18 Authentic 1940s Slang Expressions Without the Confusion

Marked by the conclusion of the Great Depression and the onset of World War II, the 1940s were a transformative era. But let’s cut through the fluff. If you’re curious about how casual conversations unfolded during this mid-century period, we’ll lay it out plainly—offering a rundown of the terms and expressions every enthusiastic individual would recognize. Interested in what’s the latest buzz, friend? Now we’re really getting somewhere!

1. Armored Heifer

While this term might conjure images of a cow clad in protective metal, don’t let your imagination run wild. In the 1940s, encountering an armored heifer simply meant there was no fresh milk for your coffee. Instead, you’d have to make do with canned or condensed milk, referred to as armored heifer or armored cow. As noted in Cassell’s Dictionary of Slang, this phrase was the World War II-era counterpart to an earlier term for the pantry essential, tin cow.

2. Cooking With Gas

A 1941 newspaper ad suggests that cooking with gas has its roots in vaudeville, where it signified that a performer had achieved success or recognition in their field. Essentially, saying 'Now You’re Cooking With Gas' implied the performer was performing in areas where gas had replaced coal or wood for cooking. While the accuracy of this origin story is debated, the phrase gained widespread popularity through radio personalities like Bob Hope and Jack Benny. Nowadays, the most commonly accepted theory is that it stemmed from a gas industry marketing effort to promote gas over electric stoves as an alternative to traditional wood-burning models.

3. Cornball

Originally referring to a literal ball of corn—in 1843, cornball was described as a “sweet treat made from popped corn or maize”—the term took on a slang meaning in 1949, denoting an “unsophisticated individual.” By 1951, it had shifted to more precisely characterize someone with a dated or “corny” sense of humor.

4. Duh

It might surprise you to learn that this brief, three-letter exclamation didn’t emerge in the ‘80s or ‘90s. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) traces its origins to 1943, with its debut in the Warner Bros. cartoon series Merrie Melodies, featuring Bugs Bunny. Unlike its modern, often mocking usage, in the 1940s, it was simply employed to highlight foolishness. Merriam-Webster’s initial definition of the word is an expression of “real or pretended ignorance or stupidity.”

5. Eager Beaver

If you’ve ever encountered someone who goes above and beyond in their work, you’d probably label them an “eager beaver.” While the phrase draws inspiration from the animal—beavers are known for their tireless work ethic, constructing intricate dams and lodges with multiple underwater entrances to avoid threats—eager beaver gained prominence not in nature but during World War II. A 1942 report described it as a term for a soldier “eager to impress superiors by enthusiastically tackling tasks others found unappealing.”

6. and 7. Gen and Genned Up

Much like FYI serves as a quick way to say for your information, the 1940s had its own shorthand for crucial details. If someone sought useful or general knowledge, they were after gen. And if they successfully gathered all the necessary information? They were considered genned up.

8. Gobbledygook

If you’ve ever endured a lengthy lecture or waded through the fine print of a manual, you’ve undoubtedly encountered gobbledygook. The Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English describes it as “pompous, overly verbose, and unclear speech or writing, packed with jargon.” The term was first introduced in a 1944 memo by Maury Maverick, then chairman of the Smaller War Plants Corporation. He prohibited his staff from using such language: “Avoid gobbledygook. It only confuses people. For heaven’s sake, be concise and clear.” The term gained instant popularity, and Maverick discussed its creation in The New York Times Magazine shortly after.

9., 10., and 11. Hitting the Sauce, Sauce-Hound, and Sauced Up

With the repeal of Prohibition in the early 1930s, it’s no wonder new terms emerged to describe drinking alcohol and its effects. By 1939, sauced was used to mean heavily intoxicated. The following year, sauce referred to alcohol itself in John Henry O’Hara’s Pal Joey, where a character “almost started hitting the sauce.” Similarly, Cassell’s Dictionary of Slang notes that “a drunkard” or “an alcoholic” were called sauce-hounds, while sauced up described someone mildly drunk.

12. Hipster

Modern-day hipsters—young individuals in tune with the latest trends, especially those considered counter-cultural—aren’t far removed from their Jazz Age counterparts. In the early 1940s, the term referred to jazz musicians and enthusiasts. Hipster was derived from words initially used by the Black community: the jazz term hep (or hip), meaning “in the know,” and hepster. Notably, the latter inspired the creation of the Hepster’s Dictionary, a compilation of 200 Harlem musician phrases used by “hep cats” around 1938.

13. Honcho

Equivalent to boss, honcho was borrowed from the Japanese term hanchō, meaning “group or squad leader.” The word was introduced to the United States by servicemen stationed in Japan during the post-World War II occupation.

14. Khaki-Wacky

The 1940s had a fondness for rhyming slang, and khaki-wacky is a prime example. Green’s Dictionary of Slang first recorded it in 1943, during World War II, defining it as a woman “infatuated with men in military uniforms.”

15. Party Pooper

Have you ever wondered where the term party pooper originated? It’s said to have emerged in the late 1940s among college students, with its earliest recorded use in 1947. By 1951, Newsweek referenced the term, noting that the party pooper had “replaced ‘wallflower’ or ‘wet blanket.’” Green’s Dictionary of Slang, however, describes this “spoilsport” more harshly: “someone who ruins the fun and enjoyment of others, whether at a party or elsewhere.”

16. Sack Out

Today, you might say you’re “hitting the sack” before bed, but in the 1940s, the phrase was sack out. Similar to hitting the hay, this expression reportedly traces back to a time when people slept on sacks filled with—you guessed it—hay.

17. Whammy

Long before the concept of a double whammy existed, there was the original whammy, a term likely formed by adding a -y suffix to wham, meaning “a forceful hit.” In the 1940s, it was commonly used to describe “a supernatural force causing misfortune,” as defined by Merriam-Webster.

18. What’s Buzzin’, Cousin?

While a simple “what’s up?” works fine today, in the 1940s, asking someone how they were doing often involved the phrase, “what’s buzzin’, cousin?” This expression rose to fame after the release of the 1943 American musical film bearing the same title.

Are you a word enthusiast? Do you enjoy uncovering rare terms and vintage slang to spice up conversations, or exploring the intriguing origins of common phrases? Then don’t miss our new book, The Curious Compendium of Wonderful Words: A Miscellany of Obscure Terms, Bizarre Phrases, & Surprising Etymologies, available June 6! Pre-order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, or Bookshop.org.