Zozzled, splifficated, ossified, hoary eyed, blotto on skee, rotgut, hooch, giggle water, panther piss, bootleg, brown plaid. All can be had at a juice joint, clip joint, barrel house, speakeasy by dewdroppers, lollygaggers, and other jingle brains.

Which is to say, the 1920s had a bonanza of good slang, mostly related to alcohol. Prohibition not only drove drinkers underground into speakeasies, it also invented a whole new vocabulary for the illegal pleasures.

This provided one of several inspirations for my latest story, “Drinks at the El Navajo,” which appears in the new edition of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.

To read more, sign up for my newsletter at the bottom of the page…