hepcat

2 9.9

A stylish person who likes jazz and 1940s clothing

noun
/ˈhɛpˌkæt/

Archaic

: hepcat

♪ How I love to bebop too ♪ ♪ I saw old Uncle Ned Do a dance and a flip-flop ♪ ♪ He jumped Like the hepcats do ♪ ♪ I flipped my lid when he said "My baby likes to bebop" ♪ ♪ And boy...

Examples

- A hepcat shootin' rats.

Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
What are hepcats doing in a place like this?

A Song Is Born (1948)
We'll make an example of this hepcat.

Bananas (1971)
Okay, hepcats, get off my car!

The 'Burbs (1989)
Now, what do you say we grab ourselves a couple of Manhattans and go and join the hepcats?

Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)
l'm a hepcat.

Happily N'Ever After (2007)
Morning, hepcats.

The Boat That Rocked (2009)
The party was filled with hepcats dressed in stylish clothes, dancing to the lively jazz music.
Everyone admired his unique style; he was the ultimate hepcat, always ahead of the fashion trends.
In the smoky club, a group of hepcats gathered, sharing stories and enjoying the vibrant atmosphere.

How Stylish

trend-setter

2 3.8

hepcat

Archaic

2 9.9

dresser

15 3.9

Surface Forms

hepcat singular

hepcats plural

Morphology

hepcat = hep + cat (semi-transparent) = hep + cat

The meaning matches the combination 'hep' (stylish) + 'cat' (person), but 'hep' is dated slang and likely unfamiliar to many learners.

Etymology

The word hepcat comes from jazz slang where hep (like hip) meant 'in the know' and cat was a friendly word for a jazz musician or cool person. So a hepcat was someone 'in the know' about jazz and fashion, a stylish, music-loving person.