words?

mariaalice

My mothers generation talk of putting away the delft ( cups and saucers ) or of having a mineral ( coke/orange/7up ) or of listing to the wireless ( the radio ).
No one is every fat they are stout! and when a some died she might say its a pity they never had any family ( meaning they didn't have any children )...I think we are going to lose a uniqueness of expression when that generation go.

OldGoat

"Put the messages in the press" is one that springs to mind from my mums generation.
Also 'Dial'ing someone on a phone is just about gone and the youff have never seen a rotary dial phone.

teacherspet

As a child all my neighbours were called Mr or Mrs as a sign of respect. That is certainly gone.

sgb

You could call a happy man a gay feller, not anymore

Bearhunter

sgb wrote: »

You could call a happy man a gay feller, not anymore

And a gay man wasn't gay; he was "very good to his mother."
No one ever had cancer, they were "riddled with it. Riddled."

dubtom

teacherspet wrote: »

As a child all my neighbours were called Mr or Mrs as a sign of respect. That is certainly gone.

I still live in the house I was reared in and I still call the old neighbours Mr or Mrs.
Shaking hands when greeting is something I only really see happen now when introduced to someone for the first time, it used to be a common thing when meetings friends or whoever. Eastern Europeans still seem to do it though.

OldGoat

Have to say that I always shake hands or hug/cheek-kiss friends on meeting them or on leaving their company. Strangers can be a bit arkward as they are unfimilar with the practice but that arkwardness is a nice oppetunity for starting conservations as you put them at their ease. A suitable thread for the Gentlemans club would be "The Art and Practice of the Handshake".

Meanwhile, back on topic...
I have family in laws over in Liverpoo; and I've always been facinated by the small differences in speach between them and us (as we are essentially the same city divided by a bit of water). My favourite is where we would use the word 'gurrier' they use 'scally'. Love that term. "Go on ya scally!"

policarp

My mother used to use the term "scally-wag", wherever she picked it up.

Condatis

teacherspet wrote: »

As a child all my neighbours were called Mr or Mrs as a sign of respect. That is certainly gone.

Not in my experience.

Condatis

Nowadays people are spoken of as having dementia or Alzheimers.

When I was growing up they were referred to as 'doting'.

chucken1

What about the local raging alcoholic who was "fond of the drink"

shedweller

I always wanted some star wars toys but i vaguely remember getting one or two storm troopers. I have never owned a star wars toy!:eek:
I did get some lego though so it wasnt too bad!

cucbuc

My mother used to say " Do what I bid you!" (usually as a final warning before ye olde wooden spoon was taken out..:eek:)
That was in the seventies. I Always thought it sounded more like the middle ages though.

Gary ITR

My OH (who'll probably batter me when she sees this) uses some 'older' terms like 'divil' and 'bipping the horn'.

They always make me laugh

Clareboy

In times past, a person suffering from arthitis would say - " the old rhumatics are at me ". A person not looking too well would be described as " very shook lookin'" . A person who was getting on in years would be described as ' crabbed' .

Feeded

What about the old favourite ''it'd be more in your line. . ''

cml387

My late father, when we were young and being bad,describd us a "scutchers".

Bearhunter

"very shook looking" - Brilliant, I haven't heard that in years.

Or what about the most Irish of all illnesses/diseases/disorders: nerves.

"Sure he can't work with his nerves, God love him."

cml387

Bearhunter wrote: »

"very shook looking" - Brilliant, I haven't heard that in years.

Or what about the most Irish of all illnesses/diseases/disorders: nerves.

"Sure he can't work with his nerves, God love him."

"Took to the bed" another one.

Bearhunter

And is there any word as evocative as coortin'? As in: "He was coortin' a wan fr'm out beyant Tomhaggard, but she turned turk on him and he was left bet and battered by the whole affair."

itac

A courting couple would be "Doing a line"....
rather different connotations nowadays, have just about persuaded my Mum to stop using it!

The word "vexed" seems to have disappeared too....often dependent on the person and their level of anger; but when someone in our family was vexed with you, you knew you'd done a major wrong!

OldGoat

Bearhunter wrote: »

And is there any word as evocative as coortin'? As in: "He was coortin' a wan fr'm out beyant Tomhaggard, but she turned turk on him and he was left bet and battered by the whole affair."

Thats just pure culchie.

Beruthiel

OldGoat wrote: »

Thats just pure culchie.

Culchie Gold Mr!

Kalimah

I'm laughing reading all of this! It reminds me so much of my grandparents and mother especially. All of them now dead. My mother used to say someone "had a puss on them" if they were sulking. Someone a bit dim was a "dah" which I believe is a Waterford expression. I use it myself!
A dog was a "bowler". My grandfather used to refer to romantic books as "bodice rippers". I don't know who was doing the ripping!
A woman careful of her virtue had "the two legs in the one stocking". I've used that with great effect the odd time.

stargazer 68

Yeah my mum always said - get the puss off you!
'two legs in one stocking' - never heard of that one - its brilliant!!! Not much of that now though lol

Ash.J.Williams

My bogger girlfriend asking me to get something out of "the dresser".....resulting in me looking in the bedside locker....

OldGoat

OK, my bad (I'm scarlet) for pushing the thread off course with an ill concidered regional quip. Lets keep the thread to words and phrases that have or are being eroded by time rather then those of just a regional difference.


Does anyone ever answer the phone now reciting the phone number? "xxx8560, Hello?"

Ash.J.Williams

i'm sure kids now are confused when we discuss "getting a video"

Beruthiel

I whistled a lot as a kid. My Gran used to say to me all the time:

A whistlin' woman and a crowin' hen,
drives the devil out of his den.

Kalimah

OldGoat wrote: »

OK, my bad (I'm scarlet) for pushing the thread off course with an ill concidered regional quip. Lets keep the thread to words and phrases that have or are being eroded by time rather then those of just a regional difference.


Does anyone ever answer the phone now reciting the phone number? "xxx8560, Hello?"

I do!!

Rubecula

OldGoat wrote: »

OK, my bad (I'm scarlet) for pushing the thread off course with an ill concidered regional quip. Lets keep the thread to words and phrases that have or are being eroded by time rather then those of just a regional difference.


Does anyone ever answer the phone now reciting the phone number? "xxx8560, Hello?"

Too many calls to sell insurance, double glazing, whatever, so now I just answer "Yeah" Hopefully they don't know the number by heart and wont call back.

Dunno how widespread it was but when us kids were a bit naughty, gran used to tell us that "Mr Jones" was coming to collect us. I was terrified of anyone called Jones for years. Just in case......

Strangely I don't remember many folks using swear words of any great note while I was growing up. The odd "Bloody Hell" seemed to be about the end of it.

First time I used the 'F' word was when I saw it chalked on a wall and I said to my mum. "Mum what does F*** mean?" I was clattered around like never before. "That is a wicked thing to say I will never let you say it again or I will knock the smile onto the other side of your face."

(Next time she heard me say it I was in my 20's and she fell over laughing at me.....Mothers eh?)