Camp Lingo: What Has Changed and What Has Stayed the Same?

Any tight-knit community that has been around as long as we have develops its own language over time, and Greystone is no different! If you’re new to camp, you may think we’re crazy if you hear a camper talking about having a DMC on the DHP before EP (yes, really).

But camp terminology is nothing new! From the moment Dr. Sevier dreamed up the Odds and the Evens, Greystone lingo was born. So much of our current vocabulary has been around since the very beginning. Tentalows don’t exist anywhere else, do they?

Those earlier days were also the times of coining the lingo of Whites, Challenge Day, Council Fire, the Pavilion, the Pageant Court, and more. Later generations would start talking about Shoppe, Thunderhead, Penpals, Stumblers, Breakfast Club, the “Me-Me Bird,” and Apple Cart - all things you can still find campers talking about today.

No matter when you were last at Greystone, we know you’d be able to jump into any conversation in 2022. That’s part of the reason Greystone Girls of all generations can connect - we share a common vocabulary!

Every year that lexicon grows larger, though. Campers of the 2000’s and 2010’s have added terms like DMC (a deep and meaningful conversation, something all camp people know well!), Silent Celebrate (waggle your fingers to show you’re excited!), Sleep Late Friday (the best day of the week!), and OCP (a camp favorite dessert - Oreo Cream Pie!).

You might hear them talking about going to the DHP (Dining Hall Porch), The Fort (our new building!), the Art Barn (up by High Ropes, the old Western barn), or the River Trail (our new favorite part of camp!). Even just within the last couple of years, you can now hear campers talking about their Clubs, tubing at Thunderhead, and what their age group’s planned “Lip Sync theme” should be.

But what about the lingo that has faded away over time? While many things at camp never change, some traditions come and go, and you won’t hear campers talking about these things anymore: Bug Juice, the swim bus, “planting a gum tree,” KNU club, the tree houses, trunk inspection, the Infirmary (it’s now the Health Hut), the Bungalow showers, the “Ding How,” nutty buddies (we’re now nut-free!), hard sauce, Street Dance class, “pass the film,” “table stacking,” or Falling Creek mail.

Want to reminisce even more? Check out Greystone’s greatest hits from all the decades.

Curious to brush up on current camp terminology? Our Greystone Dictionary page has you covered for all the “must-know” language.

No matter what lingo you use, we know that all Greystone Girls speak the same language when we talk about our summer home. It’s one of timeless traditions, simple fun, and lifelong friendships that stem from our miracle in the mountains. May we ever hold it close!