![]() ![]() While “grease” is clearly a reference to the hairstyle of the youth, it’s probably no coincidence that many greasers were also Italian Americans and Mexican Americans. Later, it was also used to describe the Italian immigrants coming to the United States. While the subculture thrived during the 1950s, the term “greaser” goes back to a slur for Mexican and Latin Americans in the mid-19th century. The idea of greasers today has been sanitized by pop culture, particularly the shows and movies from the 1970s that looked back on the ’50s with nostalgia, like the musical Grease and the character of Fonzie on Happy Days. It’s believed that the culture grew out of the post-War motorcycle gangs, which would explain why one of the most defining style choices among greasers was the leather jacket. ![]() They were rebellious, usually working-class and associated with sexual promiscuity. Meaning: a youth subculture characterized by a slicked-back hairstyleīefore there were hippies, there were greasers, a different youth subculture that arose out of disillusionment with the American ruling classes and popular culture. If you tried to say hello to someone with “Hey, daddy-o” in the 1960s, there’s a pretty good chance they’d think you were a cop. As often happens, the slang invented by Black Americans quickly spread, because it sets the standard for “cool” in the country. Is there any 1950s slang that has aged quite as poorly as “daddy-o”? The phrase is attested to as far back as at least 1949, and was originally used among jazz musicians to show camaraderie on the stage. Meaning: a means of addressing someone else It was in the 1950s, though, that the phrase became more widely known. Army-Navy football game, where the writer said the Navy team is likely “cruising for a bruising.” It likely was in use earlier than that, however, and originated from Black English. One of its earliest printed uses is in a 1945 newspaper article about the U.S. The phrase has somewhat uncertain origins. This is a phrase to let someone know if they don’t change what they’re doing, they’re going to get bruised. Threatening someone with a rhyming phrase might not seem very intimidating, but this phrase could pack some punch, literally. You might even still hear it today, though it might be in reference to a type of stock on the stock market. It wasn’t until the mid-20th century, though, that it started to enter the average American’s lexicon. The phrase can actually be traced back to a different century’s ’50s: the 1850s. It’s also sometimes paired with another phrase that became popular around the same time: curtain climbers. Yet, as ever, kids back then were mischievous little critters, earning the name “ankle biters,” because kids were small and so have easy access to ankles. Watching an old show like Leave It to Beaver, you might think all children were generally well-behaved back in the ’50s. Meaning : a child, particularly a misbehaving one Popular 1950s Slang That’s Worth Knowing Ankle Biter ![]() Look no further, because we collected some of the ginchiest 1950s slang phrases. If you look at the slang that was popularized during the 1950s, though, you see a more interesting story. The modern idea of the ’50s is that it was a buttoned-up time when everyone believed in family values and “the American way.” This is a pretty skewed reality, largely focused on the white middle class. The 1950s were the heyday of the Silent Generation, those born before and during World War II, when the United States was both at the height of its power while also launching into a Cold War. That’s why so much 1950s slang has gone so out of fashion. Certain words are like fads, and saying “groovy” out of season will make you seem like a real turkey. And it’s also true that each generation thinks the slang of the previous generation is trite, corny and even embarrassing. It’s a universal truth that each new generation of teens invents its own slang. ![]()
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