Stupid words redux.

Aftermy latest rant on abuse of our shared language, a friend suggested I did notlike to see language evolve. But it happens. It’s something that can’t behelped. Most of the time it doesn’t matter. Sometimes it’s an improvement.Sometimes it’s not.

ButI can sleep at night knowing that many—at least some—of the stupid words I rantabout will end up on the trash heap of speech, discarded as the useless, evennoxious, locutions they are.

Usingonly words extant during my lifetime, I offer some examples of thisself-correction.

Timewas, people who were “cool” (a word that was silly then and still is, but has demonstratedstaying power) were ofttimes referred to as “cats.” If they were really cool,they were “hep” cats. No more. In the same vein, “groovy” has pretty muchdisappeared. And when was the last time you heard something cool referred to as“far out” or “bitchin’?” “Fab” had its day, which has long since passed. And weno longer say we “dig” things that are cool. An event or incident that was theopposite of cool was often called a “bummer.”

Clotheswere once “threads” but now they are not. No longer are women “chicks” or “dames.”I haven’t heard police referred to as “fuzz” lately. And we have moved beyondall the silly CB radio-inspired lingo too expansive to chronicle here. To thatI can only say, “10-4 good buddy. See you on the flip side. Keep your ears on.”