Summary of The Ultimate Guide to 80s Slang & Sayings
- What was popular slang in the 80s?
- What are some 80s catchphrases?
- What is so cool 80s slang?
- What are the top 10 slang words?
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AI Overview
AI Overview
’80s slang was all about “rad,” “tubular,” and “bodacious” ways to say something was cool, with terms like “gnarly,” “gag me with a spoon,” “as if,” and “take a chill pill” expressing disgust or dismissal, while “dweeb,” “bogus,” and “heinous” were common insults, often used with a Valley Girl or hip-hop influence. Key phrases included “What’s your damage?” (What’s your problem?), “Grody to the max” (gross), and “Eat my shorts” (get lost).
Awesome/Cool
Rad/Radical/Totally Tubular: Excellent, cool, amazing.
Bodacious: Attractive, impressive, or excellent.
Bitchin’: Really good, impressive.
Choice/Mint: High-quality, perfect, awesome.
Dope/Fresh: Cool, great (still used).
Cowabunga: An exclamation of excitement (popularized by TMNT).
Disgust/Annoyance/Dismissal
Gag me with a spoon: Expressing disgust or annoyance.
As if!: “Yeah, right!” or “Not a chance!”.
Take a chill pill: Relax, calm down.
Bogus/Grody: Lame, unfair, gross, or fake.
Barf me out/Grody to the max: “I’m freaking out” or “disgusting”.
Eat my shorts: A comeback for an insult.
Insults/Nerdiness
Dweeb/Dillweed/Wastoid/Butt-face/Dip: A nerd, fool, or general insult.
Airhead/Ditz: Someone not very smart.
Mall-maggot: A derogatory term for a mall-frequenting youth.
General & Others
Buggin’ out: Freaking out or overreacting.
No duh/Like, no duh: Obviously.
Heinous/Harsh: Unpleasant, severe.
Major: To stress something immensely (e.g., “major dipstick”).
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Welcome to your personal dictionary for 80s words, slang and sayings.
80s slang terms that start with A
Airhead
Someone who isn’t very smart
Amped
Excited
80s slang terms that start with B
Bitchin’
Really good or very impressive
Bod
Short for body (often referring to someone’s attractiveness)
Bodacious
Attractive or impressive
Bogged Down
To be stuck or overwhelmed
Bogus
Lame, unfair, or fake
Booyah!
Expression of excitement or triumph
Buggin’ out
Overreacting or acting crazy
Burnout
Someone who parties too much
80s slang terms that start with C
Cheesy
Over the top or corny
Choice
high-quality
Cowabunga
Expression of excitement
Check out more popular cartoon catchphrases here.
80s slang terms that start with D
Decked Out
Dressed up or stylish
Dipstick
A fool or idiot
Don’t Have a Cow
Don’t overreact
Don’t Sweat It
Don’t worry
Dipstick
A fool or idiot
Ditz
Someone who isn’t very smart
80s slang terms that start with E
Eat My Shorts
A rebellious insult.
Fun Fact: While the phrase “Eat My Shorts” is known as an iconic catchphrase of Bart Simpson, it’s also part of an unforgettable scene in The Breakfast Club.
80s slang terms that start with F
Faceplant
Falling flat on your face
Fresh
Cool or stylish
Funky Fresh
Very cool or stylish
80s slang terms that start with G
Gag Me
Expression of disgust
Gag Me with a Spoon
Expression of disgust
Ganked
Stolen or taken
Get Bent
Go away or get lost
Get Real
Stop being unrealistic
Get Stoked
Get Excited
Gnarly
Cool, awesome or extreme
Goober
A silly or foolish person
Goth
A dark, punk-inspired subculture
Grindage
Food; something to eat
Grody
Gross or disgusting
80s slang terms that start with H
Harsh
Mean or critical
Heavy
Serious or intense
Hella
Very or extremely
Home Slice
Close friend
Homeboy/Homegirl
A close friend
80s slang terms that start with I
I Kid You Not
I’m serious
I’m So Sure
Sarcastic disbelief
80s slang terms that start with J
Jump the Shark
When something becomes ridiculous or past its prime.
Fun Fact: The phrase, jump the shark, originates from a 1977 episode of Happy Days where Fonzie jumps over a shark while waterskiing. This is often denoted as the moment the show declined in quality and felt ridiculous, thus the saying.
80s slang terms that start with K
Kick Rocks
Go away
80s slang terms that start with L
Lame-O
A very uncool person
Like, Totally
Used for emphasis
80s slang terms that start with M
Mad
Very or extremely
Major Drag
Something disappointing
Majorly
extremely
Mic Drop
When someone finishes speaking and leaves dramatically.
Often means that the speaker feels their point has been made and there is nothing else to be said.
Motorhead
Someone obsessed with cars
80s slang terms that start with N
Nerd
An overly studious or socially awkward person
New Wave
A music genre & fashion style
No Duh
Sarcastic way of saying “obviously”
No Way, Jose
Absolutely Not
80s slang terms that start with O
We didn’t have any terms or saying of O but if you think of any, comment down below and we will add it!
80s slang terms that start with P
Party On
Keep having fun
Psych!
Just Kidding
80s slang terms that start with Q
We didn’t have any terms or saying of Q but if you think of any, comment down below and we will add it!
80s slang terms that start with R
Rad
short for radical, meaning extremely cool
Right On
Exactly, Agreement
Righteous
Excellent, worthy of respect
Rip Off
A Scam or an unfair deal
Rock On 🤘
Keep enjoying rock music or life
80s slang terms that start with S
Scarf
To eat quickly
Shred
To perform really well
Often used when referring to skateboarding or guitar playing
Sick
Really Cool
Sketchy
Suspicious or questionable
Spaz
Someone who is overly hyper
Sweet
Awesome, cool
80s slang terms that start with T
Take a Chill Pill
Relax or calm down
That’s Clutch
That’s really good, that came right in time
Totally
Used for emphasis or to agree with something
Trippin’
Overreacting, acting crazy
Tubular
Totally cool
80s slang terms that start with U
We didn’t have any terms or saying of U but if you think of any, comment down below and we will add it!
80s slang terms that start with V
Veg Out
To relax or do nothing
80s slang terms that start with W
Wannabe
Someone trying way to hard to be cool
Way Cool
Very cool
What’s Your Damage?
What’s Your Problem?
Where’s the Beef?
Questioning the substance of something
Wicked
Really good, extreme
Wimp
Weak person
Word
Overreacting, acting crazy
Word to Your Mother
Phrase of agreement or acknowledgment
80s slang terms that start with X
We didn’t have any terms or saying of X but if you think of any, comment down below and we will add it!
80s slang terms that start with Y
Yuppie
Young urban professional
80s slang terms that start with Z
We didn’t have any terms or saying of Z but if you think of any, comment down below and we will add it!
P.S. – Did we miss any of your favorite 80s sayings or slang terms? Comment below and we will add them!