Talking about women
The young men of the 1920s, of course, had their own vocabulary when it came to the topic of women, particularly the flappers who were breaking all of the rules of staid society. A young lady of interest due to her physical qualities was a choice bit of calico. That may have been due to the shapeliness of her legs, which were called gams, more of which were on display than ever before. In the event that the well gammed choice bit of calico was shy or reserved, rare in the flapper era, she was a cancelled stamp. If she was determined to be too strait laced she was a Mrs. Grundy.
Even a Mrs. Grundy could be extremely attractive, a hotsy-totsy, though one approaching her was likely to be rejected, receiving from her the icy mitt. Mrs. Grundys were considered to be seeking a wedding ring, known as a manacle. Or it was possible that she was already involved in a relationship, making her a sheba, though shebas could also simply be hotsy-totsy, but uninterested. An engaged woman could be detected by the presence of an engagement ring, and was said to be handcuffed. All women were tomatoes, hotsy-totsy or not. A ripe tomato meant that a woman was considered to be old enough for adult dating.