What fun then when I moved to New York City in the midsixties, and found that everyone I encountered talked like a TV beatnik. After five years in and around the hip scene, I am only now becoming able to say "cat" with a straight face, and "dig" is still out of the question.

Of course, these two words are revivals, having come in with the beats, submerged for a few years, and reappeared with the freaks, who have their own jargon. "Dig," for example, led to "groove on" and "get into." "Cool" led to "far out." Curiously, some of the beat terms have outlived some of the freak terms, such as "groovy," which has been out of style for years despite the fact that it made its debut in youth culture only sometime around 1966.

As the hippie trend died and the white freaks became less and less convinced of the power of their movement, the number of blacks increased. The hip black subculture has always been more encapsulated than the white, logically because it has to be. The freak community now includes many blacks, and is much more political than ever before. Thus, the jargon has become more aggressive than it was during the Summer of Love, 1967. "High" has been replaced by "wrecked" as a term to indicate the state of being on drugs.

In the glossary of hip terms that follows, one can note a distinct shift in emotion from the "Archaic" to the "Standbys" and "New" sections. The archaic terms, the ones you encountered in the youth culture of the midsixties, are nearly all positive and warm, if naive. The new terms, the ones in use now, are largely aggressive, destructive, despairing, or negative. Self-definition is no longer carried out positively, in musings about universal love and turning on, but negatively, through the repetition of horror stories about "the pig." In 1967, the underground press was filled with quaint theories about universal brotherhood and the latest interpretation of Buckminster Fuller. Now, the same papers are ruled with bloodshed and bombings and the latest interpretation of the latest. Panther idol. This shift is also reflected in the language. "Hippies" have become "freaks." "The system" has become "the pig." "America" has become "Amerika," and so on.

Groovy: Good, nice. "That's groovy." Came in around 1966 and now is used mainly in soft-drink commercials and ads for suburban boutiques.

Heavy: A superlative, meaning roughly "powerful." A kind of music can be heavy. Or, "That's a heavy idea." You'll encounter it now and then.

Rap: To talk: an extended conversation, generally meaning a monologue on the part of him who is most stoned. "Get him stoned and he'll rap for hours." Largely archaic. Recently somebody asked David Steinberg to his house to rap, and the comedian replied indignantly, "I never rap. I talk occasionally, but I never rap." Now used mainly by liberal clergy who are out fishing for a young audience ("Rap session, Sunday, 3 P.M.").

Woodstock: A town in upstate New York. The name given to the rock festival of August, 1969. For a while Woodstock came to mean the apex of youth culture idealism. "Woodstock was the beginning, man." Now used mainly on the covers of Abbie Hoffman's books, but otherwise out of use. See also "Altamont."

Stoned: High on drugs of one kind or another. Now generally replaced by "high." "Let's get stoned" has become, "Let's get high," or "Let's get wrecked."

Bust: An arrest. "Charlie got busted last night." "A dope bust." Now used mainly on TV detective series.

Cosmic: Of tremendous significance. "That's really cosmic." A slight sardonic sense is Inherent in this, so a certain confusion results. The uninitiated tend to use cosmic too seriously. The hipper-than-thou tend to use it in such a way as to imply that the event being described isn't all that cosmic, after all.

Where it's at: This never was really a hip phrase, but something invented by disk jockeys and admen and then attributed to the hip. It means, "Where the important stuff is going on." "This is where it's at." Another such pseudohip phrase is "What's happening," which means roughly the same thing. "This is what's happening." Another favorite advertising slogan for suburban boutiques. "Mr. J's is what's happening in Hempstead."

Trip: A descriptive for the LSD experience, and also for other psychedelic drug uses. "A mescaline trip." This has passed from vogue, along with LSD. However, it's still in use to describe an experience in general, as, "That was a bad trip if ever I saw one." A still more recent meaning for "trip" is "shtick," sort of a peculiarity which somebody goes through. "That's his trip" means "That's his thing" (his peculiarity). An offshoot of this is, "That wasn't a very nice trip to lay on someone." If you tell someone a story which gets him horribly depressed, you are laying your bad trip on his head.

Groove on: To enjoy. "I can really groove on the Beatles."

Hassle: A problem, difficulty or argument. "That's a real hassle." "Don't hassle me."

Organic: Aside from representing health food, it moans "vital" or "lively." For example, in this reference to a band: "They really sound organic, you know?"

Out of sight: Also spelled "outasight." Fantastic. "That's really out of sight." Strictly suburban boutiques. Unless you say it to be camp, with the stress on "sight," which is allowed.

Put down: An insult. Put on is a joke or prank. These have become adman language, but still linger in the hip world.

Strung out: Used to refer to a drug casualty. "He's really strung out." The ancestor of "spaced," "wasted" and "wrecked."

Together: Psychologically well-balanced. "You're looking really together these days." It usually boils down to meaning "calm" or "content."

Vibrations: Also Vibes. Unspoken impressions received from a person or environment. "I don't like the vibrations in this place." The transmission of vibrations is involuntary. You receive them, but can't make yourself send them.

