Pray, let us revive obsolete words
A clever gentleman (I presume) is posting about the pandemic in the voice of 17th century English diarist Samuel Pepys.
Today he referred to “striplings” and I thought, “What a marvelous word to describe today’s youths who are so fond of posing half-naked in Instagram thirst traps.”
Anything else come to mind?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 49 | April 2, 2020 8:10 PM
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It’s not exactly obsolete, but I do like “odious.” It’s used a lot by novelists such as Thackeray.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | March 28, 2020 4:56 PM
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Jakes.
The stripling meth addict OD'd in the jakes.
by Anonymous | reply 2 | March 28, 2020 4:58 PM
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"Pestilential" would be timely.
"Today, whilst venturing out for my daily perambulations, I was compelled to walk behind a group of slow-moving young striplings. I remained in a fright, as I assumed them to be exhaling pestilential vapors. Odious creatures."
by Anonymous | reply 3 | March 28, 2020 5:18 PM
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Dandiprat, as in “These Millennials are such dandiprats.”
by Anonymous | reply 4 | March 28, 2020 5:30 PM
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Dandiprat is a lovely-sounding word, but its definition seems pretty confusing—a young or insignificant person. Isn’t everyone either young or insignificant?
by Anonymous | reply 5 | March 28, 2020 6:06 PM
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Recumbent, as in "He indecisive, recumbent, bathed in the ochre glow of his NetFlix home screen.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | March 28, 2020 9:41 PM
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Molly house.
Grindr is a poor substitute for a molly house, wherein may select one's pleasure without any mendacious and misleading images.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | March 28, 2020 10:20 PM
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Worthy suggestions, good fellowes.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | March 29, 2020 5:49 PM
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Scallywag
Snipe Snipe Long legged Snipe!!
Jezebel
Shall- As in "We shall celebrate tonight"
by Anonymous | reply 10 | March 29, 2020 6:06 PM
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Did you know “scallywag” was a term of derision for Southern whites who cooperated with Northern Republicans who wanted to safeguard the civil rights of former slaves?
A disreputable word!
by Anonymous | reply 11 | March 29, 2020 6:12 PM
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I wuz taking the air on Cuntsgrope Lane Tuesday last when I was approached by a comely lad who in his hand held his nakedness, which I took in my own, and while so doing, he did into my breeches to behold mine. Spirited times indeed. I have since arranged to travel his Windward Passage.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | March 29, 2020 6:12 PM
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R11, ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!???
I thought a scallywag was a whore!!!
I fully take that back! So embarrassed.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | March 29, 2020 6:19 PM
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You would be even more mortified to learn that a snipe is a type of bird very much still with us.
Scallywag originally meant “rascal,” not whore. Think Dennis the Menace, not the First Lady.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | March 29, 2020 6:25 PM
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"Stripling" is not an obsolete word.
Neither is "scallywag," "molly house," "pestlilential" "Jezebel," "snipe" and "recumbent" are not obsolete words.
And some of the meanings here are spurious. I am, for example, playing a snipe to say so.
Your ignorance of common English does not determine the vocabulary of literate people.
R10, if you would like to know the correct applications of "will" and "shall" by grammatical person and emphasis, let me know. I'll explain it for you without aspersions cast.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | March 29, 2020 6:36 PM
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R15- Please do! I love the word shall-
by Anonymous | reply 17 | March 29, 2020 6:57 PM
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Dandyprat, when it first appeared in England the late 15th century was a word for a foreign coin worth as much as a halfgroat (twopence); it then morphed into a word for small person or servant (i,.e, the equivalent of a small denomination) by about 1600.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | March 29, 2020 9:05 PM
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Oooh—someone has access to the OED.
by Anonymous | reply 19 | March 29, 2020 9:23 PM
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sough - : to make a moaning or sighing sound
by Anonymous | reply 20 | March 29, 2020 9:50 PM
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Moaning OR sighing, or moaning AND sighing?
by Anonymous | reply 21 | March 29, 2020 9:52 PM
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A lot of these examples are well-served when read in the voice of Moira Rose.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 22 | March 30, 2020 12:25 AM
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Twattle — to gossip
Cockalorum — small guy with a high opinion
by Anonymous | reply 24 | March 30, 2020 2:19 AM
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Tis nothing more than flapdoodle.
by Anonymous | reply 25 | March 30, 2020 5:14 AM
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Quim.
Ivanka's quim was perfectly rinsed and scented to present to Jared, who gazed upon it with studied indifference.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | March 30, 2020 10:20 PM
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I guess there's no hope for "niggardly." It'll never make a comeback.
by Anonymous | reply 27 | March 30, 2020 10:22 PM
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Who are these words obsolete and outdated to?
