The Best Slang Word of the 70s

By | May 11, 2018

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Young adult hippie couple hitchhiking. Young adult hippie couple hitchhiking. (Getty images)


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The 1970’s was a crazy and exciting time in the United States. Change was taking over America in leaps and bounds. Changes included just about everything like the economy (can you say "gas shortage"?), social norms, music and the list just goes on and on. Another thing that was changing was the way people talked. It seemed like pop culture had created its own unique language, one that sometimes drove the older generation nuts.

Although certain words were slang and not found in any dictionaries at the time, everyone just understood. Some words and phrases were even used in more way than one, although it was usually with the same sentiment.

The counterculture movement brought a new slang vocabulary in the 70’s.

Along with the counterculture movement, a new way of speaking was born as an outward sign of expression in its support. The word, slang, is defined as a metaphoric vocabulary considered to be socially taboo. The use of slang indicates that a person is in-the-know -- and if the fundamental slang question "Can you dig it?" had you thinking of shovels and holes in the ground, you were most certainly not in the know.

Over the years, change has obviously continued. After all, life is about change. That being said, however, it is also true that what was old can sometimes become new again. So many of the slang words and phrases that we used in the 70’s continue to be used today.

You probably know that slang is ever evolving and changes from generation to generation. The slang from the groovy 70’s, however, has endured and is probably some of the best you will ever remember. If you were a young person in the 70’s, you can probably dig what I’m about to put down.