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The 1950s were a wild time. Everything was in black and white, there weren’t any footprints on the moon and no one had even heard of Taylor Swift. Can you imagine what that must have been like?
Although some things from the 1950s are long gone, the decade’s slang terms live on. Let’s take a look at some notable quotables from the mid-twentieth century.
Gringles: worries. As in, “Boy, do I have a fat stack of gringles today.” I like gringles because it sounds like “gripes” and “Pringles” had a baby. Let’s bring it back.
What’s buzzin’ cousin? Thismeans“how’sitgoing”or“what’s happening.” I love the rhyme and the “z” soundsinthisphrase.I’mgoingtoreplace “what’s up” with this phrase in daily use.
Flutterbum:agoodlookingman.This is the decade’s lesser-known version of “dream boat.” To use the term today, you could say, “Ryan Gosling was a real flutter bum in the new ‘Barbie’ movie.”
Agitate the gravel: to leave. Imagine a sockhopthatgoessideways.Fonzandthe gang decide to leave in a hurry, so they peel out in the gravel parking lot. I have dreams of agitating the gravel at most social gatherings, especially when I’m in “Antsville” (a crowded place).
Cut the gas: be quiet. This was a nicer wayofsaying“shutyourpiehole.”Ifareal chump was saying bad things about your old lady — or worse — your car, you’d be remiss not to tell him, “Aw, cut the gas, chuckle head!”
Cow-handed: awkward. Imagine a human with cow hooves for hands. Better yet, a T- rex trying to do pushups. That’squite cow-handed. In middle school, all my school picturesshowed a cow-handed kid who had been suckerpunched by preteenage nerdiness.
Get bent: die. Yes, to tell someone to “getbent”wastowishtheirtimeonEarth to expire. To go west. To kick the bucket. To meet their maker. That’s intense.
HeavenstoBetsy:toexpresssurprise. I still hear this one today, although it sounds antiquated when people say it. That’s not a bad thing, as I think it’s neat to hear a variety of phrases. “By golly” or “boyhowdy”canbeusedinterchangeably with “heavens to Betsy.” We still hear many ‘50sphrasestoday.Some include the ubiquitous “cool,” “ankle biter,” “cruisin’ for a bruisin,’” “dibs” and “having a blast.” What midcentury words and phrases do you think we should bring back? Jump on the party line and let me know.
—Curtis Honeycutt is a wildly popular syndicated humor columnist. HeistheauthorofGoodGrammar is the Life of the Party: Tips for a Wildly Successful Life. Find more at curtishoneycutt.com.
