There’s no point denying it and hoping that it’ll go away, cryogenics is a reality. Prepare yourself by reminding yourself of the 80s lingo just in case the event ever occurs where you come face to face with a 80s dude who’s just stepped out of the freezer.
As If
Excl. I’d rather not. “Hey why don’t you go out with that guy in the Izod shirt?” “AS IF!”
Awesome
Adj. Something extremely good, and exceptional example. ie. “That movie was awesome.”
Bad
Adj. Good. ie. “That movie was bad, man.” Used by rapper stereotypes mostly.
Barney
Noun. An unattractive male. ie. “He is such a Barney.”
Batcaver
Noun. Person who wears all black and listens to The Cure et al…
BBS
Abv. Short for Bulitin Board System. Until the widespread popularity of the Internet around 1994 or so, this was the means for email and message postings. Basically, someone set up a computer which was left on 24 hours a day, and people would call it from their computers and use the system. Some offered over 100 phone lines and were networked with one another to provide message exchanges between remote systems and users. Hackers used these to exchange pirated software with one another.
Bitchin’
Adj. Superb, excellent. ie. “That’s a bitchin’ Camaro.”
Bodacious
Adj. beautiful. ie. “That is one bodacious babe.”
Bogus
(1)Adj. Not good. ie. “I just died. That’s pretty bogus.”
(2)Excl. Really not good. ie. “Aw man, that cop took my board.” “Bogus!”
Bonus
Excl. Used to denote satisfaction or one’s approval. ie. “My parents are going away next weekend, I’m throwing a party!” “Bonus!”
Boss
Adj. very cool. ie. “That version of the “Synchronicity” cover is boss!”
Bow-Head
Noun. Another name for preppie-usually a silly girl who wore a big bow in her hair. (Mid-to late eighties)
Brody
Noun. Police officer. ie. “Slow down there is a Brody over there” Origin is from Roy Scheider lead roll as the police officer who sets out to kill the rogue shark in Jaws.
Chill
Verb. To be calm. ie. “I’m chill.”
Chill Pill
Excl. Take it easy. ie. “Take a Chill Pill! You’re gonna get us all busted.”
Chillin’
Verb. To be resting. ie. “I’m just chillin’ with my homey’s in my crib.”
Cool
(1)Adj. Something really good and hip. ie. “That’s a cool shirt.”
(2)Excl. Very good, very hip. ie. “I just scored tickets to Bruce Springsteen” “Cool!”
Cool Beans
Adj. Cool, awesome, agreeable.
Crib
Noun. A homeboy’s residence. ie. “I’m just chillin’ with my homey’s in my crib.”
Damn Sam!
Excl. Wow. Unbelievable.
Deck
Verb. To beat someone up…ie. “I’m gonna deck you if you play that damn Raffi album again!”
Def
Adj. Something very hip. ie. “That jam was def.”
Deke
Verb. To fake someone out. ie. “I deked him out of his shoes”
Don’t Have a Cow
Phrase. Remain calm, don’t get excited.
Dork
(1)Noun. Someone who is not cool. ie. “Bill Gates is a real dork.”
(2)Noun. A penis. ie. “Stop playing with your dork and get out here.”
Dope
Adj. Very hip and with it. ie. “Those Addidas are dope!”
Dude
(1)Noun. Someone who is cool. The opposite of a dork.
(2)Excl. A greeting. Used with a close friend that is considered cool. ie. “Dude!”
Origins of this context word can be traced to California. It was originally used in reference to a horse’s penis.
Dudette
Noun. A woman who is cool. The opposite of a dork.
Not as commonly used as dude.
Dudical
Adj. Used to describe a place or thing as cool as someone dubbed a “dude”.
Dufus
Noun. Someone who acts stupid. ie. “Only a dufus would play with matches.” or “Don’t be a dufus.”
Duh
Adj. Stupid. Usually used with the word “like”
Dweeb
Noun. Someone who is not cool. ie. “Bill Gates is a real dweeb.”
Elite
Noun. A person who has achieved a high status in the BBSing culture. ie. “He has a 9600 BAUD modem, he’s elite now.”
Excellent
Excl. Superb.
Fer Sure
Phrase. Definitely. ie. “Do you want to meet Duran Duran?” “Fer Sure!”
Five O
Noun. Police officer. ie. “Oh oh, chill, there’s a Five O comin'”
Fly
Adj. Very hip and with it.
Fresh
Adj. Very new, used in reference to music a lot. ie. “His beat’s real fresh”
Funky
Multiple meanings, 70’s disco leftover.
Gag Me With a Spoon
Phrase. Disgusting.
Geek
Noun. A person who is not hip, usually implies stupidity as well. ie. “Don’t be such a geek!”
Generic
Adj. Of poor quality; poorly planned or executed. ie. “Hey man, do you like that new Atari game, Moon Patrol?” “Hell no, dude! That game is generic!”
Get Out
Excl. I don’t believe you. ie. “I got tickets to Duran Duran.” “Get Out!”
Goober
Noun. Snot. ie. “Eww. You’ve got a goober showing.” (2)Adj. Something stupid. ie. “Don’t be such a goober.”
Gnarly
Adj. Exceptional. ie. “That move you just did with your board was gnarly.”
Grodie
Adj. Disgusting. ie. “That garbage pail looks grodie.”
Gross Me Out
Excl. Disgusting.
Grouse
Adj. Cool, its an Australian slang term. ie “That’s so grouse man”
Gross Me Out the Door
Excl. Very Disgusting.
Heavy
Adj. A situation which is grave. ie. “This algebra test is heavy.”
Most notable use of this phrase was in Back to the Future by the lad character portrayed by Michael J. Fox. The origins of this use can be traced to the sixties when it referred to a close personal friend.
