rodmonster
02-12-2009, 08:24 PM
Okay - although these were not ALL created in the 80s - most are synonymous with the 80s!!!
Like e - Enjoy and stuff - to the MAX!
airhead
n. A stupid or unaware person; moron, dim-wit. Origin: term implies that there is nothing but air in the subject's head. ("He's confused again. What an airhead!") Unrenowned to popular belief, Valley Girls did not invent this word. It was used to describe them.
awesome
\Awe"some\, a. 1. Causing awe; appalling; awful; as, an awesome sight. In the 80's, if something was cool, it was awesome. See also bad.
bad
adj. very good, excellent; Cool, Awesome. See also awesome.
bad to the bone
The group George Thorogood & the Destroyers had a hit in the early 80's that had started this quote. The movie Fast Times At Ridgmont High was bad to the bone! See also bad.
barf bag
A type of insult. Something Jo on The Facts of Life might of called Blair for spilling something on her homework.
barf me out
You might of heard this come from a Valley Girl after you've said something offensive to her. Also used to describe something you do not particularly like.
bodacious
An 80's guy's way to describe a woman who had a beautiful body. She is bodacious!
bogus/bogue
Unfair or unfortunate. Having one night to do a term paper is so bogus!
bomb
Adj. Something favorable. See also awesome.
butt ugly
Adj. Unattractive to the sight.
Cap
As in to "cap" on someone. Meaning to insult.
cheesy/cheezy
Adj. 1. In poor taste; lame, corny. The gift I received was really cheesy. 2. Overly sentimental or insincere.
chill
v 1. to relax; hang out. Let's go chill at your place. Dude, just chill.
clydesdale
Big, all-American boy. Meant as a word of praise. Usually used by mid-80's preppy girls.
cocooning
The act of fixing up your home. Investing in it for the long-term.
couch potato
Someone who sits in front of the TV on their couch or sofa. With the boom of cable, MTV and home video, more people parked their butts on their couches. Hence the term couch potato.
dink
Two incomes with no kids. A couple of yuppies with lots of money to burn.
dipstick
n An unintelligent person; moron, dim-wit; idiot. Popularized by "Boss Hogg" on TV's The Dukes of Hazzard.
ditz
A less harsh way of describing a person who is not very smart. See also airhead.
do lunch
One of the most used phrases in the 80's. Notoriously used by yuppies to get together for power lunches or mixing lunch with business. Lets do lunch. One of the few surviving phrases of the 80's ,used in the 90's and possibly beyond!
dweeb
Geek, nerd. Someone who is not "in".
eat my shorts
Phrase used as a comeback. Heavily in use in the 80's and also used on TV's The Simpsons. If someone was to put you down in anyway, you can reply with this phrase.
for sure/fer shur
To stress what you are saying. Usually in a valley type accent. Fer shur, fer shur dude!
fresh
Cool, new. Duran Duran's new album is so fresh!
gag me with a spoon
A typical Valley Girl response to something you dislike. Not meant to be taken literally.
gnarly
Very good. Not commonly used today. She is gnarly!
grody
really, really gross. Sometimes used with: Grody to the max! Max being a degree of grossness.
gross out/grotesque
To make someone sick. Most of the time - not literally.
hacker
Computer genius. In WarGames, Mathew Broderick played a hacker.
have a cow
Being overly excited or to make a big deal out of something.
hellacious
Bad, not good.
homeboy
Used in the early 80's to describe someone who is a one of your club or gang buddies.
hoser
Loser, jerk. Rob Moranis & Dave Thomas as "Bob and Doug McKenzie" made this a popular slang word.
house music
Disco type dance music, very repetitive.
ill
Uncool, unhip. "You be illin'". Sometimes used if someone looks under the weather, unhappy or even if they have suffered a catastrophe.
"In your dreams!"
A phrase used usually when a person totally disagrees with something someone said.
joanie
A boring, not-so-hip girl. From the 70s and 80s show Happy Days, Erin Moran, the character of Joanie Cunningham the unhip girl of the 50s.
lame
Used to describe something or someone who is not cool or acceptable.
like
A word used before every sentence in the 80's. "Like, are you going to the prom?"
major
To stress something you say, immensely. "You are a major dipstick, Major!"
mall chick
Girl who spends most of her time at the mall. Big meeting place of the 80's.
"Not even!"
Used when someone says something you don't like or disagree with.
new wave
A type of heavily synthesized pop music performed by groups like A Flock of Seagulls, Duran Duran, The Busboys, Thompson Twins and Eurasure. A form of disco that had an essence of the future. This spun off people who dressed "new wave". Lots of mouse or gel in the hair, makeup on the face, loud colors, etc.
o-rama
Suffix you affix to a word to describe the whole spectrum of the meaning. "He is a Dweeb-o-rama". Meaning, you are describing someone that is every sense of that word.
out the door
A suffix used at the end of a phrase. "Gag me out the door." Meaning, something gaged them so much they had to leave the room.
