My wife Vicki and I are fans of the reality music show “The Voice.” One of the newer, younger judges on the show is Chance the Rapper, who is also a popular music producer. He has personality and knows his trade.

When making comments about singers, he uses terms such as “that was fire,” which means a performance was really good. Or that was “dope,” which also means he thought the singer did an excellent job.

It got me to thinking about slang words we used during my teen years in the 1970s and other words or terms that we used throughout the years.

The first one that came to mind was in the late 1960s, which was “groovy.” This meant something or somebody was cool or hip. You might want to break out your bell-bottom jeans while using this one.

When someone said that was “far out,” they meant it was strange or maybe even groovy, depending on the circumstances.

Someone referred to as “the man” was someone in authority, perhaps the high school principal. You never wanted to be called on the intercom system to the office to have to talk to the man.

Someone “making bread” was not baking; they were making money. He makes a lot of bread means he has a good-paying job.

Another slang phrase from the 1970s was “catch you on the flip side,” which meant a person would see you later. If we asked, “Can you dig it?” we were asking if you liked or understood something.

Those music lovers may have heard she likes to “get down or boogie,” which meant they liked to dance.

If you said that is “mind-blowing,” it meant something you saw was just unbelievable or incredible.

Someone who likes to “pump iron” is someone who likes to lift weights and hit the gym all the time.

If you were referred to as a “workaholic,” you were someone who worked too much or was addicted to your job. Today, we may refer to them as overachievers.

Slang terms and words go back through the decades. Here are some earlier ones from the 1940s or 1950s.

“Keeping up with the Joneses” is competing to have a lifestyle or socioeconomic status comparable to one’s neighbors. Vicki and I joke about this, especially at Christmastime when a neighbor may have more decorations outside than we do.

If you are “sitting in the hot seat,” it means someone is in a highly uncomfortable or embarrassing situation.

People in the 1960s had a whole lot of slang for the police. Still, why policemen were called the “fuzz” during that era is anybody’s guess. Could it be the military-style crew cuts that cops preferred during that decade?

You may have to deal with the fuzz if you get the “five-finger discount.” When you used this term or slang, you were talking about a shoplifter.

The ’50s had their own version of “a face that’s just begging to be punched.”

“That dude is so annoying, he’s ‘cruisin’ for a bruisin.’”

If you have it “made in the shade,” the definition is “things are going well for you, and you don’t have a care in the world.”

If someone was a “cool cat” it was not exactly referring to a feline companion. In certain circles of artistic types and musicians, “cat” became a catch-all term for any kind of hip person.

In later years, you may have heard, “That is a real bummer.” When things aren’t going your way and you’re a little sad about it, that’s a bummer. It comes from the phrase “bum rap,” which means to be treated unfairly.

If something is “heavy,” it has nothing to do with somebody’s weight. This kind of heavy is all about emotional depth—something that weighs heavily on your soul.

The “chill pill” mentioned many times is entirely figurative. However, if you do get this comment from someone, you need to calm down!

I did not like some of the slang terms of the 1980s. Maybe it was because I was getting older. “Dweeb” was calling someone a nerd, someone who they thought was not cool.

“Gag me with a spoon” meant something was disgusting. However, “gnarly” meant very cool in that decade. Someone who was “preppy” in the ‘80s was a person dressed in designer clothing and had a neat, clean-cut appearance.

One more recent one we heard was “cray cray,” which meant you thought someone or something was crazy or just ridiculous.

As a writer, I hope you find some of my columns to be “fire” or “groovy.” I’m sure you may remember some other common or popular slang terms or words from the past.

Until next time – see ya later alligator.

(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)