On the Lam: Crime Slang from the Detective Pulps
Summary: A staple of noir novels and headlines describing suspects on the run.
In this post:
- What “on the lam” means and where it came from
- How people used it in the 1930s
- Modern equivalents and pop-culture examples
- Related slang to explore next
What does “on the lam” mean?
“On the lam” means fleeing the police. Its roots trace to thieves’ cant and early 1900s newsrooms.
How it was used in the 1930s
Detective yarns used it constantly: “After the bank job, the pair went on the lam.”
Modern equivalents
• on the run
• fugitive
• lay low