Stranger Things phrases and words in English
Bits of Stranger Things that slipped out of Hawkins and into everyday English — the 80s slang, the Kate Bush rescue, the demand that friends don't lie. Drop one and the nearest binge-watcher instantly clocks you as one of their own.
20 phrases · meanings & example sentences
“The Upside Down”
A dark, distorted mirror of your normal life — every room and face is familiar, but something underneath is rotten and wrong. Shorthand for any place or stretch of time that looks normal on the surface and feels deeply off.
- Came back from leave and the team was reshuffled, my desk was gone, the fridge full of strangers' lunches. Total Upside Down.
- Same flat, same street, same coffee shop — all of it slightly wrong since the diagnosis. Living in the Upside Down.
- Her smile when she 'congratulated' me on the promotion. It's giving Upside Down.
“Stranger things have happened”
A classic English idiom for shrugging off how unlikely something is — don't rule it out, weirder things have come true. A gentle nudge to keep hope, or doubt, alive when the odds look silly.
- United winning the league this year? Stranger things have happened.
- You think she'll actually text back after all that? Stranger things have happened.
- Reckon they'll approve the whole budget on the first ask? Stranger things have happened.
“Friends don't lie”
A blunt three-word demand for honesty, used the moment someone hesitates or sugar-coats. Half loyalty test, half trap: if you have to invoke it, you already suspect the answer is bad.
- She paused a beat too long when I asked if the haircut suited me. Friends don't lie.
- 'Be honest, was the pitch a disaster?' 'Friends don't lie — it ran long.'
- He went quiet when I asked if I should take the job. Friends don't lie.
“Mouth-breather”
Slang for someone whose cluelessness is almost audible — not so much stupid as oblivious, missing what's obvious to everyone else. An insult with a wince built in.
- He asked the new mum when the baby was due. She'd given birth the week before. Mouth-breather.
- Replied-all to the entire company with just 'unsubscribe.' Total mouth-breather.
- Stood there pulling the door for a full minute. It says push, mate. Mouth-breather.
“Bitchin'”
1980s slang for excellent, awesome, top-tier. Works as a one-word verdict on anything genuinely cool, said with a grin.
- He pulled up in a restored '85 Camaro. Absolutely bitchin'.
- Front-row seats and a backstage pass? Bitchin'.
- She finally tried the tacos from the truck. 'Okay, this is bitchin'.'
“Stoked”
Surf and skate slang for being very excited or enthusiastic about something — beyond just happy, genuinely fired up. Works for anything you've been looking forward to.
- Got the tickets confirmed this morning. Absolutely stoked for the show.
- First surf session in months booked for Saturday. I'm so stoked.
- She's stoked — finally got the transfer she's been chasing for two years.
“Should I stay or should I go”
The classic indecision dilemma from the Clash song — the exact moment you're torn between sticking it out and walking away. Fits jobs, parties, relationships, anything where staying feels as risky as leaving.
- It's midnight, I'm exhausted, but the karaoke's only just starting. Should I stay or should I go.
- Two years in the role and no promotion in sight. Should I stay or should I go.
- We've broken up and made up four times now. Should I stay or should I go.
“Tubular”
Peak 1980s slang for first-rate or awesome, surfed in from California. A playful, retro way to call something excellent without sounding like everyone else.
- That wave you caught right at the end? Tubular.
- The whole rooftop setup for the party was totally tubular.
- New headphones turned up and the sound is genuinely tubular.
“Take a chill pill”
A light-hearted way to tell someone to calm down and stop overreacting — 1980s slang that pokes fun at the panic rather than the person. Useful whenever someone's stress is wildly out of proportion to the actual problem.
- He spotted one typo in the deck and started rewriting the whole thing. Mate, take a chill pill.
- Mum rang three times because I was ten minutes late to dinner. Take a chill pill.
- She refreshed the tracking page every two minutes for a parcel due Friday. Take a chill pill.
“Gnarly”
1980s surf slang for something intense — it swings between 'awesome' and 'nasty' depending on tone, covering anything gnarled, gross, or impressively extreme. One word that fits a wound, a wave, or a wild night out.
