It’s probably a myth.” Samuels points out the speculation seems have to originated with Robert Hendrickson, who wrote about slang in popular word origin books, and who “conveyed uncertainty over the definition of ‘floy floy’.”Īll these theories seem far-fetched in terms of historical evidence but have been offered as serious explanations for the word by etymologists.

Tom Samuels, who is writing a biography of Slim Gaillard, stated recently on the internet that “I haven’t found any proof that ‘floy floy’ means venereal disease. The most widespread theory is that it means venereal disease, either syphilis or gonorrhea. It turns out that there are three popular theories, based on slang from the 1930s.

What exactly is this “floy floy,” which the song appears to make so much fun of? While “floogie” is clearly a euphemism for “floozie” (Bowdlerized to make the song palatable for 1930s radio audiences) “floy floy” remains a mystery. The song was so popular that no less a celebrity that Mary Livingstone, of the Jack Benny radio show, referred to herself proudly as Flat-Foot Mary with (yes) floy floy. The word appeared in the Slim Gaillard ditty, “Flat-Foot Floogie,” back in the 1930s, a song that referred ambiguously to a “flat foot floogie with a floy floy.” Despite its popularity, no one really knew what “floy floy” meant at the time. The meaning of “floy floy” is a mystery that has baffled experts for years.

Flat foot floogie chords