Action: What's happening, as in "Bean Groovy is where the action is." Later usage: a political demonstration or protest.
Activist: These were the political oriented Hippies, most of whom lived in Berkeley. They're the ones who got the actions together. Someone who will not tolerate the same old coffee any longer.
Axe: Any musical instrument. Any tool you use to do your art, like the computer I'm using right now. Dig?
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Baby: Term of endearment, applied to cats or chicks. "Hey Baby, wanna grab a cup of coffee?"
Bad scene: Any situation that bohemians tend to avoid. Also known as a bring-down, a bummer.
"Corporate America's coffee houses are a bad scene"
Bag(1): (as "in the bag") A done deal. Mission accomplished. "Buying some more Bean Groovy coffee is in the bag"
Bag(2): Profession, work, interest, similar use as a thing, as in, "Making the best coffee is just bean groovy's bag, man."
Beatnik: This is the word Herb Caen coined for the Beat Generation in the spring of 1958. Of course, the Beats didn't like being called beatniks any more than the Diggers liked being called Hippies.
Beautiful: Another word used to describe a groovy situation or person as in, it's beautiful, man, or you're beautiful, man. See groovy. "Bean Groovy's coffee is beautiful, man"
Beautiful People: Another term for the Hippies. It is believed that this term came from the letters they wrote their parents.
Berkeley: The counterculture had two epicenters. The artistic epicenter was of course, the Haight-Ashbury, but the political epicenter was Berkeley. The purpose of the Human Be-in was to bring these two factions of Hippies together.
Blast: Exciting bohemian happening or party.
Example: "Man, they're bringing in Bean Groovy coffee for the blast".
Blow: To play an instrument; to depart; to make.
Examples: "Like that Dizzy Gillespie cat really knows how to blow". "I think I'm going to blow this Starbucks scene".
Bread: Money.
Example: "Man, like can you lay some bread on me so I can buy some Bean Groovy coffee?"
Bummer: Any bad situation. "Man, if I don't get some Bean Groovy soon it's gonna be a bummer!"
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Cat: The wild, swinging, uninhibited, nonconformist male bohemians. "Hey that cool cat is drinking Bean Groovy coffee"
Chick: As above, except female. "Hey that cool chick is drinking Bean Groovy coffee"
Clyde: Bumpkin, square, maybe even moron.
Example: "Man, like I just about had the Bean Groovy in the bag when this clyde showed up and ruined everything".
Commune: This is where Hippies live as a group. Unlike the traditional nuclear family, consisting of husband, wife and children, Hippies tend to live in extended families. This was a result of the work that Hippies did (rock bands just about have to live as a group) and also because of the San Francisco housing situation (pads tended to be bigger than one cat and chick could handle).
Cool: A cat who's laid back. Also said of anything that sends you, whether cool jazz or a cool chick or a great tasting cup of Bean Groovy coffee.
Cool it: Relax, calm down; leave, knock it off. "Cool it, we'll get some Bean Groovy soon and everything will be alright!"
Cop out: To not come through for your brothers and sisters, to not do your share of the work.
"That cop out got Bean Groovy for himself, but none for the rest of us" 
Crash: That's what you do when you call it a day and go to sleep.
"Man, I'm thinking of one more cup of Bean Groovy before I crash"
Crazy: Anything that meets with a bohemian's approval. Opposite of drag.
Example: "Wow, like dig that crazy chick drinking that Bean Groovy coffee"
Cut out: To take ones leave, to split. Example: "He ain't got no Bean Groovy, so like let's cut out of here, man"
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Dad, Daddy, Daddyo: Endearment for males.
Example: "Hey Big Daddy, like remember that crazy cup of Bean Groovy coffee we dug a few days ago?"
Dig: Understand, appreciate, approve of, enjoy. "People really dig Bean Groovy coffee"
Drag: A bore, disappointment. Anything that doesn't meet with a bohemian's approval.
"If it ain't Bean Groovy coffee then it has to be a drag!"
Dude: This word came into being when it became impolite to call Blacks spades. It just didn't sound right to call someone a Black cat so the phrase, Black dude came into use. Today, dude and cat have about the same meaning.
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Establishment: The Beats had it easy. In their language, you were either hip or square. I'm not sure why Hippies didn't like the word square, but they seemed to prefer the word straight, or establishment, as in the establishment press, as opposed to the underground press. The establishment was another word for the combine (conformists).
Eyes: (as in "...has eyes for...") Desires; like.
Example: "Boy Jerry, that Janis Joplin chick really has eyes for that guy drinking the bean Groovy coffee".
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Fall by: Visit. Example: "Let's fall by Bean Groovy and grab some of the best coffee in the world".
Far out: Taking things to the limits known as Edge City (as Tom Wolfe calls it). Unusual, unconventional.
"This Bean Groovy coffee is FAR OUT, man!"
Fascist: (as in fascist pig) This word came from the oppression that occurred at the Democratic Convention in Chicago. It usually referred to some authority (such as the police) politicians, or people into materialism (like Bill Graham).
