OT: For those of (ahem) a certain age

[HuskyNan]

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Goofy means the same thing now that it did, oh, forever

 

[Sifaka]

Vibe was jazz slang over half a century ago.

Guess which decade these are from.

 

[Huskee11]

In a world where "dope" now means cool or awesome, I know I am rapidly approaching my sell-by date.

 

[HuskyNan]

In a world where "dope" now means cool or awesome, I know I am rapidly approaching my sell-by date.

Yeah, our generation never made words mean something opposite

 

[Bigboote]

Yeah, our generation never made words mean something opposite

The mechanical bull also solved Gene Wilder’s back problem in that movie.

 

[meyers7]

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Goofy means the same thing now that it did, oh, forever

View attachment 111082

If someone figured these out and wrote them down, they're probably out of date by now.

And GOAT has been around since Ali. Which was like, IDK, last millennium or something.

 

[cancontent]

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Goofy means the same thing now that it did, oh, forever

View attachment 111082

This list is mild compared to what I'm hearing nowadays. If I were to provide a list of the slang words heard in Toronto, Canada, I think heads would explode. It's a mixture words you find on this list, along with Caribbean patois and who knows what else. If these words are the most that BYers ever come across, consider yourselves lucky! 😉

 

[Sifaka]

NY Times headline today:

What does it mean to be chopped? **

What Does It Mean When Gen Alpha Says Chopped?

As younger generations continue to adopt new slang, a familiar word has become a meanspirited adjective.

www.nytimes.com

** Hint-we're not talking about motorcycles.

Best Custom Chopper Motorcycles (A 2024 Guide)

Chopper motorcycles are custom-built bikes that originated in California in the late 1950s. A chopper is easily identified by its traditional modified body, longer forks, sharper steering angles, and more "stretched" appearance. These builds can be created, custom-built, bought off the lot, or...

thebikestrike.com

 

[fireford]

NY Times headline today:

What does it mean to be chopped? **

What Does It Mean When Gen Alpha Says Chopped?

As younger generations continue to adopt new slang, a familiar word has become a meanspirited adjective.

www.nytimes.com

** Hint-we're not talking about motorcycles.

Best Custom Chopper Motorcycles (A 2024 Guide)

Chopper motorcycles are custom-built bikes that originated in California in the late 1950s. A chopper is easily identified by its traditional modified body, longer forks, sharper steering angles, and more "stretched" appearance. These builds can be created, custom-built, bought off the lot, or...

thebikestrike.com

Definitely not a good thing to be "chopped".

There's also the phrase "chop it up" meaning to have a friendly conversation with someone, which I only learned recently from a youngish co-worker.

 

[OldSchooler]

How about the "DA" -- sported by only the coolest tough guys of the '50s -- the greasy haircomb with the sides combed straight back to form a duck's ass in the back.

 

[WiseWillie]

True that slang has been around for centuries. What is so befuddling to those of a "certain age" is how words used to describe something back in the dark ages like "drip" which meant boring or unattractive but today as I was recently informed means a fashionable look or style.

I am constantly asking my teenage grandchildren for explanations when they happen to casually drop one or two in a conversation. Maybe the best solution is to just realize it's something that will exist everywhere in just about any context and will constantly change. However, this could be a great $ opportunity for someone to put out a Slang For Dummies (and Old Folks). Unfortunately, it would probably be out of date as soon as it was published

 

[cancontent]

True that slang has been around for centuries. What is so befuddling to those of a "certain age" is how words used to describe something back in the dark ages like "drip" which meant boring or unattractive but today as I was recently informed means a fashionable look or style.

I am constantly asking my teenage grandchildren for explanations when they happen to casually drop one or two in a conversation. Maybe the best solution is to just realize it's something that will exist everywhere in just about any context and will constantly change. However, this could be a great $ opportunity for someone to put out a Slang For Dummies (and Old Folks). Unfortunately, it would probably be out of date as soon as it was published

This is the only reason I used the laughing reaction. This is so true.

 

[Skeets]

This list is mild compared to what I'm hearing nowadays. If I were to provide a list of the slang words heard in Toronto, Canada, I think heads would explode. It's a mixture words you find on this list, along with Caribbean patois and who knows what else. If these words are the most that BYers ever come across, consider yourselves lucky! 😉

Canada, eh? Give use some relatively clean ones.