One would not necessarily expect the 1940s to have a string of seemingly strange rhyming slang terms, and yet expressions like “fuddy-duddy” and “gobbledygook” became increasingly popular at the time. Why the ludicrous-like phrases? Perhaps a look into their origins can provide an answer. “Fuddy-duddy,” referring to a foolishly old-fashioned or stuffy person, is not … [Read more...] about New Slang: Funnies in the Forties
Hippocratic Oath, Hypocritical Doctors
The field of bioethics within the medical profession, more prominently among physicians from poverty-stricken countries, has grown little resistance to the violation of international human rights due to intentional oversight on behalf of doctors and a lack of government sponsored regulation. Although the medical profession strives to guard and advocate human rights both on a … [Read more...] about Hippocratic Oath, Hypocritical Doctors
New Slang: Treading on the 30s
It’s hard to beat the 1920s for coining more new slang terms and creating new terminology. But the next decade did manage to come up with quite a few phrases that make the 30s linguistically memorable. Take for instance, “famous last words,” which can be a hobby for some to collect but was originally a sort of ironic remark cast at those who spoke too without thinking. In … [Read more...] about New Slang: Treading on the 30s
New Slang: Roaring 20s, Roaring Phrases
The past few posts have focused more on single-word slang terms of the 1920s, mainly because there was an extraordinary amount of them. However, there were also quite a few intriguing expressions that arose from this decade, and though a few were mentioned before, it’s necessary to highlight some of the more peculiar phrases. “23 Skidoo” is one of the expressions that became … [Read more...] about New Slang: Roaring 20s, Roaring Phrases
New Slang: Are You in with 1920s Crowd?
The first thing that comes to mind when we think of 1920s is the speakeasy bars and social rebellions. We are not wrong, for that drinking culture culminated in a myriad of slang words related to bars and alcohol. To “dip the bill” or “nibble one” was to “take a drink.” “Giggle juice,” or “giggle water,” or even “tiger milk” was liquor, and the bars that sold them were called … [Read more...] about New Slang: Are You in with 1920s Crowd?