Obscure slang: 23 skidoo
Obscure slang: 23 skidoo - “23 skidoo (sometimes 23 skiddoo) is an American slang phrase popularized in the early twentieth century, first appearing before World War I and becoming popular in the Roaring Twenties. It generally refers to leaving quickly. One nuance of the phrase suggests being rushed out by someone else. Another is taking advantage of a propitious opportunity to leave, that is, “getting [out] while the getting’s good.”
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Another source of the term has been rumored to come from the area around the Flat Iron building on 23rd street in NYC. Apparently, winds would swirl around the building and in the roaring 20’s groups of men would gather to watch women walk by with their skirts being blown up by the winds. The police would then ask the men to break-it-up and leave… hence the term 23 skidoo.”