The English language is hard enough without adding a whole bunch of made up words to describe intense emotion, whether happy or just plain pissed off. But to use it is inevitable, no matter your level of grammatical sophistication. We all have used a bit of this retro slang at some point in our lives, and plenty of us still do. It’s in our blood.
There have been some incredible words conjured up by generations’ past. And think about it. These words and catch phrases probably sounded so ridiculous to our parents back then. Just like the slang of kids today sounds to us. To the younger generation listening to us say these words of our youth: we are such dorks! And don’t even get me started on how we sound speaking modern slang around our own children.
But nonetheless, seeing the evolution of slang is a fun experience and I feel like a fun throwback topic for this week! Here are some of the ones I’ve always found catchy growing up.
First, some century old words and phrases that I feel like I’ve heard come back around on occasion. So making a comeback are some of the following:
1920-1930s
- “Bee’s Knees” – the absolute best
- “Cat’s Pajamas” – top-notch
- “Moxie” – nerve or courage
1940s-1950s
- “Cool” – composed or sophisticated
- “Jive” – lively talk
And then there’s that retro Hippie and Disco era lingo coming around:
1960s
- “Groovy” – cool or excellent
- “Far Out” – amazing
- “Peace out” – goodbye
- “Righteous” – excellent
1970s
- “Right on” – agreed
- “Bummer” – disappointment
- “Funky” – soulful
Now we’re getting a little closer to what feels like just yesterday. But only slightly:
1980s
- “Rad,” “gnarly,” “awesome” – cool
- “Cowabunga” – excitement or joy
- “Totally” – absolutely
1990s
- “Phat” – cool, stylish
- “As if” – no way
- “My bad” – my mistake
One from the early 2000s, and dearest to my heart: “BFF – Best Friends Forever.” My mom once told me she thought I was calling my bestie my “best f*cking friend.” And to this day, that’s what my bestie and I call each other because is that not the best thing ever? Love you, Mom!
Over the years we’ve assembled a nice little vat of jargon. My latest has been “sus.” More so when writing texts. “YOLO,” “lit” and “hella.” “BFF.” Calling things “bomb.” “Totally,” “rad,” “cool,” “awesome,” and “stoked.”
What retro slang do you still use today? Let us know!