Great old words.
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Re: Great old words.
Guilty as charged
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Re: Great old words.
Agate's at top o'th ill fri Arle Syke where't Are an Ounds is. Sithee?
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Re: Great old words.
I remember wazzock, I heard that a lot but prannock was less widely used, I thought I'd never heard it but on reflecetion I remember something about it.TVC15 wrote:Love the word “strumpet”. One of my mates uses it !!
Prannock and Wazzock were non swear words “terms of affection” when I was a nipper !
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Re: Great old words.
Seems you may be right. This from Mirriam Webster:dsr wrote:I think that's a back formation invented, by PG Wodehouse. Disgruntled didn't originally come from gruntled, so far as I know.
Which Came First, gruntle or disgruntle?
The verb disgruntle, which has been around since 1682, means "to make ill-humored or discontented." The prefix dis- often means "to do the opposite of," so people might naturally assume that if there is a disgruntle, there must have first been a gruntle with exactly the opposite meaning. But dis- doesn't always work that way; in some rare cases it functions instead as an intensifier. Disgruntle developed from this intensifying sense of dis- plus gruntle, an old word (now used only in British dialect) meaning "to grumble." In the 1920s, a writer humorously used gruntle to mean "to make happy"—in other words, as an antonym of disgruntle. The use caught on. At first gruntle was used only in humorous ways, but people eventually began to use it seriously as well.
It doesn't actually mention Wodehouse but the timing would be right. It would appear to be one of those words that 'came into being' as a word in itself but was actually not correct in the first instance.
Etymology rules, despite about 40% of people thinking it means the study of insects.
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Re: Great old words.
Smithereens.
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Re: Great old words.
Dipsomaniac.
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Re: Great old words.
I'm guessing but:piston broke wrote:An American word, used a lot by Clint Eastwood, I’ve never understood. Cockamamey. Excuse spelling, if incorrect.
Cock = to cock
a mamey = possibly derivative of some Americanese for mammy or mummy so therefore a mother.
Ergo: the act of cocking a mother or in American (and now English) parlance = motherf***er.
How's that for a bit of creative etymology?
Just watch - I'll be right.
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Re: Great old words.
Wodehouse's quote was from 1938, The Code of the Woosters: "He spoke with a certain what-is-it in his voice, and I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled." I don't know of any earlier recorded instance.houseboy wrote:Seems you may be right. This from Mirriam Webster:
Which Came First, gruntle or disgruntle?
The verb disgruntle, which has been around since 1682, means "to make ill-humored or discontented." The prefix dis- often means "to do the opposite of," so people might naturally assume that if there is a disgruntle, there must have first been a gruntle with exactly the opposite meaning. But dis- doesn't always work that way; in some rare cases it functions instead as an intensifier. Disgruntle developed from this intensifying sense of dis- plus gruntle, an old word (now used only in British dialect) meaning "to grumble." In the 1920s, a writer humorously used gruntle to mean "to make happy"—in other words, as an antonym of disgruntle. The use caught on. At first gruntle was used only in humorous ways, but people eventually began to use it seriously as well.
It doesn't actually mention Wodehouse but the timing would be right. It would appear to be one of those words that 'came into being' as a word in itself but was actually not correct in the first instance.
Etymology rules, despite about 40% of people thinking it means the study of insects.
Re: Great old words.
Found this..houseboy wrote:I'm guessing but:
Cock = to cock
a mamey = possibly derivative of some Americanese for mammy or mummy so therefore a mother.
Ergo: the act of cocking a mother or in American (and now English) parlance = motherf***er.
How's that for a bit of creative etymology?
Just watch - I'll be right.
Cockamanies
In the 1940s, painted strips of paper with images capable of being transferred to the skin were called "decals" or "cockamanies." They were naturally regarded by many as silly novelties. Hence, in time, the variant cockamamie came to be used as an adjective meaning "ridiculous."
Used to get these in comics when I was a nipper wet them and pretended they were tattoo's
Didn't realise they had that name ....
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Re: Great old words.
I remember those bud (still prefer my version though, it's got a much better ring to it - oops, there I go again).Bosscat wrote:Found this..
Cockamanies
In the 1940s, painted strips of paper with images capable of being transferred to the skin were called "decals" or "cockamanies." They were naturally regarded by many as silly novelties. Hence, in time, the variant cockamamie came to be used as an adjective meaning "ridiculous."
Used to get these in comics when I was a nipper wet them and pretended they were tattoo's
Didn't realise they had that name ....
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Re: Great old words.
“Mickey love... what IS egregious”?
Means outstandingly bad. I try to slip it in (oooh errrr) whenever I can.
Means outstandingly bad. I try to slip it in (oooh errrr) whenever I can.
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Re: Great old words.
Gormless. Presumably this means someone or something without gorm. What’s gorm? Never heard it used in reference to someone who is clever and switched on, so why gormless?
Or have I applied the “disgruntled” rule and made it up?
Or have I applied the “disgruntled” rule and made it up?
Re: Great old words.
Old nordic word apparently meaning lacking understanding.bobinho wrote:Gormless. Presumably this means someone or something without gorm. What’s gorm? Never heard it used in reference to someone who is clever and switched on, so why gormless?
Or have I applied the “disgruntled” rule and made it up?
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/gormless" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Great old words.
Archaically, egregious can also mean ‘very good’. Very confusing.bobinho wrote:“Mickey love... what IS egregious”?
Means outstandingly bad. I try to slip it in (oooh errrr) whenever I can.
It comes from a time when egregious was a synonym of ‘illustrious’. So something could be ilustriously good or bad. The negative connotation evidently died away.
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Re: Great old words.
Lackadaisical
Re: Great old words.
Bumweed
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Re: Great old words.
bobinho wrote:Gormless. Presumably this means someone or something without gorm. What’s gorm? Never heard it used in reference to someone who is clever and switched on, so why gormless?
Or have I applied the “disgruntled” rule and made it up?
Gorm is Gaelic for Blue.
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Re: Great old words.
So 'blueless' then? I think we need another definition.Buxtonclaret wrote:Gorm is Gaelic for Blue.
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Re: Great old words.
Unless it’s rhyming slang...
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Re: Great old words.
Fukke
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Re: Great old words.
Loving this ... and also " Old fashioned " turns of phrase ..
" His current Squeeze " - Lady friend , also " Popsy "
" Foundation garments " - Lady's underwear
" A well turned ankle " or " A cracking bit of overtime " - An attractive young woman
" Courting ", " Stepping out with ", " Squiring her about " - Going out with ...
" His current Squeeze " - Lady friend , also " Popsy "
" Foundation garments " - Lady's underwear
" A well turned ankle " or " A cracking bit of overtime " - An attractive young woman
" Courting ", " Stepping out with ", " Squiring her about " - Going out with ...
Re: Great old words.
Agate is still in use in some quarters.
My interpretation is - he's agate = he said
My interpretation is - he's agate = he said