Learn to speak like a hippie
Do you want to learn to speak like a hippie? The flower children of the 1960s invented dozens of countercultural words and expressions to describe their experiences and beliefs. Whether you’re planning a party to celebrate peace and love, or just want to learn some hipster lingo, here’s a short list of hippie words and expressions.
Baby or baby: A term of endearment for men or women, such as “Honey.”
Handbag: A favorite hobby or activity, such as “Playing guitar is my purse, honey.”
Ban bra: A feminist slogan. The bra was considered a symbol of women’s oppression and bras were sometimes burned in protest.
Bread: Money or cash. “I wish I didn’t have to work, but I need the bread.”
Journal: Unfortunate event or feeling of sadness. “What a bummer, man!”
Cat: A nice man.
Chick: A pretty young woman.
Cool: Admirable or modern and worthy of emulation.
Cop out: A lame excuse for inaction or taking the lazy road. “He said the dog ate all of our brownies. What a cop!”
Dig: “I love it” means “I understand your point of view.” It’s also a way of describing something that you really like, like “I love those sandals.”
Do your thing!: Do whatever makes you happy.
Drag: Boring or disappointing. “What a bore!”
Far !: “Impressive!”
Flower children: The hippies were called Flower Children because they wore flowers in their hair, on their clothes and painted flowers on everything.
Flower Power: Flowers symbolize the power of love over hate. Most famously, hippies affixed flower stalks to the barrels of law enforcement weapons during war protests.
Fearful: Elegant in an unconventional way. For example, music and fashion can be funky.
Generational gap: It defines the divergence between the ideals of modern young adults and those of the older and more conservative generations.
Be realistic: Be realistic. You are in denial.
Go with the flow: Stay calm and let things happen at their own pace.
Marvelous!: More pleasant! The coolest!
Inconvenience: Problem or difficulty. “I was annoyed by the police. What a mess!”
If it feels good, do it: Uninhibited, enjoy as you wish.
Relaxed: Peaceful and quiet. “The crowd was relaxed.”
Top: A $ 10 bag of marijuana, a full ounce at the time.
Pearls of love: Fun natural beads to wear and fun to give as a sign of friendship.
Love in: A hippie event with the love for all things as the central theme.
Make love and not war: Hippies shouted this slogan to protest war and promote peace and love.
Man: Spoken in place of a man’s name, as in friend, friend, friend, friend, friend. “Hey man I love your Hendrix poster.”
The man: An authority figure, esp. police.
Mellow: Nice and pleasant.
Calm down: Take it easy; keep calm.
Munchies: Ravenous hunger, “I feel like eating!” It also means delicious food, as in “We put a lot of sandwiches to share.”
Out of sight or out of sight: It means fantastic, “The Beatles are out of sight!”
The plastic: Fake or artificial.
Rap: A rap means a friendly discussion. Rapping is talking. The word was not associated with music as it is today.
Touch the exact subject !: An exclamation that means “I completely agree!” Political emphasis is indicated by a raised fist.
Just: Worthy and commendable.
Scene: The party or the place where the cool people meet. “Dig this wonderful scene!”
Selling: To abandon the ideals of the counterculture for material or personal benefit. “It was sold to work in a bank. How sold!”
Pull apart: Depart. “Let’s split this scene.” “We have to leave at midnight.”
Square: Describe a person or thing that is conformist, upright, and very uncool. “My mom is so square!”
Thing: Total obsession or favorite hobby. “Incense is my thing, baby!”
Threads: Clothing.
Trippy: Fascinating and captivating with psychedelic undertones.
Tense: Stressed or on edge. “My dad is so nervous with my boyfriend.”
Vibes: Short for vibrations, it means a feeling or intuition. “This place has a great atmosphere.” “I’m getting bad vibes from that cop.”
Departure: Hard to believe or really amazing.
What’s going on ‘?: Whaddup?
Where is!: Highly recommended place to go. “Haight-Ashbury is where it is, baby.”
This list of hippie slang is not complete. What hippie words or expressions do you know that are not on this list?