The birth of every new decade brings with it the ushering in of new slang words. Some slang words die almost as quickly as they are born, never getting the chance to cement themselves into the psyche of the young American mind. Others, however, gain some popularity and manage to hang around for a few years. Some lucky few actually achieve the pinnacle of success and span the decades, forever immortalized regardless of age. This is usually the result of the slang word being uttered by a pop culture icon. The 1980’s were no exception and many slang words that are still used today, or a variation of them, sprung forth from what has been dubbed the “decade of decadence”.

      The social atmosphere of the early to mid eighties exploded into an anything goes type of mentality. America was realizing that it wasn’t growing older but, in fact, was getting younger. From television to movies to music, youth was idolized and revered. In an attempt to distance themselves from the disco music, platform shoes, and bell bottoms of the 70’s, America’s teens lead the charge in changing the face of the nation. But in the area of slang words they turned to the same source that previous generations had turned to. The surfing community. Many of the popular words and phrases used at the time were previously considered surfing lingo. And while the meaning was changed to fit into the mainstream language, the original definition could sometimes be seen just below the surface. In the late eighties the hip-hop culture began to emerge and as a result the nation found a new source to tap for it’s slang. Whether it was surfing lingo or hip-hop rap most of the country was talking some form of slang and the words definitely had an impact on nearly everyone.

     Putting together a list of every slang word used in the eighties would be a nearly impossible feat, so attempted here is a general guide to perhaps what could be considered the most popular or most well known slang from an era quite unlike any other.

A great many words were used to describe people. Friends, enemies, men and women. No one was safe from getting a label.

Dude -Used to describe a male friend or really cool guy.

Dudette -A really cool girl.

Bra -A good friend.

Yuppie -A rich person who flaunts their money and possessions.

Dweeb -A dorky person, a nerd.

Ditz or Ditz bag -Unintelligent person. Someone lacking common sense.

Hacker -Computer whiz.

Hoser -Loser or jerk.

Poser -A wannabe. Someone who tries to fit in.

Preppie or prep -The rich kid in school who flaunts their family’s wealth. Usually becomes a yuppie in adulthood.

Homeboy or Homie -Best friend.

Posse -Group of friends

Neo-maxi-zoom dweebie -Not really a word, but it’s fun to say. It was made famous in the movie “The breakfast club”.

Other words were used to describe situations, whether good or bad.

Rad -Extremely good or attractive.

Tubular -Very, very cool.

Awesome -Great.

Bogus -Unfair or harsh.

Brutal -Extremely hard or difficult.

Dope -Better than cool.

Gnarly -Either really good or really bad.

Feelings, nothing more than feelings…….

Psyched -Thrilled. Excited.

Stoked -Full of enthusiasm.

Grody -Really gross.

Chill -Relax. Calm down.

Spazzing -Immensely excited.

To the max -Taking something to the extreme.

ill -Acting foolishly.

And some words were made famous that never really went away.

Cowabunga -Usually shouted before someone performed a stunt or trick.

As if -A response to someone’s criticism.

Yo -A greeting. Generally yelled to someone from a distance.

Eat my shorts -The all around comeback to nearly any insult.

Like -Generally used by valley girls before any sentence.

Totally -Used in front of any word to stress it’s meaning or importance.

      So if you if suddenly find yourself transported back to the eighties while driving your Delorean at 88 miles per hour, with this handy guide you to can safely navigate your way around the world of 1980’s slang. Now go curl up on the couch with a lovely dudette or invite your posse over, chill out and watch your favorite totally rad eighties flick.