old terms or expressions that are still among us

[emigran]

"Right On"... Lizzie... Hep cats indeed...

 

[Stanley Doble]

I actually encountered the word 'groovy' in a very square English short story from about 1900. It was about a man who either fell from an upper story window or jumped. His middle aged spinster sister got to brooding about his death until it became an obsession. Her doctor said she had gotten groovy on the subject.

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

In an odd case of the recurrence of an old expression that had fallen out of use, years ago, in a used book store, I found a Victorian adventure-in -the-far-reaches-of-the-empire novel titled "The Right Stuff."

 

[Trenchfriend]

Seemingly not dying out:

What you in english language name "tenacious/persistent".

 

[robrinay]

Here's an interesting site which links old archery terms to modern English expressions. I'm not sure I believe all of them but most I'm sure are true
https://jordansequillion.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/archery-and-the-english-language/

 

[robrinay]

And a similar site with old horsey links to everyday speech
http://www.lrgaf.org/guide/equestrian_terms.htm

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

Seemingly not dying out:

What you in english language name "tenacious/persistent".

And what might that German word be?
I'm sure that some see it as pretentious, but I enjoy sprinkling non-English words into my speech. Since two of my great-grandfathers were German immigrants (a Hessian shoemaker and an East Prussian farmer) "low German" (Plattdeutsch) words did crop up in my grandmother's speech when I was a child.

 

[Trenchfriend]

And what might that German word be?
I'm sure that some see it as pretentious, but I enjoy sprinkling non-English words into my speech. Since two of my great-grandfathers were German immigrants (a Hessian shoemaker and an East Prussian farmer) "low German" (Plattdeutsch) words did crop up in my grandmother's speech when I was a child.

"beharrlich"

"Beharrlichkeit"

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

I find at least half of these very questionable. On the other hand, there are many surnames that come from archery. To wit:
Archer
Bowyer
Stringer
Fletcher
Shafter
Butts (butts were the targets used in archery. Someone named Butts either made targets or took care of the butts at the village archery range.)
Arrowsmith
Nocker (a rare name now, but he was a specialist who carved the notches, called "nocks"at the base of an arrowshaft.)
Bowman
There are others but I can't think of them right now.

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

Butts (butts were the targets used in archery. Someone named Butts either made targets or took care of the butts at the village archery range.)

A "butt" is a large barrel (all barrels were wood until the late 19th Century) which contained wine, two hogsheads in volume. Turn an empty butt on it's side and paint concentric circles on the bottom, and, voila! An archer's target.

 

[3fingers]

2jakes "peachy keen" is a favorite of mine. Many times shortened to "peachy" in response to someone asking how I'm doing. Another one I use is "even a blind squirrel finds an acorn occasionally". Both of these usually get a giggle in response. I have noticed a few other people in my circle have occasionally started repeating some of the things I say. I'll revert them all given time. It's all part of my plan.

 

[MisterCairo]

A "butt" is a large barrel (all barrels were wood until the late 19th Century) which contained wine, two hogsheads in volume. Turn an empty butt on it's side and paint concentric circles on the bottom, and, voila! An archer's target.

In the Canadian Forces, our rifle ranges have "butts" where the targets are loaded, raised and lowered. "Working the butts" is what the serial having shot first or are waiting their turn do on non-automated ranges.

Which is all of them...

 

[MisterCairo]

"Dude". Although the connotation has changed, the exchange of calling a guy "dude" has remained through the years.

Or "El Duderino" if you're not into the whole brevity thing...

 

[zeus36]

I heard "Tickety Boo" last week.

 

[MisterCairo]

I heard "Tickety Boo" last week.

Our platoon sergeant in officer training used that a lot. And he was French-Canadian!

 

[VintageEveryday]

"hot" is still among us, only it's gone from meaning stolen or on the run to sexy. I've heard "fuddy duddy" used a few times in kid's cartoons. Unfortunately, "queer" is still in use.

 

[VintageEveryday]

There's also ones like baby, sugar. etc. basic ones that are pretty much timeless.

 

[Turnip]

What we had today, blue sky, blazing sun and clear air, no clouds, is still very commonly called „bomb weather“ here.

 

[Stanley Doble]

From an old I Love Lucy episode...

Elocution teacher: There are two slang expressions you must never use. One of them is swell and the other one is lousy

Ethel: Tell us what they are and we won't use them.

Lucy: Yeah that would be a swell way to get off to a lousy start