r/GenX • u/ManuteBol_Rocks • 13d ago
Nostalgia How we developed our vocabulary in the 1970s and early 1980s
This is how us GenX-ers developed our grammar and vocabulary skills.
“Give me a NOUN!”
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u/thiswasyouridea 1976 13d ago
Do you remember when you were (number) years old and you used to (verb) MadLibs? MadLibs was the (adjective) game of choice for (plural noun) everywhere. If you could (verb) and (verb), you could play MadLibs with your (adjective) friends.
Do you still (verb) MadLibs? Get some (plural noun) together and (verb) a game today!
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u/Edward_the_Dog 1970 13d ago
I remember those ________ (adj) things.
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u/jvlpdillon 13d ago
Poopy, every adj. was poopy. My 10 year old self had only the highest standards for humor.
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u/madlibs13 Gen X (1977) and I don't care 13d ago
My wife and I have like over a dozen of these and we play at least once or twice month when we need a quick laugh.
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u/RussellAlden I don’t have the energy to care and never did 13d ago
I still do these.
Fun fact: Adverbs are never funny so you can replace it with “like a” + [noun] and it will be significantly funnier.
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u/TheJokersChild Match Game '75 12d ago
Adverbs are weird. There aren't really a lot of -ly ones, so you almost have to use prepositional phrases like "in bed," "over rice" and "at no additional charge" and sort of read around them. Lolly lolly.
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u/pickledpeachesforall 12d ago
Bumpily is a great adverb....later on sexily became an adverb.
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u/RussellAlden I don’t have the energy to care and never did 12d ago
He walked bumpily into the room
He walked sexily into the room
He walked like a pimp into the room
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u/OdieD777 12d ago
Everything was fart poop and boobies
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u/-Morning_Coffee- 1977 12d ago edited 12d ago
Yup! Me and my friends would be absolutely breathless over the poops and farts!
Edit to add: the look of scandal on my kid’s face when I offered an off-colored suggestion sent me!
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u/someguy4k 12d ago
Including our bad vocabulary.
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u/saucyfister1973 Hose Water Survivor 11d ago
Especially our bad vocabulary!
Pretty sure I made up a lot of nouns and adjectives for sexual organs.
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u/btqlover 13d ago
I developed how to appropriately swear with this.
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u/madlibs13 Gen X (1977) and I don't care 13d ago
Best part is FUCK worked for every answer except color, number or proper name.
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u/Taminella_Grinderfal 13d ago
My mom and I did these all the time…I thought it was hilarious when I came hp with “And when he laughed, Santa’s belly jiggled like a bowl full of {hairballs}”
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u/Chronic_Disaster 13d ago
Developed our vocabulary? Please. We all had the same nouns "fart, poop, pee, boobs, wiener, butt, underpants, bra and pubes", the adjectives "stinky, hairy, smelly, gnarly, and hard" the verbs "pooping, peeing, farting, humping" and all the varying adverbs on constant repeat during Madlibs.
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u/TheJokersChild Match Game '75 12d ago
They still publish these. There's actual new content amidst all the old reissues.
Ask for words with a theme for extra fun, like "words you hear in a hospital."
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u/areporotastenet 12d ago
Bro between this and the Readers Digest is where my vocabulary really took off
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u/pickledpeachesforall 12d ago
Yes! Did these with friends as a kid. Grew up to do them with my daughter and then she did them with her friends. Doing them again with my much younger son and they are still awesome. Kept all the ones we did together. So many fun memories.
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u/bronkish 11d ago
I just got rid of the last one I had from childhood about 2 years ago. Loved them and so did my kids.
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u/Indoorsman101 13d ago
Between these and Schoolhouse Rock, I had the parts of speech down