Big Time 1980s Slang: Words From the Decade of Decadence

It didn't matter where you were going in the 80s, you always had a way to express your way out. Sure, a couple of these terms describe a prolonged stay, too, but it seemed people in the 80s were in a hurry to leave. Check out some of the best 1980s slang to describe coming and going—you might even recognize a couple of them as something you'd say today.

• bounce - to leave a place
• jet - similar to "bounce," to leave quickly
• book it - to move fast or leave quickly
• cruising - driving around with no particular destination
• dip - to leave abruptly or quickly
• hightail - to leave or flee rapidly
• mosey - to leave or move in a slow, leisurely manner
• peel out - to accelerate quickly and leave, especially in a car
• split - to leave, especially suddenly in a hurry
• take a hike - a way to tell someone to go away or leave

Sure, the preceding decade had words like "funky" and "groovy," but the 80s slang for "cool" took a turn for the downright outrageous. Here are some of the best slang terms from the 1980s that could sum up "cool" in a couple of more syllables:

• awesome - extremely impressive or excellent
• bitchin' - really cool or excellent
• bodacious - remarkable, impressive, or attractive
• excellent - extremely good or outstanding
• fantabulous - a blend of "fantastic" and "fabulous," used to describe something exceptionally good
• most triumphant - exceedingly successful or superior
• outrageous - very bold and unusual, thus appealing
• radical - very impressive or cool
• righteous - excellent or wonderful; can also denote something morally right
• schweet - a slang spelling for "sweet," used to denote something pleasing
• stellar - extremely good or outstanding
• wicked - excellent or fantastic

You might think that one word meaning "yes" — with maybe the occasional "yeah" or "sure" — would be sufficient for English. The 1980s thought otherwise. These are the classic 80s affirmatives.

• big time - an emphatic way of saying "yes," or agreeing with someone
• cheeuh! - an enthusiastic way of expressing excited agreement
• for sure - definitely or certainly 
• I kid you not - used to affirm the truthfulness or seriousness of one's statement
• most definitely - a very emphatic way of saying "yes"
• no doy - a sarcastic expression for "obviously yes"
• word - an affirmation, similar to saying "absolutely" or "definitely"
• yes way - a playful and emphatic way of saying "yes"

Positive or negative, 1980s slang terms were extensive and creative when it came to describing something or someone. Here are some of the very 80s-coded descriptors active throughout the decade:

• bad to the bone - describes someone as very cool or rebellious in a good way
• betty - a term for an attractive woman
• bff - acronym for "best friend forever," used to describe a very close friend
• brill - short for "brilliant"
• choice - describes something or someone as high-quality or very appealing
• clutch - describes someone who is successful, especially in critical moments
• deadly - means stylish or cool, often used to describe fashion or music
• fave - a shortened form of '"favorite," used to denote something or someone particularly liked
• fine - describes someone as very attractive or appealing
• fly - means looking good or fashionable
• fresh - describes something as stylish, new, and exciting, often related to music or fashion
• funky fresh - refers to something stylish
• glam - short for "glamorous," used to describe someone well-dressed or beautiful
• gnarly - describes something as cool or impressive
• homeboy - a term for a male friend
• homegirl - a term for a female friend
• legit - means genuine, real, or cool

• airhead - an insulting term implying someone is silly or not very intelligent
• bag your face - an insult implying someone is unattractive and should cover their face
• barf bag - used to describe someone as unattractive or repulsive
• bite me - a rude and aggressive rejection, similar to telling someone to "get lost"
• blar - expressing disgust or disapproval towards a person or situation
• bogus - describes something or someone bad or undesirable
• chicken - a term for someone who is cowardly or afraid to do something
• clydesdale - a derogatory term for someone who is perceived as large and unattractive
• dip - a term for a foolish or naive person
• ditz - refers to someone perceived as unintelligent or scatterbrained
• harsh - describes something or someone as unpleasant or severe
• heinous - severely unpleasant or disagreeable, often used to describe behavior or appearance
• lame - describes someone or something as uncool or boring
• mall-maggot - a derogatory term for a young, unpleasant person who frequents malls
• mental - describes someone acting crazy or irrational
• mung - a term for something disgusting or vile
• narbo - an insult implying someone is an idiot or not very bright
• ooglay - extremely ugly or unattractive
• so '87 - describes something as outdated or not trendy
• space cadet - refers to someone who is clueless or absent-minded
• spaz - used to describe someone as lame or socially awkward
• wannabe - a term for someone aspiring to a certain status or style but failing to achieve it 
• warped - describes someone or something as twisted 

Slang exists in large part to comment on the dominant culture of its day. It provides a unique, up-to-date vocabulary that people can use to talk about phenomena in their daily lives in ways dictionary English doesn't allow. The 1980s were rich in terminology that identified and often satirized perceived class and cultural signifiers.

