World

Common Language that Didn’t Exist Till 90’s

Language is ever-changing. Through the process of evolution, the human being has created many languages.

Of course, many of the vocabularies that we are using is a linguistic masterpiece generated many centuries ago.

As an example, the word “probiotic” and “playdate” weren’t in the dictionary before the 1970s.

According to Merriam-Webster, “home school” did not appear until the 1980s.

But the 1990s was a different story. The World Wide Web went live in the first year of this decade and began a whole new era in internet slang.

These are the incredibly common words from “buzzkill” to “man cave,” which did not exist until the ‘ 90s.

Here some of the funny words that weren’t a present decade ago.

 

McMansion

There have been small homes and huge abodes, and then McMansions are in between.

According to Merriam-Webster, these houses are typically built in suburban neighborhoods or communities and are “critically viewed as large and ostentatious.”

language

This term was first used in 1990, although it is now so popular that there is a whole blog devoted to collecting pictures of the worst of the worst.

 

Face-Palm

If you are the type of person who is often low in composure, then you are likely to be familiar with the face-palm, or the gesture of covering your face with your hand as an indication of exasperation or dismay.

Face-Palm, greece gods

Yet remarkably, in 1996, the phrase “face-palm” made it into the lexicon. We think you just had to utter the word “um” before that and leave it at that.

 

Brain freeze

Occasionally, if you drink a cold beer too soon or eat ice cream too quickly, you can experience severe pain in your stomach.

And although we now know that this response is the way your brain asks you to slow down and take it easy, we did not have a word to describe it until 1991.

Barack obama on brain freeze.

Before that, brain freeze symptoms went through its technical term: ganglion neuralgia sphenopalatine.

 

Infinity Pool

Since they stretch beyond their edge across a body of water, infinity pools create the illusion of water that lasts indefinitely.

Popular in beachside resorts and even in some waterfront homes, since the term was first invented in 1991, these chic pools have charmed those fortunate enough to encounter them.

Distractions are a Nuisance, but Infinity Pools are the Real, medium

The definition of the infinity pool, though, goes much further back.

“Some might even say the first infinity pool occurred in nature, referred to waterfalls or even the snowy white, terraced hot mineral springs of Pamukkale, Turkey,” according to Pool and Spa News.

 

Man Cave

Until 1992, people in a basement or garage who wanted to enjoy their own space simply called it what it was, a basement or garage.

language

But in the 1990s, the place where a guy (stereotypically, of course) spends time watching football, playing games, or obsessing with his buddies about video games received a clever new name: the cave of the man.

 

Buzzkill

There were always people who have a knack for their grouchy or super-serious ways to bring down others.

But we also started calling these downers a buzzkill in the early 1990s.

 

Snark

Regardless of the fact that the adjective “snarky” has only been around since 1906, the word “snark” only entered the language dictionary in 1999.

And if you’re a cynical person who enjoys practicing their wit, then we can guarantee that you are doing precisely that.

word

There are designers of clothes and stylists of wardrobes, top models and influencers of industry. However, anybody in the sartorial business is a fashionista.

This word struck the scene in 1993 and has since influenced the trendy set.

 

Website

Throughout the 1990s, the internet took the world by storm and was welcomed with open arms by the general public.

Explore more in wikye

The term “website” in the English language was first used in 1993, according to Merriam-Webster, two years after the very first website went live on Aug 6, 1991.

 

Chai latte

Are you a type of person with a cappuccino, or do you prefer an espresso hit?

That may have been your favorite drink in the past, it may have changed in 1994 when the “chai latte” hit the café scene.

delicious Chai latte

Latte is a coffee beverage normally made of espresso, steamed milk, and milk foam.

Also know: Vegan Dishes: 8 Vegan Food You Must Try For Winter

About the author

Asbin Ghimire

Asbin Ghimire an IT professional who is an avid writer. He currently works as an author of Wikye.com. He has experience over three years working as a content writer and content marketer. His contents have a wide range of audiences, accumulating thousands of viewers. He believes writing is a powerful technique to express yourself and probably only the reason why he is into writing.

Apart from writing, he enjoys sports and traveling. Going hiking and trekking has been his best hobby for a long. In his spare time, he loves cooking, jamming, and reading.

Shares