Break it up (v.) - to win applause, to stop the show.Boogie-woogie (n.) - harmony with accented bass.Ex., “You’ll blow your top when you hear this one.” Blow the top (v.) - to be overcome with emotion (delight).Blew their wigs (adj.) - excited with enthusiasm, gone crazy.Not colored and white folks as erroneously assumed. Black and tan (n.) - dark and light colored folks.

Beat up the chops (or the gums) (v.) - to talk, converse, be loquacious.Beat up (adj.) - sad, uncomplimentary, tired.Beat it out (v.) - play it hot, emphasize the rhythym.Ex, “I am beat for my cash”, “I am beat to my socks” (lacking everything). Ex., “You look beat” or “I feel beat.” (2) lacking anything. Battle (n.) - a very homely girl, a crone.Barbecue (n.) - the girl friend, a beauty.Armstrongs (n.) - musical notes in the upper register, high trumpet notes.Apple (n.) - the big town, the main stem, Harlem.Ain’t coming on that tab (v.) - won’t accept the proposition.So are you ready to get hep to the jive? INSTRUMENTS Plus, using slang your grandpa might have used is a cool way to connect with Gramps. Just like Cab, you’ll get a kick out of the reactions you’ll get from the ickies. Learn a few choice phrases and try peppering your speech with them. You’ll notice that we still use many of them today. To help facilitate this, Calloway produced a Hepster Dictionary in 1940 that accompanied Cab Calloway sheet music.īelow are the definitions of Cab’s jive. Soon lots of people wanted to speak just like Cab. He never took his hepster slang too seriously it was all about having fun and being unique. In addition to writing and performing great swing music, Calloway created an entirely new lingo.

The thrill lyrics by cob