PC
1. Personal Computer (early 80s) 2. Political correctness.
Phat
To be phat is a good thing. If someone says you are phat, it doesn't mean you are overweight. Sort of like telling someone they are bad. A term still used today. Pretty Hot and Tender
Poser
A 'wannabe' spin off
preppie/preppy
A collegiate type, someone who wore Polo or Izod shirts, deck shoes and a cloth belt. Preppies usually grew up to be yuppies. See also yuppies.
psych
A term meaning "gotcha"! Psych was usually used after telling someone something not true.
rad/radical
If something is rad, it's not only attractive, it's attractive immensely.
rap
Speaking or singing rhythmically over a beat in the background. One who raps is a rapper.
road pizza
Road kill. A dead animal on the road.
rush/head rush
Big thrill. "That roller coaster was such a head rush"!
slamdance
Punk teens throwing themselves while "dancing", trying to harm either themselves or others for enjoyment. The same sort of dancing resides today in mosh pits.
spazzing
Overly excited. An exaggeration of being excited.
stoked
To be ready to do something.
stud
A macho guy, man or teenager. Guys used to call each other studs as well as woman referring to a good looking guy as a stud.
to the max
To the extreme. Taking it to the max or maximum level.
totally
Another way to stress what one is saying. "That is totally tubular". -or- "School is totally uncool".
tubular
Something that is cool. Something overwhelming. "Tubular, totally tubular."
Valley Girl/Val
Airheaded, spoiled girls in California's San Fernando Valley. Later, valley girl talk or valspeak inhabited the 80s across America. A Valley Girl would of said something like: "That stud is like, omygaa, so rad!"
veg
Term used to describe chilling out or taking it easy. A couch potato would be a veg. See also couch potato.
wannabe
A person who would like to be like someone else. Usually a pop star or a person in the public eye. There were lots of Madonna wannabe's in the mid-80s.
"What choo talkin' 'bout?"
From the hit 80's Show Diff'rent Strokes. Little Arnold used to say this at least one time in each episode.
wicked
Another word for good, radical or bad. See radical and bad. "She is wicked nice."
word
Adjective; Very cool or wicked. "That movie was word!" 'Truth'. Something you said when you would agree with someone.
word-up
Another variant of "word".
word to your mother
And yet another variant of word and word-up; something that is true or a way to express that you agree with something someone said or done.
yuppie
Young urban professional -or- young upwardly mobile professional. A well educated, career oriented person driven by lots of money. This person is also into the social scene especially if it could better their business or career.
Like e - Enjoy and stuff - to the MAX!
airhead
n. A stupid or unaware person; moron, dim-wit. Origin: term implies that there is nothing but air in the subject's head. ("He's confused again. What an airhead!") Unrenowned to popular belief, Valley Girls did not invent this word. It was used to describe them.
awesome
\Awe"some\, a. 1. Causing awe; appalling; awful; as, an awesome sight. In the 80's, if something was cool, it was awesome. See also bad.
bad
adj. very good, excellent; Cool, Awesome. See also awesome.
bad to the bone
The group George Thorogood & the Destroyers had a hit in the early 80's that had started this quote. The movie Fast Times At Ridgmont High was bad to the bone! See also bad.
barf bag
A type of insult. Something Jo on The Facts of Life might of called Blair for spilling something on her homework.
barf me out
You might of heard this come from a Valley Girl after you've said something offensive to her. Also used to describe something you do not particularly like.
bodacious
An 80's guy's way to describe a woman who had a beautiful body. She is bodacious!
bogus/bogue
Unfair or unfortunate. Having one night to do a term paper is so bogus!
bomb
Adj. Something favorable. See also awesome.
butt ugly
Adj. Unattractive to the sight.
Cap
As in to "cap" on someone. Meaning to insult.
cheesy/cheezy
Adj. 1. In poor taste; lame, corny. The gift I received was really cheesy. 2. Overly sentimental or insincere.
chill
v 1. to relax; hang out. Let's go chill at your place. Dude, just chill.
clydesdale
Big, all-American boy. Meant as a word of praise. Usually used by mid-80's preppy girls.
cocooning
The act of fixing up your home. Investing in it for the long-term.
couch potato
Someone who sits in front of the TV on their couch or sofa. With the boom of cable, MTV and home video, more people parked their butts on their couches. Hence the term couch potato.
dink
Two incomes with no kids. A couple of yuppies with lots of money to burn.
dipstick
n An unintelligent person; moron, dim-wit; idiot. Popularized by "Boss Hogg" on TV's The Dukes of Hazzard.
ditz
A less harsh way of describing a person who is not very smart. See also airhead.
do lunch
One of the most used phrases in the 80's. Notoriously used by yuppies to get together for power lunches or mixing lunch with business. Lets do lunch. One of the few surviving phrases of the 80's ,used in the 90's and possibly beyond!
dweeb
Geek, nerd. Someone who is not "in".
