Whether something is the cat’s meow or all that and a bag a chips, slang serves the purpose – splitting “those in the know” from “the others.” But how is your grasp on various slang throughout the years?
Results
Your knowledge of slang is bodacious!
Only the Queen’s English for you!
#1. 23 skidoo
23 skidoo is an American slang phrase generally referring to leaving quickly, being forced to leave quickly by someone else, or taking advantage of a propitious opportunity to leave.
It isn’t certain how ’23-skidoo’ (or skiddoo) originated. Whatever the source, the term was much in vogue in the USA during 1906.
The police threatened to imprison everyone in the crowd that did not 23 skidoo from the park
#2. stan
One early person to use stan for an obsessed fan was the rapper Nas in a 2001 track where he raps: “You a fan, a phony, a fake, a pussy, a Stan.”
An Urban Dictionary entry describing stan for intense fandom was added in 2006, and one of the first tweets using stan as a verb for greatly liking someone came in 2008.
Everyone knows I stan for Taylor Swift!
#3. yuppie
The term yuppie originated in the 1980s and is used to refer to young urban professionals who are successful in business and considerably affluent.
He was disappointed in her choice of restaurant, a noisy, yuppie hang-out, the sort of place where design took precedence over comfort.
#4. glow-up
The phrase was popularized (and may have been originated) by rapper Chief Keef, who used the term (spelled glo up—now a common alternate spelling) to refer to a positive improvement in his 2013 song “Gotta Glo Up One Day.” Chief Keef’s play on grow up in the song was also a reference to his crew, known as the Glo Gang.
It’s been amazing to witness Grace’s glow up as she has transformed from an awkward tween into a TikTok trendsetter.
#5. hoosegow
It’s a fine old American slang term for a jail, still widely known today. Most people would connect it with the nineteenth-century cowboys of the Wild West.
Otis ended the evening in the Mayberry hoosegow.
#6. bae
Bae is a slang term of endearment[1] primarily used among youth in communities. It came into widespread use around 2013 and 2014 through social media and hip-hop and R&B lyrics.
It’s bad when bae doesn’t reply to your texts.
#7. goldbricker
Goldbricking in the modern sense of malingering developed around the time of World War II, in the U.S. Army. The term was extended to refer to anybody not pulling his weight—a loafer who gives the appearance of working without actually accomplishing much
Jim’s group had to work extra hours because Jim was such a goldbricker.
#8. groupie
The word groupie originated around 1965 to describe teen-aged girls or young women who began following a particular group or band of musicians on a regular basis. The phenomenon was much older; Mary McCarthy had earlier described it in her novel The Company She Keeps (1942).[1]
The groupie followed the band around on tour, hoping to catch one of the members coming out of their hotel after hours.
#9. skivvies
The origin of skivvies, a North American term for underwear, is unclear.
We stripped down to our skivvies and went into the pool.
#10. phat
The adjective phat has emerged from hip hop, a cultural movement originating among young African Americans in the United States and associated with rap music, graffiti art and breakdancing.
Taylor Swift’s new album is well phat.