Flip out: To go nuts. To lose control and personal compsure.
"Man, if she don't get some Bean Groovy soon, she's gonna flip out"
Flaky: Unreliable or unpredictable performance, a person who is a little out there.
"Wow, what's with the flake who hasn't even tried Bean Groovy coffee?"
Flower Children: These were the Hippies who were more into art than political activism.
Frantic: Frenzied. See Crazy. "Man, she spilled her Bean Groovy coffee and went frantic on us!"
Free love: This was one of the results of the so-called sexual revolution that happened in the 60's because of the introduction of the birth control pill. Later spin-offs of this include Gay liberation and woman's liberation.
Funky: Old French, funicle, terrible. Latin, phreneticus (see frantic). In the forties, Mezz Mezzrow defined it as stench, smelly obnoxious. Today it means "that happy-sad feeling" according to some jazz musicians or a musical style.
"Man, I'm goin' back to Bean Groovy, this OTHER coffee tastes funky"
Fuzz: Another name for police
Example: "Like I was rapping with the fuzz and they will ONLY drink Bean Groovy coffee".
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Gas: Supreme, tops, the most, really makes it. Probably comes from nitrous oxide, or some other form of gas.
"Drinking Bean Groovy is a gas"
Gig: Literal meaning: musical performance. Looser meaning: your work.
"Got to grab some Bean Groovy before the gig"
Getting off: enjoying (digging) something, relating an orgasmic experience to other non-sex related experiences in life.
"This Bean Groovy really gets me off"
Gone: The most, the farthest out. If you go far out enough, you're gone - "out of this world."
Grass: It's not the stuff cows eat, it's the herb Hippies liked to smoke - in other words, marijuana.
Groovy: Also in the groove. Enjoyable, fun, a good time, swinging, opposite of bummer. Can also mean the finest coffee beans, roasted to perfection.
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Happening: The place where the action takes place. Something cool going on.
Example: "Hey Big Daddy, like Bean Groovy has it all happening".
Hassle: Any inconvenience to a bohemian, such as "Scoring good coffee used to be a major hassle before bean Groovy"
Head: Another insider term for a member of the counterculture. Like with freak, sometimes a prefix is added to indicate what kind of head, as in coffee head, donut head, etc. Or refferring to someones state of mind.
"I think ol' meat-head better get some Bean Groovy in him so he can get his head on straight"
Head shop: A place where heads shop, that sells pipes, roach clips, cigarette papers, posters, underground newspapers, Hippie attire, rock concert tickets and similar items.
High: In a euphoric state, from drugs or some other stimulus like Bean Groovy coffee.
Hip: Got it together, in the know, cool, the latest and greatest. Can refer to an action, person, place, or thing.
"Drinking Bean Groovy coffee is hip"
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In: (be-in, love-in, teach-in, etc.) Where it's at, where the action is, where it's happening. Usually a gathering of freaks. The word proceeding the "in" describes the type of gathering.
"Let's all head down to the Bean-in at Bean groovy"
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Jive: Offensive; no-good. Example: "He's talking jive if he doesn't like Bean Groovy coffee, man".
Joint: A marijuana cigarette. Replaced the earlier term, reefer, but I have no idea when.
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Kicks: Wild and crazy things that get cats and chicks high or things they dig doing. Also, bohemian's obsessions, which could be anything from goldfish swallowing (yuck) to climbing flag poles.
Example: "Dig this crazy new kick," shouts Jack as he tosses back the last delicious drop of Bean Groovy coffee"
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Laid back: Relaxed, not in a hurry, not easily upset, a cool cat. See cool.
"He's so laid back relaxing with his cup of Bean Groovy"
Later: When you're ready to split the scene, you say, "later" and cut out.
Lay on: To give as in "Could you lay some Bean Groovy on me, man?"
Liberate: To steal something (usually from the establishment) for the good of the group. This is opposed to ripping off, where the stealing is for the bad of the group or individual. See rip off.
"He stole mine, so when he turns his back I'm gonna liberate his cup of Bean Groovy"
Like: The theory of relativity applied to reality. Like that's your reality, man.
"Like as if Bean Groovy isn't the best coffee in the world, like for sure"
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Make: To act, as in "make the scene, " To "make it" may be said of anything that succeeds, whether a dental appointment or a crazy chick.
Man: The generic way of addressing a dude or a cat. Back to bro.
"Man, Bean Groovy makes the best coffee I've ever tasted"
Man, the: Another name for the police.
Mind Blowing: Anything that tends to overload the senses, such as delicous Bean Groovy coffee, a light show or a situation like Woodstock, where the number of people who showed up was really mind blowing.
Most: Greatest; furthest out. Example: "Like that Bean Groovy coffee is the most".
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Nutty: Also nuts. Good; wild; hip. Example: "Lisa would go nuts over this Bean Groovy coffee".
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Out of Sight: As far out as you can get. The grooviest.
