Want to learn how to talk like a hippie? The flower children of the 1960s invented dozens of counter-culture words and expressions to describe their experiences and beliefs. Whether you are planning a party to celebrate peace and love, or just want to learn some hipster slang, here is a short list of hippie words and expressions.
Baby or Babe: A term of fondness for men or women, like “Honey.”
Bag: A favorite hobby or pursuit, as in, “Playing guitar is my bag, baby.”
Ban the Bra: A feminist catchphrase. 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.”
Bummer: Unfortunate occurrence or sad feeling. “What a bummer, man!”
Cat: A likable male.
Chick: A pretty, young woman.
Cool: Admirable or trendy, and worthy of emulation.
Cop out: Lame excuse for inaction or taking the lazy way out. “He said the dog ate all our brownies. What a cop out!”
Dig: “I dig it,” means, “I understand your point of view.” Also a way to describe something you like a lot, as in, “I really dig those sandals.”
Do your own thing!: Do whatever makes you happy.
Drag: Boring or disappointing. “What a drag!”
Far Out!: “Awesome!”
Flower Children: Hippies were called Flower Children because they wore flowers in their hair, on their clothes and painted flowers on everything.
Flower Power: Flowers symbolized the power of love over hate. Most famously, hippies placed flower stems in the gun barrels of law enforcement during war protests.
Funky: Stylish in an unconventional way. For example, music and fashions can be funky.
Generation Gap: Defines the divergence between the ideals of modern, young adults and those of older and more conservative generations.
Get Real: Be realistic. You are in denial.
Go with the Flow: Be calm and let things happen at their own pace.
Groovy!: Most pleasurable! The coolest!
Hassle: Trouble or difficulty. “I got hassled by the police. What a hassle!”
If It Feels Good, Do It: Be uninhibited, enjoy yourself as you wish.
Laid Back: Peaceful and calm. “The crowd was laid back.”
Lid: A $10 bag of marijuana, a full ounce at the time.
Love Beads: Natural beads that were fun to wear and fun to give as a mark of friendship.
Love-In: A hippie happening with love for all things as the central theme.
Make Love, 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 dude, buddy, pal, friend, chum. “Hey, man, I dig your Hendrix poster.”
The Man: An authority figure, esp. the police.
Mellow: Pleasurable and agreeable.
Mellow Out: Take it easy; stay calm.
Munchies: Ravenous hunger, “I’ve got the munchies!” Also means delectable food, as in, “We put out lots of munchies to share.”
Outta Sight or Out of Sight: Means fantastic, “The Beatles are outta sight!”
Plastic: Phony or artificial.
Rap: A rap means a friendly discussion. To rap is to talk. The word was not associated with music as it is today.
Right On!: An exclamation that means, “I completely agree!” Political emphasis is indicated by a raised fist.
Righteous: Worthy and commendable.
Scene: The party or place where cool people meet. “Dig this groovy scene!”
Selling Out: To abandon counter-culture ideals for material or personal gain. “She sold out to work in a bank. What a sell-out!”
Split: To depart. “Let’s split this scene.” “We have to split at midnight.”
Square: Describes a person or thing that is conformist, straight-laced and very un-cool. “My mom is such a square!”
Thing: Total obsession or favorite pastime. “Incense is my thing, baby!”
Threads: Clothes.
Trippy: Fascinating and captivating with psychedelic overtones.
Uptight: Stressed or on edge. “My dad gets so uptight around my boyfriend.”
Vibes: Short for vibrations, it means a feeling or intuition. “This place puts out great vibes.” “I’m getting bad vibes from that policeman.”
Way Out: Hard to believe or really amazing.
What’s Happenin’?: Whaddup?
Where It’s At!: Highly recommended place to go. “Haight-Ashbury is where it’s at, baby.”
This list of hippie slang is by no means complete. What hippie words or expressions do you know that are not on this list?