Buzz
Betty Hutton, famed for her portrayal of Annie Oakley in the 1950 film adaptation of Annie Get Your Gun, was a powerhouse performer. Watch her 1943 rendition of "Murder, He Says," and you'll quickly grasp why Bob Hope referred to her as a "vitamin pill with legs" (the energy really kicks in at the 52-second mark).
The song offers an energetic, high-octane list of all the trendy slang from that era, delivered with plenty of spice. The song's theme centers around her boyfriend using so many of the latest phrases that she can hardly keep up. While many of these expressions have faded into obscurity, several have endured. A good number of them were born out of the jazz culture. Here, you get to see them when they were fresh and exciting—and Betty Hutton sure knew how to sell them, even if they weren’t the most thrilling at the time.
Here are some of the slang terms in the order they appear in the song:
1. Murder: Fantastic! As H.L. Mencken once said, in "the vocabulary of the jazz addict…anything excellent is killer-diller, murder or Dracula."
2. Solid:
3. Chick: A girl. This term emerged in the 1930s and is still commonly used today.
4. Leaving him flat: The phrase "to leave someone flat," meaning to completely abandon them, had been in use for some time but gained widespread popularity during the 1920s and 1930s.
5. Dig: To look at, to appreciate. This term has endured over the years.
6. The Jumps: A state of nervous shaking or anxiety. Initially referred to as delirium tremens.
7. Ticker: Heart. This was a relatively new usage at the time.
8. Jackson: A term of address. Primarily for a man, but also used in a casual, friendly way, similar to how we might say "hey, man."
9. Shoot the Snoot to Me: Move your snoot (nose) toward me so I can give you a kiss.
10. Cooking with Helium: A spin on "cooking with gas." Doing things successfully, but even better. Because it’s helium.
11. In the Groove: In a flow, perfectly in sync. This phrase has endured over time as well.