- He came off the bike and the graze ran the whole length of his arm. Properly gnarly.
- The merge conflict touched forty files at once. Gnarly.
- Drove through hail the size of marbles for an hour. Gnarly conditions.
“Bogus”
1980s slang for something fake, unfair, or just plain wrong — said with a groan when reality refuses to play fair. Lighter than 'outrageous', it lands somewhere between disappointed and annoyed.
- They advertised free returns, then charged me a restocking fee. Totally bogus.
- Got passed over for the promotion after carrying the whole quarter. Bogus.
- She cancelled on me by liking my 'you still coming?' text. Bogus.
“Bummer”
An expression of mild disappointment — something unfortunate or frustrating that doesn't quite rise to a full complaint. Casual enough to soften bad news or commiserate without making a big deal of it.
- Train's cancelled and there isn't another one for two hours. Bummer.
- She told him the restaurant was fully booked on his birthday. 'Ah, that's a bummer.'
- Missed the sale by one day — total bummer.
“Go down swinging”
An idiom for refusing to quit — giving it everything right to the final moment, even in a loss. The dignity is in the effort, not the outcome: you'd rather fail loud than fold quiet.
- Down by twenty with a minute left and still launching threes. Went down swinging.
- Pitched the idea one last time in the final meeting, knowing it was dead. Went down swinging.
- Failed the exam but answered every question right to the buzzer. Went down swinging.
“Code red”
Borrowed from emergency drills — a signal that this is not a normal problem and everyone needs to drop what they're doing right now. All hands, immediately.
- Client's threatening to walk an hour before launch. Code red.
- She saw her ex walk into the same bar. Group chat: code red.
- Toddler just grabbed the scissors near the curtains. Code red.
“Psych!”
An 80s trick reveal — you say something convincing, then yell 'psych!' to expose the whole thing as a fake-out. Somewhere between a prank and a punchline, it walks back whatever you just said too seriously.
- Said the meeting was cancelled… psych! Two extra agenda points.
- 'You've been selected for a pay rise.' Pause. 'Psych.' Thanks, HR.
- Told him the pizza was finished — psych, there were two slices left.
“Weirdo”
A label for someone who behaves in a noticeably odd way — half insult, half badge of honour depending on who's saying it. Often used affectionately among friends to tease quirky behaviour without real malice.
- He alphabetises his spice rack and colour-codes his socks. Total weirdo.
- She was dancing alone in the rain waiting for the bus. Love that weirdo.
- You're a bit of a weirdo — and that's exactly why we keep you around.
“Get real”
A sharp nudge to stop being naive or wishful — face facts, drop the fantasy, accept how things actually are. More impatient than 'be realistic' but less harsh than 'wake up.'
- You think the landlord will fix it by next week? Get real.
- She said 'I'll call you' — get real, that was a polite goodbye.
- Third round of revisions and they still hate it. Get real — this client is impossible.
“On the fritz”
An informal phrase for something that keeps malfunctioning or has broken down unpredictably — usually tech or equipment, but works for anything that's stopped cooperating without an obvious reason.
- Printer's on the fritz again, just when everything needs printing.
- My right knee's been on the fritz since the run last month.
- The espresso machine is on the fritz — office morale is dangerously low.
“Totally”
An 80s expression of full, enthusiastic agreement — not just 'yes' but an emphatic 'absolutely, without question.' Used to signal you're completely on board, often with a slight retro warmth.
- 'Wanna grab tacos after?' 'Totally.'
- You think they'll cancel the meeting? Totally — nobody's prepared.
- She said the talk was boring. Totally — I nearly nodded off twice.
“Roll for initiative”
A Dungeons & Dragons phrase that's crossed into everyday use for 'make your move, it's go time.' Used to kick off anything that needs someone to take the first step, especially when everyone's been hovering.
- Whiteboard's up, coffee's poured, everyone's here. Right — roll for initiative.
- Nobody wanted to approach the group at the party, so I just rolled for initiative.
- Game's on the line, ball's in your hands. Roll for initiative.
