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The
Rat Pack Lexicon
The
group known of as the Rat Pack originally sprung up around Humphrey
Bogart. After Bogie's death, Frank Sinatra became the group's
leader. Sometimes called "the Clan," Dean Martin and
Sammy Davis, Jr. were the other two full time members. Peter Lawford
and Joey Bishop rounded out the Pack, with occasional appearances
by Shirley Maclaine as their honorary mascot and Girl Friday.
(Frank never liked the name "Rat Pack." When he called
the group anything, he preferred "The Summit.")
bag--a
person's particular interest; as in "singing's my bag"
barn
burner--a very stylish, classy woman
beard--a
male friend who acts as a "cover"; usually for extramarital
affairs
beetle--a
girl who dresses in flashy clothes
big-leaguer--a
resourceful man who can handle any situation
big
casino--death
bird--the
male or female genitalia; standard greeting: "How's your
bird"?
bombsville--any
kind of failure in life; see ville
broad--affectionate
term for a girl or woman with sex appeal
bum--a
person who is despised, most frequently linked to people in
the media
bunter--a
man who fails in almost everything he does; the opposite of
gasser
Charley--a
general term for anyone whose name has been forgotten; see also
sam
charlies--admiring
word for a woman's breasts
chick--a
young and invariably pretty girl
clyde--a
word used to cover a multitude of personal observations; e.g.,
"I don't like her clyde" means "I don't like
her voice", etc.
coo-coo!--see
crazy.
crazy--a
term of admiration for a personal, place, or thing; similar
to cool.
creep--a
man who is disliked for any reason
crumb--a
person it is impossible to respect
dame--a
generally derogatory term for a probably unattractive woman
dig--a
term of appreciation; e.g., "I dig that broad."
drop
it, charley--change the conversation; see good
night, all
duke--tip
dying--an
exaggerated term to mean slightly upset; e.g. "I'm dying"
end--a
word to signify that someone or something is the very best;
"the living end"
endsville--total
failure; similar to bombsville; see ville
fink--a
person who cannot be relied upon or trusted, especially someone
in the media; a crumb
fracture--to
make laugh; as in "that fractures me"
gas--a
great situation; as in "that set was a gas"
gasoline--alcohol
gasser--a
highly admired person; the end!
gofer--someone
who performs menial jobs and tasks; "go for drinks"
good
night all--a term of invective used to change the subject
of conversation
groove--a
term of admiration or approval; as in "in the groove"
Harvey--a
person who acts in a stupid or naive fashion; sometimes shortened
to "Harv"
hacked--angry;
as in "he's hacked off"
hello!--a
cry of surprise to no one in particular when a beautiful woman
is seen
hunker--a
jack-of-all-trades; see gofer
jokes--an
actor's lines in a screenplay
let's
lose charley--a term used among intimates who want to get
rid of a bore in their company
little
hey-hey--romance; a little action with a broad
locked-up--as
in "all locked-up," a term for a forthcoming date
or engagement, private or public
loser--anyone
who has made a mess of their life, drinks too much, makes the
wrong enemies, etc.
mish-mash--similar
to loser, but refers specifically
to a woman who is messed up
mothery--terrific;
wild and wicked
mouse--usually
a small, very feminine girl who invites being cuddled
nowhere--a
term of failure as in "he's nowhere."
odds--used
in connection with important decisions, as in "the odds
aren't right," meaning it's a no go
original
loser--a person without talent; sometimes more fully expressed
as "He is the original Major Bowes Amateur Hour loser
player--a
man who is a gambler by nature, makes friends easily, and never
gives up trying
punks--any
undesirables, in particular criminals, gangsters, or mobsters
quin--derisive
term for a woman who is an easy pick-up
rain--as
in "I think it's going to rain" indicating that it
is time to leave a dull gathering or party
ring-a-ding--a
term of approval, as in "What a ring-a-ding broad!"
Sam--used
in the same way as Charley for a
person whose name has been forgotten, most often applied to
females
scramsville--to
run off
sharp--a
person who dresses well and with style
ta-ta--goodbye
twirl--a
girl who loves dancing
ville--a
suffix used to indicate changes in any given situation; see
endsville, scramsville,
etc
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