1950s Slang For Party (4 Examples!)

The most common slang term for a party in the 1950s was “bash”. This one was more or less universal as a slang term for parties of any kind. “Klatch” was another common slang term for a gathering in the 1950s. Other terms that were used included things like “blowout” and “shindig”.

So, many of the slang terms that were used for a party in the 1950s have to some extent survived to the modern day.

At the same time, there were a variety of terms used at this time that you really will not hear anymore.

Let’s find out more.

1950’s Slang for Party

What were parties called in the 1950s?

Bash

Parties naturally went by a few different names in the 1950s, though perhaps the most common and quintessentially 1950s slang term for a party was a “bash”.

This was used throughout the English speaking world at this time, most commonly in America and Britain.

It could refer to just about any kind of party, though it usually meant a big party for some kind of special occasion, such as a birthday.

This was used by all generations at the time, both old and young.

Klatch

Another term that was popularized in the 1950s though it had been used in the decades prior was the term “klatch”.

This usually meant something more low-key than a bash, though it could also be used to describe any kind of party.

Often, a klatch was a kind of gathering where people would get together for conversation, as opposed, say, to music, dancing and drinking.

That said, there would usually be drinking at a klatch.

Blowout

There were also a variety of other terms used in the 1950s which are still somewhat common today, although they are usually used as something of a joke rather than in complete earnest.

“Blowout” was another one that was common in the 50s, which people do use sincerely today, although not nearly as much as they once did.

Again, this was reserved for the biggest kinds of parties, where everyone would go all out on drinking and dancing.

Shindig

Finally, “shindig” was also relatively common at this time as a slang term for party.

Usually a shindig would involve dancing and music, although it could also be a more subtle kind of party.

Why did people say “bash” in the 1950s?

The term “bash” in the sense of party derived from an earlier sense of the word, where to be “on a bash” meant to be out on a drinking spree getting very drunk.

This is first attested in 1901 in America, though the term came to be adopted in Britain as well.

It’s thought that this simply derived from the fact that you would feel as though your head had been “bashed” the next morning with the hangover.

Later on, then, this came to mean a wild party, arising out of this sense.

Although we don’t know when precisely the term was first used in this way, it was plainly popularized in the 1950s.

Why did people say “klatch” in the 1950s?

The origin of the term “klatch” is more specifically related to the kind of event that a klatch would be.

As mentioned, the emphasis of klatches was usually about the conversation rather than on anything else.

In German, the term klatsch referred to gossip, and so it came to be adopted in English as a term for a party focused on conversation.

Naturally, a lot of gossip would go on at such parties, and so this is where we get the term from.

It was first coined in English in the 1940s, though it didn’t really catch on until the 1950s.

Why did people say “blowout” in the 1950s?

 The term “blowout” is first recorded in American English as far back as 1825, although it had quite a different sense at that time.

It originally meant an outburst, and referenced the pressure of a steam engine–the idea being that you release your pressure into the verbal outburst.

It was mostly used in this sense for the majority of the 19th Century, and by the 20th Century its meaning had changed and few people really used it in this sense anymore.

Now, you would release pressure by having a big party instead.

Why did people say “shindig” in the 1950s?

This term is also originally recorded in the 19th Century in America. It most likely derived from an earlier term, “shindy” which had a similar meaning–merrymaking and a big “to-do”.

“Shindig” specifically is first recorded in 1851, though again it really didn’t become widely popular until much later.

By the middle of the 20th Century, virtually everyone was using this term to mean a party. It didn’t have any particular connotations in most cases, though, and could refer to any kind of party.

Parties have always been common among human beings, though in the 20th Century in many ways parties were more readily available to everyone than they had ever been.

Naturally, this meant a great deal of slang would arise to describe parties in general and also parties of specific kinds.

We have looked at the most common and some of the more obscure ones here.

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