See boogy.
jazz
- The modern American musical idiom, of course.
- Sometimes synonymous with jive, q.v.
jig, jigaboo, jigwalker
See boogy.
jive
- Pursuit in love or any device thereof. Usually flattery with intent to win.
- Capture.
In either sense this word implies passing fancy, hence, deceit.
jiver
One who jives.
john-brown
“Doggone.”
joker
See boogy.
kack
Extreme sarcasm for dickty, q.v.
K.M.
Kitchen mechanic, i.e., cook, girl, scullion, menial.
long-gone
Lost. State in which it’s one’s hiney.
Lord today!
Exclamation of wonder.
mamma
Potential or actual sweetheart.
Martin
Jocose designation of death. Derived from Bert Williams’ story: “Wait Till Martin Comes.”
miss
Fail. A question is characteristically answered by use of “miss” or some equivalent expression. Ex. “Did you win money?”—“I didn’t miss” or “Nothing different.” “Do you mean me?”—“I don’t mean your brother” and so on.
monkey-back
Dude.
monkey-man
“Cake-eater.”
Mose
See boogy.
Miss Anne
Mr. Charlie
Nonspecific designation of “swell” whites. Ex. “Boy, bootlegging pays. That boogy’s got a straight-eight just like Mr. Charlie’s.” “Yea, and his mamma’s got a fur coat just like Miss Anne’s, too.”
mud
See bring mud.
no lie
You said it. I mean.
oh, no, now!
Exclamation of admiration.
Oscar
Dumbbell.
out (of) this world
Beyond mortal experience or belief.
papa
- See daddy.
- Equivalent to brother.
play that
I.e., play that game, hence, to countenance or tolerate.
poke out
Be distinguished, excel.
previous
Premature, hence, presumptuous. He who tries to break into a ticket-line is likely to be warned, “Don’t get too previous, brother.”
put one in
To report one to some enemy or authority in order to have one punished.
put (get, have) the locks on
To handcuff. Hence to render helpless. Most frequently heard in reference to some form of gambling, such as card games and love affairs.
put it on one
To injure one deliberately.
race-man (woman)
See boogy.
red-hot
Somewhat hotter than hot. Extremely striking.
right
Somewhat in excess of perfection.
right on
Nevertheless.
rat
Antithesis of dickty.
salty dog
Stronger than dog.
Sam
See boogy.
see one go
Give one aid. “See me go for breakfast?” means “Pay for my breakfast?” It is the answerer’s privilege to interpret the query literally, thus: “See you go—to hell.”
sharp
Striking “Keen.” A beautifully dressed woman is “sharp out this world.”
sheba
Queen. Frail. Broad.
shout
- Ball. Prom.
- A slow one-step in which all the company gets happy.
slip
- To kid.
- To slip in the dozens, to disparage one’s family.
smoke
See boogy.
smoke over
“Give the once over.” Observe critically.
smoothe
Verb—To calm, to quell anger. What sweet mamma does to cruel papa when he gets tight, q.v.
Adj.—1. Cunning, “slick,” as a smoothe jiver. 2. —Faultless, as a smoothe brown.
strut one’s stuff
See do one’s stuff.
stuff
- Talent, as above.
- Hokum. Boloney. Banana oil. Ex. “They tell me that sheba tried to commit suicide over her daddy.”—“Huh. That’s a lot o’ stuff.”
tell ’em!
tell ’em ’bout it!
Exclamation of agreement and approval.
the man
Designation of abstract authority. He who trespasses where a sign forbids is asked: “Say, biggy, can’t you read the man’s sign?”
there ain’t nothing to that
This signifies complete agreement with a previous assertion. It is equivalent to saying, “That is beyond question.”
tight
Tough. Redoubtable. Hard. Not “drunk” in the usual sense, for which the Harlemese is high.
to be had
To be bested.
to be on
To bear actual or pretended malice against.
too bad
- Marvelous.
- Extremely unfortunate.
tootin’
Right. Unquestionable. Full remark is “You are doggone tootin’.”
turn ’em on
Strut one’s stuff.
turn one’s damper down
To reduce the temperature of one who is hot, q.v. Hence, to choke.
uh-huh
Yes.
uh-uh
No.
uppity
High-hat.
what do you say?
How do you do?
can’t say it
No complaint.
zigaboo
See boogy.