.

So you know the plot, can walk the walk, but can you talk the talk? If you're looking for more hard-boiled detective lingo, or if you're needing a translation for a phrase that has you stumped, look no further! Hammett was well known for his use of colorful slang in his work, and The Maltese Falcon is no exception. After reading The Maltese Falcon, you'll be able to sling slang with the best of them.

You can also check out these great titles from your local library for more information, including slang that is native to Oklahoma.

American slang: by Robert Chapman.

From cowpokes to flappers, this book chronicles the ever-evolving informal language we use every day.

Between me & you and the gatepost: rural expressions of Oklahoma: by Jim Etter.

A popular collection of homegrown expressions and Oklahoma euphemisms by Oklahoma native, Jim Etter.

I hear American talking: an illustrated treasury of American words and phrases: by Stuart B. Flexner.

A useful guide for translating the oddities of American vernacular.

Speaking freely: a guided tour of American English from Plymouth Rock to Silicon Valley: by Stuart B. Flexner and Anne Soukhanov.

This book examines the language of the prohibition, the Jazz Age, the origins of certain 19th-century words, and offers insights about the people that coined them.

Talk the Talk: the slang of 65 American subcultures: by Luc Reid.

Slang from subcultures ranging from Beekeepers and Ham radio operators to Puppeteers and truckers.

The Lingo:

Baumes rush: Moving to another state to avoid life imprisonment after three convictions.

Bean-shooter: Gun

Beezer: Nose

Cheaters: Sunglasses

Chypre: A French perfume made of oak moss and ambergris.

Gambler's war: Turf war between two criminal gangs.

Goose-berry Lay: Making a living by stealing clothes from clotheslines and reselling them.

Gum/Gum-up: To interfere, to mess up.

Gum-shoe: Detective

Gunsel: Gunman

Have the bees: To be rich.

Ice: Diamonds

Levantine: Eastern Mediterranean region, i.e. Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, or Palestine.

Lid: Hat

Marbles: Pearls

Newsie: Newspaper vendor

Noodle: Head

Rattler: Train

Romeville: New York City

Spinach: Money

Stack of wheats: Pancakes

Stuss-game: A type of card game.

Sugar: Money

Trap: Mouth

Turned him up: Being turned into the police.

Twist: Woman, girlfriend.