Terms Which Have Disappeared

[tonyb]

As to "Bob" …

Have we yet discussed the phrase " … and Bob's your uncle"?

I took it to mean something akin to "and that's a wrap," or "and that pretty well sums it up," or "there ya go, young man; that job is done."

 

[Trenchfriend]

Who's still sayin' "lug" (for fruits, etc.), today??

 

[Trenchfriend]

90s: "is left sitting"
2010s: "lingers one further year in the 8th class"

 

[Trenchfriend]

2010s: "skinny jeans"
90s: "egg file"

 

[skydog757]

People used to sometimes use "ipso facto" in general conversation to conclude their arguments, usually people without any legal training. This was usually proceeded by either the word "therefore" or "ergo".

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

People used to sometimes use "ipso facto" in general conversation to conclude their arguments, usually people without any legal training. This was usually proceeded by either the word "therefore" or "ergo".

Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney:
Alright, you did your talk and now it's my turn. You're not holding me here as an accomplishment to the crime because I never accomplished anything in my life, so what's the charge? Fragrancy? No, couldn't be, cuz I ain't fragrant. And foithermore, as a taxpayer, I demand that I be deliberated this very instant to consume my place among the respected citizenry of this town. And another thing - if my name is slenderized or dilapidated in any way, I'm gonna sue. I'll take this case right to Extreme Court of the United States!

 

[skydog757]

Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney:
Alright, you did your talk and now it's my turn. You're not holding me here as an accomplishment to the crime because I never accomplished anything in my life, so what's the charge? Fragrancy? No, couldn't be, cuz I ain't fragrant. And foithermore, as a taxpayer, I demand that I be deliberated this very instant to consume my place among the respected citizenry of this town. And another thing - if my name is slenderized or dilapidated in any way, I'm gonna sue. I'll take this case right to Extreme Court of the United States!

That is EXACTLY what I meant; people using "legalese" without really understanding the words that they are throwing around.

Archie Bunker is a prime example.

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Ipso fatso."

It was common in the Era to refer to someone who'd had too much to drink as being "non compos mentis."

 

[Ticklishchap]

"It's a crying shame." ...

This is an English phrase I very rarely hear these days: I don't know if it is familiar to North Americans as I can't recall hearing it in the US or Canada.

I was reminded of it last week when one of the tabloid newspapers ran 'Crying Shame' as a headline, a reference to Theresa May's resignation tears outside 10 Downing Street, with accompanying facial contortions curiously reminiscent of Bozo the Clown.

I very much associate the phrase with the London of my youth (70s/80s/early 90s) and the old-fashioned type of Londoner who has now moved out to Essex or Kent.

 

[Ticklishchap]

"Sugar"
A few days ago Crooner Radio played Frank Sinatra's "When I Take My Sugar To Tea". I associate "sugar" as a term of endearment with America (it never caught on this side of the Pond) and the era of black and white movies. Am I right in thinking that it is no longer used in the States? It would be a shame to lose it altogether.

 

[The Jackal]

"It's a crying shame." ...

This is an English phrase I very rarely hear these days: I don't know if it is familiar to North Americans as I can't recall hearing it in the US or Canada.

I was reminded of it last week when one of the tabloid newspapers ran 'Crying Shame' as a headline, a reference to Theresa May's resignation tears outside 10 Downing Street, with accompanying facial contortions curiously reminiscent of Bozo the Clown.

I very much associate the phrase with the London of my youth (70s/80s/early 90s) and the old-fashioned type of Londoner who has now moved out to Essex or Kent.

I know I still use it quite often, so it had to have been at least a bit popular in the US for me to have picked it up as a child and continue to use it today.

 

[Ticklishchap]

I know I still use it quite often, so it had to have been at least a bit popular in the US for me to have picked it up as a child and continue to use it today.

That's very interesting, both because I haven't heard it in the States and also because your profile indicates that you are fairly young, whereas it is a phrase I associate (in London and probably England as a whole) with the older generation.

 

[Dm101]

"It's a crying shame." ...

This is an English phrase I very rarely hear these days: I don't know if it is familiar to North Americans as I can't recall hearing it in the US or Canada.

I was reminded of it last week when one of the tabloid newspapers ran 'Crying Shame' as a headline, a reference to Theresa May's resignation tears outside 10 Downing Street, with accompanying facial contortions curiously reminiscent of Bozo the Clown.

I very much associate the phrase with the London of my youth (70s/80s/early 90s) and the old-fashioned type of Londoner who has now moved out to Essex or Kent.

Still used quite often in the deep south of The United States.
I still use it myself.

 

[Ticklishchap]

Still used quite often in the deep south of The United States.
I still use it myself.

There's a lot of English and especially Scots Irish influence in the accents and vocabulary of the Deep South. I hope I can get away with saying that Southern speech in general (not just the Deep South) sounds old-fashioned to my ears. An extreme example: I recall getting a cab in Washington DC in the mid-80s with a driver from rural Virginia. His English sounded almost Shakespearean, as if frozen in time. It was wonderful to listen to him.

 

[LizzieMaine]

How about "twig?"

Twig -- v. t. -- to comprehend, to understand the point of an idea or concept. He twigs, she twigged, they twig. Syn: to get, to grasp, to grok.

She immediately twigged to the suggestion that she bump off her husband for the insurance money.

 

[Ticklishchap]

How about "twig?"

Twig -- v. t. -- to comprehend, to understand the point of an idea or concept. He twigs, she twigged, they twig. Syn: to get, to grasp, to grok.

She immediately twigged to the suggestion that she bump off her husband for the insurance money.

Still used very frequently in England:

'She's finally twigged that No Deal Brexit is a terrible idea.'

Twig here means finally realised or understood. It's a bit like saying 'the penny's finally dropped' - another somewhat old-fashioned phrase.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
She immediately twigged to the suggestion that she bump off her husband for the insurance money.

Coincidentally, you've also just described the plot of "Double Indemnity" and several other film noirs.

 

[Ticklishchap]

Coincidentally, you've also just described the plot of "Double Indemnity" and several other film noirs.

It's a bit scary for mid-afternoon when I'm supposed to be working. ...

"Truth is the recognition of [the] reality [that] Those who do not move do not notice their chains" - sorry, couldn't resist merging those two quotes. And they actually slot quite nicely into each other!

 

[The Jackal]

There's a lot of English and especially Scots Irish influence in the accents and vocabulary of the Deep South. I hope I can get away with saying that Southern speech in general (not just the Deep South) sounds old-fashioned to my ears. An extreme example: I recall getting a cab in Washington DC in the mid-80s with a driver from rural Virginia. His English sounded almost Shakespearean, as if frozen in time. It was wonderful to listen to him.

The southern accent can sound both aristocratic and uneducated depending on how certain words are emphasized. I've used that to my advantage on multiple occasions, making myself sound disarmingly simple and reverently high-class within a short span, while sounding relatively the same to anyone not paying direct attention to my wording.

 

[Ticklishchap]

The southern accent can sound both aristocratic and uneducated depending on how certain words are emphasized. I've used that to my advantage on multiple occasions, making myself sound disarmingly simple and reverently high-class within a short span, while sounding relatively the same to anyone not paying direct attention to my wording.

I love it!
There is something quite alluring and sexy about a Southern drawl, whether aristocratic or 'poorly educated' ('and I love the poorly educated' as some New Yorker said recently, I can't think who it could have been?).
John Berendt (also a New Yorker) reproduces both types of Southern accent in 'Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil'. When I read the book recently, I could hear the Southern cadences rise from the pages.
Americans seem to like British accents as well - I always get a really positive response to my voice in the States.