Any social media manager in the Philippines worth their paycheck knows that the best way to engage people online is to speak their language. That’s why slang terms are sometimes included in blurbs—especially if millennials are your target audience.
Colloquial language is cool, but only if it’s period-correct. If the terms you use are lost on your audience, you’re not going to get your message across. We list down 10 slang words that were popular two decades ago but might as well be nonexistent to young nowadays. How old were you when you first heard these?
Bagets
Bagets was a popular term that means “young” back in the 80s. It was even immortalized as a title of a film that launched the acting careers of Aga Muhlach, William Martinez, and Herbert Bautista. If you utter that term now, chance is, you’re no longer bagets.
Tipar
It’s an alternative word for party. These days, millennials use the word chill in its place—a catch-all phrase that could also stand in for activities other than parties. (See: “Netflix and chill.”)
Tom Jones
Yes, the name of the famous Brit singer was used before as term for hungry. For example, “Tom Jones na ako!” Only people born in the 80s and below will get this. If you haven’t heard of Tom Jones, either, then congratulations: You’re officially young.
Yo!
The hip-hop craze of the 90s made this term popular. It means, simply, hey. Say it like: “Yo man!” Sadly, like 90s, it’s all but a memory.
Boo
Boo was a term for your significant other that faded out of style in the early part of the 2000s. It’s now been replaced by the word bae.
Disco
Disco is a genre of music but in the Philippines, the word meant a club where you can dance. If you say, “Tara disco tayo” now, you’re officially ancient.
Combo
Combo used to be synonymous to a band. It’s probably a word that you’ll least hear from this list. If you do, you’ll probably hear it from your dad.
Gimik
“Saan gimik mo mamaya?” You’d hear this line every Friday night back in the 90s. Basically, gimik meant either a hangout or a party. Good thing it’s still used today—by the same people who were young then, but are decades older now.
Pare
Pare back in the day is what “bro” is to today’s youth. Later variants include repapips and parekoy.
Jologs
A term born in the 90s, jologs was defined as someone who’s cheap or lacking in class or style. Nowadays, the young ‘uns refer to them now as jejemon or simply, jeje.
Remember any slang terms we missed? Share it with us via comments.
