Revisiting 80s slang...to the max

A recent Internet search of slang terms from the 80s yielded some pretty colorful linguistic gems. I think that anyone who writes historical fiction should pepper the prose with the verbiage of the time they write in. Having grown up in the 80s, some of these came rushing right back and others I didn't recall. I don't remember ever calling someone Pac-Man for having a huge appetite. Some terms refused to die out with acid-wash jeans and parachute pants. So here goes...

duh, bitchin, wicked, chill, airhead, amped, fricking, lame, scumbag, space cadet, veg out, bimbette, bogart, grody, dude, dufus, yello, dickweed

And the popular phrases of that day-glo period of time...

I'm so sure, cool your jets, damn skippy, way cool, what's your damage? (my personal fave), book it, to the max, like, Oh my God, and of course eat my shorts (long live The Breakfast Club)

Also, I think it's important not to stuff stories with slang unless it's appropriate for the character. You want some to add color, but not so much that your book is overstuffed with Dude, cool your jets and stop being such a dickweed. All I wanted was to veg out and you bogart all the breathable air in the room. What's your damage? Nothing??? Eat my shorts dufus.

Any others I'm missing? I'd love to get more feedback.

More Ramblings of an 8th Grade Misfit

I still cringe when I read what my 13 year old mind produced at the time. However, one cannot be a writer without sharing their writing, no matter how abysmal said writing might seem.

9-22-87

Why do we need English?
We need English to know adverbs, prepositions, adjectives, nouns, punctuation, capitalization, and all of that stuff. We also need English to know how to write essays, sentences, and book reports.


9-23-87

Why are some school rules unpopular?
Some school rules are unpopular because they don't let you do things like wear shorts, or chew gum, or have parties.

10-1-87
If I could be 1 star, I would be Molly Ringwald and I'm not sure why.

My present day self wants to time travel back to 1987 and school my younger self on a few things. STUFF? Really?  When I was a teacher, I tried to dissuade as many kids from using that word as possible. I probably haven't worn shorts since 1987 and Molly Ringwald is AWESOME and an author now to boot. I should have written something in that entry about The Breakfast Club because it is one of the best movies ever made. RIP John Hughes :(