So, California peeps, do you use the word "gnarly" a lot? (Older thread alert.)

James81

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I was talking to a friend from California on the phone last night, and she dropped the world "gnarly" in the conversation very casually.

It stuck out like a sore thumb to me and later I teased her about it, but she just claimed it was Southern California speak. :tongue

Is this true? Are there any Californian here who could clear this up, cause this is an important and serious issue that I must have resolved. :D

I want to start introducing the word "gnarly" to people in my area. Like, "Yo, Remus, it was really gnarly how you slopped the hogs while also chewing tobaccy."
 

Jcomp

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While we're here, can we also address which of you Californians brought the word "hella" back? Because the gallows are a'callin'...
 

lucidzfl

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I used to have a yellow wife beater that said "The good the bad and the gnarly"

I only knew the phrase because of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
 

A. Hamilton

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gnarly-not too often and not in the same context referred to above. my kids might say it over something kinda weird and unkempt-like we saw someone with dreds but really rather bummy and dirty with ragged clothes--that's gnarly to my teens.
hella is used quite often.
(No. Cal here)
 

Kitty Pryde

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My friend uses it all the time (technically she lives in Reno, but she spends a lot of time in northern CA and lived here for 5 years). She's a kayaker and she usually uses 'gnarly' to mean 'difficult to discern a safe route through' or 'large and dangerous river feature'. Also, she uses the noun form, gnar, as in 'I wanted to go river right but there was even more gnar over there!' You might think the noun form was gnarl, but you would be mistaken in this case :D

But, no. I almost never hear anyone else use it. One of my favorite writers is from Cali and he uses it all the time, though: http://www.rudyrucker.com/pdf/icfatalk2005.pdf

ETA: Yes! Hella!! I used to live in norcal and now I'm in SoCal. All the little kids I used to take care of/teens I used to work with at summer camp got me to add it to my vocabulary. And down here I'm the only one who uses it. Saying 'hella' is hella sweet. (Also, if you're little, you get in trouble for saying 'hella' so you have to say 'hecka'. As in, "My mom got hecka mad about my bad grades."

ETA again: It would be hella sweet if you could spread the use of the word 'hyphy'. That's one that doesn't get enough airtime, despite it being hella awesome.
 
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Sarah Christine

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Gnarly. Hahahaha! Actually, I don't hear it quite that often. If ever my girlfriend and I use it, it's jokingly, the same way we use "redonkulous" or "rad" or "joshin".

Hella is a NorCal thing. My friend went to UCSB and told me they use hella, whereas I used to believe it was just a bad 90s fling. Hecka also!
 

Kitty Pryde

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Gnarly. Hahahaha! Actually, I don't hear it quite that often. If ever my girlfriend and I use it, it's jokingly, the same way we use "redonkulous" or "rad" or "joshin".

Hella is a NorCal thing. My friend went to UCSB and told me they use hella, whereas I used to believe it was just a bad 90s fling. Hecka also!

Redonkulous is a perfectly cromulent word.
 

Sarah Christine

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And ultra classy as well. I would go to a fine restaurant, taste the expensive wine and say, "Mmm, this is positively redonkulous."

(And I totally had to look up cromulent, and say it syllable by syllable like I'm learning English for the first time. Crawm-you-lint....)
 

James81

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Nice use of cromulent right there.
 

CDaniel

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Negative....

Dude :e2headban
 

Xelebes

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I use it and I'm from Canada. I also use "donk" as in "Put a donk on it."
 

Vito

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I'm a Southern California native but I've never used the word "gnarly". I've never heard anyone in my family or social circle use that word, ever. I think the only time I've ever heard it is on TV.
 

Silver King

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Mod Note

I've added an "older thread alert" to this discussion so folks know it originated close to a year ago.
 

Wayne K

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I've been meaning to get back to this thread