Doc’s Not ‘Deck’

Dear Readers:

It appears as if Doc needs a hip transplant.

No, he is not in pain above the thigh bone. According to “The Hipster Handbook,” the Doc is definitely not “deck.” For the unhip, “deck” is replacing that perennial word of hip distinction “cool.”

 The website for the book gives this definition of “hipster”:

“One who possesses tastes, social attitudes, and opinions deemed cool by the cool… The Hipster walks among the masses in daily life but is not a part of them and shuns or reduces to kitsch anything held dear by the mainstream.”

That sounds like Dr. Ink, but maybe not. As he gets older, Doc is more skeptical of novelty, especially of hip slang designed to set one apart from the masses. He predicts that “cool” will be around long after “deck” returns to the world of boats and playing cards. Trust the Doc on this one, Daddy-o.

Which inspires this review of synonyms, old and new, for “cool.”

Swell: Reigned for about a half-century. Check out some old movies. Doc uses it once in a while, just to get attention.

Boss: “That is so boss!” Doc never uses this, except as a noun, in reference to that guy with the E-Street Band.

Rad: Front-clipped from ‘radical,’ Doc does not care for the fashions associated with this terminology. Marlon Brando’s leather jacket is not rad.

Fly: J-Lo was a Fly Girl, one of the dancers on the “In Living Color” comedy show. But Doc can’t use the word without thinking of his zipper.

Phat: Too dangerous, especially when praising your girlfriend. Same with ‘fresh.’

Bad: Meaning good. Perfect if you enjoy the oxymoron of a synonym being an antonym.