Slang time machine
Every English slang term has a moment it first showed up in print or on someone's lips. We've tagged 1,000 terms with a first attested decade — from 18th-century thieves’ cant through to 2020s internet vocabulary. Pick a decade below.
1980s — 50 terms
Showing top 50 by viewsslay
1980🔥 Gen Z & TikTok
circle back
1980💼 Corporate & Work
move the needle
1980💼 Corporate & Work
bandwidth
1980💼 Corporate & Work
deep dive
1980💼 Corporate & Work
synergize
1980💼 Corporate & Work
shoegaze
1980🎵 Music & Lyrics
dogfood
1988💼 Corporate & Work
retro
1980💼 Corporate & Work
sprint
1980💼 Corporate & Work
align
1980💼 Corporate & Work
forest bathing
1982🌱 Lifestyle & Wellness
a-alike
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
mad
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
diss track
1980🎵 Music & Lyrics
flow
1980🎵 Music & Lyrics
lo-fi
1980🎵 Music & Lyrics
emo
1985🎵 Music & Lyrics
dream pop
1980🎵 Music & Lyrics
amber alert
1986🗺️ Regional & Other
Anna Kournikova
1981🗺️ Regional & Other
IMO
1980🌐 Internet & Memes
African-American
1980⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
ninja
1980🎮 Gaming
shade
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
boom bap
1980🎵 Music & Lyrics
dime
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
Sixties Scoop
1983🗺️ Regional & Other
read
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
rolling
1980🎵 Music & Lyrics
triple-double
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
airhead
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
twee
1980🎵 Music & Lyrics
radical
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
batmobile
1989🗺️ Regional & Other
yas
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
posterized
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
rave
1980🎵 Music & Lyrics
bogus
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
woobie
1983⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
minivan
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
bust a move
1986🗺️ Regional & Other
warrant
1980⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
toasted special
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
kike dyke
1981🗺️ Regional & Other
GUBU
1982🗺️ Regional & Other
Kevin's Gate
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
yomp
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
realness
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
Oregon Trail Generation
1985🌐 Internet & Memes
E ticket
1982🗺️ Regional & Other
handbags
1980⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
Camberwell carrot
1987🗺️ Regional & Other
schwag
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
ecodefence
1985🗺️ Regional & Other
Kennedy plea
1987⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
eat my shorts
1989🗺️ Regional & Other
handbags at dawn
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
M81
1981🗺️ Regional & Other
boss
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
mixtape
1980🎵 Music & Lyrics
conscious rap
1980🎵 Music & Lyrics
Care Bear
1981🗺️ Regional & Other
fast times
1981🗺️ Regional & Other
Dodgy Brothers
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
ho-bag
1989🗺️ Regional & Other
Jewnited Snakes
1982🗺️ Regional & Other
Dog
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
cypher
1980🎵 Music & Lyrics
baby mama
1986🗺️ Regional & Other
wazzock
1984🗺️ Regional & Other
Baker day
1988🗺️ Regional & Other
sandwich class
1980⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
boomshanka
1982🗺️ Regional & Other
Bradley effect
1982🗺️ Regional & Other
perp walk
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
bite me
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
bluehair
1980👗 Fashion & Lifestyle
Fishtar
1987🗺️ Regional & Other
roundball
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
bleeding stump
1981🗺️ Regional & Other
hoser
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
freephone
1985🗺️ Regional & Other
dirt nap
1981🗺️ Regional & Other
Discover
1985🗺️ Regional & Other
power pill
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
Gillick competence
1985🗺️ Regional & Other
Pell Grant
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
himbo
1988🗺️ Regional & Other
cdesign proponentsist
1987🌐 Internet & Memes
ghetto blaster
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
Sloane Ranger
1982👗 Fashion & Lifestyle
beer goggles
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
humblebrag
1984🗺️ Regional & Other
Mrs Miggins
1986🗺️ Regional & Other
loadsamoney
1980⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
full monty
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
Cunningham's Law
1980🌐 Internet & Memes
Sir Humphrey
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
Chiantishire
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
Billy Dee
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
Mexican wave
1986⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
bunny boiler
1987🗺️ Regional & Other
Section 620
1988🗺️ Regional & Other
go postal
1980💼 Corporate & Work
too much information
1988🌐 Internet & Memes
grody
1982🗺️ Regional & Other
cockaludicrous
1987🗺️ Regional & Other
snowmeow
1980🌐 Internet & Memes
Southyork
1980🗺️ Regional & Other
Attestation dates come from etymologies originally sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0) and editorial expansion authored on Slangora. They reflect the earliest documented use we found for each term, not necessarily the moment it was coined.