Slang that changed with the times

You probably use at least one of these slang words. Which one is it?

Image: Nick Fewings

Every decade had its own way of talking. From flappers sipping "giggle water" to Gen Z spilling the "tea," slang has always captured the mood of the moment. Some phrases faded, others stuck around, and a few might just make a comeback. So let’s take a stroll through time and revisit the lingo that defined each generation. Who knows? You might find yourself saying "cowabunga" again by the end!

Image: Boston Public Library

The Roaring Twenties weren’t just about jazz and flappers, they were a goldmine for slang. With the prohibition, people needed new ways to call the everyday things.

For example, when someone needed a drink, they'd grab some "giggle water" (aka booze). And if something gave them the creeps? That was the "heebie-jeebies." With Prohibition in full swing, nightlife went underground and the language got wildly creative..

Image: Brett Jordan

The Great Depression may have hit hard, but Americans still found ways to have their fun and talk the talk.

Back then, a "cat" wasn’t your house pet; it was a cool, swing-loving person. Something elegant or flashy? That was "ritzy." Despite the tough times, slang added a touch of glamour to everyday life.

Image: The New York Public Library

World War II shaped everything in the ’40s, from fashion to film and yes, slang too. For example, a stunning woman was a "bombshell" (remember pin-up posters?), and if someone had charm or finesse, they were "slick."

This was a decade of heroes, hustle, and Hollywood glamour, where talk was tough but stylish. Slang from this time still turns heads, and honestly? Some of these words are still in use today.

Image: Brett Jordan

The postwar boom brought shiny cars, drive-ins, and a new breed of teenager. If the kids were underfoot, you might call them "ankle-biters." And if the party was a snooze? Total "Dullsville."

The 1950s language reflected the optimism and suburban sprawl of the era, with just enough rebellion to keep things interesting. It was all milkshakes, jukeboxes, and just a little teen angst.

Image: Annie Spratt

The '60s were a whirlwind of change, civil rights, Vietnam, Woodstock… And the language was just as bold. If you wanted someone to relax, you could tell them to "hang loose." If you wanted to hear all about the juicy gossip, you said, "lay it on me."

Slang became a badge of youth culture and counterculture. Whether you were protesting or partying, the right phrase could say it all without saying too much.

Image: Eric Ward

Welcome to the land of disco balls and bell-bottoms. In the ’70s, if you looked sharp, you were "decked out." And if you were saying goodbye? "Catch you on the flip side."

This was a groovy era with laid-back vibes and just enough glitter to keep it funky. These are just a few examples!

Image: Brian Kostiuk

Neon colors, arcade games, and Valley Girls? Yep, we’ve made it to the ’80s. If someone was getting too worked up, you told them to "take a chill pill." And if things were awesome? "Cowabunga!" (Ninja Turtles vibes, right?)

Slang from this era was so fun… The wave of pop culture, MTV, and outrageous fashion. Admit it: You still hear "like, totally" in your head sometimes.

Image: Bernd 📷 Dittrich

The ’90s were a mix of dial-up tones and grunge rock, and the slang was laid-back with attitude. Messed up? Just say "my bad." Found something great? It was "da bomb."

This was the golden age of sitcoms, slap bracelets, and the first steps onto the internet. The lingo was casual, a little goofy, and perfect for a generation that loved irony with their flannel.

Image: Nik

Ah, the early 2000s… Back when phones flipped and everyone was choosing their "Top 8" on MySpace. Your "BFF" (best friend forever) was a must, and to wind down, you’d "chillax" (a combination of "chill" and "relax"). It was a mash-up era, and the slang followed suit. Y2K didn’t end the world, but it definitely changed how we talked.

Image: freebie

With the rise of social media, everyone became fluent in internet speak. "Throw shade" meant giving someone a subtle (or not-so-subtle) dig, and "mood" was shorthand for anything you could relate to.

Emojis weren’t just extras, they were also part of the language. The 2010s gave us the meme culture, and with it, a whole new way of expressing ourselves in fewer words than ever.

Image: Kelly Sikkema

We may only be partway through the 2020s, but Gen Z has already left its linguistic mark. If someone’s being dramatic, they’re "extra." And if there’s gossip to share? Time to "spill the tea."

The lingo is fast-moving, TikTok-powered, and always evolving. You don’t have to use it, but understanding it earns serious cool points with the grandkids.

Some names stick around

From Table Tap Joe to Ziggy Stardust: Who are the best song characters?

Sometimes, a character is the perfect alter-ego to write a song about oneself without self-referencing so much. Other times, a character is just a character. Over the years, musicians have come up with lonely dreamers, fearless heroes, mysterious strangers, and even supernatural villains who have become just as famous as the songs themselves. Some were inspired by real people, others sprang entirely from imagination, but all of them left a lasting mark on music history. Which of these 12 do you remember?

Tom Waits has always had a soft spot for society's oddballs, and few are even stranger than Table Top Joe. Introduced on the 2002 album Alice, Joe is born with only a head and hands, yet grows into a brilliant piano player whose extraordinary talent earns him fame despite the odds stacked against him.

