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Link
Yaco! We don’t live
in the United States, we live... M is for MORE, as in more entries from the Lexicon of Seventies Slang. In the '70s, we cursed a lot. Then the culture got civil again. Recently, cursing has come back into style. It's okay once again to scream "F---!" when you get a papercut in the workplace. That's kind of bomb, actually. It's good that we don't have to watch every f----ing word we say. I mean, what the f----? What's the big f---ing deal? Their just f----ing words anyway. And here they are--all the slang words from the '70s that began with "M." -M- Macrobiotic meat-free, spice-free cuisine, theoretically simulating diet of primitive man although such New World foods as corn and tomatoes (not introduced into the African home of dude-kind until well after the 15th century) were allowed. Reasons for desirability of authentic starvation-level diet remain vague but possibly related to vogue for spiritual awareness especially in connection with Far Eastern origins. Mainline to assimilate an experience as directly as possible, without reservation (e.g. "Yeah, I dig this tofu casserole. I'm mainlining it!"). As with many period terms, this was originally jazz-era heroin slang. The '70s usage, typically, has an ironic flavor. See BUZZ, COLD TURKEY, GET OFF, JONES, RUSH, STRUNG OUT, TURN-ON. Mainstream routine, conservative, the opposite of "underground." See BOURGIE, MOR, STRAIGHT. Mall diminutive for "shopping mall," an enclosed collection of stores that sold largely decorative and low-end luxury items at high-end prices. Denim products and frozen yogurt were extremely popular. See CO-OPT. Man, the-, my- 1. non-gender specific salutation. See DUDE, HAPPENING, WHAT'S-, PEACE, SMOKEDOPE. 2. exclamation, interchangeable with DUDE. Ardent feminist philologists regarded it as sexist as it was gender-specific and exclusionary.. Similar to the exclamations "boy oh boy!" and "man alive." Originally these can all be traced to a Black expression of the earliest part of the century when it was a warning that a white man-"The Man"-was approaching. As with much slang (e.g. "fuck"), it lost its original meaning over time and by the Jazz era became a simple exclamation. See DUDE. 3. figure of authority. Used with the definite article (e.g. "The Man."). See previous. 4. an exemplary character (e.g. one who scores well with women or can "hustle" a good pot deal.) Used with the possessive pronoun (e.g. "My Man."). Max highest achievable degree of accomplishment (e.g. "Doing it to the max!"). Maxi skirts long skirts that fell to the lower-calf, as distinguished from the inches-shorter GRANNY-SKIRT. MCP acronym for Male Chauvinist Pig. Equivalent to average Republican man of the 90s. See BOURGIE, HONK, PIG, STRAIGHT. Mega- superlative applicable to desirable sexual partners, talented guitarists, yogurt drinks, etc. (e.g. "mega-fox, mega-Hendrix, mega-smoothie"). Retained in the language as a prefix for multiple vitamins. BOMB, BAD, BAD ASS, BODACIOUS, COSMIC, HEAVY, HOT, KILLER, MEGA-, MINDBLOWER, PRIMO, RIGHT ON, RIGHTEOUS, SERIOUS. Mellow 1. no longer high energy. (e.g. "He used to smoke righteous bong hits all night long, but now he's going back to school and he's gotten mellow.") 2. low-key, smooth, sometimes barely conscious. See DOWNER, ENERGY, LOW-, LAID-BACK, 'LUDES. Mental pejorative meaning psychotic. Theoretically a diminutive for a clinical diagnostic phrase, (e.g. "diminished mental capacity," "unstable mental state," etc.) the exact wording of which is undocumented. Used especially to describe those whom have exhibited socially unacceptable behavior due to either the influence of hallucinogenics or inappropriate political dogma. See SPACED. Mexican marijuana grown in Mexico. Regarded as generic and inferior to weed grown in more distant locations, with the exception of Acapulco Gold. Only homegrown was worse. Both were regarded as producing a sleepy buzz, whereas superior pot could produced an ecstatic high with the "clarity" of acid. The conflation of clarity and LSD makes sense in this context only if one has tried to discuss politics with a Freek stoned on Mexican. See CLEANING, GOLD, HOMEGROWN, SEEDS AND STEMS. Mic diminutive of microgram, a measurement of LSD. '60s survivor slang. Pronounced "mike." Microdot a very small pill-form of acid. Mind bender a complex, confusing, and disorienting intellectual challenge (e.g. "She says she likes me but she doesn't want to get it on. What a mind bender.") Mind-blower superlative, indicating a widening of perceptions to the point of shock and paralysis. Generally used. (e.g. "Great tie-dye, dude. A real mind-blower.") See BOMB, BAD, BAD