Goof on: Make fun of. "Charlie's just goofing on you." Playing a trick on.

Far out: Tremendous. Another superlative. "That's a far-out idea." You will encounter people who will say "far out" no matter what you tell them, and will say it over and over. One of the all-time favorites.

Up: (1) A positive or good idea or experience. "That's an up." (2) A kind of drug that increases activity, such as amphetamine. "Let's do some ups tonight." (2)

Down: (1) A negative or bad idea or-experience. "That's a down." (2) A barbiturate, or activity-suppressant. "Charlie's into downs." There is a third, relatively obscure meaning: "That's down, man, that's down," which means, "That's a good idea [or action]."

Bummer: A down (primary meaning). A bad experience. This is becoming a bit archaic, but still maintains strength in the less populous states.

Shuck: A phony. "He's a shuck." "He's shucking." A kind of music can be a shuck. Mainly a musician's term, but in general circulation.

The Planet: The Earth. For some reason, it's more fashionable to refer to "the Planet" than "the Earth."

Get down: Commence. Get down to it. Start taking care of business or otherwise acting efficiently. A popular musician's phrase. "Those dudes really can get down if they want to."

Get it on: The same thing. "Those boys can really get it on if they want to." "Get it on" is slightly more lighthearted than "get down." Pronounced with the accent on the last word, sometimes in a pseudo-black accent: "Get it on."

Turn his head around: To change somebody's mind, to affect somebody one way or another. "She really turned his head around last night." Sometimes it's a compliment: "That woman really turns my head." Sometimes it's used derogatorily: "He keeps trying to turn my head around."

Get into: Become interested in and/or knowledgeable about. "I'm trying to get into Beethoven."

Spaced: A descriptive used on someone who is ... unh . . . distracted . . . because of too many drugs. "He's really spaced." This is becoming a bit archaic, and is being replaced gradually by:

Wrecked: Very much under the influence of whatever, either drugs or alcohol. "Let's get wrecked tonight." Or, "Charlie looks really wrecked these days." It cam be positive or negative, as you can see.

Wasted: The third in the "spaced" series. It ultimately will replace both "spaced" and "wrecked." It means exactly the same as "wrecked." But by this time in the evolution of the term politics has crept into it. To "waste" a building means to wreck, destroy or damage it. To "waste" a person means to mutilate, beat up, or kill him. "Waste" as a synonym for "kill" is popular in Vietnam.

Trash: Much the same as the political definition of "waste." You can trash a building. To go out trashing is to go out looking for things to destroy.

Right on: Precisely. That's right. Pronounced with the aforementioned pseudoblack accent (unless the user happens to be black, which can be advisable when using this term), and with the accent on the "on." "Right on." Occasionally, "Right on, brother." Comes out of the old revival-meeting practice of having the congregation cheer on the minister during the sermon. The cries of "That's right" have become cries of "Right on."

Brother: This gets complex. A "brother" is anyone you encounter if you happen to be on the street looking for handouts. "Hey, brother, got some change?" Pronounced with the pseudoblack accent, although cautiously, if the user happens to be a white addressing a black: "Brutha." Theoretically, a brother is any male member of the Third World.

Sister: Much the same thing, except used less often, mainly by Women's Lib people and black activists. Panhandlers usually don't approach prospective touches as "sister." Theoretically, it refers to any female member of the Third World.

The Third World: A term used to refer to Asians, Africans and in general the oppressed of the world, including, curiously, students; white, American, middle-class freaks; and millionaire rock stars. One suspects (he term is more current among the latter groups than among the former.

The people (as in "Power to the People"): Us. The Third World. In this case, "Us" usually means activists both white and black; black, Indian, Puerto Rican and Mexican nonactivist poor, and, of course, students; white, middle-class American freaks; and rock stars. The issue of whether "the people" also includes white moderates and hardhats has not yet been decided.

The Pig: The police, including the F.B.I. and other enforcers of the law. But the definition has been broadened to replace such terms as "the man" and such hopelessly archaic terms as "the System" and "the Establishment." The only one who says "the Establishment" anymore is somebody who's in it. Current efforts to further broaden the term to make "the pig" represent anyone who is not "the people" are predicted. Comes up in the underground press in such colorful sentences as, "While pig Jackson was oinking around New Haven, the brothers . . ."

Off: To kill. "So-and-so was offed last night." It tends to imply a political murder, not just the run-of-the-mill sort. A junkie doesn't get offed. A brother doesn't get offed unless he is secretly a pig. A brother offs a pig, but a pig murders a brother.

Altamont: A speedway in California. The site of the Rolling Stones' free concert of December, 1969. The word has generally come to indicate the current nadir of youth culture idealism. Rapidly replacing the "Woodstock" phrase in most conversation. "Woodstock was the beginning, man" has become, "Remember Altamont."

To do a number: To affect someone, with the implication that it's in some devious manner. "Are you trying to do a number?" "Num­bers" are usually done on "heads." "She really did a number on my head last night" is an example. It's similar in meaning to 'Turn his head around." "Doing a number" is also vaguely similar to inflicting your trip on someone. To express your own peculiarity and in so doing cause a change in someone.

