Amazing! Fabulous! Awesome!

[ThemThereEyes]

I see "amazeballs" is the latest way to describe something awe-inspiringly good - can't say I will ever use this expression myself - it sounds a little ridiculous (or is that ridic?).....

Probably "redonkulous."
Yes, I can't imagine using "amazeballs" either.
I really hated the drawn out exclamation of, "sweet," when I was in high school, and I hated it when it seemed to make a comeback in recent years. I also cannot stand "epic." This is one word over used and ascribed to things that are no where "epic."

 

[LizzieMaine]

I once had a teacher who was, we said, "epically bald," and in his case it seemed appropriate.

I try to teach the kids at work to expand their vocabularies as much as possible. Whenever I hear an "Awesome!" I come back with some better choice of word: "Phosphorescent!" "Pneumatic!" "Oscillating!" Occasionally one of them will catch on for a day or so.

 

[scottyrocks]

Descriptors come and go. Are we complaining about certain ones because they are used today and we dislike today? Many people don't have the time or desire to put together a dissertation as to why they like something. Shortcuts are okay. They make the point.

I hear 'word' a lot where I teach. It seems to be an urban thing. It seems to be a term of agreement. I say it sometimes and it cracks the kids up. Or they roll their eyes.

 

[randooch]

This thread is absolutely amazing.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Lizzie you might try "Terrific!". It has been out so long it's time for it to come back in.

Speaking of out of sight... back when it was the latest thing I was surprised to find the phrase in a 1912 comic novel. The book was Peck's Bad Boy and his Pa. The Boy and his Pa were visiting England and had an audience with the King. The Boy talked his old man into wearing the loud plaid golf knickers that caused such a sensation at the tournament in Oshkosh. Everyone said they were out of sight, and good enough for a king lol.

Incidentally, if you called a girl "terrific" back in Abe Lincoln's day, her father or brother would have come after you with a horse whip.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

In these parts, I hear "perfect" all day every day when something meets with someone's approval.
It's not amazing, awesome, etc., so maybe some terms are regional? Like accents.
Glad you brought up the subject PSG, I thought I was the only one that had noticed the overuse of trendy words.
I think it is a result of the fact that most people don't read like they used to like back in the days before television and radio. In the early 20th century and before, people I think just knew more words and they weren't afraid to use them.

 

[Stanley Doble]

You bring up a good point Nick. People in the 19th and early 20th centuries had much better vocabularies than today, including people who had only a few years of schooling. Authors, certainly but even ordinary people. You can see it in the letters they wrote.

It's because everyone went to church and they were raised on the King James Bible. If they had a book in the house it would most likely be a Bible, and they read it too.

Hunter S Thompson of all people was a bible reader and gave it credit for improving his writing, especially the Book of Revelation.

 

[LizzieMaine]

One of the things that depresses me most about modern culture is its Biblical illiteracy. Whether or not you believe in it as a religious text, it's the foundation of both Western Civilization and Western literature. An hour a day spent reading Proverbs or Psalms will teach you more about how to turn a beautiful phrase than any composition class you'll ever take.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

How about "fantabulous"? An expression which even I admit to having used fairly often.

 

[Barbigirl]

My daughter and I were at the museum tonight and without thinking I said, "awesome." Then I was embarassed. It was so wrong for what I was wearing and trying to portray but at that moment we could only come up with "Neat!" I will try 'nifty' and will watch this thread for era appropriate interjections to use.

 

[Shangas]

I use "Amazing", "Fantastic", "Grand", "Great"...

I don't recall the last time I said "Awesome". Or "Rad/Radical". 'Cool' I use every now and then.

Some older words which I don't think people use these days...or don't use as much...

Doggy.
Natty.
Super.
Swell.

I don't recall the last time I heard anyone say that something was "swell".

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I don't recall the last time I heard anyone say that something was "swell".

I use that one every chance I get.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

I use that one every chance I get.

As do I. I don't use it to describe something unseen to someone else but if someone offers to do something nice for me, as an example. "Oh, that would be swell! Thanks!"

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Descriptors come and go. Are we complaining about certain ones because they are used today and we dislike today? Many people don't have the time or desire to put together a dissertation as to why they like something. Shortcuts are okay. They make the point.

I hear 'word' a lot where I teach. It seems to be an urban thing. It seems to be a term of agreement. I say it sometimes and it cracks the kids up. Or they roll their eyes.

See, this is also what I consider a sad tale of 2012. Anything beyond a tweet or text is now considered a "dissertation." I see a sentence or two as brevity.

"Word" dates back to the 1970s. I used it a lot in NYC at that time. It's not a descriptor but an affirmation of agreement.

 

[Peregrine]

Pray tell, what words would you suggest to expand the populations ability to express themselves?

Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious?

Fan Dabi Dozi?

Great, Smashing, Super (for Reggie Perrin fans)

 

[Flicka]

I think every era have 'trendy' words. What I think is special now is that youth culture permeates society to a much greater extent than ever before. It's no longer a culture in opposition to the mainstream, adult culture. It's become the norm and now the 'adult' culture is the marginalised one.

Anyway, if there had been an internet in the days of Bright Young People there would have been far too many 'divine', 'wonderful' and 'bogus' in the comments on youtube. In Georgian England, 'neat' was overused to express aesthetic approval with moral overtones - 'a neat cottage', 'a neat dress', 'a very neat girl', 'new wallpaper, very neat' - so that would have flooded the net in 1752. Any of those could be revived.

And, of course, there's always 'jolly good'.

 

[LizzieMaine]

As do I. I don't use it to describe something unseen to someone else but if someone offers to do something nice for me, as an example. "Oh, that would be swell! Thanks!"

Along with its intensifiers, swell-o and swell-o-rooney.

 

[gtdean48]

I miss "groovy"....

 

[Stanley Doble]

One of the things that depresses me most about modern culture is its Biblical illiteracy. Whether or not you believe in it as a religious text, it's the foundation of both Western Civilization and Western literature. An hour a day spent reading Proverbs or Psalms will teach you more about how to turn a beautiful phrase than any composition class you'll ever take.

Not to mention Lamech's description of the virtuous woman. Short quote, "she feareth not the snow for her household is clothed in scarlet" which proves they had red flannel long johns back then (no mention of glass buttons though).

We had to get back to vintage clothing somehow.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

I miss "groovy"....

I still say it when it fits.