Music: FAR-OUT WORDS FOR CATS

U.S. colloquialisms evolve slowly. “Jag,” “tops,” “dude” stayed around for decades before they began to lose their freshness. But jazz lingo becomes obsolescent almost as fast as it reaches the public ear. A term of high approbation in the swing era was “out of this world,” in the bop era it was “gone,” and today it is “the greatest” or “the end.” Similarly, a daring performance was “hot,” then “cool,” and now is “far out.” These are the terms currently most often used by modern jazz addicts: ball, n. A good time; having a ball; enjoying oneself.

blow, v. Play any instrument.

bug, v. Bewilder or irritate.

cool, v. Relax, e.g., “I cooled it at a table for a while.”

crazy, interj. Once a superlative, now means more often O.K. or goodbye, e.g., Q. “Will I see you tomorrow?” A. “Crazy.”

cat, n. Jazz musician, hence, good fellow. One of the oldest terms.

combo, n. Small instrumental group.

dig, v. Understand or appreciate.

drag, n. Annoyance.

flip, v. To be excited.

funky, adj. Authentic, swinging.

gig, n. One-night stand; also any job.

goof, v. Make a mistake.

hip, adj. In-the-know.

hipster, n. One who is hip.

later, interj. Catchall word for “I’ll be seeing you”; also used at the end of letters, e.g., “Later . . . Dave.”

like, interj. Filler word for pauses of uncertainty, e.g., “You wanna hear some jazz, like?”

on, prep. Addicted to a drug.

pad, n. Bed, hence any living place.

put down, v. Criticize, defame.

split, v. Depart.

swing, n. Antique kind of jazz.

swing, v. To achieve the buoyant beat that is the essence of all jazz.