Words that are going out of fashion / usage

sinbaadi

Dominic said:

I say Splendid a lot

So do I.  I am not sure, however, that me using it or other FB posters using it indicates that the word is "in fashion".

I don't hear it used much, but YMMV.

Timcito

Dominic said:

I say Splendid a lot

I don't think I ever said 'splendid' even when some people did say it. The word had a certain vibe to it that just wasn't me. It seemed like the kind of word a schoolteacher might use or even the linguistic equivalent of wearing a bowtie! 

robgilmo

Jeremiah said:

I haven't read the entire thread, but...

A "settee" when I was a kid, appears to have become a "sofa" by the time I was in my teens/twenties, and has in turn morphed into a "couch" among the younger generations.

A settee is a formal seating arrangement for more than one person,
A sofa is an informal seating arrangement for more than one person,
A couch is what you wake up on at 4 in the morning with a bag of crisps in your hand and a half finished bottle of wine on the coffee table.

PolarityMan

This thread is rad.

Tannin

I suspect that "settee" and "sofa" are pretty much UK-only usage. Here in Oz neither word is used more than than very rarely (and even then it would mark you as someone who has only just arrived or else is trying to put on airs and looking like a bit of a berk), and I don't think that the Americans use them at all. Not sure what they say in the other big English-speaking parts of the world. (India, Canada, etc.) 

hollywoodrox

I remember settee 

Timcito

Tannin said:

I suspect that "settee" and "sofa" are pretty much UK-only usage. Here in Oz neither word is used more than than very rarely (and even then it would mark you as someone who has only just arrived or else is trying to put on airs and looking like a bit of a berk), and I don't think that the Americans use them at all. Not sure what they say in the other big English-speaking parts of the world. (India, Canada, etc.) 

I have a suspicion that 'sofa' was imported to Britain through cheap travel 'on the continent' (there's another old expression!) in the 70s. As a child in the 60s, I only remember 'settee,'

bobblehat

hollywoodrox said:

A Johnny  everybody says condom 

They were called Dunkys when I were a lad    No idea where that word came from.

Lebarque

bobblehat said:

hollywoodrox said:

A Johnny  everybody says condom 

They were called Dunkys when I were a lad    No idea where that word came from.

Rubber Johnny. Great phrase

EricTheWeary

Timcito said:

Tannin said:

I suspect that "settee" and "sofa" are pretty much UK-only usage. Here in Oz neither word is used more than than very rarely (and even then it would mark you as someone who has only just arrived or else is trying to put on airs and looking like a bit of a berk), and I don't think that the Americans use them at all. Not sure what they say in the other big English-speaking parts of the world. (India, Canada, etc.) 

I have a suspicion that 'sofa' was imported to Britain through cheap travel 'on the continent' (there's another old expression!) in the 70s. As a child in the 60s, I only remember 'settee,'

Ooh I remember when Continental Quilts were all the rage and we didn't say Duvet. 

Jimbro66

hollywoodrox said:

A Johnny  everybody says condom 

That's reminded me of a joke that did the rounds when I was a teenager:

What do you put in a Durex machine?   -  Johnny Cash

Timcito

EricTheWeary said:

Timcito said:

Tannin said:

I suspect that "settee" and "sofa" are pretty much UK-only usage. Here in Oz neither word is used more than than very rarely (and even then it would mark you as someone who has only just arrived or else is trying to put on airs and looking like a bit of a berk), and I don't think that the Americans use them at all. Not sure what they say in the other big English-speaking parts of the world. (India, Canada, etc.) 

I have a suspicion that 'sofa' was imported to Britain through cheap travel 'on the continent' (there's another old expression!) in the 70s. As a child in the 60s, I only remember 'settee,'

Ooh I remember when Continental Quilts were all the rage and we didn't say Duvet. 

Me too!

Adey

The words "really" and "very", as in "it's really/very hot today" have been largely replaced by "super", which  gets me really/very annoyed.

fretmeister

Beef-witted. 

Paul_C

fretmeister said:

Beef-witted. 

That is the first time I've ever heard/seen that one.

Nitefly

Fol-de-rol.  As in, "Enough of this fol-de-rol!"

Sporky

Paul_C said:

fretmeister said:

Beef-witted. 

That is the first time I've ever heard/seen that one.

Me too, but it's rather good. I shall endeavour to use it in a business context. 

Timcito

Paul_C said:

fretmeister said:

Beef-witted. 

That is the first time I've ever heard/seen that one.

Ditto. Was this a regional word? 

fretmeister

Timcito said:

Paul_C said:

fretmeister said:

Beef-witted. 

That is the first time I've ever heard/seen that one.

Ditto. Was this a regional word? 

Shakespeare! From Troilus and Cressida.

Timcito

fretmeister said:

Timcito said:

Paul_C said:

fretmeister said:

Beef-witted. 

That is the first time I've ever heard/seen that one.

Ditto. Was this a regional word? 

Shakespeare! From Troilus and Cressida.

You'll be saying the insult 'punk rampant' has fallen out of use next!