R7 We have a pub in Manchester, UK called 'The Molly House'
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 28 | March 30, 2020 10:55 PM
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People can be familiar with obsolete words. That doesn’t make them current.
by Anonymous | reply 29 | March 30, 2020 11:01 PM
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Not sure you can get more current than spending a million dollars converting an old warehouse into a pub in the Gay Village 10 years ago and calling it 'The Molly House'?
by Anonymous | reply 30 | March 30, 2020 11:10 PM
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Do you imagine even 1% of the public knows what a Molly House is?
by Anonymous | reply 31 | March 31, 2020 5:34 AM
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It's sad how words that used to be common in even the average middle-schooler's vocabulary are fading away in favor of less concise language. I've noticed "increase" and "decrease" have been largely been replaced by various clunky configurations of "going up", "going down", etc. I always want to say: Uh, there's a word for that.
by Anonymous | reply 32 | March 31, 2020 5:52 AM
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Carpetbagger.
When Hillary Clinton ran for U.S. Senate in New York, I was surprised nobody called her a "carpetbagger." That's exactly what she was, IMO.
I voted for Hillary last election, FYI.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 33 | March 31, 2020 6:02 AM
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Not a word but a phrase: "by and by".
It means "eventually", and I think it fell out of use early in the 20th century. I think it has a warm, homey sound. "By and by, when the pandemic is over, we'll meet again, my friends." Or ...
Little Willie, in bows and sashes
Fell in the fire and was burned to ashes
By and by, the room grew chilly
But no one liked to poke up Willie.
by Anonymous | reply 34 | March 31, 2020 6:28 AM
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Doxy.
The present mistress of the manor is reputed in many circles to have been a doxy, yet of late she has ascended to presiding over the nation's celebratory events such as the Easter Egg Roll, which has, alas, been put off because of the plague.
by Anonymous | reply 36 | March 31, 2020 6:41 PM
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Did you mean “strumpet?” I don’t care to revive that one. “Whore!” works better.
by Anonymous | reply 37 | March 31, 2020 9:47 PM
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I prefer Trollop over Doxy (Doxie). Trollop's work in Bawdy Houses so Bawd is also a valid description for a Strumpet.
by Anonymous | reply 38 | March 31, 2020 9:48 PM
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The simple, monosyllabic, Anglo-Saxon word is often best for crude things. Hore! Whore! Ho!
by Anonymous | reply 39 | March 31, 2020 9:59 PM
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Cutpurse.
'Tis true that Donald and his associates are nothing better than common cutpurses who fleece the poorest of our citizenry to enrich themselves.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | April 1, 2020 1:26 PM
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This doesn't exactly fall into this category, but the term "Yea!" has been bastardized with "Yeah" and "Yay". Admittedly, 'Yea' has the appearance of Olde English, but it is a perfectly good word on its own.
"Yeah" is not "Yea" - it's a different word and with a different meaning. Yeah is an informal way of saying Yes.
Yay is not a word. Nobody uses 'Yea' correctly anymore. It triggers me, but there's no turning back. Yea is pretty much dead.
by Anonymous | reply 41 | April 1, 2020 1:35 PM
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In politics: "Pork" was used for congressional bills that were loaded with special interests. Now those special interests are called 'earmarks'. And when did 'photo opportunities' become 'optics.'?
by Anonymous | reply 42 | April 1, 2020 1:39 PM
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r41 Yea, verily. (That's another obsolete word.)
by Anonymous | reply 43 | April 1, 2020 1:42 PM
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R41 They are all derivative from Oyez (Hear ye') which is itself derivative of the french word ouïr (to hear/listen).
by Anonymous | reply 44 | April 1, 2020 1:51 PM
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Jade.
'Twas oft said that the Lady of the manor house was so indolent a jade she could scarce open her eyes fully, and was seen to squint at that which she deigned to look.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | April 2, 2020 12:26 PM
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Betimes as in " I arose betimes to attend to the many duties awaiting me this day."
I'm also fond of "vouchsafe" which seems to have been in use in written English until the mid 20th century when it suddenly disappeared.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | April 2, 2020 2:09 PM
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If I could resurrect one word, it would be [italic]catamite.[/italic] It's a splendid word that absolutely no one uses any more, which is a shame, because there is no other word to replace it.
For those unfamiliar with the word, a catamite is a young boy kept exclusively for homosexual purposes. Kevin Spacey, I'm sure, has (or had) an entire stable of catamites. Vapid narcissist Tommi DiDario ISN'T Gio Benitez's catamite, though, because he isn't young enough (nor ever will be again.)
The word can be lots of fun to use under the right circumstances, e.g., "Michael, I'd like you to meet my friend, David, and his…catamite…Kolby. Stand up straight, Kolby."
by Anonymous | reply 47 | April 2, 2020 7:37 PM
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Management disclaims any responsibility for R47.
by Anonymous | reply 48 | April 2, 2020 7:41 PM
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