List of Boomer slang
From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki
This is a list of slang used by Baby boomers, generally those born between 1946 and 1964 in the Western world.
List[edit]
| Slang term | Definition | Origin | Example | Variations | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big tickle | Something that made you laugh | See: Tickling | "That film sure gave me a big tickle!" | [1] | |
| Blanket | A sandwich | Unknown origin | "I sure love a blanket with cheese!" | [2] | |
| Boob | A silly person | Unknown origin | [3] | ||
| Boob Tube | A television | Comes from Boob (See above), describing of how much of what that is on TV is comedy or foolish.[3] | "What’s on the Boob Tube" | [3] | |
| Bogart | Someone who was not giving someone else a turn at something good | Inspired by Humphrey Bogart, whose characters burned cigarettes with the tendency to let a cigarette burn away while dangling from his mouth[1] | "That crook is such a bogart!" | [1] | |
| Cool Cat | Someone who is cool or popular | Originates in 1940s jazz culture[3] | "My dad is such a cool cat, he never seems to get bothered by anything." | [3] | |
| Dipping in my Kool-Aid | To pry into other people's lives | Unknown origin | [1] | ||
| Don't flip your wig | A word used to ask that someone not react with strong emotion, or go "crazy" | Primarily used during the 1960s.[4] | "I figured Aunt June would be excited to hear I'm getting married, but she totally flipped her wig!"[5] | Flip your wig | [1] |
| Fink | Someone who betrays trust. | Unknown; Perhaps from the German Word "Schmierfink" (a low, dirty person; a greasy or dirty bird)" Others say it comes from the Homestead strike of 1892, which operatives of the Pinkerton detective agency, referred to as Pinks and then finks, were employed to break.[6] | "That thug is a fink who must be punished!" | [1] | |
| Fry | Someone who acts mysterious or odd | Unknown origin | "That man sure is a fry!" | [1] | |
| Gas | any activity or event that was either fun or inspired you to laugh. | First recorded in 1839 by Charles Dickens and popularized by James Joyce at the turn of the 20th century. The word was popular among African-Americans during the 1920s and 1930s, and was later adopted into the hippie movement.[7] | "The function was gas!" | [1] | |
| Gringles | Worries | Unknown origin | "Shake off those gringles, you'll do great." | [2] | |
| Grody | Something gross or dirty | Unknown origin | "That sock is grody!" | [1] | |
| Jets | High intelligence | Unknown origin | "That boy has the jets! He got a perfect score on his exam." | [2] | |
| Thong | A pair of flip flops | Coined in 1967.[3] | "Grab your pair of thongs before we get to the beach!" | [1] | |
| Threads | Clothes | First used in 1927; the term comes from the threads used to make clothing.[3] | "I just bought these sweet threads" | [3] | |
| Razz my berries | To refer to something exciting or interesting | Primarily used during the 1960s.[8] | "That statement sure razzed my berries." | [1] | |
| Slurg | A milkshake | Unknown origin | "Can I get a slurg?" | [2] | |
| Skinny | Information or the truth | Military slang carried over from World War II[9] | "Give me the skinny." | Get the skinny | [1] |
| Submarine race | A "subtle way to ask if a significant other wanted to make out in the car" | "Submarine" referred to kissing in front of a lake or ocean.[10] | "Would you like to see the submarine race?" | [2] | |
| Wet Rag | Someone who is "no fun, a bore" | Unknown origin | "Don’t be a wet rag, let’s go hit the clubs!"[11] | [1] | |
| What's your bag | To either ask what someone's problem was or where they were from. | Unknown origin | [1] | ||
| Wig Chop | A haircut | Became common during the 1950s. | "I got a wig chop the other day" | [1] | |
| Word from the bird | A term used to convey honesty | First used in the 1963 song, Surfin’ Bird by The Trashmen. The phrase was later popularized online through a 2008 Family Guy episode.[12] | Bird is the word[12] | [1] |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Wilson, Matthew. "18 words or phrases baby boomers used that are no longer around — see if you can guess what they mean". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lakritz, Talia. "Can you guess the meaning of these 20th-century slang terms no one uses anymore?". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Easton, Soleil (2022-06-04). "23 Boomer Sayings That We Should Honestly Bring Back". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ↑ "Definitions of don't flip your wig – OneLook". onelook.com. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ↑ "Flip Your Wig". TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ↑ Carver, Craig M. (1992-09-01). "Word Histories". The Atlantic. ISSN 2151-9463. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ↑ "Gas – One Word A Day". owad.de. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ↑ "Slang From The Victorian Era Was Even More Absurd Than We Knew". starzpsychics.com. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ↑ "Skinny". Vocabulary.com.
- ↑ Larkin, Larry (2017-10-06). "Remembering back when: Watching the Submarine Races". Claremore Daily Progress. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ↑ "TUTORIAL: Older People Slang And What It Really Means!". FOX Sports Radio. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "bird is the word Meaning | Pop Culture by Dictionary.com". Dictionary.com. 2018-03-19. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
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