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This is a list of slang used by Baby boomers, generally those born between 1946 and 1964 in the Western world.
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| 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] |
Rhyming slang is a form of slang word construction in the English language. It is especially prevalent among Cockneys in England, and was first used in the early 19th century in the East End of London; hence its alternative name, Cockney rhyming slang. In the US, especially the criminal underworld of the West Coast between 1880 and 1920, rhyming slang has sometimes been known as Australian slang.
Leet, also known as eleet or leetspeak, is a system of modified spellings used primarily on the Internet. It often uses character replacements in ways that play on the similarity of their glyphs via reflection or other resemblance. Additionally, it modifies certain words on the basis of a system of suffixes and alternative meanings. There are many dialects or linguistic varieties in different online communities.
Pig Latin is a language game, argot, or cant in which words in English are altered, usually by adding a fabricated suffix or by moving the onset or initial consonant or consonant cluster of a word to the end of the word and adding a vocalic syllable to create such a suffix. For example, Wikipedia would become Ikipediaway. The objective is often to conceal the words from others not familiar with the rules. The reference to Latin is a deliberate misnomer; Pig Latin is simply a form of argot or jargon unrelated to Latin, and the name is used for its English connotations as a strange and foreign-sounding language. It is most often used by young children as a fun way to confuse people unfamiliar with Pig Latin.
A slang is a vocabulary of an informal register, common in verbal conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-groups in order to establish group identity, exclude outsiders, or both. The word itself came about in the 18th century and has been defined in multiple ways since its conception.
Bitch is a pejorative slang word for a person, usually a woman. When applied to a woman or girl, it means someone who is belligerent, unreasonable, malicious, controlling, aggressive, or dominant. When applied to a man or boy, bitch reverses its meaning and is a derogatory term for being subordinate, weak, or cowardly. In gay speech the word bitch can refer approvingly to a man who is unusually assertive or has the characteristics used pejoratively of a woman.
Polari is a form of slang or cant historically used in Britain by some actors, circus and fairground showmen, professional wrestlers, merchant navy sailors, criminals and sex workers, and particularly among the gay subculture. There is some debate about its origins, but it can be traced to at least the 19th century and possibly as early as the 16th century. Polari has a long-standing connection with Punch and Judy street puppeteers, who traditionally used it to converse.
Pussy is a term used as a noun, an adjective, and—in rare instances—a verb in the English language. It has several meanings, as slang, as euphemism, and as vulgarity. Most commonly, it is used as a noun with the meaning "cat", "coward", or "weakling". In slang usage, it can mean "vulva or vagina" and less commonly, as a form of synecdoche, meaning "sexual intercourse with a woman". Because of its multiple senses including both innocent and vulgar connotations, pussy is often the subject of double entendre.
This is a list of British words not widely used in the United States. In Commonwealth of Nations, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, India, South Africa, and Australia, some of the British terms listed are used, although another usage is often preferred.
LGBT slang, LGBT speak, queer slang, or gay slang is a set of English slang lexicon used predominantly among LGBTQ+ people. It has been used in various languages since the early 20th century as a means by which members of the LGBTQ+ community identify themselves and speak in code with brevity and speed to others. The acronym LGBT was popularized in the 1990s and stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender. It may refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual or non-cisgender, instead of exclusively to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. To recognize this inclusion, a popular variant, LGBTQ, adds the letter Q for those who identify as queer or are questioning their sexual or gender identity.
Bimbo is slang for a conventionally attractive, sexualized, naïve, and unintelligent woman. The term was originally used in the United States as early as 1919 for an unintelligent or brutish man. As of the early 21st century, the "stereotypical bimbo" appearance became akin to that of a physically attractive woman. It is commonly employed to characterize women who are blonde, have curvaceous physiques, wear excessive makeup, and dress in revealing attire while being associated with "the dumb blonde" stereotype.
Indonesian slang vernacular, or Jakarta colloquial speech is a term that subsumes various urban vernacular and non-standard styles of expression used throughout Indonesia that are not necessarily mutually intelligible. Regional slang from the capital of Jakarta, based on Betawi language, is however heavily exposed and promoted in national media, and considered the de facto Indonesian slang. Despite its direct origins, Indonesian slang often differs quite significantly in both vocabulary and grammatical structure from the most standard form of Indonesia's national language. These expressions are neither standardized nor taught in any formal establishments, but rather function in daily discourse, usually in informal settings. Several dictionaries of bahasa gaul has been published. Indonesian speakers regularly mix several regional slangs in their conversations regardless of origin, but depending on the audience and the familiarity level with the listeners.
The origin of the word jazz is one of the most sought-after etymologies in modern American English. Interest in the word – named the Word of the Twentieth Century by the American Dialect Society – has resulted in considerable research and the linguistic history is well documented. "Jazz" originated in slang around 1912 on the West Coast. The meaning varied, but the word did not initially refer to music. "Jazz" came to mean jazz music in Chicago around 1915.
The Love Hurts Tour was the third solo concert tour by American singer-actress Cher. The tour supported her twentieth studio album, Love Hurts. The tour reached Europe and North America. It played in arenas and followed the previous Heart of Stone Tour.
An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words. By another definition, an idiom is a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements. For example, an English speaker would understand the phrase "kick the bucket" to mean "to die" – and also to actually kick a bucket. Furthermore, they would understand when each meaning is being used in context.
Dick is a common English slang word for the human penis. It is also used by extension for a variety of slang purposes, generally considered vulgar, including: as a verb to describe sexual activity; and as a pejorative term for individuals who are considered to be rude, abrasive, inconsiderate, or otherwise contemptible. In this context, it can be used interchangeably with jerk, and can also be used as a verb to describe rude or deceitful actions. Variants include dickhead, which literally refers to the glans. The offensiveness of the word dick is complicated by the continued use of the word in inoffensive contexts, including as both a given name and a surname, the popular British dessert spotted dick, the novel Moby-Dick, the Dick and Jane series of children's books, and the American retailer Dick's Sporting Goods. Uses such as these have provided a basis for comedy writers to exploit this juxtaposition through double entendre.
Diminutive forms of words are commonly used in everyday Australian English. While many dialects of English make use of diminutives and hypocorisms, Australian English uses them more extensively than any other. Diminutives may be seen as slang, but many are used widely across the whole of society. Some forms have also spread outside Australia to other English-speaking countries. There are over 5,000 identified diminutives in use in Australian English.
"OK boomer" or "okay boomer" is a catchphrase and internet meme used to dismiss or mock attitudes typically associated with baby boomers – people born in the two decades following World War II. The phrase first drew widespread attention due to a November 2019 TikTok video in response to an older man, though the phrase had been coined years before that. It is used mostly by those of the Millennial generation and Generation Z. The phrase has developed into a retort for resistance to technological change, climate change denial, marginalization of members of minority groups, or opposition to younger generations' values more generally. Critics of the term perceive it as ageist. It has been noted as a marker of intergenerational conflict.
Gyat is a term from African-American Vernacular English originally used in exclamation. In the 2020s, the word experienced a semantic shift and gained the additional meaning of "a person, usually a woman, with large buttocks and sometimes an hourglass figure".
