When defining an era, cultural scientists often look to fashion, music and trends. But if you listen closely, you can see that this decade was characterized by the way people talked to each other. Although slang comes fromLata 70,Lata 80, ILata 90Everything is unique, and the 60s aesthetic of peace and love helped redefine modern language. Here's what people have been saying by word of mouth over the decade. (We mean anything but LSD.)
You can thank the infamous Hells Angels biker gang for bringing itfailto the dictionary.according toAccording to the Green Dictionary of Slang, the noun was originally used to describe "any unpleasant experience, frustrating situation". (phraseroad riding,Appears in Tom Wolfe's 1968 bookElectric Kool-Aid Acid Test,called a "bad motorcycle trip"). Describing a bad drug trip quickly became common, whether you were part of a motorcycle team or not.
2. great
excellent,A shortcutgreat he isimportedTo the United Statesthe BeatlesAround 1963. The team became known as the "Fab Four". According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the group also popularized the phrasemopDodescribeTheir shaggy hairstyles were a stark contrast to the conservative hairstyles of the 50s.
The rise of the counterculture hippie movement in the 1960s quickly preached love instead of warcausedNouns that describe group influence:flower power.This expression is derived from the flower that iconoclasts often wear to display their pacifism. There are believersHanakokorublepeople with flowers; Hippies are also known asflower power.nounyouth earthquakereturnAppearedThe movement was described in more detail in the mid-1960s.
4. give me
Doput onHe has long intended (literally or figuratively) to hit with harsh news or a high price. popular entertainment in the 1960srowan and martin laugh reverse the situationTurns into a password, meaning "warning". The term was considered so popular that it became a clunky word for a presidential candidate at the timerichard nixonagreeAppearIn the 1968 series, the reading is the pinnacle of comedy. (Nixon would throw it at the AmericansWatergateonly a few years later).
Yes, the word comes from famous Hollywood icon Humphrey Bogart, whose last name wasturn aroundinto verbs. downbogartBe aggressive, like actors often play private eye in moviesmaltese falcon Ibig dream.It is also used to criticize those who take more than their fair share, especially when they monopolize the sharefreezer— Bogart's famous character traits in real life. downBogart Unitedwould be very rude.
6. Sloppy
Dirty, dirty, poorly washed, or otherwise objectionableIs considered to bedirty. 1960Hartford GazettearticletriedKeep the reader informed: "The next time you describe something you really like, call it 'wiggy' — something really bad is 'grungy'." Noundirtyhas a similar definition, whiledirtyRefers to a person. (municipal wastehe is used to itmentioned70's New York Dolls music anddirtysam would be short for so-called Seattle Sounds, such as the Flannel BandNirvana.) can alsousebadwhere is he fromweird.
The rise of color television in the 1960s helped increase the nation's television audience, raising concerns that television would encourage too much passive participation. phrasebusty tube receivedAlthough fun in the 60sdateGo back at least to 1957. It is used to describe collections and their subjective lack of qualitative content. Glad they fixed that.
8. Freak Flag
When outcasts of the 1960s wanted to express their nonconformist views, they said they wereWaving high his strange banner.approximate dateinitiatezjimi hendrix， WHOusedIt's on his 1967 song "If '6 Was 9'".
when something is great it isName Miraclein short. The word can be both positive and negative, with the label of unpleasant experiencemavie (rublemavie) in a sharp tone.
10. Can you dig it out?
Did you capture someone's point of view or vibe? so maybe younumber,A term that dates back to the late 1930s. a version of the expressioncan you dig it outi saw it earlyPrintMentioned in 1963book reviewwindie celebrity newsFrom Pasadena, CA.
sitIt's so common and timeless that it seems to come straight from a medical textbook. instead of thisemergeA slang term from the 1960s, Green's of no identified origin (OEDintegral1965 ad), but apparently teenagers are starting to use itsitDescribe a blackhead that persisted for ten years. they also usedsubstance,sit down, Itypebut onlysitstuck.
12. Catch some light
when youwantedtanned in the late 60's you would say you wouldcatch some light. beachgoers toopolice,get,to catch, rubledipped in light.The phrase was not used as a farewell greeting until 2002:have fun! Catch some rays!
fashion plateto wearlatest style using adjectivego goDescribe their contemporary sensibility. 1960daily timeA newspaper article noted, "In Paris, a tubular sweater that goes up to the thigh is called a takeaway sweater. Germans now have takeaway pajamas."
14. Golden Melody
What happens when one decade misses another? They turn to things likegold relics, whichsurfaced1960Arizona RepublicArticle, used to describe an old song or movie that is still popular in the current era. Probably grew up togetherNameA radio show that plays older hits.
verbsignificance"Choose the best available item or score"toothpickIt came into use from the early colloquial use of the nouncherry picker, whichdateBack to 1940.
16. Prostitutes
through the ages,hackerused to benounA tool that can chop down trees. In the 1930s, it referred to a bad golfer. But in the 1960s, it became a term for someone who tried to gain unauthorized access to the telephone network, as someone at MIT did in 1963. Today, it is synonymous with computer network penetration.
When someone makes an unwelcome advance, it's called sexual harassment. there were criminals in the 60smark Handmade.
18. Eat snacks
1 secondMackeygot used todescribeAs a snack, it has been around since the early 1900s until the late 1960s.getrubleeat dessertcaught. Then and now, he described the hunger pangs caused by smoking marijuana.
Oxford English Dictionarydate electric travelAt least until 1968, whenWeekly newspaperDescribe people they describe as "on a constant power trip" or confused about their own authority.
20. Trendy
This adjective for something cool, hip, and happening is synonymous with the '60s, but it didn't originate there.fashionableactuallydateUntil the 1930s, musicians were said to be concentrating when they played, or generally thought something was perfect. Since then, it has taken on a somewhat postmodern meaning, and it doesusedA mocking and ironic reference to the outdated culture of the 1960s today. fail.
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