6.15pm
18 January 2014
I’m kind of surprised how many of these terms I use, having been a teenager in the 90s. I dig things on a regular basis. If one of my friends says something I agree with, I frequently respond “Right on, man.” After a few drinks I might even drop a far-out or two. One time I found a pen in my pocket that I didn’t recognize, and commented that I must have nicked it from work. I blame the last one on watching too many British tv shows though.
I save groovy for when I’m being sarcastic. If someone is rambling about nothing or gets off topic too long, I’ll wait until they’re finished and respond with “Groovy. So anyway….” and move the conversation back on topic.
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Beatlebug7.11pm
14 December 2009
Yeah, I’ve been self-consciously using many of those terms myself since the ’80s, when I was in high school and had a ’60s/hippie fixation. (Never “groovy” though, you’re right about it being impossible to use that one other than ironically.) And of course there’s words specific to the era that have never really gone away, like “bummer” and “freak out”. (But nobody says “ball” meaning sex anymore.)
Paul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
12.34am
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15 February 2015
I’ve started saying “fab” a lot more than “groovy” lately– I save the latter for when I’m making fun of something, as @4or5Magicians said.
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8.20pm
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20 August 2013
Hey, @Wigwam, I thought you might dig this thread if you haven’t laid eyes on it yet.
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3.06am
17 October 2013
Yes…… thank you.
I lived through the 60s but didn’t really use a lot of these words. Being born in 52 perhaps a little young to be a full on hippy.
‘Posh’ isn’t really 60’s slang. Long before I knew it stood for, ‘port side out, starboard home’. P.O.S.H. it was the word I used to describe the people that went to church on a Sunday.
Interestingly, I read as perhaps others here did….. on ‘Beatles’ Rarities’ he explained what a ‘Road Hogg’ is.
You will recall the part on the Apple roof top where John’s singing I Dig A Pony ‘ and George creases up and goes down on one knee in front of John who obligingly does his Rock God impression.
George is laughing because John is saying just who you can penetrate…..on a tour bus.
All these years and I didn’t get the joke.
11.31pm
23 May 2024
I know this thread is old, but I’d just like to advocate for gen z for a moment… because that’s not how language works. I’m gen z and I may adore the 60s and agree we should bring back the slang, but we’ll never be thin of language. Language is always changing and growing.
My generation has especially brought in lots of words because of the internet, where words spread quicker than they ever have before. I’m also in Australia and I say swaggy, slay, blorbo, ate, banger, based, cap, mid, oof, and so much more.
Language is alive. We’re always adding words, losing words, changing the meanings of words. And I think that’s groovy
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Beatlebug, Rube, kelicopter5.26pm
1 December 2009
perma60s said
Language is alive. We’re always adding words, losing words, changing the meanings of words. And I think that’s groovy
Adding words is one thing, and that’s fine; but speaking as an early Gen X oldster (who was actually born in the 60s), I really get irritated when long-existing words get used incorrectly – speaking specifically here about the word “cringe“, which is a verb. An uncomfortable or embarrassing situation can be described as “cringe-inducing”, or “cringeworthy”, or you can say “it made me cringe”. But to say “her self-made dress was cringe” is just wrong. It’s a misuse similar to viewing a sad movie and describing it as “it was very cry”.
“Her dress made me cringe” would be an example of the proper way of using the word to convey one’s meaning.
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Rube, Mr. Moonlight, kelicopterGEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty.
1.18am
6 November 2023
I suspect I’m older than anyone on this forum – a baby boomer born 1949 (!!) so the perfect age to have lived through the evolution of the Beatles and Beatlemania (as I say too often, because, Maybe I’m Amazed )
I try to keep an open mind about the evolution of language. I don’t want to be one of those crusty old whingers going on about misuse and ignorance of grammar.
I was, however, taught about such things as transitive and intransitive verbs and have never been confused for one second about the usage of lay and lie and their various cases.
If someone says “I’m laying on the floor” I always want to say “Laying what? Eggs? Tiles?”. But that one is a totally lost cause. I’ve got over it, sort of.
Sorry, I’ve digressed and am being a crusty old whinger. But back to the topic of recent slang – everyone seems to have substituted “super” for “very”. “It is super cold today”.
Is that happening universally or just where I live (New Zealand)?
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9.10am
7 November 2010
“Super” seems quite American to me (I’m British.) Has it maybe always been used over there, and is infiltrating other cultures through US movies and TV?
Maybe we should bring back “fab” or “dead grotty” and see if it catches on.
Edit: I’m Gen Y / millennial. It’s interesting that the last 4 posts have all been from different “generations” and nations! This forum is a fab place.
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1.19pm
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20 August 2013
My husband’s aunt in Germany uses Super a lot when she is trying to talk to us in English. I adore the way she pronounces it.
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2.11am
6 November 2023
kelicopter said
“Super” seems quite American to me (I’m British.) Has it maybe always been used over there, and is infiltrating other cultures through US movies and TV?Maybe we should bring back “fab” or “dead grotty” and see if it catches on.
Edit: I’m Gen Y / millennial. It’s interesting that the last 4 posts have all been from different “generations” and nations! This forum is a fab place.
We in New Zealand have a funny mix of language use, because we are not so very far from our British colonial settlers. Many of us are a mix of English, Scots and Irish. Our humour is much closer to British humour than American.
We did use ‘super’ back in the 50s but it was a British expression I’m sure, even if not in use there now. I’m sure you’d find ‘super’ in Enid Blyton’s childrens’ books which I read as a child! “That’s super!’ meant it’s wonderful. But never used to replace ‘very’ as I’m hearing now.
But the generations younger than mine are using a lot more American expressions than mine does. I would never use the term ‘gas’ for what I put in my car – it’s still ‘petrol’ to me but ‘gas’ and ‘gas stations’ have largely taken over. (And of course we have all the American fast food places).
We have a lot of expressions and slang in common with Australia (their slang is incomparable and their language use quite informal in general!) but a great many also peculiar to New Zealand. Some of our slang is part-Maori (they are our ‘first-nation’ people) and the use of that language has increased widely, not only for slang but such things as bi-lingual signage, introductory greetings/sign offs for (e.g.) the TV news, email greetings etc.
I guess I’ve digressed a lot from the topic of 60s slang!!
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1.16pm
7 November 2010
It’s interesting, all the same!
I do find that the New Zealand / Australian sense of humour is very similar to the UK as well!
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