# Forgotten slang from your childhood **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 12, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784 "2012-12-12T02:09:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/41 "2012-12-13T22:33:51Z")
UCSD, ca. 1979-80. _Mega_, meaning “very much” or “very many”. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/42 "2012-12-14T00:10:03Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > In our high school (ca. 1970), juvenile delinquent types were known as “greasers”. That was big at my high school too. The preppy rich kids were “Socs” pronounced “soshes”. I believe both came from the S.E. Hinton book \*The Outsiders \*which was required reading in English classes. In grade school, to steal something was to “crock” it. If you were ready to leave you’d say “Let’s book!” (This is in high school) I think I read later that one originated with GIs in the Vietnam War. Where I lived “Let’s party” or “Do you party” refered strictly to smoking pot. ---
**Author:** ![Phila444](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba8739/32.png) [@Phila444](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phila444)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/43 "2012-12-14T17:46:48Z")
I remember back in the mid to late 80s/early 90s (possibly before then, but I was born in '80) “decent” being used in the same sense as “awesome.” Also “bird” was used as a slang term for penis. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/44 "2012-12-14T17:48:55Z")
> [@Phila444](#): > > I remember back in the mid to late 80s/early 90s (possibly before then, but I was born in '80) “decent” being used in the same sense as “awesome.” Also “bird” was used as a slang term for penis. DEEEEEEscent! nodding slowly, nonchalantly. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/45 "2012-12-14T18:02:53Z")
Small town in Illinois - in high school the term for a blow job was “moke”. Today’s “Nerds” would be referred to as “Dorks”. If they touched you, you could also get “cooties” from “Dorks”. May I take a minute to say that in our school system, kids with Downs Syndrome would stick with their age group from Kindergarten all the way through high school. This meant that those kids with special needs were always in your classes (at least for part of the day) your entire life. Because of this, I never ONCE remember any of the kids in our school making fun of “retards” or anything of the like - we all felt sort of protective of those kids we had grown up with. I wonder if they still allow those kids to go through the school system like that today - in retrospect, a very wise decision. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/46 "2012-12-15T02:18:41Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I see you list “Hollywood Riviera” as your location. For me, \*that in itself \*qualifies as a long forgotten term ( nobody but those who live/ lived there know the term, AFAIK, and I haven’t lived there in 20+ years). Did you grow up there? No, I grew up a few miles north, in what Realtors and absolutely nobody else calls “Golden Hills”. We always just called it “the part of north Redondo south of Aviation”. I’d never heard the term “Hollywood Riviera” until I started looking at apartments after college. I only knew of Riviera Village, which was “the shopping area down by RAT Beach” “Getting cultured” was slang for getting drunk, but that was only among a small group of friends who were present when the phrase was coined. I don’t think I’ve heard “fresh” since the early 90s. “Mondo” was another general purpose intensifier - “That was a mondo screwup, dude.” “Scrode” or “scroad” was an ugly girl. “Skank” was a slutty girl. There were also some racist ones that have thankfully disappeared, like “beaner”. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@Mister\_Owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Owl)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/47 "2012-12-15T03:37:33Z")
Here is one prompted by this thread, I heard it in the mid 70’s in central Oregon. Jockey boxing; stealing whatever was in the jockey box (glove box) in an unlocked car. I haven’t thought of that one in years. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/48 "2012-12-15T04:27:25Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > No, I grew up a few miles north, in what Realtors and absolutely nobody else calls “Golden Hills”. We always just called it “the part of north Redondo south of Aviation”. I’d never heard the term “Hollywood Riviera” until I started looking at apartments after college. I only knew of Riviera Village, which was “the shopping area down by RAT Beach” > > “Getting cultured” was slang for getting drunk, but that was only among a small group of friends who were present when the phrase was coined. > I don’t think I’ve heard “fresh” since the early 90s. > “Mondo” was another general purpose intensifier - “That was a mondo screwup, dude.” > “Scrode” or “scroad” was an ugly girl. “Skank” was a slutty girl. > There were also some racist ones that have thankfully disappeared, like “beaner”. Oh, a _Falcon_!(?) I haven’t thought of “beaner” in years. Not many of Mexican descent here. Speaking of racist terms (and reverting back to stoner speak) if you passed a joint that was wet with your saliva you had “nigger lipped” it. And yes, our group included black kids and they used the term also. ---
