If you hear any of the following words or phrases used to describe someone in a movie made before 1970, odds are good that they’re trying to tell you about a tight ankle, a real bank-opener, a central casting girl, a man who knows his onions from his applesauce.
A berry-picker
Someone who takes her meals in a cafeteria
An and-how baby
A gal who knows how to use a revolving door
A man with a downtown name
An elevator friendship
A threepenny stamp
A trolley orchid
A girl with cake in her hand
Chicken farmer
Two-time streetcar rider
A professional skirt
A fella with a lot of hotel friendships
Girl who brings her own skates to the rink
Bedsheet boyfriend
Member of the Pony Express
Jukebox pants
Next door to the Queen of Sheba
A girl who bowls with both hands
Friend to doctors
Laughing-gas Sally
A member of several clubs
A candy-apple sister
“Knows where the cloak room is”
A late-night newsie
Lamppost gentleman
A man who sleeps in his hat
Telephone boy
An outdoors checkout clerk
A boarding-room Beau Brummel
Mallory is an Editor of The Toast.