To make the perfect historical movie or TV series, it's not enough to build a flawless set or hire an interior expert to stand behind your CGI artist. It's not enough to give the actors makeup in the spirit of the era and dress them in authentic costumes, sewn using the technology appropriate to the time.

There will always be something that is the most difficult to fake. Language, or rather slang. Perhaps the most accurate mirror in the world, reflecting the specifics of any time. Language lives with us and changes no less often than, for example, fashion, with words coming in and out of vogue. And this viral thread in the AskReddit community is dedicated to examples of such slang words considered 'outdated'.

More info: Reddit

Image credits: Pixabay (not the actual photo)

#1

I was unaware sweet was out of date.

I said sweet to a customer and the tweens thought it was hilarious. Dad said dude. I said sweet. Dad said dude... back and forth until we laughed. Made my day but the tweens looked so confused.

#youhadtobethere

#2

I was at a grocery store a while back and the person working the register was a young 20’s woman. She said something and I responded with “Right on” and she responds with “Oh, I love old timey sayings!”

So I guess that’s my old timey saying that I still use.

#3

"thingy" "thingamajig"

Yes, it is slang that most accurately reflects the dynamics of the development of any language - because the academic norms of linguistics clearly don't keep up with the rapid fashion for words. Especially with the development of the internet. It is not surprising that it was in 1990, a year before the emergence of the worldwide web, that the American Dialect Society began to determine 'The Word of the Year' in the United States.

#4

I finish every sentence with Man, and I call everyone Dude. ?

#5

Dope

Edit: especially feels weird now that I’m almost 40 and use it to describe mundane things like salad dressing.

#6

Cool beans.

By the way, the history of words and expressions that became 'The Word of the Year' over the time perfectly illustrates the evolution of our lives. For example, in 1994 it was the word cyber, in 2003 - metrosexual, in 2009 - tweet, in 2020 - Covid, and in 2023 - ens**ttification (the pattern of decreasing quality of online platforms that function as two-sided markets). At the same time, some 'words of the year' are so irrevocably a thing of the past that it's difficult to remember their meaning without the appropriate context.

#7

Okey-Dokey

#8

Dude. I say it all the time...so much so that when my son was 3, he called me either "mommy" or "dude".

I ctfu once at the grocery store when we were checking out once and my son said, "Dude, can I have candy?"

Cashier looked at me and said, "Did he call you Dude?"

Yup.

#9

I've been known to use the word "copacetic" on occasion.

“Any language is truly a living, constantly changing structure, especially when it comes to slang,” says Oleksiy Arkhireyev, a Ukrainian copywriter and novelist, who was asked by Bored Panda for a comment here. “And everything really depends on our perception. For example, in the '60s the word 'boomer' was perceived as the personification of everything young, progressive, full of energy, but now it has quite logically changed its meaning.”

“On the other hand, we stop accepting new words in the language where we feel comfortable, and if someone considers, for example, the words 'cool' and 'okey-dokey' to be outdated, then this is not at all a problem for people who actively use them in their speech. In any case, each generation, each year brings us more and more new words - only for them to, after some time, also 'go out of fashion.' This is an objective process - and that’s what makes linguistics so wonderful,” Oleksiy ponders.

#10

Now we’re cooking with gas

Good grief

I refer to people as cool cats and good eggs

#11

Negating a sentence by end the sentence with “not”. For example: I trust Social Security retirement to be there for the young workers today, not!

#12

Wicked.

It’s interesting that in this collection I personally found about a dozen words and expressions that I regularly use - and which other people perceive as outdated. Interesting experience, by the way - so please feel free to scroll this list to the very end, read all these stories about 'archaic slang' and maybe add your own examples in the comments below.

#13

I’m the only person I know who responds to something with “Nice!”

#14

sick. boss. rad. dude. bro. bruh. half of these i started saying ironically because i hated them, but it turns out i was the douche all along and now they won't leave my vocabulary lmao what a twist for the many people talking about how un-outdated some of my list is: can you not already see i am a dumba**?

allow me to live, brü. i am a 34yo woman/alien and idk what the hell is ever going on lmao EDIT: PLEASE LEARN TO READ LOL i have already said some of these are apparently not outdated!! i wish your reading comprehension was the same BRÜ

#15

I still use "cool" and refer to my close friends as "dude"

#16

Nifty

Legit had someone ask where I was from one time.

#17

heavens to murgatroyd!

#18

Grody instead of gross

#19

I tell people 'peace out' and acknowledge things with 'word'. I'm 43

#20

I still use jank/janky/janked a lot, which I feel is a bit outdated. And the occasional 'bite me'.

#21

Awesome sauce. I’m 49. I nearly fell over when my 17yo employee said it. She got it from her parents.

#22

Are the kids still saying yeet these days?

#23

Bee’s knees.

#24

Mondo, tubular, groovy, totally colabrafo, radical. I'm basically a Ninja Turtle.

#25

Groovy

#26

I say “brb” out loud a lot

#27

What’s crackin

#28

I’m big on gnarly and solid. I was not around during the timeframe they would’ve been popular. I have no idea why I say them

#29

"take it easy" is my go-to goodbye. I've been told that's outdated.

#30

Lately Ive been saying sheesh again and I dont know why

#31

Man alive

#32

10-4

#33

Oh snap

#34

Saying good things are "Sweet".

#35

Totes McGotes

#36

Coolio when I mean cool. Although I'm not sure that was ever mainstream or just Sarah Chalke on scrubs.

#37

Stoked!

#38

suh dude will never leave my vocab

#39

Rad

#40

"Fetch"

#41

I still refer to people as "Dog." It started ironically at work, and somehow found its way into my every day speech. I don't even realize I'm doing it anymore.