Passe' words and phrases

[Mike in Seattle]

When I tell my kids to "Pipe down" I often get reminded by friends and family how old fashioned I sound.

But so much more acceptable than the current vernacular of "Shut the f--- up!" - lovingly (ha!) screeched at three under-5-year-olds at the mall this afternoon by their loving (?) caregiver...

 

[KY Gentleman]

When I would visit my best friends house while growing up I would hear his dad say things were "as fine as frogs hair". I've never heard that one anywhere else or since.

 

[LizzieMaine]

How many here went to "sub primary" instead of "kindergarten?"

 

[Delthayre]

Whither, whence, thither, thence... anent!

How many here went to "sub primary" instead of "kindergarten?"

I didn't and I've never even heard of that, but I did attend, "junior high school," rather than, "middle school."

I was part of one of the last classes to do so; the district changed the system the year after I graduated from eighth grade.

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

How about "Come again?" - posed as a question, meaning "Would you repeat yourself?" I've used it sometimes over the phone, and people go, "Huh?!"

I didn't and I've never even heard of that, but I did attend, "junior high school," rather than, "middle school."

I still hear "junior high" all the time. "Middle school" always sounded weird to me.

 

[Sydney Loren]

"That was a real E-ticket ride!"

I use that one too.

To put an end to my cursing I now refer to people as 'dirty rats', scallywags, sons of beetles, etc. Far from classy but it's better than what it was before.

Women are broads, men are gents.

Oh and what's the ruckus or what's the fuss.

 

[Down2BDapper]

Sometimes I say "Jake", as in "Everything was Jake and you went and screwed it up."

 

[galopede]

I am hesitant about some of the bathroom words. Why? My father always said "I'm going to the toilet." In America, it is not a good idea to say this. You should be more vague and say something like "I'm going to the facilities" or, MUCH better, "I'll be right back."

To say "I'm going to the toilet" does not mean "to the room in which the toilet is housed" in American English. It means "I am going to the room in which the toilet is housed AND I AM GOING TO SIT ON THE TOILET THEREIN."

Needless to say, this is MUCH too specific, and in fact slightly disgusting. Best to keep your precise business in that room quite vague.

Best not come to Gloucestershire then!

It's usually going to the "bog", the "khasi", the "loo". "Can I use the toilet" is a regular from guests.

The best I've heard was earlier this year from my 25 year old daughter who organises music festivals for a living. I was with her in the makeshift office the day before a folk festival when she looked out of the window and said "Good ho, the TURDISES have arrived!"

Any Doctor Who fans will see the simliarity with Portaloos, portable toilets!

Gareth

 

[Down2BDapper]

I just though of another one. It's more of a culture thing than a time thing I think, but it is still relevant. My friend Sonia is from Australia and we used to work at a restaurant together. Everybody there would tease her whenever she called the utensils "cutlery". "Silverwear", they'd say. She was always quick to point out to them, however, that utensils have not been silver for centuries.

 

[59Lark]

old habits die hard.

Calling a record players victrolia; asking the waitress for a cup of joe, or cup of java; young waitress will look at you with thoughts of mental instability; my favourite was with my fedora and overcoat in my hand at a upscale chinese restraunt do you have a cloak room, my hostess asked whats a cloak; haberdashery no its not a sex aide, mens clothier another dying trade mine is retiring at xmas at 75. Tradesman, whats that, answer a question with that would be lovely, hunky dory, please return my hanky, its not disposable. Thats all that i can think of at this moment. 59LARK

 

[Marzipan]

Hm... this is a really interesting question.

I say chicks and guys for girls and boys. I really should change the guys to something classier though, like lads or gents. But at least I don't say dudes.

I also say "bum" for bottom and in terms of general exclamations I tend to say, "Geez, Louise," "Oh, dear," and "Yowza" all the time. Which doesn't embarrass my daughter now but I'm sure will in due time.

Also, I now say fream for a person I think is rather annoying.

Oh, and once a very old man told me I was a cute as a bug's ear. I just about died with pleasure.

 

[Feng_Li]

"is all," to mean that it is empty.