Rip off: To steal, essentially. An apartment can be ripped off (emptied). But it has grown to imply a political act, such as radical groups ripping off (demanding money from) the promoters of rock concerts. But it still denotes thievery in general. A shifty lawyer might be called a rip-off artist There is also a mild implication of murder and mayhem. "Charlie's going to get ripped off one of these days."

There really are no new drug terms, just old ones which rise to greater prominence. It's useless to go into this at great length, since such organizations as the National Institute of Mental Health insist on flooding the planet with lists of drug terms, almost all of which are obsolete. So everybody knows pretty much what the various aliases for the various drugs are. But let me say, in answer to the National Institute of Mental Health, that anyone who uses the word "pot" probably doesn't smoke it; anyone who says "mary jane" or "reefer" probably is a narcotics detective; marijuana is now generally called either "grass" or "marijuana." It's very chic to say "weed," but only if you vamp on it, accenting it heavily. "Let's get some weed." "Dope," too, generally means marijuana, used as, "Let's smoke some dope." It also must be vamped on. If you "smoke dope," you generally mean marijuana and perhaps hashish or opium. If you "do dope," it can be anything.

Amphetamines are generally called "speed" or "ups" and left at that. Barbiturates are "downs," pure and simple. LSD is "acid" or else one of the brand names: "Owsley acid," "Sunshine," and so on. "I just picked up two tabs of Sunshine." A marijuana cigarette is a "joint." Heroin is "smack" or "heroin.." A puff on a joint is a "toke." The tad end of a joint is a "roach," which burns your fingers, necessitating the invention of the "roach clip," which holds roaches. The "dealer" (not "pusher") is the man who sells all this. Originally, the "head" was the user. Now that term has largely been replaced by "freak," which has the wider meaning of denoting a member of youth culture in general. A freak doesn't necessarily use drugs, though the odds are in favor of it. A head did. "Freak" can also mean "devotee." For example, an astrology freak. "Is he a freak?" is the new way of asking if somebody is hip.

There is also "to freak someone out," which means, to shock or surprise. There is also "too freaking much," which is considered important, but to my knowledge is used only in Tom Wolfe articles or reviews of his books. I have never heard a freak say it. One suspects it's really the current equivalent of Norman Mailer's "fug."

"Freak," used to denote a member of the youth culture, is the most prominent of several derogatory words youth-culture people use to describe themselves. This probably indicates all sorts of interesting things, such as the internalization by freaks of parental-generation views of them, but there is, unfortunately, not the space to worry about this.

A word on new drugs. Acid has been passe for several years. Speed and heroin are the current vogue among the more suicidal white youths. Heroin is stronger than ever in the ghettos, and is becoming chic again among the hip rich. The most positive thing to be said about the narcotic situation is to note the tremendous strides made by wine in the past two years. At the moment, wine and grass are virtually neck and neck in the freak community. This is a return to the days of 15 or 20 years ago when the Bohemian community did virtually nothing but drink wine, smoke grass, and listen to depressing string quartets.

Leading the pack in the wine renaissance are Ripple, popularized by a Grateful Dead song, and Boone's Farm Apple Wine, immortalized in "300 Pound Fat Mama," a song by the Detroit band Catfish. The new suicide trip is "Ripple and reds" -- i.e.. Ripple wine and Seconal, a barbiturate. Boone's Farm Apple Wine and reds is popular on the Lower East Side. The kids would partake of it before going to the Fillmore East This is perhaps the main reason the Fillmore has a doctor on duty during each rock concert. Usher 'em in and carry 'em out.

Dig: To understand. "I really dig soul." Thus word faded with the beat generation, and re-emerged with the freak. However, one phrase in which it occurs has been dropped from the jargon. "I can dig it" (I understand or sympathize) has been killed by overexposure on "Mod Squad." I heard it four times in one program.

Gig: An occupation or job. This was a musician's term for a long time. "I've got a gig Saturday." It has recently been widened to mean any occupation. Thus, somebody taking the position of vice president of a record company might well brag about his "new gig."

Truck: To walk, especially in a lighthearted or carefree manner. "Truckin'" down the boulevard." A thirties' revival.

Jive: Nonsense. Bull. "Don't give me none of that jive." Jive is similar in usage to shuck. It's one of those basically negative terms which often are used jokingly. "Aw, you're just jivin' me, man." Often used as the prefix to a word indicating a part of the body. "Jiveass" is growing in popularity, especially in black and white radical circles.

Dude: This does not mean "tenderfoot," as it once did. It now is used to refer positively to somebody. "Charlie's a nice dude." Much of "dude's" recent popularity comes as a result of a Bob Dylan song, which goes, "Winterlude, this dude thinks you're fine." Occasionally it's used as a neutral noun, so you can call someone a "strange dude."

Cat: A man, more likely, a brother. This is another word that rose and fell with the beats, and rose again with the freaks. In its recent revival it first appeared as a musician's term. "There's some really fine cats in that band." Then it slipped into general usage. Now everyone is a cat, unless he happens to be a sister. As far as I know, a sister can't be a cat, which must mean something.