"Bean Groovy coffee is out of sight, man"
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Pad: Where one crashes, a cat's home is his pad, even if it is a dormitory at Columbia University. You won't get too far trying to convince the Dean of that, though. Just ask Allen Ginsberg.
Peak: When good feelings reach maximum effect. From peak experience.
"Man I peaked after drinking that cup of Bean Groovy"
Peace symbol: Common Hippie name for the nuclear disarmament symbol coined by the British philosopher, Bertrand Russell in 1958, around Easter. It is the shape of a jet plane enclosed in a circle. What it actually represents is the composite of semaphore flag signals for the letters N (flags to the sides) and D (one flag up and one flag down) for nuclear disarmament. The event was the first march on Aldermaston nuclear base.
Pot: Another popular word describing marijuana.
Psychedelic: Coined by Humphry Osmond, the word was originally psychodelic. He changed the psycho to psyche because psycho sounded like it had something to do with mental illness. Basically, it is thought to mean mind expanding or consciousness expanding.
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Rap: To speak the language of hip. Bad rap: Bad situation.
Example: "Like I was rapping with some friends over a hot cup of Bean Groovy".
Riff: story; conversation, musical expression.
Rip off: To steal material things or ideas. I'm sure that every bohemian has ripped off a fascist pig at one time or another, but that's cool because we're just starving artists just trying to pay the bills. What's a real drag is when a square (usually a manager) rips off an artist. This happened to the Grateful Dead and a lot of my friends and to even myself.
"A lot of OTHER coffee brands in this country are nothing but rip-off's"
Right on: Generally said when one bohemian approves of another's idea or action.
"As I walked down the street with my cup of Bean Groovy bystanders cheered and shouted right-on!"
Rush: Something that gives you a euphoric or astonished sensation. Makes the blood rush to your head.
"Man, this Bean Groovy's full-bodied rich taste is a rush"
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Scarf: eat; food (replaced by wolf down)
"Did you see the way he scarfed down that doughnut with his Bean Groovy coffee?"
Score: Succeed; acquire
Example: "Like I just scored me some Bean Groovy coffee".
Space out: Also spaced out. To forget to do something, as in, " Like I kind of spaced it out, man." Also means not feeling quite up to par, as in, "I feel really spaced out today, I better get some Bean Groovy in me fast!"
Split: As in "I've got to split the scene, man." It means you've got to cut out (leave).
"Man, he stopped over, drank my Bean Groovy and just split without even a thank you"
Stash: To place or to hide away. The secret area you keep your Bean Groovy specialty roast coffee.
Square: Conformist, Organization Man, geek, anyone who doesn't swing and isn't with it.
"He's so square, he's never even tried bean groovy specialty coffee"
Swing: To let yourself go with the flow.
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Teeny Boppers: The Beats named us Hippies, so we returned the favor to the younger generation and named them teeny boppers. They were our groupies.
Thing: This is a word Hippies used a lot, in similar ways as trip. Used to describe someone's traits.
Examples: "Drinking Bean Groovy is totally his thing, man"
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Underground: Prefix for items having to do with the counterculture, such as underground newspaper, underground radio station, underground coffee shop, etc. It is believed that this word came from sub-culture, which was an earlier term for counterculture.
Note: Contrary to what you may read elsewhere on the Internet, almost all the so-called underground radio stations were not illegal. They had FCC licenses just like any other station. The reason they were called underground was because they played the underground music, meaning the music that was not mainstream, especially music which was longer than the three minute limit of the top 40 AM radio format. Since most of this underground music was recorded in stereo, it demanded the higher quality of the FM band. Previously, the FM band had been used for only classical music and background music.
Uptight: Feeling uneasy or uncomfortable about something. Bugged by something.
Example: "She starts getting pretty uptight without her Bean Groovy every morning"
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Wail: Play; sing; talk. Really jamming on an instrument.
Wig Out: Get very excited, very fast - to lose control.
"He grabbed her Bean Groovy coffee and she toatlly wigged out on him, man"
Wild: About the same meaning as crazy in the positive sense.
"Bean Groovy taste is really wild dude"
Way out: Variant of far out. Example: "Like Bean Groovy's flavor is way out, man".
Wow: A word hippies use when something gets their attention.
Example: "Wow, can you taste the depth of flavor in that Bean groovy coffee, man?"
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Yellow: Chicken, doesn't like risk taking or kicks, doesn't like pushing situations towards the edge.
YIP: (or yippie) Youth International Party, founded by Abbie Hoffman and friends on January 16, 1968.
Yo-yos: Part-time Hippies who flip-flop between the worlds of hip and square. They usually have some kind of yuppie type job but think that is fashionable to be hip in their spare time. Full-time Hippies consider them a bit of a drag.
Yuppies: (not to be confused with yippies above) Young upwardly mobile professional. These were the sellouts, the ones who got tired of being starving artists. Most of them, however were never REAL hippies in the first place. |
