Only hip cats will be able to get all 20 of these questions about '50s slang right. Don't be a party pooper, and you'll have it made in the shade. Now, agitate the gravel and get started! How well will you do?
1: If you can't find your cheaters and you've checked everywhere but the top of your head, what are you missing?
If you were missing your cheaters or your binoculars back in the '50s, you would be looking for your eyeglasses. If you were missing your shades, you would be missing your sunglasses.
2: What's the '50s way of referring to a small child?
Our great grandparents had a lot of silly names for things, but their slang words for children were hilarious. They were informally called crumb snatchers, curtain climbers or ankle biters. It's probably not they way they would have referred to their bosses children, though.
3: In the '50s, your mom might have told you that it was better to be a square. What would she have meant by "a square"?
If your Mom was giving you a '50s pep talk about being square, she would be letting you know that it's OK to not be a member of the cool kids crowd. Who wants to go to the passion pit and agitate the gravel anyway when you can stay home and read?
4: Which one of Bart Simpson's sayings dates back to the '50s and means "don't overreact"?
Even in the '50s, parents could be such a drag sometimes. If they were overreacting back then, you might have used Bart's famous words and said, "Don't have a cow, man!"
5: Any idea how what they might have called a troublemaker back then?
You certainly wouldn't have wanted to hang out with a troublemaker. When your friends told you that someone was bad news, you would have tried to avoid them. Unless, of course, you're like Sandy not being able to resist Danny in "Grease."
6: Fill in the blank: Betty got so angry that she went totally ____ in the cafeteria.
Losing one's temper and going a little over the top was known as going "ape." Betty must have gone into a full meltdown to deserve being compared to a King Kong's wrath.
7: Do you know the romantic sounding name '50's teens used to call the drive-in?
You might not want to think about it, but your great grandparents may have had a little romantic encounter at the passion pit. They probably hid snacks in their coats, too.
8: Is it true or false that "circled" is mid-century slang for married?
It's true! If your bestie got married in the '50s, he/she would have been circled. We're not sure if it's a reference to the wedding rings, but you would be happy for anyone you love getting circled.
9: What sort of person do you think may have been called "paper shaker"?
A trip to the Friday night football games was the highlight of any '50s teen's week. You would have seen your school's team cheered on by a team of paper shakers. Back then, some of the pom-poms that cheerleaders used were made from strips of paper.
10: If someone on the football team got a shiner during the game, what did they get?
Hopefully, football helmets were sturdy enough to prevent black eyes in the '50s. A shiner is a black eye that can come from any source, though. It doesn't have to be football related.
11: Are you "flipping your lid" or "cooking with gas" when you're upset and going ape about something?
"Going ape" and "flipping your lid" were two popular ways to say that someone has lost it in a fit of anger. If you were "cooking with gas," you would be cruising right along without any problems at all.
12: Where might you find the can in a 1950's home?
During the '50s, the term "can" became an informal way to refer to the bathroom. Before that in the '40s, the "can" meant a jail cell. If you listen closely, you might still hear people saying that they're going to "go to the can."
13: What mode of transportation was called a tank or a chariot?
During the '50s, most cars would be personally claimed as someone's chariot. Only extra, extra large cars were ever called tanks. Compared to the cars of today, most cars were tanks back then!
14: Which one of these things would have been considered a "big tickle"?
Comedians are full of big tickles, but they don't have to be jokes. a big tickle can be anything that makes someone laugh. You might also hear those who were alive in the '50s saying that they were tickled by something, which means they found something highly amusing.
15: If someone has it "made in the shade," what's their life like?
The '50s were full of those who pursued the American dream of success. If someone had a nice home, a decent car, and a little money to throw around, they were considered to have it "made in the shade."
16: Another way of saying you had fun is saying that you had a ...?
After you had a great time at the sock hop, you would have told your parents that you, "had a blast!" It would have also been period appropriate to say, "I had a ball, Daddy-o!"
17: Fill in the blank: Lucy never stopped thinking that Ricky was a real _____.
On the popular '50s hit, "I Love Lucy," Lucy never stopped thinking that her husband was a real dreamboat. In her eyes, he was handsome and extremely attractive.
18: What '50s term would you use to describe someone who is at the prom at wants to leave?
Don't be so hard on the party poopers! Everyone's been there, and the phrase has been around even longer. Anything that dampens your fun can be considered a party pooper.
19: Do you have any idea what a bird dog might be guilty of doing?
You have to be careful around a bird dog. Bird dogs don't know their boundaries, and they might try something liking hitting on your date. The phrase really doesn't have anything to do with our feathery friends.
20: The party of the year might have been called a what?
You wouldn't have wanted to miss out on any exciting '50s bash. No matter how much your parents wanted you to be a square and stay home, you knew it was going to be the talk of the town for the rest of the year.
