M

• Main Squeeze – boyfriend or girlfriend
• Make a Move On – to flirt or seduce someone
• Make It (Makin It) – to have sex
• Man – most popular way to address either sex 
• Marijuana – the leaf and flower of the cannabis plant, smoked to give a euphoric effect
• MaryJane – another name for marijuana 
• Mean Machine – a good looking, fast or otherwise cool car
• Meshuga – Yiddish for (of a person) crazy; idiotic 
• Mess Around – to be playful in a general or in a sexual way
• Middle America – signified mainstream, middle class conservative Americans
• Midnight auto supply – stolen car parts 
• Militant – old term which was used a lot in the 60s, means someone who advocates violence to achieve political goals
• Mint – clean, like new, groovy 
• Mirror warmer – woman who spends extraordinary time looking in the mirror 
• Mister (adjective) – used sarcastically to indicate an extreme or the opposite ie: Mister Clean, Mister Manners
• Mod – short for modern, it pertained to fashion and design
• Mojo – libido or sex appeal
• Moola – money to spend 
• Mop Top – a hair style worn by the Beatles when they first came to the U.S. in 1964
• Mother – used to accentuate a word to give it a larger meaning
• Munchies – the hunger for snack type food that accompanies marijuana smoking
• My old man (lady) – refers to a very steady boyfriend / girlfriend or spouse 

 

 

N

• Nail or Nailed – to have or have had sex with someone
• Nam – short for Vietnam
• Narc – an undercover narcotics police officer or a drug informant
• Neat or Neato – cool or good, used with “keeno” – became sarcastic in the late 60’s 
• Neck – to make out, kissing and fondling (usually only first base)
• Neggies – no one can drink from your soda 
• Nehru Jacket – a India designed men’s jacket 
• “Never trust anyone over thirty” – the ultimate generation gap statement
• No Biggie – no big deal
• No Fake – really or not a lie 
• No Sweat – don’t worry about it 
• No Way Jose – a humorous way to say “no”
• Nork – nerd and dork put together to make one word 
• Nose Candy – cocaine 
• Not a Clue – with no idea
• Not Brain Surgery – something that is easy or simple 
• Not Rocket Science – (same as above) 

 

O

• Old Man – a husband or boyfriend
• Op Art – an art form which combined series of lines to mimic movement and fluidity
• Out There – -crazy, nutty, or on a different mental level 
• Outta Sight – great, fantastic, awesome

 

 

P

• Pad – a place to sleep or crash
• Paisley – a colorful floral pattern that was popular for men or women’s clothes
• Papers – short for cigarette rolling papers
• Peacenik – someone who favors peace over war
• Peace Sign – in the 1960s the traditional two fingered V for victory in war hand symbol was redefined to represent the opposite or peace from war
• Peace Symbol – originally made for a British anti-nuke organization, it became the symbol of a generation
• Peel Out – to leave very fast in your car laying down rubber as you do
• Pig – an insulting name given to Police Officers
• Pig Out – to eat too much
• Pinko – someone thought to be a communist sympathizer
• Pissed off – angry at something 
• Pisser – a frustrating or maddening situation
• Plastic – phony or unnatural, can be a person or thing (also can mean a credit card)
• Plumbers – anybody in a position of authority that uses dirty tricks as a means to an end
• Pop – popular or trendy or current
• Pop Art – a style of popular art (famous artist Andy Warhol) 
• Popped – arrested or caught
• Pork Chop – an insulting name for a police helicopter 
• Pot – the most widely used name for marijuana
• Prefab Four – referred to The Monkees 
• Preppie – someone who is well dressed in expensive conservative clothing and has a private education
• Prob – short for problem ie: “no prob man”
• Psychedelic – anything that expands the mind in new and somewhat bizarre ways
• Punch It – to hit the gas pedal in your car, to go fast now
• Puked – to throw up, especially when drinking 
• Punk out – to chicken out 

 

 

Q

• Quirky – very weird or different 

 

