Can you guess the year by its slang words?

When did we start saying things like "bikini," "froyo," "man cave" and "party pooper"?

Boy, have we got a quiz that is "boss," "groovy," "tubular" or "on fleek" — depending on which year you were born.

Yes, the slang you use depends on the era in which you grew up. Language is always evolving, always absorbing new terms as new technologies and trends develop. Thankfully, the English scholars at Merriam-Webster keep track of such things.

The online dictionary recently introduced a cool new feature called Time Traveler. You can select a year, and it will show you the slang terms that were first used in said year. It's pretty fascinating to see when we started saying certain words. It's typically a lot earlier than you might remember.

So, we've gathered bunches of words. You have to guess when they were first recorded in use. That's the key — when was the first documented use of these words? Good luck!
  1. Retro, veggie burger, lowrider, beer pong…
  2. Idiotproof, froyo, wuss, digital camera, boogie board…
  3. Zilch, rockabilly, margarita, hoody…
  4. Weak sauce, Gen X, man cave, buzzkill…
  5. Scrunchi, beat down, puggle, gangsta rap…
  6. Fanny pack, dork, gofer, dirtbag…
  7. Bikini, prime time, flying saucer, artsy…
  8. Bar code, pull tab, miniseries, zip code…
  9. Punker, guilt trip, strip mall, pig out…
  10. Discotheque, doofus, mod, junk food…

Can you guess the year by its slang words?

Your Result...

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6 Comments

DerekBird 27 months ago
You got 7 out of 10
You crushed it / aced it / nailed it! You really know your slang / lingo / jargon / shoptalk!
Tammy 38 months ago
You got 7 out of 10
You crushed it / aced it / nailed it! You really know your slang / lingo / jargon / shoptalk!
remodel18 61 months ago
I don't believe the years on most of these. I was around during those older years and I never heard those terms.
jamiahsh 61 months ago
“Warp speed” 1977? 🤔
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