When was the last time you used the word “groovy”? It’s probably been decades. It was hip in the sixties, when we wore bell bottoms, the wider the better, with tie-dye tee shirts, and mini skirts were mod.

Illustration by: © macrovec

Slang falls into and out of fashion. If you’re part of the in crowd, you use it spontaneously, effortlessly, instinctively. It slips on as comfortably as an old pair of jeans. It’s a part of who you are, when you grew up, and to which generation you belong.

What are some of your favorite expressions – to describe something good or to convey a feeling? “Bummed out” comes to mind. So does “jazzed” and “stoked.”

The myriad ways to say “hello” are secret passwords that let you into the club. “What’s shaking” is old school for “wassup.” “Yo” was a simple greeting. “How’s it hanging” meant “how are you.” It still might.

There are even more ways to quit the scene. “See you later, alligator” from the fifties was shortened to “later” in the sixties. “Good night, John-boy” and “may the force be with you” came from pop culture in the seventies. “I gotta book” told the group you were leaving in the eighties, and “I’m gone” was just another way of saying “good-bye” in the nineties.

One of my favorites: catch you on the flip side.

© 2015 Susan Marg – All Rights Reserved