What We Said:

As Tom Dalzell, author of Flappers 2 Rappers: American Youth Slang, points out, slang did not become an important element of American speech until the 1920s. Slang, it should be remembered, is language that attains special meaning because of its use by a subgroup of the larger society. It was not until the rise of the youth, music, and racial subcultures in the 1920s that slang truly rose to its present importance as an element of popular culture. However, three of the more popular terms of the decade were:

"23 Skidoo!": The most popular expression of the decade, this phrase could be used to mean almost anything, though it was generally used to express approval.

Babe: A pretty girl.

"Good to the last drop" (1907): This enduring advertising slogan for Maxwell House Coffee was rumored to have been invented by President Theodore...