The song unfolds like a forgotten American folk tale, complete with references to Coney Island's legendary Dreamland amusement park and composer Igor Stravinsky. Although many listeners assume the story is based on an old carnival legend, Table Top Joe is entirely Tom Waits' own creation.

Few fictional musicians have ever become as famous as Ziggy Stardust. Introduced in 1972, Ziggy is an alien rock star sent to Earth shortly before humanity's end, only to be consumed by the very fame that makes him a savior to millions.

David Bowie blurred the line between fiction and reality by performing as Ziggy onstage for more than a year. When he unexpectedly announced Ziggy's retirement during a concert at London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1973, many fans believed the character, and perhaps Bowie himself, had truly reached the end of the story.

Tommy Walker isn't just the hero of a song, he's the central figure of one of rock music's first great operas. After witnessing a traumatic event as a child, Tommy becomes deaf, mute, and blind, yet somehow develops astonishing pinball skills that transform him into an unlikely celebrity.

Pete Townshend built an entire musical world around Tommy, exploring themes of trauma, faith, and redemption. First released in 1969, Tommy later became a hit film, a Broadway production, and one of the most influential concept albums ever recorded.

Johnny B. Goode is every aspiring musician's dream. Growing up in rural Louisiana with little more than a guitar and natural talent, he plays so brilliantly that listeners predict "his name will be in lights."

Chuck Berry based the character partly on himself and partly on pianist Johnnie Johnson. Originally described as a "colored boy," Johnny became a "country boy" in the final lyrics, making the song more likely to receive airplay during the segregation era. Nearly two decades later, Johnny's anthem would even travel into space aboard NASA's Voyager Golden Record.

Few fictional characters have captured loneliness as powerfully as Eleanor Rigby. She quietly moves through life unnoticed, while Father McKenzie delivers sermons that no one hears, creating one of popular music's saddest portraits of isolation.

Paul McCartney later explained that Eleanor's name came from actress Eleanor Bron and the Liverpool shop Rigby & Evens. The discovery of an actual Eleanor Rigby gravestone in Liverpool only deepened the song's mystique, though McCartney maintained the coincidence was unintentional.

Billie Jean may be one of pop music's most famous women, yet Michael Jackson insisted she wasn't a real person. Instead, she represented several women who falsely claimed that he had fathered their children during the height of the Jackson 5's fame.

Released in 1983 as part of Thriller, the song became a global phenomenon. It also provided the stage for Jackson's legendary moonwalk during Motown 25.

Unlike many legendary song characters, Stagger Lee actually existed. His real name was Lee Shelton, a St. Louis criminal who murdered Billy Lyons during an argument over a hat on Christmas Eve in 1895.

The shocking crime quickly entered American folklore through countless folk songs before Lloyd Price transformed it into a chart-topping hit in 1958. More than a century later, Stagger Lee remains one of the most enduring antiheroes in American music.

Tom Dooley was inspired by Thomas Dula, a Confederate veteran executed in North Carolina in 1868 after being convicted of murdering Laura Foster. His surname was locally pronounced "Dooley," giving the ballad its familiar title.

The Kingston Trio revived the old Appalachian folk song in 1958, turning it into an international hit and helping launch America's folk music revival.

When the narrator of "Lola" meets an intriguing stranger in a Soho nightclub, expectations quickly give way to surprise. Ray Davies crafted one of rock's earliest mainstream stories exploring gender ambiguity, decades before the topic entered popular conversation.

The recording rarely reached British radio. Because BBC rules prohibited commercial product names, Davies had to interrupt a U.S. tour and fly back to London simply to replace the lyric "Coca-Cola" with the now-famous "cherry cola."

Unlike most famous song characters, the Piano Man is really Billy Joel himself. Before becoming a superstar, Joel spent six months in 1972 and 1973 performing under the pseudonym Bill Martin at the Executive Room, a piano bar in Los Angeles, after becoming trapped in a bad recording contract. The song transforms those experiences into a bittersweet portrait of ordinary people searching for escape at the end of another week.

Joel has said that virtually every character in the song was based on a real person, from bartender John to "Paul, the real estate novelist" and Davy, who really was in the Navy. Yet the Piano Man himself became the story's most enduring character: a quiet observer who offers music as a brief refuge for dreamers, lonely souls, and regulars alike. More than fifty years after its 1973 release, "Piano Man" remains Billy Joel's signature song, and its title has effectively become his lifelong nickname.

Standing nearly seven feet tall and missing an arm, Amos Moses roams the Louisiana swamps hunting alligators. Jerry Reed filled the song with colorful Southern expressions and exaggerated storytelling that make Amos feel like an authentic folk legend.

Although fictional, Amos embodies the larger-than-life heroes found throughout American tall tales. His adventures turned the song into one of Reed's biggest crossover hits and secured Amos a permanent place among country music's greatest characters.

Big Bad John hardly says a word, but he doesn't have to. The towering coal miner earns everyone's respect through quiet strength before sacrificing his own life to save fellow workers when a mine collapses.

Jimmy Dean's 1961 ballad became a smash hit, winning a Grammy and inspiring several sequel songs. More than sixty years later, Big Bad John still stands as one of country music's defining working-class heroes.