That Was Then, This is Now

That Was Then, This is Now Glossary

Hustle

(verb – informal) to obtain by forceful action or persuasion, or to fraud and swindle

Plainclothes

(adj – informal) wearing ordinary clothes rather than a uniform – often a disguise used by police officers

Hood

(noun – informal) a gangster or violent criminal or such a neighborhood

Hot-wire

(verb – informal) to start the engine of a vehicle by bypassing the ignition system – typically in order to steal it

Lady-killer

(noun – informal) a charming men who attracts women very well

Rumble

(noun – informal) a street fight between gangs

Scrounge

(verb - informal) to obtain or seek to obtain something by relying on the generosity of others, or through devious, stealthy means

Wisecrack

(noun – informal) someone who makes clever or sarcastic remarks; the actual remark itself

Fuzz

(noun – slang) the police

Bastard

(noun – informal; archaic derogatory) an unpleasant, unlikeable person; an illegitimate child/person (in both cases used as an insult)

Hitchhiking

(verb) to travel by getting free rides in passing vehicles

(Go) Stag

(verb – slang) to go to a social event unaccompanied by a person of the opposite sex (usually to events expecting the accompaniment of “dates”)

Flunk

(verb – informal) to fail, mostly with respect to an academic standard

Hacked (off)

(adj. phrase – informal) angry, annoyed, or upset

Illegitimate

(adj) not authorized by the law or in accordance with accepted rules; also used to describe someone born out of wedlock

Booked

(verb – informal) to leave suddenly or move quickly out

Ritzy

(adj – informal) expensive and lavish

Probation

(noun) the release of an offender from detention; the offender is now subject to being monitored for good behavior for a period of time

Obligingly

(adv) willing and eager to do favors and offer one’s services

Lingo

(noun – informal) foreign language or vernacular; a specific vocabulary or jargon

Smart-aleck

(noun – informal) one who is irritating as the result of behaving as if one knows everything

Uptight

(adj – informal) anxious or angry in a tense, nervous, or high-strung way

Booze

(noun – informal) alcohol, especially hard liquor

Pusher

(noun – informal) someone who sells illegal drugs

Slumming

(adj – informal) to spend time at a lower social level than one’s own in order to provide charitable purposes or because of curiosity