**Author:** ![stanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@stanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stanger)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/49 "2012-12-15T06:05:08Z")
I remember _kipe_, but that was back in the late 1960s. I never heard of this anywhere else, but back around 1962 or so (4th grade), if somebody wanted to make fun of another because they made a mistake or said something stupid, the antagonist would say “Gobble, gobble!” It was the equivalent of Nelson on “The Simpsons” of saying “Ha Ha!” Also back in grade school and junior high (1964-1967), an ugly girl was a “skag”’. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/50 "2012-12-15T06:19:18Z")
SMH. Y’all are so chatty for this. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/51 "2012-12-15T06:23:27Z")
You youngsters sure had some “boss” slanguage. Did you ever “sound” on each other. (NYC 1960s - Boss meant good. Sounding was trading insults, as in “Your mother is so fat…”) ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/52 "2012-12-15T15:25:37Z")
Thought of another one: an ugly girl was a “bagger”. A really ugly girl was a “double-bagger”. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/53 "2012-12-15T16:09:18Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > … > > “Psych!” (Or “Sike!” Not sure how it was spelled) In Virginia, 1990 or so, “psych” meant, “not!” in the sense that you were negating something you just said e.g you could taunt someone by saying., “Want 20 dollars? Psych!” ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/54 "2012-12-15T19:30:21Z")
This thread is totally bitchen. ---
**Author:** ![listedmia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e0b2c6/32.png) [@listedmia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/listedmia)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/55 "2012-12-15T21:26:39Z")
I finished high school in 2008, so these are not that old. Ret (pronounced “ritt”)= short for “retarded”. Pancakes=weed (good code word to be used around your parents) Bad stuff= cocaine Gank=to steal something My group of friends also decided the word “the” was superfluous and made an effort to use it as little as possible. Examples: “I’ll meet you up on hill”, “Hand me cup”. It drove the other kids nuts. The more offensive ones: To n\*\*\*\*\*lip= to get a passed joint or cigarette all wet and make it difficult to smoke. To beanerpack=fitting a ridiculous number of people into a car. We had black and Mexican friends, we would use these words around them and we did not consider ourselves particularly racist, but we kinda didn’t make that connection. It was weird. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/56 "2012-12-15T22:42:58Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I remember lots of slang from my childhood actually: > > Zinter - someone who wore old dirty clothes all the time, eg: Corey, why are you always such a zinter? > > Plussy - quality of being attractive or wanted, eg: Dude, those new shoes are fucking plussy! > > The Colonel - nick name for authority, police, government, eg: Fucking Colonel pulled me over last night for speeding. > > Tilling - the act of hiding things for retrieval later, eg: Quick, till that weed man before we get caught! > > Pincer - guy who gets a lot of action, eg: John banged 3 girls last weekend the lucky pincer! > > 450 - A large amount, a zillion, eg: He must have like 450 porno mags in his closet I swear. (I have no idea why it was 450 honestly… just was) These are great. What era and where were they used? ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/57 "2012-12-15T22:44:59Z")
> [@listedmia](#): > > I finished high school in 2008, so these are not that old. > Ret (pronounced “ritt”)= short for “retarded”. > Pancakes=weed (good code word to be used around your parents) > Bad stuff= cocaine > Gank=to steal something > My group of friends also decided the word “the” was superfluous and made an effort to use it as little as possible. Examples: “I’ll meet you up on hill”, “Hand me cup”. It drove the other kids nuts. > > The more offensive ones: > To n\*\*\*\*\*lip= to get a passed joint or cigarette all wet and make it difficult to smoke. > To beanerpack=fitting a ridiculous number of people into a car. > We had black and Mexican friends, we would use these words around them and we did not consider ourselves particularly racist, but we kinda didn’t make that connection. It was weird. Also for getting a cigarette wet: hot-box. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/58 "2012-12-15T22:55:58Z")
We sometimes still call my nearly middle-aged son “Little Snapper Pants,” his older sister’s toddler insult to him still in diapers and wearing those easy-open pants legs. Poor Guy. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/59 "2012-12-15T23:02:31Z")
Teen-aged daughter came home from first week in high school totally mortified. One of the kewl guys had passed her in the hall and asked “What’s your bag?” to which she had answered, “Oh, it’s that green one in my locker.” Bad skateboard fall - “He biffed.” ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784/60 "2012-12-15T23:07:14Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > Also for getting a cigarette wet: hot-box. ???wet?? “Hot-boxing” a cigarette means (or meant) hitting it so hard that it makes the cherrry huge and the cigarette becomes “hot” acrid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-slang-from-your-childhood/643784.md?page=4)