If yourgenerational groupisGen Z , Millennials , or Gen Alpha , you might consider Baby Boomers to be a little nervy . Born between 1946 and 1964 , Boomers are retire , kick back , and shaking their heads at the ethnic divide . But they were n’t always so square : boomer contributed a fortune to the conversation , include a meaning amount ofslang . While some of these terms are synonymous with the1960s,1970s , and1980s , others have take on a timeless character . Before you say “ OK , Boomer , ” check out some of the pop phrases and colloquialisms your Boomer relatives coined — many of which are still in use today .
Jonesing (Jonesin’)
boomer who needed a amateur drug mess were said to be“jonesingfor it . ” The Oxford English Dictionarydefinesthe terminus as “ a strong-arm craving for any habit-forming substance . ” In the 2000s , social commentator Jonathan Pontellsuggesteda new generational chemical group ring “ Generation Jones ” to refer boomer who were born between 1954 and 1965 , fence that baby boomer arriving later had unlike cultural experiences than earlier members — and that they were mayhap jonesing for achievements they had yet to fulfil .
Aggro
If Boomersencountereda particularly troublesome soul or persons , they dubbed them “ aggro , ” short foraggressive . Green ’s Dictionary of Slangtracesthe terminal figure back to 1969 , where it was used to delineate violence at association football matches in the UK .
Zilch
When someone had no job , relationship , or moneymaking prospect , Boomers might say they “ had zilchgoing on . ” The OEDdatesthe first use ofzilchback to 1925 , when it was used on college campus to touch on to an fanciful wind instrument . By 1958 , it meant “ inferior , unsatisfactory ; deadening , unexciting , ” and come to its current meaning—“not any”—by 1969 . According to the OED , the etymology ofzilchis unclear , but it maycome fromJoe Zilch , “ a name used for an obscure or inconsequent mortal . ”
Zonked Out
Anyone who was flat on their back owe to fatigue duty , imbibition , drug , or just evident boredom wassaidto be “ zonked ” or “ zonked out , ” phrases thatwere being usedas slang as early as the late 1940s . Zonkedwasderivedfrom the verbzonk , which ab initio think of “ to bump off , attain , or knock , ” according to the OED , before taking on meanings related to either being rap or passed out .
Wannabe
The OED date the first use of the slang termwannabe — a noun or procedural dropped to chastise someone for aspiring to be something other than who they were — back to 1976 . The parole peck up steam in the 1980s , when Boomers who idolize Madonna and other pop starsadoptedtheir manner sensation and were adjudge “ Wanna - Bes . ”
Mellow and Harsh One’s Mellow
In the 1970s , anyone light and relaxedwassaidto be “ mellowed . ” ( The slang phraseharsh one ’s mellow , on the other paw , referred to disturb the good vibes.)Mellowdates back to the 1400s , when it was used todescribea soft , ripe fruit . It later indicated a pleasant or patrician characteristic .
Yuppie and Yuppiedom
In the money - hungry 1980s , baby boomer who were chasing a cooky - cutting tool domesticated and professional lifewerecalled “ young urban professionals , ” often castrate toyuppies . Yuppiedomwas used to refer to the yuppie category or , as the OED puts it , “ the condition or fact of being a yuppie . ”
Peace Out
Early Boomers who experienced the trippy ‘ LX beganusingthe phrasepeace out , which reminded departing parties to keep a cool , laid-back vibe . It was sometimes cut to justpeace . Both valedictions experienced renewedpopularityin the 1990s rap music scene , which also made usage ofpeace up .
Wig Out
Wig outmeans “ toloseone ’s calmness . ”According toMerriam - Webster , it all goes back to the Middle Frenchperruque , orperiwig , which was later on shortened towig . By the 1960s , wigbecame a euphemism formind . If you were recede your grip , you were thereforewigging out . And it ’s not the only termwiggave us : The phraseblowing one ’s wig , or get upset , was coarse in the1930s .
Yikes
In the seventies , when the earliest Boomers would have been in their twenty and thirty-something , they might haveexpressed nervousnessby say they “ had the yikes . ”Yikessoon train on use as anexclamationof astonishment , as in , “ Yikes , that guy is really wigging out . ” It ’s possibleyikesstemmedfromyoicks , a commandusedby George Fox Hunter in the 1700s to order their dogs into action .
Male Chauvinist Pig and Gender Gap
This abrasive label for sexist men in the 1970s was anevolutionofmale chauvinist , a phrase that served asshorthand for those who favored out-of-date grammatical gender prejudices . baby boomer alsoputgender gapin circulation to key out the disconnection between sexes .
Grunge
X before the dirt music scene of the 1990s , Boomers wereusinggrungeto describe unsound date , weird , sticky substances , and anything else they deemed unpleasant .
Bells and Whistles
This colloquialism was used toreferencespecial features and duplicate , particularly in the nascent world of computers in the seventies . Use ofbells and whistlescould be complimentary or it couldmeanthat a merchandise had a bunch of unneeded gimmickry . It likely spun out of the literal bells and tin whistle thataccompaniedthe comer of rider or supply geartrain in the early 20th one C .
Brewski
Boomers on college campuses in the 1970sreferredto their precious can of beer as “ brewskis . ”Suds , another vernacular terminal figure for hops , is much older , datingback to the later 1800s .
Smart-Ass, Fuckwit, and Numbnuts
Someone being a little too clever or intrusive for their own salutary wasdubbeda saucy - shag in the 1960s . U.S. Boomers probably take over it from the UK’ssmart - arse , which Green’sdatesto 1958 .
you may also thank baby boomer for the enduringapplicationoffuckwit , which likely evolve fromnitwitordimwit , aswellasnumbnuts .
Knuckle Sandwich and Face-Plant
If you delivered a punch in the oral fissure to a deserve agitator , Boomerssaidto be you were administering a“knuckle sandwich . ” If you did a good enough business , your victimmayhave done aface - planton the land ; younger baby boomer vulgarize that phrase in the former 1980s .
‘Roids and ‘Roid Rage
The explosion of professional bodybuilding and performance enhancers in the seventies give way to gymnasium ratsabbreviatingsteroidsto‘roids . Younger Boomers also break wage hike to the phrase’roid ragein the 1980s todescribetemperamental fittingness junky experiencing hormonal jive .
Leaf Peeper
New England - area Boomersdevisedthis slimly provocative phrase to describe tourists who come northerly during the fall to enjoy the seasonal colour . ( “ view for weekend ‘ leaf peepers ’ seem extremely skillful , ” theBennington Bannernoted in 1965 . ) Do n’t obnubilate it withPeeping Tom , slang for a voyeur . TheTompart of the term might refer to a straw hat named Thomas , who ( per thirteenth 100 fable ) wassaidto have been struck blind ( or possibly bushed ) after see Lady Godiva ride through town naked .
Granny Glasses
outsized , pointy , or otherwise out - of - fashion spectacles were dubbed “ granny glasses”beginningin the 1960s . Today , boomer are n’t so much urinate fun of them as wearing them . Such is the circle of life .
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