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Jive Talk: a Guide Trivia Quiz

A Hummer of a Hep Quiz

Jive talk originated in Harlem, NYC, in the 1930s and 1940s, and spread more widely to what was then known as the 'hep generation', partly thanks to Cab Calloway's dictionary, "Cab Calloway's Hepster's Dictionary: Language of Jive". Learn it with me.

A collection quiz by windrush. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
windrush

Time
3 mins

Type

Quiz #
423,204

Updated
Feb 25 26

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
11 / 15

Plays
231

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 107 (10/15), Guest 24 (5/15), teachdpo (4/15).

Select the words or phrases featuring in Cab Calloway's Dictionary. Note: many of these words also have conventional (unhep) meanings. Just weed out those that don't warrant a definition in the book. Hint: Start by weeding out Australian slang words.

There are 15 correct entries. Get 2 incorrect and the game ends.

kick arvo riff righteous strewth melted out foxy drape fry cogs stubby glims jam blip cups nickel note hep cat barbie collar sheila

Left click to select the correct answers.
Right click if using a keyboard to cross out things you know are incorrect to help you narrow things down.

Most Recent Scores

Apr 09 2026 : Guest 107: 10/15
Apr 08 2026 : Guest 24: 5/15
Apr 06 2026 : teachdpo: 4/15
Apr 05 2026 : gogetem: 15/15
Apr 04 2026 : Catreona: 10/15
Apr 04 2026 : FrappMaster: 15/15
Mar 31 2026 : Guest 63: 4/15
Mar 26 2026 : piet: 15/15
Mar 25 2026 : gumman: 4/15

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer:

Definitions (according to Cab Calloway):
BLIP is something very good; COGS are sunglasses; COLLAR is to understand or to obtain, come by something; CUPS, surprisingly, means sleep as in "I gotta catch me some cups".
DRAPE is a suit of clothes, or a dress, while FOXY back then meant shrewd, street-smart. FRY was to get your hair straightened with hot irons.

GLIMS was the term for the eyes, while if you are smart, know all the answers and talk jive, you are a HEP CAT. This was when the term JAM entered the music scene, meaning to play improvised swing. KICK is a pocket, as in "I've got a couple bucks in my kick". MELTED OUT means broke, without any cash. I love the term NICKEL NOTE, referring to a five dollar bill, while RIFF became known as the term for a hot musical phrase, or hot lick. Finally, RIGHTEOUS means truly outstanding, wonderful.

If any of the above terms sound dated, they probably are. Don't forget that jive talk arose early in the 20th Century, and like all vibrant languages, it is constantly evolving and changing. The dictionary quoted from was first printed in 1938 through to 1944.

The incorrect options were Australian everyday slang terms.

Source: Author windrush

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