Monday
04Dec2006
Dude Dialogue
En route to a rock gig, some friends and I were discussing the beauty of the word dude. I don't care what negative surfer dude connotations the word carries, I love it almost as much as I love licking the Dorito dust off nacho cheese Doritos. Idiots like me can engage in entire conversations just using one word. Intonation turns dude into a language unto itself;
Dude?
Dude.
Duuuuuude....
DUDE!
The brilliant word has infinite definitions and meanings. You can say it in almost any situation and still make sense. Those Long Talkers that never shut up? Don't even bother listening anymore.. Simply respond to every other sentence with "duuude." Mix up the intonation every time you use the word and you are The Best. Listener. Ever. Other examples of the gloriousness of Dude;
1. I aced my exam. Dude!
2. Dude, what the hell?
3. You took my last Skittle! Dude..
4. My mom just died. Dude
5. Dude, that guy is soo sexy!
6. Omg! That teacher was so stoned, me and Jason were both like "Duuuude."
7. Dude you have no idea!
8. Did you see that guy? The dude in the black hat?
9. Hey you! Uh... Dude! What's your name?
10. We better find some chicks to come with us because the bouncer isn't going to let four dudes get into the club.
11. I totally would have hooked up with that chick, but by the time I got back from the bathroom, she was already talking to some dude!
12. Hey, dude. How's it going?
13. Uh, dude... I think your zipper is down.
14. Duuuude... did you see how much air you just got off of that jump?
15. Dude, wake up! Don't you have a midterm in, like, 15 minutes?
16. Dude, stop it. You're freaking me out!
And, of course, who can forget The Dude? This is when the word is relating to or characteristic of Jeffrey Lebowski from The Big Lebowski.
"You're Lebowski?"
"I'm the Dude. Or 'his dudeness' or 'El Dudarino' if you're not into the whole brevity thing"
Is there any other word as beautifully flexible as dude? I think not! Well, I can think of maybe one, but it ain't as conversation friendly. In fact, some folks may consider it obscene. If you're interested in origins and such, my love for dude lead me to research its history on The Internets. Most sources say dude first showed up in the late 19th century, most probably as a variation on "dud," a Victorian slang term meaning "article of clothing" (still heard today as "duds"). The original dudes were fops and dandies, well-to-do young men who were known for their fancy style of dressing as well as their often dissolute "lifestyles."
A few years later, "dude" made its debut in the Western United States as a disparaging term for any city-dwelling visitor (also known as a "city slicker") to cowboy country. The taming of the West brought a flood of tourists from the East, and "dude ranches" quickly sprang up to give the visitors a taste of "cowpoke life."
In the 1930's, "dude" mutated a bit and came to be used as a general synonym for "guy" or "fellow" without its former connotations of dandyism, and seemed to be slowly fading away. The early 1960's surfer culture of Southern California, however, gave "dude" a shot in the arm, transforming the word into one of its basic units of linguistic exchange.
After cruising through the 1960's and 70's as a low-level slang term, "dude" hit the big time again in the 1980's courtesy of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Duuuude.
Oh.. and the rock gig we were driving to that ignited the whole Dude Dialogue Debate? You can check out the pics by clicking here. Springsteen? With Marah?! Duuuuuude.
Dude?
Dude.
Duuuuuude....
DUDE!
The brilliant word has infinite definitions and meanings. You can say it in almost any situation and still make sense. Those Long Talkers that never shut up? Don't even bother listening anymore.. Simply respond to every other sentence with "duuude." Mix up the intonation every time you use the word and you are The Best. Listener. Ever. Other examples of the gloriousness of Dude;
1. I aced my exam. Dude!
2. Dude, what the hell?
3. You took my last Skittle! Dude..
4. My mom just died. Dude
5. Dude, that guy is soo sexy!
6. Omg! That teacher was so stoned, me and Jason were both like "Duuuude."
7. Dude you have no idea!
8. Did you see that guy? The dude in the black hat?
9. Hey you! Uh... Dude! What's your name?
10. We better find some chicks to come with us because the bouncer isn't going to let four dudes get into the club.
11. I totally would have hooked up with that chick, but by the time I got back from the bathroom, she was already talking to some dude!
