Slang Throughout the Ages

Boomers to Alphas

Hello Fellow Adventurers,

Sometimes I do a weird post like this, usually spurred by a real life conversation. I go to University and I am no longer a teen, but I am around them a lot. We work on projects, exchange numbers, become friends but I am a bit older and some of the things they say…..I find bizarre, or just don’t get it.

Presenting teen expressions through the generations, and their meanings.

Did you say any of these when you were a teen?

Did any of them stick in your everyday chatter, or are you embarrassed you ever said these things?

The 1960’s

• Groovy – Excellent, cool, or very pleasing

• Far out – Amazing, surprising, or impressive

• Dig it – To understand or appreciate something

• Square – Someone boring or conventional

• Hip – Fashionable or aware

• Outta sight – Outstanding or extremely good

• The Man – Authority figures or the establishment

• Fink – A snitch or someone untrustworthy

• Bread – Money

• Sock it to me – Go all out; give it your best

This is not my generation, but I have heard these on T.V. and in movies. Looking through the list I don’t think I have ever said any of these apart from “Groovy” when I dressed as a Hippie for Halloween. Also I really like the 59th street bridge song by Simon and Garfunkel, which sings the word “Groovy”

The 1970’s

• Cool – Stylish, impressive, or acceptable

• Far out – Excellent or amazing (carried over from the late ’60s)

• Foxy – Very attractive

• Groovy – Good or enjoyable (still hanging on early ’70s)

• Jive – To joke, deceive, or talk nonsense

• Boogie – To dance or party

• Bread – Money

• Burn – An insult or put-down

• The Fuzz – The police

• Right on – Agreement or approval
  

This is also not my generation, and I am getting all this information by asking the internet btw. There is some repetition here from the 60’s with: far out, groovy, and bread. I did not think “cool” was this old, but it is one I definitely say today. In my family whenever you see a cop car, you say: “It’s the Fuzz!!” Apparently 70’s cops had mustaches and that is where this slang originated. I do not know if that is true, any teens here from the 70’s can you confirm? I watched that 70’s show on Netflix and loved Kelso’s “BURN!!!” Which has remained from the 70’s until now, but it is not used as often.

1980's

• Totally – Completely; very

• Awesome – Amazing or impressive

• Rad – Cool or exciting

• Gnarly – Extreme, impressive, or sometimes bad

• Dude – A person; friend (or sometimes an exclamation)

• Like – Filler word or emphasis

• Bogus – Fake, unfair, or uncool

• Gag me – Expression of disgust or annoyance

• Bitchin’ – Really good or impressive

• Take a chill pill – Calm down

Not my generation either, but saying something is awesome is still alive and well. Same with “like”, I said that a lot as a teen, and it drove my mom nuts, and now the teens ahead of me are saying it…..and I can see the annoyance. Dude is usually used today as an exclamation. Someone does something shocking and you go “Duuuuuuude.” Most of the rest of this list I have only heard in pop culture 80’s movies.

1990’s

• Whatever – Expression of indifference or dismissal

• As if! – Sarcastic rejection

• All that – Impressive or top-tier

• Talk to the hand – Dismissive comeback

• Phat – Excellent or cool

• Da bomb – The best; amazing

• Scrub – Someone lame or low-status

• My bad – Apology; admitting fault

• Wack – Bad or uncool

• Chill – Relax; calm

  

I vaguely remember “talk to the hand” but it was not cool, must have been fizzling out when I heard it. “Scrub” I only know from that TLC song. “Whatever” is a classic, and is still surviving. “My bad” and “Chill” are also still sometimes heard, but the rest are completely dead, at least in my opinion.

2000’s

• Cool – Good or acceptable

• Awesome – Really great

• Dude – Friend or general term for a person

• Sweet – Nice; impressive

• Lame – Uncool or disappointing

• OMG – Expression of surprise (texting slang that went mainstream)

• LOL – Laughing; something funny

• Epic – Extremely good or memorable

• Fail – A mistake or embarrassment

• Whatever – Dismissive or indifferent

I am remembering a lot of these, as I mentioned “cool”, “awesome”, and “whatever” are still going strong. It is amazing how old some of them are. Saying something is epic, or a fail……or even worse an epic fail! Were definitely in my vocabulary. Lame was another good one. Remember that episode of South Park where Eric Cartman is awesem-O and says “Lame!” hahaha.

2010’s

• Lit – Amazing; exciting

• Savage – Bold, ruthless, or impressively blunt

• Bae – Romantic partner; term of affection

• FOMO – Fear of missing out

• Flex – Show off

• Salty – Bitter or upset

• GOAT – Greatest Of All Time

• Low-key – Subtle or slightly

• High-key – Openly or strongly

• Shook – Shocked or surprised

Okay this is getting really familiar! ❤️I still say “lit” and “low-key” (don’t judge me alphas) Most of the others were commonly said as a teen, but have dropped off for me now. “FOMO” or “YOLO” I found annoying even when it was a popular saying.

2020’s

• Bet – Okay; agreed

• No cap – No lie; for real

• Bussin’ – Really good (usually food)

• Mid – Average; unimpressive

• Slay – Do something extremely well

• Rizz – Charisma or flirting ability

• It’s giving… – Indicates a vibe or comparison

• NPC – Someone who acts robotic or unoriginal

• Main character – Acting confident or central

• Delulu – Delusional (often playfully)

Alright……”bet” and “no cap” I cringe and shudder. But I do say “It’s giving…” “rizz” and “slay”. I am young enough to understand what the teens ahead of me in generation are saying but some of it is annoying.

Oh god, am I getting……old? Nah.

I am still slightly influenced by the main stream chatter. I wonder what the 2030’s will bring.

Imagined 2030s Teen Slang

(disclaimer: the rest of the lists above were sourced though regular research and internet sleuthing. This list below is CHAT GPT, I don’t know how to research the future, lol. So I asked a robot.)

• Core – Extremely aligned with a vibe or identity

• Clean – Smooth, well-executed, no flaws

• Ghosted IRL – Ignored in real life, not just online

• Deepfake – Fake, staged, or insincere

• Soft-win – A small but meaningful success

• Overclocked – Mentally overloaded or overstimulated

• NPC+ – Someone who suddenly shows unexpected personality

• Ping me – Ask, remind, or check in (even offline)

• Zero-lag – Instant understanding or chemistry

• Archive it – Drop the topic; move on

Anyone else here feeling “overclocked”? It may not be a slang word, but we should start it. Since 90’s fashion is in right now, I can totally see the 2030’s pulling off a Gem and the Holograms vibe. Maybe I am wrong, but if it happens you all know I predicted it first!

In a lot of movies showcasing the future, humans are often in metallic unitards suits. I am super glad that hasn’t caught on……and I really hope it stays that way.