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!
Hey Serena! This is such an entertaining article. We’ve all had fun with different slang words from our younger years to adulthood. Some more fun than others and some just plain annoying. I’ve definitely still use “Cat’s pajamas” “Cool” “Bummer” “Funky” “As if” “My bad” “Stoked” and my worst is “awesome”. I think it’s because I worked at a school for so many years it’s engrained in me. I made the mistake of saying it in front of author David Sedaris,who I was talking to at the time and despises that word. I told him I work with teenagers,ironically teaching them how to speak,and he absolved me. Two of my fav British slang words from my family are “Bagsy” which means dibs on the last cupcake or riding shotgun and “jaxy” which means butt (which Michael Loftus found absolutely delightful). My mom would say she was going to kick us upside the jaxy if we did something bad. I absolutely love your BFF story. That is so cute and funny. It’s something that you’ll always share. Love that. I loved your articles about the Red Solo Cups and the Supermarket. Great call on 311 on Sunday Jams too. Thank you for this fun article. I hope you have great weekend,Serena!
Thank you so much, Lynne!! Haha, love hearing you still use “awesome.” I think I will till the day I die. It’s just so… Awesome!
I also love the British slang. The whole jaxy thing was hilarious when Loftus brought it up! I grew up with the “mud in your eye” toast. I always thought it was a southern phrase, but no. British! The more we know.
Thanks again and have an awesome weekend! 😉