ASS, BODACIOUS, COSMIC, HEAVY, HOT, KILLER, MEGA-, MINDBLOWER, PRIMO, RIGHT ON, RIGHTEOUS, SERIOUS. Mind games manipulative conversation or other behavior with the intent of either personal gain or sheer propagation of confusion and paranoia. See HEAD TRIP, JIVE, TRIP. Mindset method or mode of thought. (e.g. "That pig has a really uptight mindset.") Momma See LADY. Mooch to acquire through begging. See BUM, HUSTLE, PANHANDLE, SPARECHANGE. Moonies fanatic followers of Korean religious leader, Dr. Sun Myung Moon. Rumored to be very happy and at peace with menial labor. See FREAK. MOR acronym for "Middle Of the Road," a phrase meaning moderate in view, especially as regards politics, where MOR was considered to be a stance in-between conservative and liberal predilections, or musical tastes, where MOR was considered to be bland, puerile, mindless, and even nauseating. In the '60s, MOR was considered to be entirely the province of A.M. radio, as typified by Paul Anka and Montovoni. However, by the early '70s, F.M. radio quickly lost its commercial-free pirate underground rock traces and was as carefully modulated by play lists as any Top 40 Golden Hits A.M. radio station had ever been. Mother 1. diminutive of "motherfucker." A casual salutation. See DUDE, HAPPENING, WHAT'S-, MAN, WHAT IT IS, MY-, PEACE, SMOKEDOPE. 2. an insult. 3. a major dilemma (e.g. "It was a real mother when I realized I forgot to pay my electric bill for the last three months.") Munchies 1. food, especially if starchy, greasy, and highly salted. 2. a sudden attack of hunger, used with the definite article (e.g. "I've got the munchies.") Mustard one of the signature colors of the era, popular in kitchenware, clothing, appliances. Also known as "goldenrod." See AVOCADO, TOMATO. -N- Nark 1. to inform on someone, to snitch, to rat. 2. narcotics officer, police informer, uncover spy. 3. anyone with a furtive appearance or too short haircut. Natural See ORGANIC. Negative realistic. See BAD VIBES, BOGUS, BUMMER, DOWNER. Nice day, have a- passive-aggressive parting expression of left-handed well-wishing that implies such an event would be undeserved. See COOL, NO PROBLEM, SMILEYS. Nickel half of a dime bag. Also called "nickel bag." See DIME, LID, OH-ZEE. NFG short for No Fucking Good. No-nukes self-righteous, boring personality type able to muster more enthusiasm for prohibiting hunting of whales than for the infant mortality rate in undeveloped countries. Usually someone who didn't start to grow their hair long until after Nixon resigned. See POLITICALLY CORRECT, RIGHTEOUS, STRAIGHT. No problem passive-aggressive expression of left-handed assurance that implies a difficulty to be overlooked by a superior individual (e.g. "Oh, you want me to wash my hands before I prepare the food? Sure, no problem" ((sub-text: "You are a compulsive-obsessive hygiene freak.")). See COOL, NICE DAY, HAVE A, PROBLEM, WHAT'S YOUR. Normal insult meaning boring, superficial. See NO-NUKES. No shit, Sherlock sarcastic expression meaning "Isn't it obvious?" No way expression of delighted incredulity, shorthand for the phrase "I find it difficult to believe that there is any way in which such a wonderful and fantastic thing could have happened." See WAY TO GO. No way, Jose a fatuous rhyming variation of the above, indicating serious negation and disbelief. A rarer variation was "No way, hoser." See HOSER. For other fatuous word plays, see FARM OUT. Number 1. routine behavior. 2. a physically or mentally devastating action. See HEAD TRIP. 3. marijuana cigarette. See DOOBIE, DOPE, GRASS, JAY, JOINT, NUMBER, POT, ROACH, WEED. Nurd a social misfit with poor hygiene and a lack of physical coordination. Not necessarily an intellectual. This term was most likely another adolescent jockish mispronunciation of an obscene term (turd). The later, less offensive spelling ("nerd") was more typically applied as a back-handed compliment to intellectuals in the later '70s, as personal computers entered the market. Also known as "dorks," and "geeks." See CHOMP, PUD.
Link Yaco has written comic books for several publishers. He is currently working on a couple comics-related paperbacks. He has been a copywriter, technical writer, newspaper journalist, and magazine entertainment writer. He has a Masters' degree in Telecommunications and was a technical manager at MIT for five years. Link lives in West Greenwich Village with his wife, Susannah, a Senior Vice President at an independent film company. Check out his web page here Read last week's column Visit Link Yaco Home Page COPYRIGHT 1999 LINK YACO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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richard e. schiff,
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