• adult child - refers to someone's offspring who has reached adulthood
• bimbette - a disparaging term for a woman perceived as spoiled and unintelligent
• boho - short of "bohemian," describing a person living an artistic, non-conventional lifestyle
• boy toy - a term for a casual, often younger, male boyfriend, sometimes implying a lack of seriousness in the relationship
• chocoholic - someone who is extremely fond of chocolate
• cocooning - the practice of spending leisure time at home in seclusion, away from the outside world
• couch potato - a person who spends a lot of time sitting and watching TV
• DINK - acronym for "double income, no kids," referring to a couple with no children and two incomes, sometimes used to imply materialism or self-centeredness
• hacker - originally a term for a computer expert, particularly one skilled in gaining unauthorized access to computer systems
• jock - refers to an athletic person, often a stereotype in high schools and colleges, sometimes used negatively to imply a lack of intelligence or cultural interests
• nerd - a studious and intelligent person, often interested in technology or academics, sometimes used negatively to imply social awkwardness or lack of physical prowess
• valley girl - originally referred to teenage girls from California's San Fernando Valley; it has come to describe young women who adopt a specific way of speaking and dressing, often associated with a frivolous lifestyle

While the roots of hip hop extend earlier in the century, the 1980s represents the beginning of hip hop's massive influence on mainstream culture and language. Easily the most linguistically important musical genre of the last 40 years, hip hop necessitates its own section, separate from other musical genres and subcultures.

• b-boy - a dancer specializing in breakdancing, originally termed as "break boy"
• beatbox - a person who imitates the sounds of a synthesizer, sampler, or turntable deck with their voice
• bomb - means something is good or impressive
• bombdiggity - very good or impressive, a step above "bomb"
• cold lampin' - relaxing at home, not doing much, just chilling
• def - good or excellent, originally short for "definitely"
• dope - means something is good or impressive
• down - aware of or willing to do something, often used as "down with"
• drop science - to share knowledge or wisdom
• herb - refers to a man lacking social skills or style, often used as an insult
• hood - one's hometown or area, short for "neighborhood"
• hype - refers to energy or excitement; pejoratively, it can suggest superficial excitement without substance
• ill - very good or impressive
• jams - refers to music, particularly good or catchy tunes
• posse - a group of friends or companions
• scratch - to manipulate a record for a musical effect, often in DJing
• step off - can mean to depart or to engage in an activity
• stupid - means very much or extremely, used for emphasis
• sucka mcs - originally describing bad rappers, extended to anyone considered uncool
• yo mama - a mild standardized insult, a stylized version of "your mother"

Much like a Jack of all trades, the slang of the 1980s can't always fit in one neat box despite their popularity. These are some of the other fundamental 80s slang terms that were ever-present throughout the decade.

• big kahuna - refers to an important person, leader, or someone in charge, with origins in Hawaiian surf culture
• blitz - to move quickly or with intensity 
• bogart - to keep something to oneself and not share, inspired by actor Humphrey Bogart's style
• book - to move or depart quickly
• burn out - to become exhausted or lose enthusiasm, often from overworking
• chill - to relax or calm down
• cowabunga - an expression of excitement or approval, popular in surf culture and TV shows
• freak out - to lose control or become extremely emotional
• gotta motor - needing to leave quickly
• hang ten - advising to relax or stay cool
• hotdogger - a show-off, particularly in sports of activities
• like - used as a filler or quotative, indicating the following phrase reflects something significant about the speaker's subject
• mad - extremely or very, used for emphasis
• major - significant or important, to emphasize magnitude 
• mega - very large or great, for impressive or extensive things
• peg - to accurately identify or categorize 
• ralph - slang for vomiting
• scarf - to eat quickly or voraciously 
• tubular - excellent or awesome, originally describing a perfect wave in surfing
• veg - to relax or engage in inactive leisure, short for "vegetate"
• whoa - an exclamation of surprise or amazement
• wig out - to lose control or become overly excited or emotional
• yo - a casual greeting

Look at the list of 1980s slang words and phrases again. Do you notice that you might use them in everyday speech today? Chances are that you do, since these words were not reserved explicitly for conversations in the 1980s. Some of them came into existence before the decade began, and some of them, such as "so '87," did not appear until later on in the decade.

In any case, looking through old slang is a worthwhile lesson about language. You might think that you invented "wicked" or "yo mama," but they have actually been around for awhile. If you think we missed your favorite, be sure to read our list of '80s catchphrases.