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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?

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by Anonymousreply 49April 2, 2020 8:10 PM

It’s not exactly obsolete, but I do like “odious.” It’s used a lot by novelists such as Thackeray.

by Anonymousreply 1March 28, 2020 4:56 PM

Jakes.

The stripling meth addict OD'd in the jakes.

by Anonymousreply 2March 28, 2020 4:58 PM

"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 Anonymousreply 3March 28, 2020 5:18 PM

Dandiprat, as in “These Millennials are such dandiprats.”

by Anonymousreply 4March 28, 2020 5:30 PM

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 Anonymousreply 5March 28, 2020 6:06 PM

Recumbent, as in "He indecisive, recumbent, bathed in the ochre glow of his NetFlix home screen.

by Anonymousreply 6March 28, 2020 9:41 PM

Molly house.

Grindr is a poor substitute for a molly house, wherein may select one's pleasure without any mendacious and misleading images.

by Anonymousreply 7March 28, 2020 10:20 PM

Worthy suggestions, good fellowes.

by Anonymousreply 8March 29, 2020 5:49 PM

Flash Mob

by Anonymousreply 9March 29, 2020 5:59 PM

Scallywag

Snipe Snipe Long legged Snipe!!

Jezebel

Shall- As in "We shall celebrate tonight"

by Anonymousreply 10March 29, 2020 6:06 PM

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 Anonymousreply 11March 29, 2020 6:12 PM

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 Anonymousreply 12March 29, 2020 6:12 PM

R11, ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!???

I thought a scallywag was a whore!!!

I fully take that back! So embarrassed.

by Anonymousreply 13March 29, 2020 6:19 PM

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 Anonymousreply 14March 29, 2020 6:25 PM

"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 Anonymousreply 15March 29, 2020 6:36 PM

‘Tis.

by Anonymousreply 16March 29, 2020 6:38 PM

R15- Please do! I love the word shall-

by Anonymousreply 17March 29, 2020 6:57 PM

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 Anonymousreply 18March 29, 2020 9:05 PM

Oooh—someone has access to the OED.

by Anonymousreply 19March 29, 2020 9:23 PM

sough - : to make a moaning or sighing sound

by Anonymousreply 20March 29, 2020 9:50 PM

Moaning OR sighing, or moaning AND sighing?

by Anonymousreply 21March 29, 2020 9:52 PM

A lot of these examples are well-served when read in the voice of Moira Rose.

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by Anonymousreply 22March 30, 2020 12:25 AM

Fetch.

by Anonymousreply 23March 30, 2020 2:01 AM

Twattle — to gossip

Cockalorum — small guy with a high opinion

by Anonymousreply 24March 30, 2020 2:19 AM

Tis nothing more than flapdoodle.

by Anonymousreply 25March 30, 2020 5:14 AM

Quim.

Ivanka's quim was perfectly rinsed and scented to present to Jared, who gazed upon it with studied indifference.

by Anonymousreply 26March 30, 2020 10:20 PM

I guess there's no hope for "niggardly." It'll never make a comeback.

by Anonymousreply 27March 30, 2020 10:22 PM

Who are these words obsolete and outdated to?

R7 We have a pub in Manchester, UK called 'The Molly House'

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by Anonymousreply 28March 30, 2020 10:55 PM

People can be familiar with obsolete words. That doesn’t make them current.

by Anonymousreply 29March 30, 2020 11:01 PM

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 Anonymousreply 30March 30, 2020 11:10 PM

Do you imagine even 1% of the public knows what a Molly House is?

by Anonymousreply 31March 31, 2020 5:34 AM

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 Anonymousreply 32March 31, 2020 5:52 AM

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.

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by Anonymousreply 33March 31, 2020 6:02 AM

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 Anonymousreply 34March 31, 2020 6:28 AM

Strupet

by Anonymousreply 35March 31, 2020 6:29 AM

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 Anonymousreply 36March 31, 2020 6:41 PM

Did you mean “strumpet?” I don’t care to revive that one. “Whore!” works better.

by Anonymousreply 37March 31, 2020 9:47 PM

I prefer Trollop over Doxy (Doxie). Trollop's work in Bawdy Houses so Bawd is also a valid description for a Strumpet.

by Anonymousreply 38March 31, 2020 9:48 PM

The simple, monosyllabic, Anglo-Saxon word is often best for crude things. Hore! Whore! Ho!

by Anonymousreply 39March 31, 2020 9:59 PM

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 Anonymousreply 40April 1, 2020 1:26 PM

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 Anonymousreply 41April 1, 2020 1:35 PM

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 Anonymousreply 42April 1, 2020 1:39 PM

r41 Yea, verily. (That's another obsolete word.)

by Anonymousreply 43April 1, 2020 1:42 PM

R41 They are all derivative from Oyez (Hear ye') which is itself derivative of the french word ouïr (to hear/listen).

by Anonymousreply 44April 1, 2020 1:51 PM

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 Anonymousreply 45April 2, 2020 12:26 PM

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 Anonymousreply 46April 2, 2020 2:09 PM

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 Anonymousreply 47April 2, 2020 7:37 PM

Management disclaims any responsibility for R47.

by Anonymousreply 48April 2, 2020 7:41 PM

Samuel Peeps

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by Anonymousreply 49April 2, 2020 8:10 PM
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