12. Hey, dude. How's it going?
13. Uh, dude... I think your zipper is down.
14. Duuuude... did you see how much air you just got off of that jump?
15. Dude, wake up! Don't you have a midterm in, like, 15 minutes?
16. Dude, stop it. You're freaking me out!
And, of course, who can forget The Dude? This is when the word is relating to or characteristic of Jeffrey Lebowski from The Big Lebowski.
"You're Lebowski?"
"I'm the Dude. Or 'his dudeness' or 'El Dudarino' if you're not into the whole brevity thing"
Is there any other word as beautifully flexible as dude? I think not! Well, I can think of maybe one, but it ain't as conversation friendly. In fact, some folks may consider it obscene. If you're interested in origins and such, my love for dude lead me to research its history on The Internets. Most sources say dude first showed up in the late 19th century, most probably as a variation on "dud," a Victorian slang term meaning "article of clothing" (still heard today as "duds"). The original dudes were fops and dandies, well-to-do young men who were known for their fancy style of dressing as well as their often dissolute "lifestyles."
A few years later, "dude" made its debut in the Western United States as a disparaging term for any city-dwelling visitor (also known as a "city slicker") to cowboy country. The taming of the West brought a flood of tourists from the East, and "dude ranches" quickly sprang up to give the visitors a taste of "cowpoke life."
In the 1930's, "dude" mutated a bit and came to be used as a general synonym for "guy" or "fellow" without its former connotations of dandyism, and seemed to be slowly fading away. The early 1960's surfer culture of Southern California, however, gave "dude" a shot in the arm, transforming the word into one of its basic units of linguistic exchange.
After cruising through the 1960's and 70's as a low-level slang term, "dude" hit the big time again in the 1980's courtesy of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Duuuude.
Oh.. and the rock gig we were driving to that ignited the whole Dude Dialogue Debate? You can check out the pics by clicking here. Springsteen? With Marah?! Duuuuuude.
Dec 4, 2006
Reader Comments (18)
Springsteen and Marah - FUUUUUCKIN' EH!
Like the time I was in a business meeting with a Very Important Person in my corporate structure. We're talking the VIP that people wait on and fawn over and speak in hushed tones, "Yes, sir, I'll get that right away sir. Is there anything else, sir?" This guy is literally a legend in this career field. The only person I know who has actually had an actor "play him" in a movie.
So I was briefing him on my proposed solution to a sensitive and complex problem and he just wasn't getting it. After a few minutes of restating and word wrangling a light bulb must have gone off in his head because he leaned forward with a smile on his face and said, "You mean we should blah, blah, blah....?" (repeating back my proposal). I was so relieved he finally understood that I slammed my hand down on his desk and enthusiastically exclaimed, "Dude! Exactly!"
The look on his face could best be described as a "Kodak moment." I was horrified and for a long moment that felt like an eternity, he didn't say anything. And then with a smile tugging the corners of his mouth: "Did you... just call me... DUDE?"
Dude. I was sooooo busted. What could I say? I just shrugged apologetically and he looked around the room in disbelief and said, "You just called me DUDE!" And then he busted out laughing, like side splitting laughter, and he's saying, "Oh my God, Dude, nobody's called me that in YEARS!" So we had a good laugh and he accepted my proposal and as I'm leaving he calls me back at the door.
"Glinda?"
"Yessir?"
"That was an excellent proposal."
"Thank you, sir."
"Dude." And he nodded his head and went back to work.
Nice work with the photos though! From the little I could see of the crowd it looks like it was really crowded.
George Hanson: What's "dude"? Is that like "dude ranch"?
Captain America: Dude means nice guy. Dude means a regular sort of person.
DUDE! Marah ROCKED with Bruce!!! One of my top 5 nights of all time!
(My son has called me "dude" for years. “Dude” would be cool for “Dad” but for “Mom”?)
Being a Midwesterner, I loathe the Valley-Girl-Spicoli disease that has spread through our fine, flat land. Gimme Dennis Franzian English any day.
JB
The pics of Marah w/ Springsteen are magnificent. I can’t imagine what it must be like to collaborate with an idol. I don’t even know who I would pick given the opportunity.
Dude. That feels better.
http://www.swlink.net/~danichi/heydude/
and springsteen's jacket is gorgeous. but it's time for somebody to tell him that goatees are out unless you're a child toucher or a minor league baseball player.
Photos of Marah and Springsteen, Woooowwwww dude!!!! that show must have been excellent!!!