This site has several good 70s ones including “sit on it” which I forgot to add. It is sometimes hard for to me to distinguish what phrases come from my early childhood (70s) and teens (80s). A lot of stuff on this thread seems way more 90s, but maybe kids born in the 80s have trouble making the same distinctions.

Anonymous wrote:We used to call people Indian giver all the time, like if you took gave something and took it back. Totally not cool today and why it's stayed in the 70s and 80s.

This is a weird one. I know it was used to insult someone and associated in people’s minds with Indians (native Americans) being untrustworthy, but the phrase was originally about the “white man” or US government. As in a “white man” promises land/rights/etc to the Indians but doesn’t honor the agreement.

Don’t forget gypped which was another used a lot but started in an earlier time.

My parents would come down hard on me if I used these phrases. I didn’t know what they referred to, only that “everyone” used them as an insult: faggot or “that’s so gay.” It was more of a ‘70s thing, I think. My parents read me the riot act once when I was about 7. Once I knew what they meant I didn’t use them again. Some of my favorite family friends and relatives were openly gay in our home, but no one ever labeled them that. I didn’t know until then that sometimes they weren’t so open about it.

One that may have been more regional … “suede-ers”. It referred to kids who smoked pot. There used to be these fairly ubiquitous black suede soft/rubber soled shoes that were supposed the mark of pot smoking kids.

Anonymous wrote:Lots of blonde jokes. Calling someone a blonde was the height of insulting their intelligence.

Don’t forget the dumb Pollak jokes. Being / being called a Pollack (Polish ancestry) was equated with stupidity.

I remember calling a girl a "C word" meant that she was hot.

DCUM confused as to why any of this is deemed retro.

He the man!

Hot stuff!

See ya, wouldn't want to be ya!

Mad props

Barf me out
Space Cadet
Fresh
Wig out

So lame!

Single and ready to mingle
On the prowl
hot stuff
He's/She's so fine!
Me likes
stud-muffin
heart-breaker
Give me a ring! (call me)

A mind is a terrible thing to waste!

I laughed so hard I cried

I almost died (of embarrassment)

I could kick myself

Holy Moly

Out of this world

I've died and gone to heaven!

Hell on earth!

"catch you later!"

"Later alligator"

MVP

Psych! or I am so psyched!

Jinx...buy me a coke

Let's rock and roll

Time to blow this joint (leave)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Killer” for great. “Stoked” for excited. “Word” for I agree. “I heard that” also for agree.

I live where there are a lot of surfers, so I still hear "gnarly" and "stoked." In fact, one surfer signs off by saying, "In stoke, Dana." Defo too cool for school!

I moved to Orange county, CA in the late 80s (middle school years for me) from a small town in New England. I was shocked that surfers (and everyone else!) really used the words radical and tubular!

Rad

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Killer” for great. “Stoked” for excited. “Word” for I agree. “I heard that” also for agree.

I live where there are a lot of surfers, so I still hear "gnarly" and "stoked." In fact, one surfer signs off by saying, "In stoke, Dana." Defo too cool for school!

I moved to Orange county, CA in the late 80s (middle school years for me) from a small town in New England. I was shocked that surfers (and everyone else!) really used the words radical and tubular!

Anonymous wrote:Hurl for barf

And yack
and up-chuck