Buzz
Over three decades ago, Sixteen Candles premiered in theaters, bringing to life unforgettable teen characters like the Geek, the dreamy Jake Ryan, the exaggerated Long Duk Dong, and the relatable Sam, all while showcasing some quintessential ‘80s slang. Here, we explore 10 delightful slang terms from the film: some rooted in the ‘80s, others timeless.
1. MAJOR
When freshman Farmer Ted asks Sam, the overlooked birthday girl, to the school dance, she responds with, “Sounds major.” The term major aligns with other ‘80s descriptors like awesome, cool, and righteous, signifying something impressive or exceptional, possibly drawing from its original connotation of significance or scale.
2. BOHUNK
The term bohunk likely puzzled many ‘80s kids. This is understandable, as the word first appeared around 1903 and reached its peak popularity in the 1940s.
What exactly is a bohunk, and why is there such a fuss about Sam’s sister marrying one? It’s a derogatory term referring to someone of Hungarian origin or from central or southeastern Europe, often implying a brute or fool. The term combines bo- from Bohemian (referring to someone from the Czech region) and hun- from Hungarian.
For clarity, hunk, meaning an attractive man, derives from the idea of a "large thick piece," not from its use as a slur for Hungarians.
3. OUTER LIMITS
“Everyone in this family has completely gone Outer Limits
4. GEEK
Farmer Ted is also known as a geek, a term deeply rooted in the ‘80s but with origins dating back to the 1870s, where it described a fool or simpleton. It may have evolved from geck, a Scandinavian term meaning “to croak” or “to mock.” By 1919, it referred to circus performers or sideshow acts.
By the late 1950s, geek took on its modern meaning—a highly intelligent but socially awkward individual, possibly first used by Jack Kerouac: “Brooklyn College wanted me to lecture to eager students and tackle big geek questions.” In the 1980s, it evolved further to describe someone deeply passionate and knowledgeable about computers or any niche subject.
5. DORK
“Mike thinks I’m a dork,” Sam remarks. “Mike is a dork,” her father counters. The term dork, used since the early 1970s to describe someone awkward or foolish, originally meant “penis.” It may derive from dirk, a type of dagger worn by Scottish Highlanders, and could also be influenced by dick.
6. DICK AROUND
“You’d better not be dicking me around,” Jake cautions Farmer Ted. The phrase dick around, meaning to waste time, emerged in the 1940s and was possibly first printed in Norman Mailer’s 1948 novel, The Naked and the Dead. By the early 1980s, it evolved to mean annoying or mistreating someone, as seen in the 1982 film 48 Hrs: "You've been dicking me around since we started on this turd-hunt."
7. HISSY
“I told her you asked about her,” Farmer Ted informs Jake. “She had a hissy.” The term hissy, referring to a tantrum, has been around since the 1920s. A 1934 issue of American Speech notes, “Hissy is likely regional slang. I’ve heard it for eight or ten years.” It may be a shortened form of hysteric. The phrase hissy fit emerged later, in the 1960s.
8. SPAZ OUT
“Don’t spaz out,” Farmer Ted advises a fellow geek. The term spaz or spaz out emerged in the late 1950s as a derogatory abbreviation of spastic, a medical term for involuntary muscle movements.
9. BAG
“I’ve never bagged a babe,” Farmer Ted confesses to Sam. “I’m not a stud.” The exact origin of bag in this context, meaning to sleep with or “score” with someone, is unclear. The term dates back to the 1400s, initially meaning to become pregnant or impregnate. Other historical uses include hunting terminology for killing, seizing, or capturing.
10. HAVE A COW
“Everything’s fine,” Jake reassures his girlfriend Caroline. “Don’t have a cow.” This expression, used to describe overreacting, has been around since the late 1950s. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it stems from the absurd and distressing idea of giving birth to a cow. The phrase may also be a playful twist on the older idiom to have kittens, which dates back to 1900.
