Life
16 ‘90s Phrases You Couldn’t Get Away With Saying Now
This slang was all that and a bag of chips.
You can admit it — you said a lot of things back in the '90s that you wish you could erase from memory. Who convinced you it was cool enough to get away with dropping "da bomb" in casual conversation? But aside from embarrassing choices, there's also the matter of things you said in the '90s that are obsolete now. As in, if you said them now, the youth of today would look like you as though you were actually from the prehistoric period. Which is how they describe the time before TikTok.
Not all ‘90s slang is bad. Maybe you say things like "what's the dilly" and "bounce" routinely and in a totally non-ironic way, and that’s your right. And while some '90s slang may no longer make sense (did it ever, really?), for the sake of this article, focus more on things you said IRL on a semi-regular basis that wouldn't make sense if you tossed them out into the world today. Even though your favorite decade is experiencing quite a revival, you can't bring back every single thing that was popular during that time period... no matter how much you’d like to.
Is your curiosity piqued at this point? No duh! Let's take a look at some of the things you said during the '90s that have since been rendered obsolete.
1"If it freezes up, just blow on it."
Ah, yes: The standard '90s approach to making any glitching electronic device work again. These days, you know better (but still do it anyway).
2"Don't forget to rewind."
Remember the days you used to roam up and down the aisles at Blockbuster picking out VHS tapes to rent? And what a pain in the ass it was if you rented one some derelict didn't rewind?
3"Justin and Britney are so cute together."
Don't pretend like you weren't affected when this matching-denim-wearing duo went kaput. At least Bennifer’s back to salve this age-old wound.
4"Can you pass the P.B. Crisps?"
Considering there's an entire campaign devoted to bringing the classic '90s snack back, here's hoping this phrase won't be obsolete much longer.
5"Just ask Jeeves."
Here today, gone tomorrow — people of the interwebz are so fickle. In the '90s, we used "Ask Jeeves" for, well, everything. These days the sun rises and sets on Google as the search engine of choice.
6"I would TOTALLY conquer the Aggro Crag."
If your childhood dreams did not entail becoming a contestant on the hit Nickelodeon show GUTS and beasting the gnarly Aggro Crag, you weren't doin' the '90s justice, friend.
7"Get off the phone! I need the internet."
Back during dial-up internet's heyday, you couldn't use the phone when the internet was connected without kicking someone off the web. Although karma at least forced you to endure the hideous hook-up sound at a deafening decibel level if you picked up the line mid-connection.
8"My LimeWire queue stalled again."
Once upon a time, '90s kids downloaded music to their hearts’ content without worrying the music pirating police were going to break down their door.
9"Turn it to 'TRL.'"
Back then, you just had to be home in time for TRL, especially with dreamboat Carson Daly at the mic. These days, you get your music videos from TikTok.
10"Do you have the map?"
Not Google Maps. Not Waze. Not any map app. In the '90s, you relied on the real deal. Man, kids these days have it so easy.
11"I need to get these photos developed."
You might go get prints made these days but, since everyone and their mama has a digital camera or smartphone, seeing what shot you captured is a matter of instant gratification.
12“I like your Heelys!”
JNCO jeans may be coming back, but these fashion statements-cum-mode of transportation are certainly staying in the pre-Croc age.
13“Ugh, my sister gets the TV at 8, so I’ll miss Dawson’s Creek”
TV used to happen one at a time. It was horrible, and honestly, a little bit inhumane. Silver lining — there was no Twitter, so the ending of every show didn’t get instantly spoiled.
14“I love the Hanson brothers’ haircuts.”
Thirty years later, it’s OK to admit that no one did. Did we ever find out what “MMMBop” was supposed to be about, anyway?
15“As if!”
For us ‘90s kids, “as if” means “no way.” It can be confusing when you use the Clueless reference to mean anything else. As if anyone doesn’t know that!
16"You gotta zig-a-zig-ah."
It's a Spice Girls thing. You get it, I’m sure.
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