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Jan 5, 2023 · Learn the meaning and usage of popular 90s slang phrases like aiight, as if, da bomb, and more. Find out how celebrities, movies, and music influenced the 90s lingo and vocabulary.
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Aug 12, 2024 · The longest list of popular '90s slang words. Fly, as if, bomb diggity, bounce, bling, and more. Discover 125 of the most iconic terms and phrases from the '90s and how to use them in a sentence.
- 110 Percent
- Bada-Bing
- Buzzkill
- Harsh
- Jiggy
- Judgy
- Metrosexual
- Majorly
- Noob
- Skeezy
It was the amount you gave when you were giving your very best. Its logical impossibility made it the premise of a joke in a 1992 episode of The Simpsons. By 1998, it was still so popular that it landed on Lake Superior State University’s annual Banished Words List.
Spell it with one D or two, pair it with bada-boom, and … bada-bing bada boom … you have an unpretentious '90s catchphrase, meaning “Voilà!” Though the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) notes that the term was used in 1965, eight of its 11 citations are from the '90s, it was on the Banished Words List in 1994, and was the name of the gentlemen's club...
It wasn’t in the Scrabble dictionary until 2014, but according to Merriam-Webster, buzzkill—defined as “one that has a depressing or negative effect”—finds its first use in 1992, two years before the short-lived MTV prank showthat bore its name.
When Tai declares that Cher is "a virgin who can't drive" in Clueless, Cher shoots back, “That was way harsh, Tai.” The film is such a rich repository of '90s lingo that it receives 74 citations in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, which defines harshin this context as "very unpleasant, exceptionally rude, ill-mannered, extremely bad."
Though jiggy has been a slang term for nervous energy since the 1890s, it only acquired its connotations of dancing, fun, and sex from one place: Will Smith’s 1997 hit, “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It.” Na-na, na, na, na-na-na.
According to Merriam-Webster, judgy also made its appearance in 1997 as a derogatory term meaning "tending to judge others harshly or critically." Strange, because one of the most judgy people on earth, Judith Sheindlin, found '90s success one year earlier with the premiere of Judge Judy.
This portmanteau for a stylish urbanite was coined by Mark Simpson in a 1994 essay. "One sharply dressed ‘metrosexual’ in his early 20s ... has a perfect complexion and precisely gelled hair, and is inspecting a display of costly aftershaves," Simpson wrote. His list of metrosexual must-haves paints a picture of the '90s male: Davidoff aftershave, ...
The OED finds examples of the slang use of majorly in the '80s, but it was in the '90s that majorly got majorly big. Consider, once again, Clueless. Based on Jane Austen’s Emma, the story’s key dramatic moment is the heroine’s realization that she is in love. “It darted through her with the speed of an arrow, that Mr. Knightley must marry no one bu...
No list of '90s slang would be complete without one from the then-newfangled commercial internet. This term for a beginner made its first appearance in 1995, in a Usenet forum devoted to the band Phish. If you didn’t know what ASL stood for on ICQ, you were likely a noob.
An internet newsgroup was also the first place that this term for something distasteful appeared, according to the OED. It was used to describe Freddie Mercury’s pants: "If you were performing in a benefit concert for the lead singer of Queen, ... wouldn't you dress up a little more than skeezy pants and football net-jersey?" A bit judgy, no?
- Boo-Yah: In the 1990s, the expression “boo-yah” came to be used more often to convey feelings of delight or achievement. This tendency carried over into the new century and continued into the 2000s.
- Da Bomb: During that time, it was common practice to refer to anything as “da bomb” if it was exceptionally spectacular or uncommon compared to other things happening at the time.
- As If: The phrase “as if” gives the impression that the person listening to the comment is doubtful or skeptical about the assertion. This impression is given to the person who is listening to the remark.
- All That: A person or object is considered “all that” when adjectives and phrases from the 1990s emphasize how remarkable or outstanding it is. The terminology used to emphasize these qualities derive from that decade.
Oct 2, 2023 · From the rise of grunge to the golden era of hip-hop, the 90s brought us a plethora of slang words and phrases that quickly became a part of everyday conversation. Photo by Sergey Sokolov on...
Jul 19, 2023 · Discover the 90s slang words that have re-emerged in this new decade. The article lists the 90s slang phrases Millennials and Gen Z consider cool and smooth.
Oct 24, 2023 · Relive the iconic quotes and sayings from the 90s, from movies, TV shows, slang, and politics. Whether you were a fan of action, comedy, drama, or romance, you'll find some of the most memorable lines from the decade.
