My understanding the same was true for “entrepreneur”. In English, it used to have a negative connotation, implying someone was a shady, dishonest businessman.
Getting back to the OP, what about “dude”? While the meaning has changed over time, the word originated in the late 19th century.
Yep, the term ‘dude’ used to be an insulting term Western folks would call Easterners who’d come out West being overly fancily dressed and sticking out in a crowd-- similar to ‘city slicker’. Hence the term ‘dude ranch’-- a ranch for city slickers to pretend they were cowboys.
Then the term evolved until The Big Lebowski was called ‘The Dude’ in terms of reverent respect (a character who was the polar opposite of being overly fancily dressed).
Between the two, it was adopted from surfer slang to just mean "guy’.
Yeah, “cool” goes back surprisingly far. Tom Lehrer parodies the “cool school” of jazz in his 1959 version of “Clementine”
In the 1990’s I was with some teenagers. One of them said “sucks”. A “good kid”, told him not to use suck, but use stink instead,
Shortly after that I was watching The Philadelphia Story. In the movie a kid said “stinks”. An adult told her not to say stinks, but use “smell” instead.
One bit of slang that has not withstood the test of time
QUOZ
If you look it up online you get this:
But that doesn’t give you the full flavor of the brief period in the early 19th century when “quoz” became what we today would have to call a meme
It’s recorded in Charles Mackay’s wonderful 1841 book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
Now that’s also a mighty fine word. Was it also 19th century slang? Has it stood the test of time? I don’t know when I learned that word, but it’s not so long ago and it probably was on this board. I also read a lot of 19th century literature, maybe I have it from there.
Samuel Johnson thought it came from non compos mentis which is Latin for…well, “nincompoop”. I assume “ninny” is a shortened form.
I always assumed that, I didn’t know it came from Johnson. If it’s not true (I don’t know what you’d call that, like a backronym?), it’s one hell of a coincidence.
I absolutely learned this word from Bugs Bunny.
I only ever watched Bugs Bunny in the German dub, so it’s not from there. Now I wonder what they translated nincompoop to…
Given how proud my cats are of their asses and how often they display them to me they must be very special body parts indeed.
I use it in certain bars. It is the only way to order whiskey.
Tango Uniform is still relevant.
Was that in the right thread? Or is that cool slang from yo’ hood, back in the Eisenhower Era?
“So what’s hipness, beat poet pal o’ mine?”
[snapping fingers] “Ever’thang is ever’thang, it all be Tango Uniform, mister crewcut man…”
“You are correct, improvisational goatee fellow. Tango Uniform indeed…” [pulls comb out of penny loafer]
I’m 42 and had the exact. same. experience.
Now even my mother will sometimes say something sucks, herself.
Did you just … verbify the word “noun” ?!?
Well done, good sir. Well done.
I often hold entire conversations with dull blabber-mouths just using the words “cool” and “sucks”, with a few modifiers thrown in to boot. It’s a way to appear engaged in the conversation, while not really listening, and making the chat as short as possible.
Blabber-mouth: blabber, blabber, blabber…
Tibby: cool!
Blabber-mouth: blabber, blabber, blabber…
Tibby: that sucks.
Blabber-mouth: blabber, blabber, blabber…
Tibby: that really sucks.
Blabber-mouth: blabber, blabber, blabber…
Tibby: cool, man.
Blabber-mouth: blabber, blabber, blabber…
Tibby: that sucks big time.
Blabber-mouth: blabber, blabber, blabber…
Tibby: [looks at watch] Hey, man, it was cool talking with you, but sucks I gotta go now and see a man about a horse.
“cool” and “sucks” pretty much covers the entire describable spectrum of life, with perhaps “meh” centered in between.
“Saucered and blowed” — hmmm, it’s still somewhat used, but not so much these days.