Totally Radical! 1980s Slang Quiz

"Gnarly" originally described something difficult or treacherous — like a gnarled tree root — and spread from surfing and skateboarding into general 1980s teen speech, where it could mean both dangerously intense and awesomely impressive depending on the context.

"Rad" — short for "radical" — was one of the decade's most popular all-purpose compliments, used to describe anything outstanding, from a new pair of sneakers to a bold skateboard move.

"Bogus" is an older word meaning fraudulent or counterfeit, but 1980s teens made it their go-to term for anything phony, unjust, or deeply disappointing — as in "That homework assignment is totally bogus!"

"Psyched" meant pumped up with excitement and eager anticipation — the word was almost always paired with "totally" for maximum 1980s effect.

"Grody" — sometimes stretched to "grody to the max" — meant thoroughly disgusting and was a cornerstone of the Valley Girl vocabulary that spread from Southern California across the country in the early 1980s.

"Gag me with a spoon" expressed that something was so revolting it made you feel physically ill — it became a signature Valley Girl phrase amid the craze sparked by Moon Zappa's vocals on her father Frank Zappa's song "Valley Girl" in 1982.

"Dweeb" described someone who was socially clumsy and out of touch, similar to "nerd" or "geek" but with a particular emphasis on awkwardness and social cluelessness.

The rise of personal computers and films such as "Revenge of the Nerds" (1984) began turning "nerd" from a simple insult into an identity that some people claimed with pride — a shift that accelerated into the 1990s and beyond.

"Airhead" painted a vivid picture of a head filled with nothing but air — it described someone who was dizzy, forgetful, or not particularly sharp, and was a popular insult in 1980s teen movies and television.

"Max out" meant to hit the maximum — whether that was a credit card limit, physical exhaustion after a workout, or any other cap — a phrase that spread from financial language into everyday 1980s teen speech.

To "ace" something — likely echoing the ace as the highest playing card and the unreturnable serve in tennis — meant to do it with outstanding skill, and was a popular way for students to express confidence about upcoming tests and challenges.

While "awesome" literally means inspiring awe, the 1980s stripped it of that weight and applied it to absolutely everything — pizza, movies, hairdos — making it arguably the decade's single most overused word of approval.

"Dude" broadened from its earlier meaning (a well-dressed city man) into a universal, casual term of address for anyone at all — male, female, or a whole group — heavily popularized by surfer culture, teen movies, and MTV.

"Wimp" described someone lacking in courage or backbone — the word was used so widely in the 1980s that Newsweek ran a famous 1987 cover story about George H.W. Bush "Fighting the Wimp Factor" during his presidential campaign.

"Chill out" — joining its 1970s cousin "mellow out" — meant to relax and stop being anxious or agitated, and became one of the most-uttered calming phrases of the entire decade.