I'm so happy to invite Delynn Royer, a historical mystery/romance writer to my blog today. She's a good friend for more years than we both want to count! She taught me the merits of Skyping. When we do get together for lunch and conversation, the time flies by. Talking about conversation, her blog today is about 20s Speak. I hope you enjoy it.
The Duck’s Quack...20s Speak
By
Delynn Royer
One thing I enjoy most about writing historical fiction is
the research.
Yes. You read that right.
I’m not talking about the kind of history they taught us in
school. I mean the details of everyday life that not only allow me to get the
facts right but also the feel right.
Things like fashion, food, fads, morals and, most especially, language.
My new romantic
mystery series is set in 1920s Manhattan. It was an exuberant, post-war decade,
a time of guys and dolls, bootleggers, jazz, speakeasies, radio, Model Ts, and
airplane races.
It’s not surprising, then, that the colorful language of F.
Scott Fitzgerald’s young generation reflected the nation’s reckless mood. Those
sheiks and shebas of our grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ generation had a
wonderful, wicked sense of humor. And if you thought they were prudes… you got
the wrong decade, baby.
• Bank’s
Closed: No kissing/petting/making out
• Barney-mugging: Lovemaking
• Bearcat: Hot-blooded girl
• Cancelled
stamp: Wallflower
• Cash or
check? Kiss now or later?
• Fire
extinguisher: Chaperone
• It: Sex appeal
• Mug: Kiss
• Sheik: Hot-looking guy
• Sheba:
Hot-looking girl
• Snuggleup: A guy fond of petting/petting parties
• Umbrella: Young man any girl can borrow for the evening
Slang from the 20s is especially witty, but every generation
adds its own unique expressions. Here’s slang from my own salad days. Can you
guess which decade?
• Airhead:
Empty headed person
• Book: Leave
• Brick
House: Well built girl.
• Bummer/bummed:
Too bad/disappointed
• Chill:
Relax
• Face: Said
to one who messes up in public or has been tricked.
• Gag me with
a spoon: Gross!
• Gross:
Disgusting
• Later:
Goodbye for now
• Make out:
Kiss/pet
• Psyched:
Enthused
***
Now, it’s time to dish. What slang did your generation bring to the table?
(Karen Rose Smith, you’re tagged!)
***
To celebrate this summer’s release of the second book in my
1920s romantic mystery series, Goodbye, Tootsie, the ebook will be
on sale at Amazon for $0.99 beginning August 10, 2015 through Labor Day.
***
Mystery and Romance in 1920s Manhattan...
A homicide detective and a tabloid reporter are on the road
to romance but at cross-purposes at work when they investigate the New Year’s
Eve murder of a young heiress after she comes into control of a family fortune.
New York City, 1925
It’s after midnight on New Year’s Day, and the richest girl
in America has just fallen to her death from the top floor of the posh
Cleveland Hotel in Manhattan.
When Detective Sean Costigan arrives at the scene, he learns
it’s the day after Abigail Welles’s twenty-first birthday—the day she inherited
a family fortune. It’s not the kind of coincidence that warms a detective’s
heart. Neither is the fact that she wasn’t alone when she fell. Her new
husband, Long Island party boy Nick Welles, lies incoherent in the master
bedroom.
Sean’s girl, tabloid reporter Trixie Frank, is the first
newshound on the scene. It’s a bigger scoop than she dreamed. The young
heiress’s death will make national headlines. More importantly, this story hits
close to home. And heart. The victim’s husband is Trixie’s ex-fiancé.
When Sean focuses on Nick as his prime suspect, Trixie is
certain he’s dead wrong. But will saving her first love from the hot seat prove
fatal to her new romance?
Product Description:
Love historical mystery? Love romance? Why not order up a
generous serving of both?
Goodbye, Tootsie is a stand-alone romantic mystery sequel to It
Had to Be You. It’s a complete
mystery that can be read alone, after the first book, or before the first book.
It contains romantic elements, which means it may include love scenes (sensual
but not graphic).
***
Delynn Royer writes romantic and mystery historical fiction
for the light of heart. Aside from the research that inspires her novels, she
enjoys classic movies and yoga. Stop by her website at www.delynnroyer.com or
follow her on Twitter (@DelynnRoyer)
LINKS:
NOW AVAILABLE!
DRAPE EXPECTATIONS
by Karen Rose Smith
DRAPE EXPECTATIONS
by Karen Rose Smith
Caprice De Luca's former client and now friend Ace Richland--an 80's rock star--asks her for a favor. Can she quickly stage his girlfriend's house to sell? Widow Alanna Goodwin, a transplanted Southern beauty, will be moving in with him! Immediately Caprice realizes Alanna's southern charm can be turned on and off at will. Caprice agrees to stage Alanna's Kismet antebellum-styled mansion for Ace's sake. But she soon learns Alanna doesn't have a genuine love for her cat Mirabelle and also uncovers a plot her new client is hatching to sabotage Ace's comeback. However, before she can tell Ace, Alanna is murdered and Ace is the prime suspect.
As Caprice investigates, she learns Alanna had more secrets than pie safes. With her Cocker Spaniel Lady by her side, she tracks down clues and adopts Alanna's cat. In the midst of some of her own family upheaval--her uncle has moved in with her parents--she finds herself with a dilemma. Grant Weatherford, her brother's law partner, advises Ace and reveals more of his past to her. Seth Randolph, the doctor she dates, wants her to meet his family. She must choose between them.
Danger stalks Caprice. Will her refresher self-defense course save her life? Only if she keeps her wits about her and Lady by her side.
********************
My cozy mysteries--with irrepressible sleuth Caprice De Luca--include a murder to solve. But as Caprice finds the answer to each investigation, she takes in stray animals and finds homes for them, stages houses, spends time with her large Italian family and cooks. She also must solve her own romantic dilemma--choosing Mr. Right. Readers will find recipes along with love and caring in each novel.
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. Her 87th novel will be released in 2015.
Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens. And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.
Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below.
***************
©2015 Karen Rose Smith
4 comments:
My generation brought "groovey" to the table!
Groovey. That's cool beans! (As I might have said.) Or--as our 20s counterparts might have said--"nifty" or "hotsy totsy." Most slang comes and goes. Some is absorbed into our daily language. Even less stays but becomes instantly identifiable with a certain time. Groovey is like "the bees knees." I bet--even 20 years from now--most Americans and Brits will be able to name that decade. (I wonder if we can thank Austin Powers for that? "Groovey, baby!") :)
It's so funny how slang changes. Is your 'generation' of slang from the 70s or perhaps the 80s?
Hi, Susan! You're a good guesser. It's a mix of both - 70s and 80s. Most of those expressions are lost to antiquity. You'd never hear me using them now, but a couple have stuck around. "Bummer" is one of them. My kids don't look at me funny when I say it, so I guess that one still works!
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