The 1960s were a time of political protest and cultural change, which is evident in much of the music, fashion, and movies of the time. With that came some far-out slang. A few of these words survived and became part of our everyday lexicon, while others are relics of a more psychedelic time. Younger generations might say, “OK boomer,” at some of these slang terms today, but in the 1960s, they were the height of cool.
The first documentation of “babe” being used to refer to an infant was in the 14th century, but hippies used this as a term of endearment for significant others. The earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) for “babe” as a synonym of “sweetheart” is in 1911, but it really took off in the mid-20th century. This endearment is still popular today.
The slang usage of this word — as in “cool cat,” someone who exudes style and grace — originated in the 1930s but peaked in the 1960s. Try resurrecting this moniker for a gender-neutral replacement to “bro” or “dude.”
To crash is to stay over at someone’s house, usually for free and probably on the couch. The place for crashing was known as the crash pad. Another usage of “crash” popular with music-loving hippies was a shortened form of “gatecrash,” meaning “to gain entrance to a party or place without credentials.” (Think: “wedding crasher.”)
If someone is explaining a difficult concept or experience, they might want to confirm their audience’s understanding by asking, “You dig?” The term “dig” arose in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in the 1930s, in relation to the excavation sense of the word, as in unearthing knowledge. “Dig” is also used to denote approval, as in, “I really dig your style!”
Too-cool-for-school hippies needed a term for something that disappoints or bores — and this was it. “You know that cat who is crashing on my couch? He’s such a drag!” While it became hip slang in the mid-20th century, the noun was used as early as the 14th century to refer to a piece of heavy agriculture equipment that dragged through clots of dirt. The slang meaning is easy to extrapolate from the long-ago usage.
This adjective has multiple usages as a synonym for “splendid” or “avant-garde” or “far-fetched.” It started in the 1950s jazz scene and quickly spread in popularity from there. Whatever context it’s in, imagine a genuinely complimentary tone.
Hippies were fond of using flowers as accessories at concerts, gatherings, and, of course, protests. “Flower Power” described the hippie desire to make the world a better place with peaceful actions.
Among those standing on the outside, though, it was used a bit derisively. In 1969, a music journalist described it as such: “As fads go, Flower Power was less than impressive … Everyone wore kaftans and beads and bells. Everyone spoke in hushed tones of San Francisco and Monterey, of acid and Love and the Maharishi.”
As an adjective that describes a grooved texture, this word was in use as early as the 1850s. Later, it became a synonym for “excellent,” appearing first in jazz music (as many other hippie terms did). It originally implied an ability to play music well, but then evolved to describe people appreciative of the scene. By the time hippies were groovy, they could also be described as “outta sight.”
Back in the 15th century, “hacked” meant “chopped or mangled.” But starting in the mid-20th century, “hacked” (sometimes paired with “off”) described someone who was irritated or fed up. With its additional modern technological usage, you’ll get pretty hacked if your email account gets hacked (broken into).
Aretha Franklin popularized this phrase in her 1967 song “Respect.” It didn’t always have a family-friendly connotation — comedians began using the phrase to mean “give it to me,” and they’d often see consequences, such as getting a pie to the face.
Adapted from jazz slang, the word “threads”was usedto refer to clothes. A 1972 citation in the OED gives the full picture of the hippie aesthetic: “My friends, who grooved the way I did… I mean, love beads, wild threads, granny glasses… and a bit of grass.”