I've heard this in Berlin as well ("Es ist alles"). I'm told it's a corruption of the French "C'est aller" ("It's gone").

 

[Feng_Li]

"Cocked hat," as in "The Jets beat St. Louis into a cocked hat."

 

[harbilly]

As I near retirement I find the youth I work with are becoming less tolerant of how I speak:
They laugh at me all the time, the Philistines, when these words/phrases creep out:

Gee Whiz
Gosh golly
Holy Smokes/Smoke
Jeepers
Groovy, drag, cool(they crept in to my speech in the 60s, it's a long story)
peepers
doll
big ape
DDT (not the chemical: drop dead twice)
you mugs
ugly mug
skylarking
that really frosts my cookies (makes me mad) (frosting, being icing, is the last step/thing/straw) or 'frosts me off'
whats cookin?
how now brown cow? (answered with: same way black bull) yes, it is rude, but also it means 'what's going on' 'nothing'
dame
skirt (this one actually gets me chastised, not just laughed at)
rocket science (and egghead)
tradesman/men
craftsmen
and a professional is not a sandwich maker at subway or anyone who merely is paid to perform a task.

That, off the top of my head on a Saturday before my better half gets the mud brewed is all I can think off.:cool2:

 

[RondoHatton]

Best not come to Gloucestershire then!

It's usually going to the "bog", the "khasi", the "loo". "Can I use the toilet" is a regular from guests.

The best I've heard was earlier this year from my 25 year old daughter who organises music festivals for a living. I was with her in the makeshift office the day before a folk festival when she looked out of the window and said "Good ho, the TURDISES have arrived!"

Any Doctor Who fans will see the simliarity with Portaloos, portable toilets!

Gareth

For this type of inquiry, we have employed "...where may a gentleman wash his hands?..." though often I am shown a sink, and then must clarify my request, "... no, where is the toilet?...".

"TURDISES"! Sounds descriptive of some women I have known...

 

[randooch]

My mother's phrase for 'you'll have a hard time . . ." was "you'll play hob . . ." as in "you'll play hob getting ME to do the dishes again!" I use it now too, despite the fact that no one's heard of it. It adds to my mystique, I like to think.

and then there's "yikes!" and "egad!" and "sweet gibberish!" all of whick nicely replace current vulgarisms.

 

[Sydney Loren]

Me, I'd actually like to add more vintage words and phrases to my vocabulary! Well, if I wouldn't be laughed at. lol There's something quaint about using old terms, like saying you'll ring up your friend. But then they'd wonder where the cash register was.

I second that, I don't care much for the way we speak today and the older terms I find to be rather endearing. I don't mind being laughed at or looked at strangely, to each their own!

Flibberty gibbert
(Old) chap
Bump/Whack
(A regular) flash in the pan
Swanky
Jazz
Occasionally I refer to pajamas as sleepers, courtesy of a friend of mine. I'm not sure if that one really counts though.

 

[prof500]

The evening meal

Someone commented one time when I suggested meeting for "supper." Anybody else still say that?

I've also said "davenport."

In Wisconsin people sometimes say "Make the lights out" which seems to come directly from German.

 

[staggerwing]

When my son came traipsing into the kitchen this morning barefoot, I heard my mother say, "Barefoot as a pet coon". Never heard her use that expression before and she uses a lot of them from her 30's farmstead childhood.

Edited to add: Cigarettes : Gaspers, Coffin Nails
Cut the light on/off is a very southern term
For the longest time a sign at the North Carolina boarder read: Burn Lights When Raining
You Crank the car here too, you don't turn it over

A.

I had to laugh about "crank" the car. A young man I know who lives in west GA, right next to the Alabama line, was working on an old car one day when i paid his family a visit. What's wrong?" I asked.

"Won't crank," was his terse answer. I whent inside. A while later, I heard the engine roar to life and a few minutes later this young man walked in.

"Fix it?" I asked.

"Yea, it crunk!" was his answer.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Someone commented one time when I suggested meeting for "supper." Anybody else still say that?

That's what I grew up with, and still use. We had dinner at noon, and supper at night.