Can You Translate These Simple '60s Slang Words?

By: Isadora Teich
Estimated Completion Time
2 min
Can You Translate These Simple '60s Slang Words?
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About This Quiz

The 1960s are one of the most talked-about decades in American history. From numerous social movements and changes to a controversial war, this decade was full of historic events that helped to shape and shake the world. It was the era of drugs, sex and rock and roll, but also an era of vast social unrest around the world. Americans were beginning to demand their rights at home.  

During the '60s, psychedelic drugs were on the rise, hippies were swarming San Francisco and Beatlemania took the western world by storm. The foundations of a youth-focused counterculture and pop culture as we know it snapped into place. While a lot of the music, fashion, slang, ideology and pop culture staples of the '60s are out of style now, many have been hugely influential and are still popular today. 

After all, people are still wearing bell bottom pants, still say words like "cool," and you can still hear The Beatles and The Rolling Stones on the radio. If you are a groovy chick or a cool cat, put your knowledge of 1960s slang to the test. See if you can keep things copacetic and nab a totally cherry score on this electric 1960s slang quiz. 

If you "dig" something, you:
Hate it
Own it
Love it
Agree with it
"Can you dig it?" was a common way of using this slang. It roughly meant "Do you agree/understand?"

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What does it mean to have "scratch"?
Money
There were several slang words back in the day for money. These include "bread" and "scratch."
A cold
Drugs
A place to live

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If something is "heavy," it's:
Unwanted
Serious
Something heavy could be serious or meaningful. It can also indicate that something is thought-provoking.
Expensive
Boring

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"Far out" means:
Boring
Expensive
Amazing
"Far out" is one of the most famous '60s slang phrases. It means something is amazing or wonderful.
Confusing

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What does it mean to "go ape"?
Calm down
Go to bed
Get in a fight
Do something crazy
There are still variants of this being used today. If someone is "going ape," they are doing something out of the ordinary or super crazy.

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If someone has a "beef" with you, it means they:
Stole your steak
Have bad blood with you
"Beef" is still used this way today. It means that someone holds something against you.
Respect you
Are jealous of you

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If something is "killer," it's:
Great
This one has stuck around in various forms over the years. If something is "killer," it's great.
Outdated
Weird
Tacky

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What kind of situation is a "pisser"?
Frustrating
A "pisser" is a frustrating or maddening situation. These are not deadly or life-threatening usually.
Fun
Terrifying
Normal

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What does it mean to "crash"?
Smoke
Fall in love
Mess up
Go to sleep
To crash meant to pass out or go to sleep. A crash pad was a place to sleep or live.

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You ________ "shades."
Eat
Cut
Sniff
Wear
"Shades" was popular slang for sunglasses. This one can still be heard today.

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In slang terms,"Big Brother" refers to:
Any sibling
Any authority figure
Big Brother was slang for any authority figure, but usually the government. This comes from George Orwell's dystopian novel "1984."
Drugs
Criminals

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Your "main squeeze" is your:
Partner
Your "main squeeze" is your girlfriend or boyfriend. This is mostly only used ironically, if at all, these days.
Job
Pet
Favorite food

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Who are "the pigs"?
Police officers
In the 1960s, there were many derogatory names for authority figures. This was especially directed at police.
Landlords
Bosses
Chefs

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Which word was a popular sentence filler?
Gucci
Man
Like, totally, man. These words were popular sentence fillers back in the day.
Green
Oh buddy

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Acid was another word for:
LSD
Acid is slang for the psychedelic drug LSD. This term is still popular today.
Damn
Sick
In love

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What does it mean to "punk out"?
Steal someone's partner
Chicken out
To "punk out" is to "chicken out." Both of these are slang for dropping out of something due to fear.
Sell out
Move in with your parents

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"Bread" referred to:
Any desserts
Marriage
Cars
Money
This slang has gone in and out of fashion since the 1960s. Bread refers to money.

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If something is "cool," it's:
Good
While it originated in the 1950s, "cool" is probably the slang word most associated with the 1960s. It is still popular today.
Ugly
Outdated
Delicious

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What does it mean to "rap"?
Sing
Fight
Talk
To "rap" means to talk. This was initially African-American slang.
Leave

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Someone's pad is their:
House
A pad is a place where people slept or lived. Back in the day, someone might have said "Welcome to my pad."
Partner
Job
Wallet

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"Exactamundo" means:
No
An insult
Exactly
In the '60s, hip people said this instead of "exactly." It was for emphasis.
None of the above

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To "jet" meant to:
Leave
To jet meant to leave somewhere quickly. A group of friends at a bad party might say "Let's jet!"
Workout
Fall in love
Get high

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If a man is a "Ken doll" he is:
Tall
Vain
Calling a man a Ken doll was an insult. It meant that he was obsessed with his looks.
Boring
Sickly

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A "load" is a:
Treasure
Drug
Lie
In the '60s, "load" referred to several things. It could be a heavy burden, a lie or a questionable tale.
Compliment

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If something is "mint," it's...
Clean
Like new
Cool
All of the above
Today, "mint" usually only refers to things that are in a like new condition. Back then, it could mean a few positive things.

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Your "old man" is your:
Husband
A male spouse or longterm partner is your "old man." For women in the same position, it was "old lady."
Family patriarch
Teacher
Boss

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When something is "not brain surgery" it's:
Dumb
Easy
Have you ever heard anyone say, "It's not rocket science" or, "It's not brain surgery"? These two phrases were born in the 1960s.
Fun
Dangerous

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Something that's "out there" is:
Far away
Crazy
If something is "out there" it's crazy or strange. You might even say it's on a whole other level.
Beautiful
Conservative

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If someone is an "egg head," what are they like?
Dumb
Attractive
Funny
Intellectual
Egg head was a term used to make fun of someone who was very intelligent or focused on their studies. It has more or less fallen out of favor.

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What kind of vehicle is a "pork chop"?
Police helicopter
"Pigs" was common slang for police officers. This is why some people called their helicopters "pork chops."
Plane
Bike
Motorcycle

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A place that's "a bad scene" is:
Cool
Secret
Out of the way
Unpleasant
If a place or an event was "a bad scene" it was not a good place to be. If a place was "a-go-go" it was a cool place to be.

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If someone is "full of it" they are:
Charming
Rich
Lying
This one is still somewhat common today. Someone who is "full of it" either does not know what they are talking about or is lying.
Sick

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"The Five-O" refers to the:
Parents
Police
"Five-O" is slang for police. This comes from the late '60s TV show "Hawaii Five-O."
Uncool kids
Squares

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If someone is "around the bend" what are they like?
Attractive
Weird
If someone was described as "around the bend" it meant that they were crazy or strange. This could involve their looks, things they said or their actions.
Dead
Mean

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If something is "grotty," it's:
Gross
Something that's "grotty" is gross or tasteless. This one did not catch on much past the 1960s.
Perfect
Boring
Tasty

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You Got:
/35
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