The Great Gatsby
Glossary
Old sport
Gatsby's favourite way to address a man, a bit like old friend. It sounds posh and slightly odd.
Jazz Age
The 1920s in America, a time of jazz, parties and fast money. Fitzgerald made the name popular.
Prohibition
The ban on selling alcohol in the United States from 1920 to 1933.
Bootlegger
Someone who sells alcohol illegally.
Flapper
A fashionable young woman of the 1920s, with short hair and a free spirit.
Old money
Families who have been rich for generations.
New money
People who have only just become rich.
Roadster
An open two-seater car.
Valley of ashes
The grey dump between West Egg and New York where the Wilsons live.
Oxford man
Someone who studied at Oxford University. Tom doubts Gatsby really is one.
Image credits
- Colourful silk shirts tumbling across a bed, Illustration by VoxRead, AI-generated for VoxRead