Where To Watch
Can you understand all this Sixties slang heard in Dragnet?
Try not to freak out.
NBC/Universal
When Dragnet returned to television in 1967, the world was a much different place. The pioneering police procedural first aired in the 1950s.
Jack Webb revived the show — and his iconic character Sgt. Joe Friday — following the Summer of Love. By that point, Boomers had come of age. Psychedelic music was invading the radio. The hippie movement was in full swing.
Dragnet not only tapped in the zeitgeist, but it also mined the generation gap for its themes. The show often preyed on the fears that the Greatest Generation (Sgt. Joe Friday and his partner Bill Gannon included) had for the "kids these days," a.k.a. Boomers. Today, it all sounds quite familiar.
That also means the Dragnet packed in a lot of youthful Sixties slang, especially in the episodes "The LSD Story," "The Big High" and "The Big Departure." Let's see if you can translate it all.
Watch Dragnet on MeTV!
Weekdays at 5:30 AM & 6 AM
Saturdays at 5:30 AM
*available in most MeTV markets
-
Shipley asks "Did my father fink on us again?" What does "fink on" mean?
NBC/Universal -
What does "square" mean?
NBC/Universal -
What does "fuzz" mean on the back of Blue Boy's jacket?
NBC/Universal -
What is "bread"?
NBC/Universal -
What is a "Black and White"?
NBC/Universal -
What does he mean by "love grass" here?
NBC/Universal -
What is a "bum trip"?
NBC/Universal -
What does "Sherlock" mean?
NBC/Universal -
What is a "travel agent"
NBC/Universal -
What does Gannon mean when he says "caps"?
NBC/Universal -
When characters "swooped the scene," what did they do?
NBC/Universal -
Friday and Gannon hear that Blue Boy has been "Chewing the bark off a tree." Is that a euphemism for something?
NBC/Universal -
What do the police call this in "The Big High"?
NBC/Universal -
Which of the following is NOT a slang term used by Sgt. Friday for LSD in "The LSD Story."
NBC/Universal
Can you understand all this Sixties slang heard in Dragnet?
Your Result...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Pellentesque nec ante ipsum. Mauris viverra, urna et porta sagittis, lorem diam dapibus diam, et lacinia libero quam id risus.
Jabberjaw - Retro Swim
$19.95
Animaniacs - Crest Mug
$17.99
Svengoolie® T-Shirt
$19.95
I Love Lucy - Lucy Lines
$19.95
Women's Svengoolie® T-Shirt
$19.95
Woody Woodpecker - Woody
$19.95
Svengoolie® Logo Travel Mug
$29.95
Svengoolie® Die-Cut Magnet
$10.99
231 Comments
14/14 I'm not a square.
12/14. Cool beans, daddio!!!
I got 11 out of 14.
11 out of 14. Oh well...
i missed the last four. for a great cinematic allusion to the early 1950’s Mark III / Jack Webb tv studio production’s tight relationship with the LAPD, see LA Confidential, a swell film designed to reflect the not so innocent noir times in that town when the cops ran the show.
When the cops ran the show. 100% opposite from how it is today!
11/14
Every question here had 3 (three) possible answers... except the last question, BUT unless you scrolled down to see them, you wouldn't have known that until it was too late. This is the best definition of a "trick question", and yes, it tricked me.
Arrghh! Perfect score until last question #14. LSD IS "the ghost;" NOT "the comet!" Not bad though
11/14
You got 12 out of 14 - Did you have the "flower power" to pass this test? Missed #12 & #14. Not perfect but I will definitely take it since I am not too familiar with Dragnet. Just some obvious answers and a few eductated guesses.
10/14. I watched the show all the time so I should have done better. Maybe I killed some brain cells.
10/14 I heard alot of these slangs growing up in early 70's. But some were new to me.
12/14
You got 10 out of 14
Did you have the "flower power" to pass this test?had to guess on the four I got wrong.
Did you have the "flower power" to pass this test?had to guess on the four I got wrong.
9/14; missed the last 5 questions.
9/14
14/14. I guess I'm older that I thought.
Nine out of 14.
11/14 I knew most of them. The last question had a lot of choices. I picked the most logical sounding choice and got the correct answer. I have seen most if not all the episodes of Dragnet on METV.
lol...The Man conned us, lol. #8 Is wrong on this test. "Sherlock," was a smart aleck, not a detective reference. Back then, when someone was being a "Wise*ss," people would say, "Ok Sherlock." Agree, please click on smiley or leave comment if disagree. :) Don't be a "Sherlock." lol :)
.jpg)
Though I agree with you partly it means a smart aleck, or no S*** Sherlock, it also in a different sentence means a detective like a Sherlock Holmes. Besides I got it right! So buzz off Sherlock. Know what I mean 😉😂
Haven't you heard, 'No s**t, Sherlock'? It's a reference to Sherlock Holmes.