bring back the old language!

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i am sick of crappy new words like "txt" (which isn't even a WORD!)making their way into the OED. bring back the great old words, i say. the other night Ricky T didn't believe me that "ballocks" is the archaic form of "bollocks" but it is and i like it much more! it should be re-introduced!

what are your favourite old-stylee words? do you use them deliberately to vex people?

― katie, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

prithee provide me with new answers.

― katie, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

When referring to one's intellectual inferiors, the word "nincompoop" is unparalleled.

― Trevor, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"bedded." (oh come on. you knew it was coming.)

― jess, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ANKLE = BENDY CLAW!

― Sarah, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I misuse words like "prithee" and "verily" at an awesome rate. I should be thrown in the stocks for such insolence, surely.

― David Raposa, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I like the word "whom" but I've noticed a lot of other people don't use it.

― Tabs, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

anatiferous

― Alan Trewartha, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"whom" is grammar and should therefore be observed. what's your one mean Alan (no OED to hand at the mo)

― katie, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Forsooth and perchance. Would resurrecting gay to mean happy be un-PC or just confusing?

― Billy Dods, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

defenestrate/eviscerate

― Geoff, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

On the subject of (soon-to-become in this case)old words, well, I like pussy cats. I feel sad that I can no longer invite someone home to meet my pussy without them thinking they're about to get lucky.

― Tabs, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Tabs you really do fancy cats, don't you!

I don't understand why 'lest' has fallen into relative disuse. It's a v.useful word, and it's neato.

― Nick, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

who says txt?

― Mike Hanle y, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

anatiferous = duck producing

lovely word that I've never forgotten.

from http://onlinedictionary.datasegment.com/word/Anatiferous/

Anatiferous \An`a*tif"er*ous\ (&?;), a. [L. anas, anatis, a duck + - ferous.] (Zoöl.) Producing ducks; -- applied to Anatifæ, under the absurd notion of their turning into ducks or geese. See Barnacle.

Not a word much used these days. kind of fell out of use somewhere in the 17th-18th century.

― Alan Trewartha, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Aposiopesis is a really great word that I

― Phil, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Tabs, if I ever met your cat I would consider myself very fortunate indeed. I live in a household of cat-haters and have undergone the traumatic ordeal of feline deprivation for far too long.

― Trevor, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i just said "droppings" instead of "poo", which i liked. but i think that's just prim, rather than archaic per se.

Trevor i too am undergoing feline deprivation as i live in 3rd floor rented accomodation and thus couldn't have a cat even if our landlord allowed it. *sigh* i said hello to a cat in the street yesterday morning, much to the consternation of passing commuters.

― katie, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Divers is my number one archaic word at this moment. I'm not sure if Crivens and Criminey count.

― Pete, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i would like whatEV to be in the dictionary.

Talking of trendy text language, does anyone else hate the way that the local news in London has been shortened to LDN. It sucks.

― jel, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Apotheosis is one of the best words ever. As is cynosure.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Trevor & Katie, my sympathies for you cat-deprived state. There is nothing worse but isn't it great how cats in the street can be so friendly!

Back to words, I have heard that what we call rabbits used to be called coneys and that baby coneys (what we now call rabbit kittens) were called rabbits. The reason for the loss of coneys from our language is apparently due to it being used to describe that bit of the female anatomy that is now commonly referred to as a pussy. Think cunny and cunt. See http://www.shoal.net .au/~sandral/WIF6.html.

I hope puss and pussy don't share the same sad fate!

― Tabs, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

My funny joke above calls for laughter. Heed its call. Ha. Ha.

― Phil, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

it's a grate joke, phil - i'd use it if i could pronounce the word

― m jemmeson, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I constantly veer between archaic speech and modern 'yoof' speak, and being some kind of beatnik. This leads to some rather confused sentences.

Verily, as I was saying only this morn, mad props to the ILE massive, for yea, they are hepcats, maan...

― emil.y, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Words Never Used in Conversation But Sometimes Used By Me:

companion

debacle

somnolent

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I say forsooth often and use companion at least once a day in Latin translation. Aposeopesis is also a word from Latin class. You like old words=you should take Latin.

― Maria, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

but do you speak the word "companion" verbally? i do sometimes just to freak people out. it works. everyone knows what it means but no one ever HEARS it. a similar situation prompted a young tracer to come up with, sui generis, what it turns out is a common pronunciation of a word that means "to have deceived" --> "mizzled" !!

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I read that first without the commas and thought you said 'sui generis'!

Words that sound ordinary but are rare, like 'mizzled', are nice in poetry.

― youn, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I say "floozy" and "trollop" all the time. They're not really old, but nor are they common in conversation.

― Maria, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ah, floozy and trollop! Don't you ever forget chippy and best of all QUEAN.

I used "oft" in a headline for a hunting guide last week.

― , Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i would sort of like to only use words with a germanic middle english pedigree. ie no mind, only brain, and also use words like ki-nichter for knife and so on.

― maryann, Saturday, 6 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i heard someone say the other day "But I txtd you" - and i thought, yuck, what a horrilbe thing to do to someone.

― Geoff, Saturday, 6 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Geoff you stole mine :)
I like behooves myself.

― anthony, Saturday, 6 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I would prefer keeping words with a Latin origin if we must choose one. Purify our language of barbarian influences! (Goodbye lovely Indian names.)

― Maria, Saturday, 6 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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