21 Words From the 1970s That We Wish Would Return to American Vocabulary
Language is constantly changing, and what was groovy in the 1970s may now make you a square. These 21 words and phrases aren’t common among youngsters, but many of them are so fun to say that we want them to make a comeback.
1: Poltroon
Poltroon is just a fancy way of saying coward, though most Millenials and Gen Zers probably couldn’t tell you that. These days, you’ll only find it in literary texts.
2: Cool Beans
Supposedly 1970s icons Cheech and Chong invented the term “Cool Beans,” which essentially means “sounds good.” Millennials may also remember it from D.J. Tanner on Full House.
3: Growlery
Almost no one uses the term growlery anymore, but it might be worth bringing back. Coined by Charles Dickens and later used by Frederick Douglas, it refers to a place where you can retreat when in a terrible mood.
4: Hornswoggle
Hornswoggle is early 19th-century slang for tricking or deceiving. Though only the oldest Americans may recognize the term, it’s certainly fun to say.
5: Rapscallion
According to Merriam-Webster, rapscallion comes from “rascal” and is simply a spicier way of calling someone a troublemaker. Older Americans still use this term, but it’s rare among younger generations.
6: Wig Chop
Wig chop is a phrase baby boomers may recognize. It was big in the 1950s and is a fun way to say haircut.
7: Wet Rag
Calling someone a wet rag means they’re no fun. People from older generations often used it to goad friends into playing or going out.
8: Whippersnapper
Whippersnapper is a favorite among older generations. It refers to someone who’s young, naive, and overconfident.
9: Baloney
Calling someone full of baloney means they’re foolish or speaking nonsense. Its usage peaked with adults in 2006, but today’s youngest generations don’t say it.
10: Hootenanny
Hootenanny peaked in the 1960s and had a slight resurgence in the 1990s, but it’s almost never used nowadays. It refers to a social gathering, often including folk singing.
11: Twattle
Twattle is another word for gossip or idle chatter. It probably came from the word tattle, which Americans still understand and use.
12: Fink
If you grew up in the 1950s, you might have used the term fink. It’s a synonym for snitch and refers to someone who told your secrets.
13: Bogart
Humphrey Bogart was a famous actor back in the day. The term “bogart” referred to hogging something that should be shared, as in, “Don’t bogart that ice cream!”
14: Grody
Grody is another way of saying gross. It originated in the 1970s and reached its peak popularity in the 1990s.
15: Groovy
Groovy is quintessential 1970s slang, but it also made a small comeback in the early 2000s. Though today’s youngest generations hardly ever say it, many recognize groovy means fashionable or exciting.
16: Square
We’re not talking about the four-sided shape. In 1950s slang, square meant someone who was old-fashioned and no fun.
18: Threads
The baby boomer generation might tell you “nice threads” if they admire your clothes. Today’s younger generations use threads to refer to a series of connected posts in an online forum.
19: Fuzz
In the 1970s, the “fuzz” was slang for the police. The term came from Britain, where London police officers wore fuzzy, felt-covered helmets.
20: Hooch
Hooch is a term for high-proof alcohol, sometimes illicitly brewed. People started using it during prohibition, but it had a major resurgence in the early 2000s.
21: Drag
Older Americans may refer to something boring as a drag. Though the term was big in the 1960s, it originally came from soldiers in the Civil War.
Language Naturally Changes
Language evolves with each generation. We also change the way we speak as we age, and researchers refer to this phenomenon as age-grading.
Age-Grading
Age-grading is easiest to identify with something like the suffix “-ing.” Young children still learning to speak tend to be conservative and pronounce the full suffix. The same goes for the oldest generations.
Adolescent Informalities
Adolescence is a time of experimentation, and people may drop the “g” in “ing.” So, instead of saying “working,” they might say “workin’.” Adolescents also tend to come up with entirely new terms unique to their generation, such as grody, bogart, or boloney.
40 Most Confusing Acronyms
With many people wanting to send and receive information quickly, new acronyms seem to appear by the minute. The problem? Many Americans are left in the dust about what they mean.
14 American Phrases That Annoy Brits to the Core
There’s no mistaking an American and British accent. However, accents aren’t the only thing that differs; many words and phrases Americans use the British don’t, and vice versa. Some American terms are downright annoying to Brits.