eat my shorts
Phrase used as a comeback. Heavily in use in the 80's and also used on TV's The Simpsons. If someone was to put you down in anyway, you can reply with this phrase.
for sure/fer shur
To stress what you are saying. Usually in a valley type accent. Fer shur, fer shur dude!
fresh
Cool, new. Duran Duran's new album is so fresh!
gag me with a spoon
A typical Valley Girl response to something you dislike. Not meant to be taken literally.
gnarly
Very good. Not commonly used today. She is gnarly!
grody
really, really gross. Sometimes used with: Grody to the max! Max being a degree of grossness.
gross out/grotesque
To make someone sick. Most of the time - not literally.
hacker
Computer genius. In WarGames, Mathew Broderick played a hacker.
have a cow
Being overly excited or to make a big deal out of something.
hellacious
Bad, not good.
homeboy
Used in the early 80's to describe someone who is a one of your club or gang buddies.
hoser
Loser, jerk. Rob Moranis & Dave Thomas as "Bob and Doug McKenzie" made this a popular slang word.
house music
Disco type dance music, very repetitive.
ill
Uncool, unhip. "You be illin'". Sometimes used if someone looks under the weather, unhappy or even if they have suffered a catastrophe.
"In your dreams!"
A phrase used usually when a person totally disagrees with something someone said.
joanie
A boring, not-so-hip girl. From the 70s and 80s show Happy Days, Erin Moran, the character of Joanie Cunningham the unhip girl of the 50s.
lame
Used to describe something or someone who is not cool or acceptable.
like
A word used before every sentence in the 80's. "Like, are you going to the prom?"
major
To stress something you say, immensely. "You are a major dipstick, Major!"
mall chick
Girl who spends most of her time at the mall. Big meeting place of the 80's.
"Not even!"
Used when someone says something you don't like or disagree with.
new wave
A type of heavily synthesized pop music performed by groups like A Flock of Seagulls, Duran Duran, The Busboys, Thompson Twins and Eurasure. A form of disco that had an essence of the future. This spun off people who dressed "new wave". Lots of mouse or gel in the hair, makeup on the face, loud colors, etc.
o-rama
Suffix you affix to a word to describe the whole spectrum of the meaning. "He is a Dweeb-o-rama". Meaning, you are describing someone that is every sense of that word.
out the door
A suffix used at the end of a phrase. "Gag me out the door." Meaning, something gaged them so much they had to leave the room.
PC
1. Personal Computer (early 80s) 2. Political correctness.
Phat
To be phat is a good thing. If someone says you are phat, it doesn't mean you are overweight. Sort of like telling someone they are bad. A term still used today. Pretty Hot and Tender
Poser
A 'wannabe' spin off
preppie/preppy
A collegiate type, someone who wore Polo or Izod shirts, deck shoes and a cloth belt. Preppies usually grew up to be yuppies. See also yuppies.
psych
A term meaning "gotcha"! Psych was usually used after telling someone something not true.
rad/radical
If something is rad, it's not only attractive, it's attractive immensely.
rap
Speaking or singing rhythmically over a beat in the background. One who raps is a rapper.
road pizza
Road kill. A dead animal on the road.
rush/head rush
Big thrill. "That roller coaster was such a head rush"!
slamdance
Punk teens throwing themselves while "dancing", trying to harm either themselves or others for enjoyment. The same sort of dancing resides today in mosh pits.
spazzing
Overly excited. An exaggeration of being excited.
stoked
To be ready to do something.
stud
A macho guy, man or teenager. Guys used to call each other studs as well as woman referring to a good looking guy as a stud.
to the max
To the extreme. Taking it to the max or maximum level.
totally
Another way to stress what one is saying. "That is totally tubular". -or- "School is totally uncool".
tubular
Something that is cool. Something overwhelming. "Tubular, totally tubular."
Valley Girl/Val
Airheaded, spoiled girls in California's San Fernando Valley. Later, valley girl talk or valspeak inhabited the 80s across America. A Valley Girl would of said something like: "That stud is like, omygaa, so rad!"
veg
Term used to describe chilling out or taking it easy. A couch potato would be a veg. See also couch potato.
wannabe
A person who would like to be like someone else. Usually a pop star or a person in the public eye. There were lots of Madonna wannabe's in the mid-80s.
"What choo talkin' 'bout?"
From the hit 80's Show Diff'rent Strokes. Little Arnold used to say this at least one time in each episode.
wicked
Another word for good, radical or bad. See radical and bad. "She is wicked nice."
word
Adjective; Very cool or wicked. "That movie was word!" 'Truth'. Something you said when you would agree with someone.
word-up
Another variant of "word".
word to your mother
And yet another variant of word and word-up; something that is true or a way to express that you agree with something someone said or done.
yuppie
Young urban professional -or- young upwardly mobile professional. A well educated, career oriented person driven by lots of money. This person is also into the social scene especially if it could better their business or career.