Slang R.I.P.

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Which slang terms, popular in your youth, are on nobody's lips today?

― MarkH, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the problem with knowing for certain whether slang terms have truly disappeared is one of place. For example, I no longer live in London, which was where I grew up and so certain terms might still be used there on a daily basis which are seldom used in Oxford. Also, kids may still used the slang I used when I was their age, but as I'm not a teacher, parent or youth club leader and have no (close) young relatives I just don't hear it. Two examples which I can think of are "wally" and "Boring Old Fart".

When I was a kid, "wally" was used almost universally in my peer group for a daft person or someone who'd made a fool of themselves. It was employed whenever it was not appropriate to use what the OED term a "taboo word". I suppose it was analogous to "prat". I don't know how London-centric it was. Somehow I can only imagine it being said in a Cockney or, at the very least, a South-East accent, but that was simply because that was how I heard it voiced at the time. I suspect its use was more widespread; I remember a book called "How to be a Wally" on sale in WH Smiths. Does anyone still use it?

Whilst the individual elements of "Boring Old Fart" are quite obviously still in common parlance, in its entirety I suspect it is of a definite time if not place (ie, late 70s/early 80s). I remember reading a newspaper article about the music of this period which said, "the Damned became a group of Boring Old Farts (a phrase popular at the time)", and I can imagine people in punk bands using it about the prog/pomp-rock acts they were rebelling against.

― MarkH, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

80s words: 'tubular', 'radical', 'bodacious', 'grody'.

also 'boo-yah' - i haven't heard anyone say that in a while, but this could just be me not remembering. the guy who coined 'boo-yah' spoke at my friend's college graduation last year. uh.

― geeta, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

FACE

― Brian MacDonald, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

tubular? Isn't that something to do with surfing? I remember my Texan housemate using "grody" in 1995, but can't remember what it meant. She also used the word "nappy" to describe her hair. It was a self-effacing, perjorative term, which inevitably got mentioned when we were discussing differences in US and UK English (nappy vs. diaper).

― MarkH, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

'Wally' was one of those naff 80s words. Older people seemed to like saying it because it wasn't rude. Bit like 'bonk' really.

― N., Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Back home the favorite terms of abuse were 'zeke', 'nimrod', and 'winner'(!)

― dave q, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Skanked, as in "Awww.... you got skanked".

Dark, as in to "dark someone up"

Dark also passed as slang for something that was good. My collective at school decided to take this further, and if something was bad it was "caucasian".

― Dom Passantino, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Whittaker. The Eastenders (TV) word of abuse so that they would not have to use proper offensive language. They were almost laughed out of town and Lofty stopped being a Whittker and started being a wally.

― Pete, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Going right back to primary school I can vaguely saying Fainites to stop an argument or fight. Analogous roughly to pax I think. Apparently this has died out now, but as it had religious and/or historical connotations (I think) it seems odd to me that this piece of slang should survive for hundreds of years, then die in the last ten. Odd, and rather sad.

― Matt, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i'm willing to bet that fainites/feynites etc still lives on somewhere in a schoolyard.

― Alan Trewartha, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Does anyone say HELLA anymore? (I mean other than me.)

― Alex in SF, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I hope so. I love the idea of this word that only exists in schoolyards. As though it's the place the passes the word on, not people.

― Matt, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It must be dead - No Doubt areusing it.

― Pete, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

*cries*

― Alex in SF, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Using out-dated slang is hella rad. (syke, it's really very whack!)
I know people that use hella completely without irony, and it still works. It depends on who uses it, I think.

― Dan I., Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i bet kids these days don't say 'Skill!' anymore

― michael, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

'Wally' dates back at least as far as 'Porridge' - as does naff, of course.

― Andrew L, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Kowabunga dudes! Man this thread is too fresh. MarkH is in power.

― Bert, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

US 90s slang

― michael, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

doggish

― Ron, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Does anyone say "rub" anymore?

― Alan T, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Astonishingly, they do! But only in Crouch End and the Oval. Though I think it counts on this thread as it is early 90s East Anglia slang I picked up off my cousins.

― N., Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

East Angular? Isn't that near Tunisia?

― Emma, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You really must keep that raw Jade edge in check.

― N., Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Knowin'!

(This was used as an expression of near-complete agreement at my Maryland High School in 1985 or so.)

― Colin Meeder, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Shazam!

― Sterling Clover, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

skill!

― anna, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Crucial! Safe, sorted, sound! [attempts improbably tortuous handshake]

I hope on a school field somewhere there are still six-year-olds running down steep banks screaming, "burn it!"

― Rebecca, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Magic! Actually I barely remember any of these old-fangled terms. I think they seep out of your brain as time goes by.

― Martin Skidmore, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

An Australian in a chatroom just said "pillock". Haven't heard that one for a while, either. Rock.

― Rebecca, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"swift" (to indicate clumsy).

Hi Rebecca lo-fi!

― felicity, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Even as a kid I don't remember anyone using surf slang, even with the ubiquitous TMNT rallying behind it. Tubular, radical, cowabunga: all seemed to be confined to TV and movies and were too stupid to say in real life. Perhaps only the people I knew didn't use it?

― Vinnie, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Im young, baby! My slangs are DA BOMB!!!

― Chupa-Cabras, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i like to use Grody, its pretty funny. does anyone use "5T tough" any more?