 

 

R

• Rack – a woman’s breasts “she had a great rack”
• Rad – short for radical, meaning good or great
• Radical (noun) – someone who promotes sudden social change through non conventional methods
• Rap – to talk, originally an African American saying but it found general usage in the 1960s
• Rash – irrational, not logical or not reasonable 
• Rat Fink – someone who “ratted out”,or disclosed information about others 
• Ratting – to frizz the hair by backcombing it towards the scalp 
• Rattled – scared or upset
• Redneck – a 60s definition would be: any person who is prejudiced and intolerant of others
• Rent-A-Cop – private security guard
• Resisters – draft dodgers, people who refused on various grounds to enter military service
• Ride – probably a car but could be any vehicle
• Right On – very popular phrase meaning correct, good, OK and terrific
• Righteous – Serious and “with it” “he is one righteous brother” 
• Rip Off – to steal or something that is not worth its stated value or a fake
• Roach – the butt of a marijuana cigarette
• Roach clip – an alligator clip used to hold a roach so you can smoke it 
• Roadie – a laborer that travels with a rock band to set up the equipment
• Rock On – originally meant to keep listening to rock and roll but it morphed into meaning just keep doing it
• Rule – to have control of the situation
• Rush – excitement from an activity or the initial feeling from taking a drug

 

 

 

S

• Sack Out – go to sleep or go to bed
• Scam – the act of swindling or cheating someone, also a scheme to swindle or cheat
• Scarf – to eat great quantities or to eat really fast (can apply to any indulgence)
• Scene – someplace where it’s happening, like a party or a gathering
• Scope Out – to check out, watch or study something
• Score – to obtain something, also meant getting sex or drugs [used frequently in 1960s slang]
• Scratch – currency, money
• Scrounge (verb) – to beg, borrow, steal or arrange to get something
• Scrounge (noun) – a person who begs, borrows or arranges to get something
• Scuzzy – dirty, or looking bad 
• Search Me – means I don’t know
• Sell Out – someone who gave into something that was considered bad ie: he sold out and went home to live with his parents
• Sexual Revolution – a change in attitudes about sex due in large part because of the birth control pill
• Shades – sunglasses
• Shaft (ed) – to be taken advantage of
• Shag – a British term for sex (more popular in the 1990s)
• Shag – to leave usually quickly 
• Shake That Thing – dance, have fun, shake your booty
• Shine (someone) on – to deceive with a smile on your face 
• Shotgun – in the 1950s it meant to ride in the front seat of a car, in the 60s it meant blowing through the wrong end of a marijuana cigarette
• Shrink – a head shrinker – psychiatrist
• Shut them down – to reject, strongly discourage
• Sick Puppy – someone who is crazy or objectionable
• Silent Majority – used by President Nixon in a speech, meant the vast majority of Americans who didn’t protest the war
• Sister – referring to a black female
• Sit In – a form of non violent protest
• Situation Thirty – a situation of crisis 
• Skag – a woman who was considered unattractive 
• Skank – same as skag 
• Skin – a handshake ie: give me some skin
• Slam Dunk – a winner, any successful endeavor, started as a basketball term
• Slick – someone who is deceitful or dishonest 
• Slide – to leave a place also to ignore a comment or action
• Sleazy – someone that is contemptible, cheap, unkempt or promiscuous
• Snitch – someone who tells on you to the authorities 
• Snooze You Loose – if you wait it will be too late
• Soap Opera – someone who’s life is mixed up, confusing and strange (named after the daytime dramas)
• Soc’s – short for ‘socials’ the “in” crowd or privileged kids 
• “sock it to me” – humorous for let me have it or lay it on me, from Rowan and Martin ‘s Laugh-in
• Solid (Solid Jackson) – an exclamation of approval eg:cool (thanks to Orinoco for this) also, I understand 
• Soul – a form of inner knowledge, it encompasses sincerity, honesty and inner peace
• Space – in the 60s meant emotional atmosphere in which to think or just feel comfortable
• Spaced out – not thinking straight because of drugs or alcohol 
• Spiffy – a 50s term meaning nicely dressed, changed to sarcasm in the 60s meaning too well dressed made up
• Split [used frequently in 1960s slang] – to leave where you are eg. ‘Let’s split this scene.’ 
• Square – a person who is uncool, not contemporary, not with current thinking
• Stash – a place where you hide something (usually drugs)
• Stoked – excited or happy about a particular event
• Stoned – intoxicated, high or influenced by drugs
• Stoner – a frequent user of drugs
• Strictly from hunger – a negative comment relating to taste, style or fashion 
• Submarine Races – a line used to lure a date to the beach for some making out
• Sucker – someone who is easily fooled 
• Super – something great, the best or top
• Sweat Hog – overweight or slovenly person also from the TV show “Welcome Back Kotter”
• Sweet – (not about taste or flavor) something very good, often an object or a girl
• Sweet Cheeks – an attractive girl 

