Vsako desetletje vsakega jezika ima svojo bero značilnih besed in z ameriško angleščino ni nič drugače. Tisti bolj načitani prepoznajo čas nastanka besedila po nekaj besedah, mi pa se navdušujmo nad stotimi čudovitimi besedami, ki so značilne za prejšnjih sto let.
1900 – 1910
- bash (n): a drunken spree (pijančevanje)
- call on the carpet (vp): to scold, chastise (oštevanje)
- doll up (v): dress up stylishly (lično se obleči)
- goop (n): a stupid person (trap)
- hanging (adj): excellent, oustanding (izjemen)
- ice (n): diamonds, jewerly (diamantni nakit)
- just off the boat (pp): naive (zelenec)
- live-wire (np): an exciting person (zanimiva oseba)
- lollapalooza (n): something excellent, oustanding (čudovito)
- skidoo (v): to leave (oditi)
1910 – 1920
- bimbo (n): a tough guy (silak)
- cushy (adj): easy, simple (preprosto)
- ding-bat (n): a stupid person (tepec)
- floozy (n): a woman of loose morals (hotnica)
- gander (n): a look (pogled, ošvrc)
- goldbrick (n): someone who doesn’t do his share of work (lenuh)
- hoosegow (n): jail or prison (keha)
- rinky-dink (adj): run-down, old (zdelan, star)
- snookums (n): female term of endearment (draga)
- wino (n): a homeless alcoholic (klošar)
1920 – 1930
- applesauce (int): nonsense (nesmisel)
- bee’s knees (np): something excellent (čudovitost)
- breezer (n): a convertible car (kabriolet)
- chassis (n): the female figure (ženska postava)
- copacetic (adj): OK, alright (v redu)
- Don’t take any wooden nickels. (phr): Don’t do anything stupid. (Ne počni neumnosti.)
- embalmed (adj): drunk, intoxicated (nakurjen)
- gam (n): a woman’s leg (ženska noga)
- nudnik (n): an irritating person (težak)
- speakeasy (n): an illicit bar selling bootleg liquor (nezakonita gostilna)
1930 – 1940
- blimp (n): a very fat person (debeluh)
- boondocks (n): an isolated place in the country (rovte)
- chintzy (adj): cheap (cenen)
- hoo-ha (n): an uproar, commotion (zmeda, hrup)
- jitterbug (n): a nervous person (živčen človek)
- keister (n): the buttocks (zadnjica)
- malarkey (n): nonsense (nesmisel)
- on the take (pp): taking bribes (podkupljen)
- shotgun wedding (np): a wedding forced by pregnancy (poroka zaradi nosečnosti)
- thingamajig (n): an object for which a name is unavailable (kakosežereče)
1940 – 1950
- Dang nabbit! (int): an interjection of disappointment (Hudimana!)
- fracture (v): to make someone laugh (nasmejati)
- fubar (adj): confused by alcohol (nažgan)
- greenback (n): a dollar (dolar)
- gumshoe (n): a private investigator (detektiv)
- hipster (n): a member of the counterculture of the 40s
- kibosh (n): a stop (konec)
- moolah (n): money (denar)
- No dice! (int): an interjection of rejection (Ni šans!)
- rub out (v): to kill (ubiti)
1950 – 1960
- beefcake (n): well-proportioned male (čeden moški)
- church key (np): can or bottle opener (odpirač)
- fess up (v): confess (priznati)
- hardware (n): a gun (pištola)
- in the groove (pp): excellent (čudovito)
- jail bait (np): a girl to young for sexual advances (mladoletnica)
- nifty (adj): neat, cute (lušten)
- patootie (n): the buttocks (zadnjica)
- rabbit ears (np): indoor television antennae (TV antena)
- whomp (v): beat, whip (premlatiti)
1960 – 1970
- book (v): to study hard (študirati)
- cancer stick (n): a cigarette (cigareta)
- dipstick (n): a stupid person (cepec)
- drop a dime (vp): to inform or tattle (zašpecati)
- fuzz (n): the police (policija)
- hairy (adj): dangerous (nevaren)
- hodad (n): a non-surfer (kdor ne surfa)
- juice (n): influence (vpliv)
- neatnik (n): a person too concerned with neatness (obsedenec s čistočo)
- over the hill (pp): too old (prestar)
1970 – 1980
- candyass (n): a weak, indecisive person (neodločen človek)
- crappola (n): nonsense (nesmisel)
- give some skin (vp): shake hands (rokovati se)
- humongous (adj): really huge (gromozanski)
- paper chase (np): reading and recording everything on paper (zapisovati si vse)
- pig out (v): overeat (prenažirati se)
- sano (n): very clean, pristine (zelo čisto)
- scalp (v): to sell for a much higher price than expected (naviti ceno)
- spit nails (vp): to get angry, mad (znoreti)
- wazoo (n): the buttocks (zadnjica)
1980 – 1990
- crackalack (v): to happen, take place (zgoditi se)
- dead presidents (n): money (denar)
- ditz (n): a scatterbrain (zmedenec)
- earthbound (adj): old-fashioned (staromoden)
- go postal (vp): to lose control of oneself (ponoreti)
- hoo-ride (n): an excellent car (odličen avto)
- in a New York minute (pp): very quickly (hipoma)
- ghetto blaster (np): a large portable music box (velik prenosni radio)
- parlay (v): to talk flirtatiously (osvajajoče govorjenje)
- toss one’s cookies (vp): to vomit (bruhati)
1990 – 2000
- biscuits (n): dirty, worn-out shoes (pošvedrani čevlji)
- caramello (adj): busy (zaposlen)
- dragon (n): bad breath (slab zadah)
- dubdub (n): www (trikrat dvojni v)
- five finger discount (np): shoplifting (zmikavstvo)
- geedis (n): everything required to be an expert (vse potrebno znanje)
- home slice (n): a close friend (boljši prijatelj)
- jewels (n): an excellent pair of shoes (čudoviti čevlji)
- pearl (v): to leave (oditi)
- rah (n): a rich person (bogataš)
