1920s Slang For Man (9 Examples!)

There were many different terms for men in the 1920s, depending on what kind of men they were.

From the simplest, most generic terms that could describe just about any man, to the most specific and odd-sounding to the modern ear, there were terms for almost anything you could imagine.

Today, we’re going to look at a selection of these terms, and where they might have come from.

Let’s dive into it.

Cat

Starting off with one of the most common and generic slang terms for men in the 1920s, first we have “cat”.

This term was used widely in the United States and other parts of the western world, and really just referred to any man.

It was most often used for particularly suave or cool men, or at least men who were, in one way or another, “in the know”—men who knew what they were doing and what they were all about.

“Come on, cats, let’s get out of here,” for example.

The term derived originally from the jazz scene, as so much of the slang of the 1920s did.

It’s not really clear, though, why the term started being used in this way, but it was originally an African American slang term.

Sheik

Next we have “sheik”, a much more specific slang term that referred not just to a man but to a particularly handsome one.

At first, the term simply meant a handsome man, and over time it evolved to have the more specific meaning of the kind of cool, hip man who hung around with flappers during the ‘20s.

So, again, this one was reserved for cool men.

“Hey sheik, you’re looking good!” for example.

The term was popularized in this way by the 1921 novel of Rudolph Valentino, The Sheik.

This was a desert romance novel that captured people’s hearts and minds to the extent that it became a virtually universally known term.

Palooka

Next we have “palooka,” a term with quite a different meaning to the ones we’ve looked at so far.

A palooka, in 1920s slang, was a stupid or clumsy person, someone without manners and who is very uncouth.

It could sometimes be used to refer to any such person, but in the vast majority of cases, it referred to a man. “Look at that palooka there!” for example.

The ultimate, etymological origin of the word is unknown.

However, it was once again made common by pop culture, as the 1920s comic strip character Joe Palooka was a clumsy prize fighter.

Dewdropper

Next we have “dewdropper,” a term that generally referred to a stupid, lazy man who never worked or did anything with his time.

This was a very common term in the 1920s and is to some extent even still used today.

It was vastly more common in the 1920s, though, where it was widely understood to mean something akin to the “couch potato” of the modern day.

“That dewdropper is never going to get anywhere in life,” for example.

We don’t know when or where this term became popular, but the idea is most likely that the person sits still for so long that they begin to drop dew onto the floor—more than this, we can’t say.

Boob

This may well be one you’ve heard in the movies.

A “boob” is a slang term for a stupid man, again often one who is clumsy and uncouth and who is not capable of doing much.

It’s very often used as gangster slang in movies and television, for example for the hapless henchman who can’t do his job properly.

It was also, though, definitely a term that was actually used in the 1920s.

“Don’t be such a boob,” for example.

The term in this form became common in the 1910s and 20s, and is ultimately derived from the 16^th Century.

It comes from the Spanish bobo, which just meant a stupid person.

Sap

As you can see, there were many slang terms in the 1920s to describe men who were stupid.

“Sap” is another of these—a sap is a man who is not the smartest guy around.

There’s not a great deal more to it than that—this one was a clear insult and is still, to a lesser extent, used today.

“That sap is going to get us all in trouble,” for example.

The word had, for a long time by the 1920s, meant a simpleton—this is first attested in 1815.

It’s thought to have originally been schoolyard slang, perhaps as a shortening of “sappy”.

We don’t know for sure, though.

Cake eater

You might have an idea what this one would refer to, but you’d probably be wrong.

A “cake eater” was a man who was good with the ladies, and who would spend a lot of time in the company of women.

It was not a man who ate lots of cake or just ate a lot in general.

It would, then, be something of a compliment to call a man a “cake eater”—assuming he knew what you meant!

“That cake eater always has a girl on his arm,” for example.

It’s not clear where the term comes from, though some believe it is related to the idea that eating cake was something women did.

Jobbie

A general slang term for a man without any specific connotations in most cases was “jobbie”.

This usually did not have any specific meaning and just referred to any man, although it could also refer to the kind of handyman who did lots of odd jobs here and there, whether in employment or just as cash in hand.

“He’s a good jobbie, you know,” for example.

The term was simply an alteration of “job”, and had been in use in some form since the 19^th Century.

Yellow-belly

A common, if older, slang term in the 1920s for a cowardly man was “yellow belly”.

This was not used to the same extent in the 1920s as it had been before, but among certain circles this was still a very common slang term at that time.

As mentioned, this was something you would use when someone was being cowardly or timid. “Look at that yellow belly,” for example.

The term was quite old and originally English, originating from the belief that people living in the Lincolnshire Fens had yellow bellies.

So, there were lots of terms to describe a man depending on what kind of man he was in the 1920s.

Whether that man was the coolest, slickest around, or the most bumbling fool you’d ever met, there was a specific piece of slang from the time that you could use to describe him.

Some of these terms are even still used today in certain circles, though obviously not as much as they once were—but find the right crowd and you may even get away with using some of these terms today!

More in 1920s Slang

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• 1920s Slang For Fun
• 1920s Slang For Man
• 1920s Slang For Money
• 1920s Slang For Nonsense
• 1920s Slang For Party
• 1920s Slang For Police
• 1920s Slang For Woman