― Menelaus Darcy, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

besides doggish, or getting dogged, it was cap, roast, burn and skitch

another favorite from high school was calling things 'crusted'. i had a math class with three girls from the basketball team who said this the best. the r actually took on something of a rolling l

― Ron, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

In late 70s British weeklies, I remember the punks would refer to the wimpy types as "weeds". This always made me think of Steven Weed, Patty Hearst's pre-SLA fiance. Who looks a lot like Ned Flanders. So--does anyone still use this term?

I guess nobody yells "Hey, Devo!" at indie kids anymore. It'd be pretty funny, though.

― Arthur, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There is the Pulp song.

― anthony, Monday, 10 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

More people need to say "grouse". A very (Australian) ockerish form of "good" or "excellent" that seems to be on the way out, much to my disappointment.

― electric sound of jim, Tuesday, 11 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

some of this slang ive not heard before, but the highlights from this thread are: "bodacious" "radical" "face" "nimrod" "skill" ( inkwo someone who still says this) and colin's "knowin'"

obviously all the words are fucking great.

i rememeber my sister having a tape called AWESOME!

that was pretty good (1991)

how about some dates for all this stuff?...sorry im writing an essay about the oxford english dictionary...i am unnaturally interested ni this sort of thing..

― ambrose, Tuesday, 11 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

MINT!!

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 11 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ca. 1990, Boston, Massachusetts

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 11 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

This site is pure skill.

― Nathan Barley, Tuesday, 11 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Mintox.

― electric sound of jim, Tuesday, 11 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

'skills' or 'skilled' in my day was accompanied with a winston churchill(?) gesticulation which wasnt about peace, more related to victory I guess. I love 'grody'! mostly because it rhymes with jodie- my sisters name. A friend of mine uses crikey in a charming ironic way and I would love to revive my grandfathers favourite 'struth- tho its a bit alf stewart.

― jm, Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

jack - often with a well cool prefix

for instance "A.L.F was well cool jack last night"

― james, Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Tracer, "Mint" is not quite dead yet up here in the city of Boston and its surrounding suburbs.

― Chris, Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

oh and exy - as in excellent - often accompanied by sexy just after it if something was particularly great

"my new BMX is exysexy"

i have a feeling i was the only person to ever use this

― james, Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah but chris, townies 'round these parts are still using archaic terminology like 'wicked pissah' and 'the red sox'll win the series this year' - under those conditions, 'mint' could never die!

[speaking of dumb boston (bawston) slang, what does it take to order a real sandwich here? back home it was a 'hoagie' or a 'grinder', here they give you a blank expression until you finally explain that you want a 'sub' or a 'sandwich on a roll' and then they make it in the k-lamest way possible. also 'frappe'- i think i commented on the idiocy of that term on another thread. damn i'm looking forward to moving to NYC, if only for the quality sandwiches and milkshakes]

'quality' - that's another piece of outdated slang! (that i still use heh)

― geeta, Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You and Sara Cox.

― N., Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I thought shake = "cabinet" in bean-town. I used to get them at Steve's with the underwater animal paintings on the walls.

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Early eighties in San Diego, the term 'ed' was used to refer to something dumb and foolish. My name being Ned Raggett, the easy slide among yer typical middle schoolers of time to 'Ed Faggot, huh huh huh' was all too obvious. This is why I lash out at everyone and I hate you all. *cries*

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Do people say 'eggy' anymore?

― N., Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Suzy. Hang on, that's 'edgy'.

Rebecca, WE invented 'Burn it' (as six year olds running down steep stairs).

― Graham, Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually, suzy does work for an eggy style mag, you're right.

― N., Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

'the red sox'll win the series this year' Ahh but they will Geeta, you wait. But this will be the one year that they will win and the season will be cut short because of the strike. and that would be a "wicked pissah!!"

― Chris, Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i'm looking forward to moving to NYC, if only for the quality sandwiches

This statement is oh-so-true. However, even there they don't know what a hoagie or grinder is. I'm not sure I do myself. They are in the process of opening a Subway sandwich shop near my office and I'm actually excited; even though they make a generic, unexceptional sandwich, they are definately superior to the clueless, bland, downright lousy sandwiches I get at the other local "delis". I hesitate to even call them delis they're so clueless. New York has the world's best sandwiches FACT. How I pine for a real Rueben with a side of potato salad. Or maybe chicken salad on whole wheat with a kosher pickle. Is that too much to ask??

― Sean, Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I apologize for my off-topic post, I'm extremely sandwich-focused.

― Sean, Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

H ere, now, please!

― david h(owie), Thursday, 13 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Graham: b-but I was six before you! Or is this line of thought the same mistaken rockism as the "influence only runs forwards chronologically" theory as debunked on these very boards?

― Rebecca, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

do ppl still say dork? I can remember the first time I heard this, it was used by my next-door neighbour Ceri in hall in Bristol when I was a student....in October 1991. I was six long before either of you!

― MarkH, Monday, 17 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

nobody says "dunny" for toilet anymore. or "dak" for pot. naturally i am on a mission to reinvest these words with the glory they deserve.

― queenoftheharpies, Monday, 17 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh Rebecca, a fogey like you could never understand.

― Graham, Monday, 17 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

'NOT'! Wayne's World rulez!!!

― Dave M., Monday, 17 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm happy in my fogeydom. As for Wayne's World, much of its argot is actually based on using old words that everyone uses anyway - e.g. bogus, excellent.

― MarkH, Tuesday, 18 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

some ppl say 'dunny' & lots of ppl say 'dak'