Jive talk, also known as Harlem jive or simply Jive, the argot of jazz, jazz jargon, vernacular of the jazz world, slang of jazz, and parlance of hip is an

African-American Vernacular English African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) is the variety of English natively spoken, particularly in urban communities, by most working- and middle-class African Americans and some Black Canadians. Having its own unique grammatical, voc ...

slang A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing and speech. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of pa ...

vocabulary A vocabulary (also known as a lexicon) is a set of words, typically the set in a language or the set known to an individual. The word ''vocabulary'' originated from the Latin , meaning "a word, name". It forms an essential component of languag ...

that developed in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

, where "jive" (

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

) was played and was adopted more widely in African-American society, peaking in the 1940s. In 1938, jazz bandleader and singer

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

published the first dictionary by an African-American, ''Cab Calloway's Cat-ologue: A "Hepster's" Dictionary'', which became the official jive language reference book of the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

. In 1939, Calloway published an accompanying book titled ''Professor Cab Calloway’s Swingformation Bureau'', which instructed readers how to apply the words and phrases from the dictionary. He released several editions until 1944, the last being ''The New Cab Calloway’s Hepsters Dictionary: Language of Jive''. Poet

Lemn Sissay Lemn Sissay FRSL (born 21 May 1967) is a British author and broadcaster. He was the official poet of the 2012 London Olympics, was chancellor of the University of Manchester from 2015 until 2022, and joined the Foundling Museum's board of trus ...

observed that "Cab Calloway was taking ownership of language for a people who, just a few generations before, had their own languages taken away." However,

H. L. Mencken Henry Louis Mencken (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, ...

in ''

The American Language ''The American Language; An Inquiry into the Development of English in the United States'', first published in 1919, is a book written by H. L. Mencken about the English language as spoken in the United States. Origins and concept Mencken was ...

'' defined jive as "an amalgam of Negro-slang from Harlem and the argots of drug addicts and the pettier sort of criminals, with occasional additions from the Broadway gossip columns and the high school campus".

Dan Burley Dan Burley (November 7, 1907, in Lexington, Kentucky – October 29, 1962, in Chicago, Illinois) was an American pianist and journalist. He appeared on numerous network television and radio shows in the US and had two radio shows of his own on WW ...

's book ''Original Handbook of Harlem Jive'' was compiled and published in 1944 at the suggestion of Harlem poet

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. An early innovator of jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harl ...

. In 1953, Albert Lavada Durst published the ''Jives of Dr. Hep Cat'', a collection of rhymes compiled when he was at KVET in Austin, where he did late night R&B. Besides referring to the music scene, much of the argot related to drugs, such as marijuana. Mezz Mezzrow gave this sample:

Glossary

;A hummer :Exceptionally good. ;Alligator :A devotee of jazz or swing music. Perhaps alludes to sharp-dressing with alligator leather. ;Beat up :Sad, uncomplimentary, tired. ; Chops:Refers to any musician's level of ability. Originates from the physical changes that occur in a brass player's mouth and lips. E.g., Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong. Also a term used for a musician who had significantly improved his or her playing. E.g., "I got my chops up" or "Has he got the chops to play with this group?". Chops can also refer to general ability in any skill. E.g., "Yo, I found a lawyer who has the chops to get

George Shearing Sir George Albert Shearing (13 August 191914 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 so ...

a driver's license!" ;Corny :Old-fashioned, stale. ; Frail:Abbreviation of " frail sister" (prostitute). Also used for any hepster woman. ; G-man:Government man, especially one who arrests or harasses peaceful citizens. ; Gage:Marijuana. Particularly associated with

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

. ; Gate:Any man, usually used as a greeting. "Yo, gate, what's the word from the herd?" ; Gatemouth:A horn player who has a large mouth or a mouth that is habitually open. Playing brass instruments often results in larger cheeks and a callus on the player's lip. The larger cheeks is the origin of the word "chops". After 1930, however, "Gatemouth" generally referred only to Louis Armstrong. ; Hep:In the know. Later,

hip In vertebrate anatomy, the hip, or coxaLatin ''coxa'' was used by Celsus in the sense "hip", but by Pliny the Elder in the sense "hip bone" (Diab, p 77) (: ''coxae'') in medical terminology, refers to either an anatomical region or a joint on t ...

. ;

Hep cat The terms hipster or hepcat, as used in the 1940s, referred to aficionados of jump blues and jazz, in particular bebop, which became popular in the early 1940s. The hipster subculture adopted the lifestyle of the jazz musician, including some or ...

:Knowledgeable person. Later, hipster. ;

High High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...

:Happy. See "mellow". ; Hoochie Coocher:Hot babe who dances lying down. " Minnie the Moocher was a red hot HOOCHIE COOCHER." —

;

Hoochie coochie The hoochie coochie () is a catch-all term to describe several sexually provocative belly dance-like dances from the mid-to late 1800s. Also spelled hootchy-kootchy and a number of other variations, it is often associated with "The Streets of Cai ...

