Do you want to learn to talk 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 slang, here’s a short list of hippie words and expressions.
Baby or girl: A term of endearment for men or women, such as “Honey.”
Bag: A favorite hobby or activity, as in “Playing the guitar is my bag, baby.”
Ban the bra: A feminist slogan. The bra was considered a symbol of the oppression of women, and bras were sometimes burned in protest.
bread: Money or cash. “I wish I didn’t have to work, but I need the bread.”
Bumper: Unfortunate occurrence or sad feeling. “What a bummer, man!”
Cat: A nice male.
Chick: A pretty young woman.
Cool: Admirable or fashionable, and worthy of emulation.
Cop-out: Lame excuse for inaction or taking the lazy path. “He said the dog ate all our brownies. What a cop!”
Dig: “I like” means “I understand your point of view.” It’s also a way of describing something you really like, like “I love those sandals.”
Do your thing!: Do whatever makes you happy.
Drag: Boring or disappointing. “What a bore!”
Far!: “Amazing!”
Flower Children: Hippies were called flower children because they wore flowers in their hair, on their clothes, and painted flowers on everything.
Flower Power: The flowers symbolized the power of love over hate. Most famously, hippies attached flower stalks to the barrels of law enforcement guns during anti-war protests.
Fearful: Stylish in an unconventional way. For example, music and fashion can be original.
Generational gap: Define the divergence between the ideals of modern young adults and those of the older, more conservative generations.
Be realistic: Be realistic. You are in denial.
Let go: Stay calm and let things happen at their own pace.
marvelous!: More pleasurable! The best!
Inconvenience: problem or difficulty “I was bothered by the police. What a bother!”
If it feels good, do it: Be uninhibited, have fun however you want.
Relaxed: Quiet and calm. “The crowd was relaxed.”
top: A $10 bag of marijuana, a full ounce at the time.
love beads: Natural beads that were fun to wear and fun to give away as a token of friendship.
Love in: A hippie event with love for all things as its central theme.
Make love and not war: Hippies chanted this slogan to protest against war and promote peace and love.
Man: Spoken instead of a man’s name, as a friend, partner, friend, partner. “Hey man, I like your Hendrix poster.”
The man: An authority figure, esp. police.
Mellow: Pleasant and pleasant.
Calm down: Take it easy; keep calm
munchies: Ravenous hunger, “I’ve got the snacks!” It also means delicious food, as in “Introducing lots of snacks 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 meaning “I completely agree!” Political emphasis is indicated by a raised fist.
Fair: Worthy and commendable.
Scenery: The party or place where cool people meet. “Dig this wonderful scene!”
Selling: Abandoning counterculture ideals for material or personal gain. “He sold himself to work in a bank. What a commitment!”
Split: split “Let’s split this scene.” “We have to leave at midnight.”
Square: Describes a person or thing that is conformist, upright, and very uncool. “My mom is so square!”
stuff: Total obsession or favorite hobby. “Incense is my thing, baby!”
Threads: Clothes.
Amazing: Fascinating and captivating with psychedelic undertones.
Tense: Stressed or on the edge. “My dad gets so uptight with my boyfriend.”
vibe: Short for vibrations, it means a feeling or intuition. “This place generates very good vibes.” “I’m getting bad vibes from that cop.”
Exit: Hard to believe or really unbelievable.
What’s going on’?: What’s happening?
Where is!: Highly recommended place to go. “Haight-Ashbury is where it’s at, baby.”
This list of hippie slang is not complete. What hippie words or expressions do you know that are not on this list?