Slang Files · 🏄 Valley & surf

G33Z3R Slang Files · 19781990

Where did "gnarly" come from?

Gnarly

Means
Extreme — either terrible or great, depending on the wave
Came from
Surfing: a gnarly wave was a dangerous one
Peak
Early '80s; Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) put it in every school
Still around?
Mostly as a joke about the '80s

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The file

A word that meant bad and good at the same time, which is how you knew it was surf slang. A gnarly wipeout was awful and a gnarly ride was the best day of your life.

Sean Penn's Spicoli said it in Fast Times and the rest of the country said it for a decade. Say it now and someone will ask if you're doing a bit.

Sources: Wiktionary — Gnarly · Wikipedia — Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Who did you say "Gnarly" to? Tell us where and when.

The drive, the dance, the heartbreak, the summer. Add a memory of Gnarly.

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