 

 

 

T

• Take Five – to take a rest, literally take a few minutes off from what you’re doing
• Take Out – pick up fast food (this was the first generation that could easily do this)
• Talking Head – tv news anchor person (they are usually seen from the shoulders up)
• Tap City – broke, has no money 
• Tapped Out – same as Tap City
• Tee’d Off – mad or upset
• Ted “He’s a Ted” – a weird kid 
• Tennies – tennis shoes 
• Threads – clothes (originally a 1940’s term it was revisited heavily in the 1960s)
• Tie-Dye – a process of dying done to clothing to create random circular patterns
• Tight – close friends, can also mean drinking too much 
• “Tip-Toe Thru the Tulips” – lyrics to a Tiny Tim song, always said in sarcasm and meaning nothing
• Toads – underclassmen especially freshmen 
• Toke – a puff or drag off of a marijuana cigarette
• Too pooped to pop – exhausted or very tired 
• Tooling – driving around or cruising 
• Totally different head – a new way of looking at something 
• Tough – attractive or sexy girl 
• Trip – under the influence of a psychedelic drug, can also mean a unique fun experience
• Tube – television (also called Boob Tube)
• Tuff – good, okay, cool, great 
• Tune Out – to ignore, not listen to 
• Turn (you) On [used frequently in 1960s slang] – to share something ie: cigarettes, drugs, soda pop, etc. 
• Twilight Zone – a situation that seems a little unreal in which time and reality aren’t necessarily apparent

 

 

U

• Uncool – used a lot to indicate anything that was inappropriate or unacceptable to the group that was using the term
• Unreal – also used a lot to indicate something abnormal, strange or unbelievable
• Upchuck and die (also eat shit and die) – said to someone you really hate 
• Uptight – on edge, tightly wound 

 

 

 

V

• VC – Viet Cong, the military guerrilla forces of N. Vietnam (this term was burned into our vocabulary by war reports)
• Vibes – feelings emanating from a person or situation

 

 

 

W

• Wail – to beat up on someone 
• Wallflower – someone who is shy – used in the ’60s 
• Wasted – extremely intoxicated or high
• Watergate – a hotel/office complex in Washington DC where there was a break-in which eventually led to the downfall of a President
• Weed – marijuana
• What a gas – something that was fun or very funny 
• Wig Out – to freak out or space out 
• Wild Thing, the – sex
• Wiped Out – originally a surfers term in the 60s it meant depleted or exhausted either mentally or physically
• Wired – high, also naturally energized or excited
• With It – knowledgeable, appropriate or in the know
• Wow – not a new expression but certainly one of the most used during the sixties

 

 

 

Y

• Yippie – nickname given to members of the Youth International Party a anti war organization
• Yuppie – nickname given to young upwardly mobile professionals

 

Z

• Zone – a mental place where things are going well and are happy
• Zonked – out of it, due either to fatigue, alcohol or drugs
• Zoo – not the animal place but rather a strange, crazy or extremely busy place