Heinous
Adj. Not good. ie. “That wipeout was heinous dude.”
‘hood
Abrv. Neighborhood. ie. “My homey’s like to hang out with me in my ‘hood”
Hellish
Adj. Incredibly good.
Homeboy
Noun. A close friend. ie. “I like to hang with my homeboys at the mall.”
Homey
(1)Noun. A friend. see Homeboy.
(2)Noun. A greeting. “Hey homey, don’t play that”
Widespread use can be attributed to the show “In Living Color” which had the demented clown (portrayed by Daymon Wayons) whose catch phrase was “Homey don’t play that” in response to a situation he didn’t approve of.
Kickin’
Adj. Fun, exciting, and cool. ie. “This is a kickin’ party”
Killer
Adj. very cool. ie. “Your blue lip gloss is killer!”
Kiss My Grits
Excl. A more polite way of saying “kiss my ass.”
Origins of phrase trace back to the seventies on the show “Alice”, it was a carry over for a few years into the eighties.
K-RAD
Phrase Very radical.
Origins of phrase trace to the eighties BBS scene which is where most of the usage stemmed from.
The Joint
Adj. Very cool. Seems to be primarily an East Coast term, started by rappers. ie: “The Sugar Hill Gang is the joint!”
Like
Used as a modifier, really has no definition. ie. “I was all like, No Way” Used mostly in Valley Girl speak, it was the most widely used aspect of this stereotype.
Like, oh my God!
Excl. Wow. Unbelievable.
Major
Adj. Really cool. ie. “That song sounds major”
Make Me Barf
Phrase. A way to signal disgust with a situation. Sometimes used as “Make me wanna barf.” ie. “I just bought a new Englebert Humperdink album.” “Oh, don’t play it. That’ll make me barf.”
McFly
Excl. Someone has just done something very stupid. ex: “Nice move McFly” origin is the 80’s movie, Back to the Future.
Melvin
Action Verb. To pull another person’s underwear upwards in a jerking motion untill it wedges between ones butt-crack. This is done from behind the person in order to keep them defenseless.
Mint
Adj. Excellent, memorable, “priceless. “How was your weekend?” “Mint, best yet!”
Moded
Phrase. Skater term.
Nerd
(1)Noun. Someone who is very smart and socially unacceptable. ie. “Bill Gates is one of the most successful nerds today.”
(2)Noun. Also the proper name of a tangy candy made by Wonka candies.
Nice Play Shakespeare
Excl. That was a really stupid action.
No Shit Sherlock
Excl. Stating the obvious. I already know that.
No Way
(1)Excl. Not going to do that. “Do your homework!” “No Way!”
(2)Excl. Disbelief. “I got tickets to Duran Duran.” “No Way!”
Poser
Noun. An imposter whose intent is to fit in with a more acceptable social group. ie. “Marky Mark was such a poser, he pretend to be from the ghetto when he was really a middle class preppie.”
Preppie
Noun. A person who dressed in upscale clothing and acted snobbish towards people not in the same social standings. ie. “That guy wearing the Izods is such a preppie.”
Psyche
Excl. Ha! Fooled you! ie. Person offers an ice cream cone, and then pulls it away, he would then yell “Psyche!”. Origins can be traced to an Eddie Murphy comedy sketch.
Rad
Abrv. Short for radical.
Radical
Adj. Something extremely hip, almost awesome ie. “His moves are quite radical.”
Rippen, Rips
Adj. Something very cool. ie. “That Firebird ripps man”
Skill
Adj. Excellent. ie. “That jump was skill”. Alternatively though, according to the big boys, Skill was actually the name for penguin shit.
Smooth move, Ex-Lax
Excl. That was a really stupid action.
Solid
Noun. Affirmative. ie. “So we’re going at eight? “Yeah, solid.”
Stellar
Adj. very cool. ie. “Your blue lip gloss is stellar!”
Stoked
Excl. Very excited. ie. “I am so stoked, I just found twenty bucks on the ground.”
To The Max
Adj. Used in conjunction with any adjective that you want to emphasize. ie “That chick is annoying to the max!”
Totally Awesome
Adj. Something truly exceptional, not flawed in any ways. “That was like, totally awesome.”
Totally Tubular
Adj. A really cool move in skateboarding.
Trippendicular
Adj. Something that is totally amazing.
Val
Abrv. Short for Valley Girl. ie. “I’m a Val, I know, but it’s ok because I come from a real cool part of Encino.”
“Way”,”No Way”
Excl. An exchange between two people when one believes something the other does not. ie. “I saw your girlfriend with another guy” “No Way” “Way” “No Way” “Way”
Way Cool
Adj. Very cool. ie. “The A-Team is way cool.”
Whatever
Excl. Universally used for anything that leaves even an ounce of doubt in your mind. Usually used in a condescending tone by a Valley Girl. ie. “So she said, ‘I really like your purse’ and I’m like ‘Whatever!'”
Wicked
Adj. Excellent or great. ie. “That movie was wicked”
Word
Noun. Word means “Yes, I agree with what you’re saying, and will re-emphasize it.” ie: Person 1: “That dweeb is grody to the max.” Person 2, in agreement: “Word.” Synonyms: “I know that’s right,” and “I heard that.”
Yeah! That’s the ticket
Phrase. That sounds correct. Usually an indication that an explanation was just created. Originated from Saturday Night Live sketch with Jon Lovitz who was a habitual liar in the sketch.
Yuppie
Noun. A person who is a white collar worker who has possessions of an expensive nature and flaunts them. ie. “You see that guy in the Saab, he’s such a yuppie.” Origins trace back to the beginning of the decade when the “Yuppie Handbook” was written identifying the breed. Yuppie came from the acronym YUP, which stood for Young Urban Proffesional.
