CRUCIAL ADJECTIVE (YOUTH CULTURE)

In young people's slang: very good or important, great, fantastic. Etymology: An example of the way in which meaning is weakened and trivialized in the idiom of young people: compare ace, awesome, and rad. History and Usage: Crucial belongs to the slang usage of the very young (largely the pre-teenage group) in the late eighties. It was popularized especially by children's television presenters and other media personalities, notably the comedian Lenny Henry, who devoted a whole book to the subject. As often happens with such slang words, the respectability which crucial gained by being used in print caused it to go out of fashion rather among the youngsters who were using it. Martha (aged seven): 'Lenny Henry, he wrote the "guide to cruciality", so we don't say crucial no more.' New Statesman 16 Feb. 1990, p. 12 The very latest buzz-word, after last year's favourite sayings like 'mental, mental', 'crucial' and 'wicked', is 'raw'. Daily Star 20 Mar. 1990, p. 13 I have worn out three sets of trainers running around telling my friends how crucial Young Eye is. Private Eye 26 Oct. 1990, p. 21