10 slang words from the '50s that we should bring back
Gabbi Shaw
- Slang isn't always cyclical — things are cool to say, until one day they aren't.
- That doesn't mean it should stay that way. Here are 10 slang terms from the '50s that we think deserve a comeback.
- Imagine saying that you're going to get a wig chop instead of a haircut, or saying everything is copacetic, instead of OK.
Americans tend to be obsessed with the '50s — just look at things like "Grease" and "Happy Days." So, it only makes sense that there are plenty of slang words and expressions that we think should make a comeback in 2020.
From copacetic to cruisin' for a bruisin' to backseat bingo, here are 10 slang terms that we think Gen-Z should bring back this year.
Calling someone the "ginchiest" might not sound like a compliment, but it actually means you think they're cool.
As Urban Dictionary defines it, ginchiness is "the attribute of being cool in the sense that others admire you for your appearance or actions or an object or situation that inspires those feelings."
To "beat feet" is to make a run for it, but it's more fun to say.
"Most often used in the context of escaping from a particular situation. Named because of the motion and sound produced during the process, i.e. beating one's feet against the pavement," according to Urban Dictionary.
Getting a haircut is a boring turn of phrase. We should all start saying "wig chop" again.
We should all be using the word "chop" more in our daily life — start with wig chop.
"Copacetic" is way more fun way to say, "It's all good."
Or, as Urban Dictionary defines it, "Running smoothly, going well, all right."
"Bee's knees" should be said more often, and not ironically.
Bee's knees is still relatively popular, but in a sarcastic way. It's a wholesome way to say something is cool — but with a rhyme!
"Backseat bingo" is an appropriately '50s way of saying that two people are making out in their car.
It's better than calling it "tonsil hockey."
On a related note, a "passion pit" isn't just a band — it's the drive-in theater, where couples would typically go to play backseat bingo.
Drive-in theaters are becoming more popular due to the pandemic — it's a return of passion pits.
"Cruisin' for a bruisin'" basically means someone is asking for a fight, but like with bee's knees, everything is more fun in rhyme.
"Cruisin' for a Bruisin'" is the name of a song from the Disney Channel Original Movie "Teen Beach Movie," so clearly the youths of today are ready for its comeback.
Imagine saying someone got "chrome-plated" instead of dressed up.
Saying someone got all chrome-plated is just a much more fun image than plain, old dressed up.
You can call someone "the living end" when they're being particularly ridiculous.
Urban Dictionary defines the living end as "anything particularly outrageous, absurd, or scandalous."
- Read more:
- 18 words or phrases baby boomers used that are no longer around — see if you can guess what they mean
- 21 slang words teens and Gen Zers are using in 2020, and what they mean
- 8 slang words from the last decade that we can't stand
- Can you guess the meaning of these 20th-century slang terms no one uses anymore?
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