Film Noir Slang Glossary

Film noir talked in a language of its own: clipped, cynical, and lifted from the street, the racetrack and the police blotter. This glossary covers the 1940s and 1950s crime slang you hear in classic noir, including the words on Noirista tees.

The words on our tees

Grifter

A small-time con artist who lives by swindles and hustles rather than violence. "The grift" is the con itself. Grifter tee

Two-bit hood

A small-time hoodlum. "Two bits" was a quarter, so a two-bit anything was cheap and unimportant. Two Bit Hood tee

Shyster

A crooked or unscrupulous lawyer, usually one who works for crooks. Shyster tee

On the lam

On the run from the law, usually in a hurry. On the Lam tee

Fencing ice

Selling stolen diamonds. "Ice" means diamonds; a "fence" is the middleman who buys and resells stolen goods. Fencing Ice tee

Rolling marks

A "mark" is the target of a con or a robbery; to "roll" someone is to rob them. "I roll marks" is a confession and a job description. I Roll Marks tee

Moll

A gangster's girlfriend, often smarter than the gangster. Gangster's Moll tee

Femme fatale

The seductive, dangerous woman at the center of so many noir plots, who leads the hero to ruin. The defining character type of the genre. Femme Fatale tee

More film noir slang

Gumshoe

A private detective. Also a "dick," a "shamus" or a "private eye."

Patsy

The fall guy: the person set up to take the blame for someone else's crime.

Sap

A fool, especially one who falls for a dame or a con.

Dame

A woman. In noir, usually trouble.

Heater, gat, rod

A gun.

Torpedo

A hired gunman.

Bulls, flatfoot, coppers

The police. A "flatfoot" walks a beat; "the bulls" are cops in general.

The big house

Prison.

Sing

To confess or inform to the police. A "canary" is someone who sings.

Take a powder

To leave quickly, usually without saying goodbye.

Frame

To set someone up with false evidence so they take the fall.

Racket

A criminal business, or any scheme for making easy money.

Noir films on our tees

The Big Combo (1955)

Directed by Joseph H. Lewis and photographed by John Alton, with Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte and Jean Wallace. A cop chases a mob boss through some of the starkest black-and-white lighting in the genre. It is in the U.S. public domain. The Big Combo tee

Detour (1945)

Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, with Tom Neal and Ann Savage. A hitchhiker's ride across the country turns into a nightmare. A low-budget classic, also in the U.S. public domain. Detour tee

Every Noirista tee comes in black or white, men's and women's fits, sizes XS to XXXL. Shop all film noir tees.