Let’s travel back about three decades to a time of leg warmers, crazy hairstyles, and a whole other language. Learning about slang from the 1980s might set you on a path of memories or it might introduce you to an entirely new language. Chances are you’ve heard some of these phrases before; slang tends to permeate the generations. With “barf” and “bitchin,'” we even found some holdovers from the 1950s! Here are some of the most popular phrases from the ’80s.

80s Slang for Places: Coming and Going

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 80s Slang for “Cool”

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 80s Slang for “Yes”

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” 80s Slang for People (and Things)

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:

Positive Descriptors 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 Negative Descriptors 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 80s Slang for Society and Culture

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.

Class 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 Hip Hop Culture

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” Other Fundamental 80s Slang

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 ’80s Babies Forever and Ever

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.