Action – activity, goings on

Baby – term of endearment

Beat – beaten down, exhausted, tired, broken by the world

Beatific – against the world, out for kicks

Beatnik – Herb Caen’s mocking term, used sarcastically

Blow – to play, musically

Bread – money

Bring down – to depress

Capped – beaten, bettered

Cat – hip fellow

Chick – female

Collar – to understand

Cool – hip

Cool it – calm down

Corny – old fashioned

Cubby – home

Cut – to leave

Dig – appreciate, understand

Down with – cool, ok

Drag – unfortunate, disappointing

Flip – go crazy

Freeby – no charge

Fuzz – police

Gammin’ – showing off

Gas – laugh

Gravy – money

Groovy – cool, great, happy

Hard – cool, good

Hep – knowledgeable

Hincty – uptight

Holding – in possession of (relating often to drugs)

Igg – short for ignore

Jam – swing music

Jitterbug – fan of swing music

Jive – derogatory, no good

Joint – place, home, location

Kicks – fun, banter, good times

Knock – to give

Latch on – understand

Later – goodbye

Lay on – to give, to lend

Licks – good musical phrases

Lock up – certainty

Man, the – police, authority

Mellow – cool, nothing harsh

Mess – cool, good

Mezz – brilliant

Moo juice – milk

Murder – brilliant

Nang – cool, brilliant, awesome

Nod – sleep, boring

Nutty – madcap, crazy

Ofay – white person

Out of this world – the best

Pad – home, bed

Peng – brilliant, amazing, the best

Pigeon – young girl

Pops – men

Put on – to teach, mock

Riff – musical phrase

Righteous – excellent

Rug cutter – good dancer

Sad – lame, poor quality

Scoff – to eat

Score – to acquire drugs or money

Sharp – neat, cool, smart

Skins – drums

Skirt – sexy female

Slave – any form of work

Solid – great, good, cool

Spoutin’ – talking

Square – boring, lame, uncool

Stash – to hide, put away

Take it slow – be careful

Tapped – poor, broke

Threads – clothes

Tossed – searched by the police

Too much – praise, brilliant

Truck – to go, move

Turn on – take drugs

Unhep – not cool, not hep

Wail – talk, sing

Wig – brain

Wren – a chick, female

Zoot – too much