Calling all flappers and fly boys! As 2019 comes to a close we’ll find ourselves back in the Roaring Twenties … 2020, that is. This new decade marks 100 years since the iconic Jazz Age. It was also the time of Prohibition, first-wave feminism, and the automobile.
呼叫所有的新时代女性和男性!随着2019年接近尾声,我们会发现自己又回到了喧嚣的二十年代……也就是2020年。这个新的十年标志着爵士乐时代的100周年。同时也是禁酒令、第一波女权运动和汽车时代。

The 1920s were rich in slang … we’re sure you’ve heard some of it from films and books set in the time period. But, some ‘20s slang is a bit more obscure.
20世纪20年代充满了俚语……我们相信你已经从以那个时代为背景的电影和书籍中了解到了一些。但是,有些20世纪20年代的俚语更加晦涩难懂。

So let’s take a linguistic trip through time and look at some words from the 1920s that we could bring back in this new year.
让我们来一次语言学上的时间旅行,看看20世纪20年代的一些词汇,我们可以在新的一年里回忆一下这些词汇。

alarm clock

 

The sound of an alarm clock is usually met with moans and groans; the same reaction after learning there’s going to be a chaperon at a dance or on a date.
闹钟的声音通常伴随着呻吟声和抱怨声;同样的反应也会发生在舞会或约会有同伴的时候。

Alarm clocks, a slang term for "chaperon," at the dance in the 1920s meant you couldn't neck on the dance floor ... or pet each other in the petting pantry (which is the movie theater, of course).
alarm clocks是“chaperon”的俚语,20世纪20年代的舞会意味着你不能在舞池里扭脖子…或者在宠物储藏室(当然是电影院)互相爱抚。

cash or check?

 

Alarm clocks at the dance often led to the question cash or check?Translation? Apparently “should we kiss now, or later?”
由此引发的"cash or check"的问题?如何翻译吗?当然是“我们该现在接吻,还是等会儿?”

Likely, the answer would be “cash”—and quick! —before the alarm clock screeches again.
答案很可能是“cash”——而且要快!——-在闹钟再次响起之前。

know one's onions

 

Speaking of knowing his onions ... this doesn’t refer to the vegetable.
说到knowing his onions …这不是指蔬菜。

This phrase was first recorded in a 1922 issue of the magazine Harper’s Bazaar. If you know your onions, it means that you know what you’re talking about, or are knowledgeable about a particular subject.
这个短语最早出现在1922年的《时尚芭莎》杂志上。如果你know your onions,意思是你知道你在说什么,或者对某个特定的主题很了解。

Nowadays, we tend to simplify this phrase as know one’s stuff, but comparing it to food seems more interesting!
现在,我们倾向于将这个短语简化为knowone 's stuff,但是将它与食物相比较似乎更有趣!

egg

 

Now, an egg, as slang for "a person," goes all the way back... to the 1600s. But by the 1920s, egg took a rotten turn, shall we say.
现在,鸡蛋是“一个人”的俚语,这可以一直追溯到…到1600年代。但是到了20世纪20年代,我们可以这样说,鸡蛋开始变质了。

Egg as insult for an "obnoxious person" was popularized in the 1920s. A particularly bad egg was a double-yolker.
用鸡蛋侮辱一个“讨厌的人”在20世纪20年代开始流行。特别坏的蛋是双黄蛋。

But it's not all bad for egg because old egg, an affectionate 1920s slang term for one's partner, was a popular phrase as well!
但这对鸡蛋来说也不全是坏事,因为oldegg是20世纪20年代用来指代伴侣的俚语,当时也很流行。

face-stretcher

 

If you were called a face-stretcher in the 1920s, you were being bullied.
如果你在20世纪20年代被称为“涂脂抹粉的老妇人”,那你一定是被人欺负了。

Face-stretcher means "an old woman trying to look younger."
Face-stretcher的意思是“一个试图让自己看起来更年轻的老妇人”。

One way one might attempt to accomplish the impossible is by putting on too much powder (which just settles into fine lines and wrinkles and makes them even more noticeable). And even worse, if you were known as a face-powder addict, you were a flour lover.
一个人想要完成这种不可能完成的事的一种方法就是涂多点粉(这种物质会形成细纹和皱纹,甚至使它们变得更加明显)。更糟糕的是,如果你是一个喜欢抹粉的人,你就是一个粉末爱好者。

giggle water

Giggle water is the stuff the Women’s Christian Temperance Movement fought tooth and nail against—booze.
“咯咯笑”水是妇女基督教禁酒运动竭力反对酗酒的东西。

This term, specifically used for champagne, whiskey, and gin, was popularized in the 1920s, though recorded inthe previous decade.
这个词专门用来指香槟、威士忌和杜松子酒,在20世纪20年代开始流行,尽管在之前的10年里有记录。

hotsy-totsy

 

Hotsy-totsy generally meant "excellent" or "first-rate."
Hotsy-totsy一般的意思是“优秀的”或“一流的!”
 

But if you saw your date as hotsy-totsy, it meant you found them "attractive."
但如果你认为你的约会对象hotsy-totsy,那就意味着你觉得他/她“很有吸引力”。

And a situation itself could become hotsty-totsy too ... meaning it was pleasing and fun.
情况本身也可能变得很好……意思是说,这是愉快和有趣的。

blind date

 

Being in a blind date situation can either be magical or embarrassing! The mystery, the intrigue … the icy mitt?
相亲的时候,不是很神奇就是很尴尬!神秘,阴谋,冰冷的手套?

But regardless of the good or bad outcomes, blind dates have been such a popular phenomenon in the US that the phrase actually goes all the way back to the 1920s!
但是不管结果是好是坏,相亲在美国已经成为一种非常流行的现象,这个短语实际上可以追溯到20世纪20年代!

Blind is a metaphor, referring to the fact that a blind date is arranged by a third person for two people who haven't met.
Blind是一个比喻,指的是由第三者为两个素未谋面的人安排相亲。

cutie-pie

 

Here's a term of endearment you might have used with your own significant other ... and another entry into slang centered around food.
这里有一个你可能会用来称呼你的另一半的爱称……另一个俚语是关于食物的。

A cutie-pie, usually a young woman, is someone who is adorable or attractive. You’d be lucky to have one as a blind date! cutie-pie
(可爱派),通常是指年轻女性,指那些可爱或有吸引力的人。你要是有个相亲对象就太幸运了!

freebie

 

The sweetest things in life are free. The people of the Roaring Twenties must havet hought so, too! This word, which especially applies to a sample or promotion, was spelled both freebie and freeby.
生活中最美好的东西就是免费。咆哮的二十年代的人肯定也这么认为!这个词,特别适用于样品或促销,可以写成freebie或freeby。

It’s thought that freebie could have originally been a phrase, free bee. In this case, bee could be put the bee on, or borrowing money without paying it back.
人们认为,freebie原本可能是一个短语,freebee。在这种情况下,bee可以是放蜜蜂,也可以是借钱不还。