Rudolph Valentino popularized the tango, and men who were considered heelers lost out to hoofers. Wikimedia
Dancing
Dancing was a major entertainment of the 1920s, and many idioms and slang expressions emerged from it, including a hoofer (a good dancer) and a heeler (a bad one). Dances were sometimes called hops, especially when they were held for teens. More expensive or elaborate dances were said to be putting on the Ritz, emulating the Ritz Hotel in Paris, which had been praised for its luxuriousness by visiting servicemen during the First World War. Men who showed up at dances without partners were stags, single women usually brought fire extinguishers, who served the function of ensuring the liquid refreshments remained free of alcohol, in the case of the under-aged.
A dancer who refused to leave the dance floor was a floorflusher. In the case of invitation only dances, those who arrived without an invitation were known as gatecrashers. Gatecrashers were often escorted from the premises when their trespass was discovered, an eviction known as the bum’s rush. While at the dance, attendees often engaged in small talk (punching the bag) also known as beating the gums. A person who had a disappointing time at a dance, or at any other event, would say that it had been a flat tire. A person who had a great time would call it the bee’s knees, or the berries, or the cat’s pajamas.