:Erotic dance. ; Jeff:Opposite of hep; unhip, uncool or opposed to hipness. ; Jelly roll:1) female genitalia, 2) act of

coitus Sexual intercourse (also coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion of the Erection, erect male Human penis, penis inside the female vagina and followed by Pelvic thrust, thrusting motions for sexual pleasure ...

. 3)

Jelly Roll Morton Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe ( Lemott, later Morton; c. September 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941), known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American blues and jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer of Louisiana Creole descent. Morton was jazz ...

: a famous

stride piano Stride jazz piano, often shortened to stride, is a jazz piano style that arose from ragtime players. Prominent stride pianists include James P. Johnson, Willie "the Lion" Smith, Fats Waller, Luckey Roberts, and Mary Lou Williams. Techn ...

player. ;

Jitterbug Jitterbug is a generalized term used to describe Swing (dance), swing dancing. It is often synonymous with the lindy hop dance but might include elements of the Jive (dance), jive, east coast swing, collegiate shag, Charleston (dance), charlesto ...

: A swing fan, named after the dance. Same as the

Lindy Hop The Lindy Hop is an American dance which was born in the African-American communities of Harlem, New York City, in 1928 and has evolved since then. It was very popular during the swing era of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Lindy is a fusion of ...

, a dance created in the 1920s and 1930s. Danced to swing and

Western swing Western swing, country jazz or smooth country is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat, which att ...

. ; Jive:Cab Calloway defines this in the 1930s as "Harlemese speech", meaning the style of slang. In basic terms jive means talk. It can also mean kidding with someone. It is often confused with ''jibe'' which means "be in accordance with". ;Jive talk:"Whaddya say, gate? Are you in the know, or are you a solid bringer-downer?" —Cab Calloway. "Are you Hep to the Jive" —Cab Calloway. ;Joint is jumping :The place is lively, the club is leaping with fun. ; Light up:To light a stick of T or reefer. ; Lid:A

Prince Albert tobacco Prince Albert is an American brand of hand-rolled-cigarette and pipe tobacco, introduced by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 1907. It has been owned since 1987 by John Middleton Inc. History Prince Albert is one of the more popular indepen ...

can filled to the lid. Roughly one ounce. Used as a measurement of marijuana. ; Man!:Commonly used as an interjection or for emphasis. Also an alternative to "boy" which was used by whites as a disparaging term used to hail African-American adult males. ; Mellow:"Let's all get mellow." Words in the song "Light Up". The meaning is obscure. Probably means light-hearted, calm and happy. It means feeling the effects of marijuana. ; Mighty Mezz:An expertly rolled reefer. Named after Milton Mezz Mezzrow, the saxophonist who played with

. Mezzrow was a close friend of Louis Armstrong. He was also a user of marijuana and a distributor strictly to other musicians who were his friends. ; Mop:A woman. Often a reference to another hepster's girlfriend. ; Muggles:1930s and '40s slang for marijuana cigarettes. ; Mugglin':I's a-mugglin', you's a-mugglin', meaning getting high on reefer. ; Ofay:A white person, possibly constructed from pig Latin for "foe". Also, policeman or law enforcement, "the Man". ;Pad:Bed. ; Pot:Marijuana. ; Puff:To smoke weed. ; Reefer:The marijuana plant, aka hemp, pot, ganja, or

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

. Refers to the leaf of the plant or a cigarette rolled from the plant (JIVE, STICK OF TEA). See also: ''

Reefer Madness ''Reefer Madness'' (originally made as ''Tell Your Children'' and sometimes titled ''The Burning Question'', ''Dope Addict'', ''Doped Youth'', and ''Love Madness'') is a 1938/1939 American exploitation film about drugs, revolving around the me ...

'', a 1936 anti-cannabis

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

. ; Reefer man:Someone who uses reefer. ; Stick of tea:Joint, reefer, left-handed cigarette. ; Stuff:1) Jive, muggles, reefer. 2) Nickname for famous viper, jazz fiddler, "Stuff" Smith, famous composer of viper songs such as " If You're a Viper". ; "T" or Tea:

Marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

. ; Teapad:in

in the 1930s and 40s, an after-hours club where pot was smoked and jazz music performed. ; T-man (Tea-man):

provider. ; Vipers:Refers to hep cats from the 1930s who inhaled. Examples include

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and singer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz piano. A widely popular star ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

, and

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the King ...

. They frequented tea pads and smoked gage. The term vipers arose from the ''sssssst'' sound made by an inhaling pot-smoker or a snake. ;

Zoot suit A zoot suit (occasionally spelled zuit suit) is a men's Suit (clothing), suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, wikt:pegged pants, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. It is most notable for its ...

: A men's suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. Named in the rhyming way of jive talk: "A Zoot Suit with a reet pleat, with a drape shape with a generous cut but tight cuffs." This was popular with dancers of the swing era.

Glossary

References

Further reading