New "Hella Proud" commercial is pretty good.

[Warhawk]

When I lived in OC for a couple years the locals all said "the" (insert freeway name or number here). Drove me stark raving bonkers. I can't stand that particular affectation they have. I always wanted to respond "the 5 what?".

 

[Chubbs]

Hella was hella played out in 1995.

Now it's only hella cool to use hella ironically.

 

[Blastoff]

What I remember from my childhood is freeway names, instead of numbers. The Harbor Freeway or the Santa Monica or Ventura.

It was explained to me by a SoCal friend that this was the logic behind the use of "The." All the freeways used to be more commonly called by proper names instead of the number. When using the number became more popular, the "the" carried over.

 

[jcassio]

Have any of the people you asked been teenagers? Some of the people in the thread have suggested that its a terminology, like calling somebody dude or something, that might fade as you get older. So everybody goes through a "hella" phase, but as they and their friends age its just not used very much between them anymore.

I have no opinion on whether that's true or not actually. I was surprised the use of the term even inspired this thread. Didn't jump out to me as exceptional, so I just may not have been paying attention.

Just my teenage daughter. Her friends don't use the word, but that may be because every other word in their vocabulary is "like..." In one frickin sentence they can use the word "like" 10 times. Like it drives me, like nuts!

 

[Warhawk]

It was explained to me by a SoCal friend that this was the logic behind the use of "The." All the freeways used to be more commonly called by proper names instead of the number. When using the number became more popular, the "the" carried over.

Still makes no sense. You don't say "To get to Arco Arena, take the Del Paso Road east and then turn south on the Truxel Road." Do you?

 

[Warhawk]

Just my teenage daughter. Her friends don't use the word, but that may be because every other word in their vocabulary is "like..." In one frickin sentence they can use the word "like" 10 times. Like it drives me, like nuts!

I liked your post.

 

[rainmaker]

We have a chance to be hella good this year.