I’ve always been fond of using slang people don’t use anymore. Popping out a “groovy” or “right on brother” at just the right time is great fun.
I just added a few rat pack era terms to my list. “Kookoo chicks” and “clambake” have been good to throw people off.
But i’m running dry on new slang terms. I’m looking for a few that are really the cat’s meow.
They can be anything. I ain’t no wet blanket. I’ll use um all.
So pipe up and help a fella out and everything will be Jake.
Boss
Swell
Slick
Foxy
Gnarly
Bodacious
Heavy
Tough
Hep
Neato
Gonzo
Smokin
Hunky-dory.
Grouse.
The Bees-Knees.
Tubular and Gnarly are pretty out.
More recently, Waaaaaaaaaazzup is pretty much done with too.
You might find something here.
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~wrader/slang/
Pipe this joint, it’s lousy with slang of the trouble boys in the 20s and 30s.
As always, the Simpsons comes to the rescue:
Spud : “Use anything to reel in the customers. Tricks, bribes, slang from the 30s that no one uses anymore…”
Bart : “Like rube?”
Spud : “Now you’re on the trolley”
In Stephen Fry’s The Liar, the protagonist decides to take up the slang of the roaring twenties–think PG Wodehouse’s Bertie Wooster: “Absolutely spiffing, old chum!” “What! What!”
Just use “jolly” in place of “very” or “really,” as in “jolly odd, that!”
“No rotting!” is a way of saying, “no kidding?!”
Slang of that era in practice could be very dense and incomprehensible, crazy kids…
Or, you could be a bit more current: “Excuse me stewardess, I speak jive.”
I’ve always liked the '50s vibe of “dreamy.”
“Rad” or “radical!”
Mind you, “that’s so last season” is also, well, so last season too.
<Undercover Brother> Solid </Undercover Brother>
A long time ago, a friend of mine had an LP record of a southern US comic called Brother Dave. He said, “I’m gonna hit you so hard, you gon’ hum like a ten-penny finishin’ nail, been hit by a greasy ball peen hammer!”
Here’s a really darb link that ain’t no bushwa.
Ya got moxie, kid. I’ll give ya that much…but all the gazebos will think yer just some mook from the rhubarbs if ya just pop off wit’ the cornball lingo all of a sudden.
(Slang courtesy of “American Slang: 2nd Edition.” I regret to report that I was unable to work in “his nibs” or “quux” into the above paragraph)
the most (As in, “Oh, George Clooney is so dreamy-he’s the absolute MOST!”)
hep cat
jive
far out
ginchy, baby.
“I’ll catch you cats on the flip side” is one I like…also to say something’s L7 or square.
i’ve been using “marvy” (short for marvelous…duh) lately, don’t know where i got it from…too many BBC sitcoms perhaps…
…then again, i don’t think you’d be too keen on integrating ‘marvy’ into your vernacular
groady…i started using that one again after i caught Valley Girl on VH1 a few weeks ago…it works so WELL.
the cats pajamas
square (as in uncool)
stellar
cheeky
peachy
yes, these all lack a certain masculinity to them but…what do you want from me? the more aggressive slang i use requires F_ck, and a certain son of God…it lacks creativity… (Hungarians - now THEY know how to swear!..ah…exchange students)
If you’re looking for a bone list of slang used by Dragsmen and Shivering Jemmy’s try: http://www.tlucretius.net/Sophie/Castle/victorian_slang.html.
The bee’s knees
Peachy Keen
Swell
bitchen
far out
whipper snapper
to name a few