Okay, so the title of this blog is misleading. These old slang terms don’t need to be brought back immediately and it’s plausible that some of them shouldn’t return for one reason or another. It’s also fair to say that Northwest Registered Agent does not recommend integrating any of this old terminology into your business signage or marketing. This is an article purely dedicated to old slang that I think should be resurrected. If you want to read an article about new slang that might actually be helpful to a business owner, here is one we already published.
Bitchin’
If something is super rad or exciting, it’s probably really “bitchin’” as well. The best part is that the term is so old that it doesn’t count as swearing due to some type of weird grandfather clause.
“Oh, your dog is pregnant? That’s really bitchin’!”
Jazzed
If you are amped or excited about something, you can say you’re really “jazzed” about it. This term needs to be brought back, as long as actual jazz music doesn’t come come back to the mainstream with it. That’s gonna be a deal-breaker for me. In these modern times, the term is best used sarcastically.
“I sure am jazzed about spending the day with my in-laws!”
Bogart
Humphrey Bogart died at the ripe old age of 57, but his legacy lives on. Bogart was the always the life of the party and to “bogart” something is to take a hefty portion of something that was supposed to be shared with others. It is primarily used when talking about vices such as drinking or smoking.
“I noticed that you’ve bogarted all the wine again, Harold. If you make a fool of yourself and embarrass me during book club again, you’re sleeping on the couch!”
Take a Chill Pill
One of my all times favorite slang terms is self-explanatory: “take a chill pill.” It’s the perfect term for when someone is irate and you want to irritate them more under the guise of telling them to relax. To this day, no person who has ever been told to “take a chill pill” has had a reaction besides increased anger. They probably just need to up their dosage.
“Take a chill pill Deborah, I’m like 70% sure that I can glue your vase back together.”
Macking
To conduct “macking” (or to “lay the mack down”) is to flirt with someone heavily. The term probably stems from being a “Mack Daddy” which was an early 90’s slang for ladies’ man or Casanova. If you find that misogynistic to some degree, I’d like to state a simple fact: Sir Mix-a-Lot named his first album “Mack Daddy” and it’s biggest hit “Baby Got Back” is an entire song dedicated to how he can not lie to women.
“Wow, Doug is pretending to like Nickleback just to get Sharon’s attention. He is really laying the mack down thick!”
Dead Presidents
There are lots of slang terms for money (clams, cabbage, bread, etc.) but referring to cash as “dead presidents” is undeniably cool. It can be hard to trace the etymology of slang terms, but if I had to guess, I’m pretty sure it comes from the fact that the majority of U.S. currency is adorned with pictures of presidents that are no longer alive. Feel free to fact check me.
“Yeah, I’ve been working overtime lately, gotta’ stack those dead presidents!”
Flossing
Flossing is not just something you lie to your dentist about, it is also slang for showing off—usually with something overtly fancy. The term was popularized by hip hop artist Mike Jones in the 2005 single “Flossin’,” and had a very short run in terms of popular usage. I’d like to think that when Mike Jones sat down to scribe the lyrics to the song, he initially wanted to use the word “ostentate,” but found it too hard to rhyme.
“Oh boy, I cant wait to wear my new shoes to school tomorrow and floss on all these fools!”