KENTUCKY HISTORY
'80s WORDS IN THE OED
COMMUNICATION INFORMATION
A BASKET OF CLUES
SKETCHY CHARACTERS
200
In 1936, the U.S. established a gold bullion depository at this site, now also home to the General Patton Museum of Leadership
Fort Knox
200
This acronym refers to young people with big-city jobs
Yuppies
200
Here's my first name using this, which could have Alfred Vail's name on it, too
Morse Code
200
The tradition of giving treat-filled Easter baskets is said to have begun as a celebration of the end of this period of denial
Lent
200
As touchy substitute Mr. Garvey, it's how Keegan-Michael Key pronounced a boy's first name, likely first alphabetically in the class
A. A. Ron
400
Last name of the man of Scottish ancestry who moved to Eastern Kentucky in 1804 & whose descendants were part of a nasty feud
McCoy
400
It's the name for a pixelated fellow who goes waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka
Pac-Man
400
Societal changes over the last 40 years had Gallaudet University observe "new pride in using" this language "in public"
ASL
400
The passenger basket beneath a hot-air balloon also goes by this Italian name
Gondola
400
"SCTV" once aired a "Battle of" this other network's "Stars" with John Candy as Julia Child & Martin Short as Mr. Rogers
PBS
600
Few foresaw worldwide expansion when this man opened a restaurant as part of a gas station in Corbin, Kentucky in 1929
Colonel Sanders
600
This ruched hair accessory has made a comeback, though as Cosmo notes, today's version is "more elevated" than its '80s predecessors
Scrunchie
600
Let's hope at least one of you was online in the '90s & remembers the sound of one of these
Dial-Up
600
The Tipitaka, or "Triple Basket", is the canon of the Theravada branch of this religion
Buddhism
600
In a "Monty Python" sketch no one expects this, which goes on to torture an old lady (with pillows) for heresy
the Spanish Inquisition
800
Few foresaw worldwide expansion when this man opened a restaurant as part of a gas station in Corbin, Kentucky in 1929
Hemp
800
2+2 is equal to this
4
800
Once a brand name big enough to become an actual verb in Merriam-Webster, this video call service was retired by Microsoft in 2025
Skype
800
A prudent piece of advice from an early translation of "Don Quixote": "'Tis part of the wise man to... not venture all his" these 4 words
Eggs In One Basket
800
On "Saturday Night Live", this late, great funnyman played Matt Foley, battling both wayward kids & his falling pants
Chris Farley
1000
In the 1850s, while the Washington Monument was under construction, Lexington unveiled the this Whig politician monument
Henry Clay
1000
This compound term for a baby boomer of a certain age was also the title of a hit TV show
Thirtysomething
1000
In May 1942, the Marines employed the first 29 recruits to be code talkers in this language; there would be around 400 by the war's end
Navajo
1000
The many-armed basket stars are in this phylum of backbone-less marine critters
Echinoderms
1000
18*2 is
36