Words that have changed meanings.

[Thephoenix]

If you're bored..... Can you think of old words that have been changed over the years to have different meanings.

Can you get ten?

1. Gay
2. Edging
3. Cloud
4. Troll
5. Outing
6. Footprint
7. Stud
8 Tablet
9. Facial
10. Dyke

[Plan R]

'Presently' used to mean now - as in, in the present moment.
It is used that way in some Shakepeare plays.

But we are all such lazy procrastinating cunts that it came to mean 'in a little while'

(+ yes I am fucking bored  )

[Rocket Scientist]

here are few...

1, Grime
2. Marriage
3. Viral
4. Spit

[Squire Haggard]

Mouse
Drawing Room (Where the gentlemen used to retire to after dinner to get away from the silly muddle headed ladies)

[A Decent Fist]

The American corruption of "momentarily" from its true meaning (for a very short time) to mean "in a very short time" is on its way to becoming universal, I regret to say.

I've stopped pretending to panic when the pilot says "we will be taking off momentarily" because he says it every time.

[Ahalfa Carling]

Billion - in the UK it used to refer to a million millions (ie 1,000,000,000,000), but in 1974 it was changed to mean just a thousand million (1,000,000,000).

Something to do with "short scales" and "long scales"

[bhudda]

Billion - in the UK it used to refer to a million millions (ie 1,000,000,000,000), but in 1974 it was changed to mean just a thousand million (1,000,000,000).

Something to do with "short scales" and "long scales"

If it ever becomes an issue on my scales i will go on a diet.

"Nice" used to mean precise but now it means ... well, nice

[NIK]

Have you noticed for some reason the word 'future' seems to have disappeared from the language to be replaced by the phrase 'going forward.'  And the conjunction 'so' traditionally used to link clauses in a sentence now invariably begins sentences by most younger people. There was on guy who even when asked his name on a quiz show replied, 'So it's...' 
Presumably beginning a sentence with so is the trendy thing to do going forward? 

[NIK]

If it ever becomes an issue on my scales i will go on a diet.

"Nice" used to mean precise but now it means ... well, nice

Several hundred years ago nice was a pejorative term when used to describe someone as it meant they were 'simple.'

[The Film Director]

Slightly different topic sorry - but have you noticed how much the word 'incredibly' is used on the media (by all and sundry).  That really gets on my tits as it is invariably misused.

 

[catweazle]

Slightly different topic sorry - but have you noticed how much the word 'incredibly' is used on the media (by all and sundry).  That really gets on my tits as it is invariably misused.

 

Also slightly off the original topic, the over-use of

"Literally"

" I literally died laughing at that

[Hobbit]

Slightly different topic sorry - but have you noticed how much the word 'incredibly' is used on the media (by all and sundry).  That really gets on my tits as it is invariably misused.

 

Really? That's incredibly insightful.   

[Blackpool Rock]

Also slightly off the original topic, the over-use of

"Literally"

" I literally died laughing at that

And further off topic 

How nothing these days can be referred to a OK; good or very good, these days you have to seem to totally over enthuse about everything to avoid being called negative, so it wasn't good it was "Amazing" even for shit that's frankly mediocre 

Seems to have crept in over the last 10 or 15 years, a bit like when my mate was telling what a big fan of some shitty boy band his daughter was only for her to pipe up "No i'm a Super Fan" 

[Ali Katt]

I think there's words with dual meanings and words that are misused. Genius is often misused to an extent and often used as terms for derision. For example "Daddy I learned to tie my shoes today" - *sarcastic* "genius".

A lot of (Afro) American terms which due to the nature of media have become used a lot in British language.
* Flossing - showing off, also meaning cleaning.
* Booty - also meaning pirate's treasure.
* Dank - now largely used to describe strong weed or hoppy beer, but also dingy.

Other terms:
* Piracy\Pirates - not really used in the literal sense these days.
* Apple - a brand name as well as the fruit.
* Fluff - often means something which is light on content. "The works of Candace Bushell are just fluff to please housewives"
* Flip - to lose one's temper, not sure how long this has been used for, probably decades as well as physically moving something.
* Killing - as in make a killing. More an idiom.
* Sick - pretty obvious, good as well as unwell.
* Turn Over has a dual meaning as in "I turned over the wanker's house last week" - I'm guessing this has been around since the 70s though.

Sex Words:
*Motorboating
* Watersports - depends on the context.
* Faggot - not really used to describe a meat product that often, also a general slur.
* Babygirl?, Daddy?, Mommy?
* Vanilla
* Hardcore
* Being\getting pressed - as in getting fucked hard.

[Thephoenix]

Tranny is considered to be a derogatory term these days, but for me it used to mean something I could take to the beach and listen to music,  as opposed to ghetto blaster which would usually clear the beach

(For the young'ns..... transistor radio)

And possibly the most misused word by young'ns......like.... like..... like... like...

[Ali Katt]

Tranny is considered to be a derogatory term these days, but for me it used to mean something I could take to the beach and listen to music,  as opposed to ghetto blaster which would usually clear the beach

And also a Ford Transit.

[Blackpool Rock]

Tranny is considered to be a derogatory term these days, but for me it used to mean something I could take to the beach and listen to music,  as opposed to ghetto blaster which would usually clear the beach

(For the young'ns..... transistor radio)

And possibly the most misused word by young'ns......like.... like..... like... like...

And a drag race was something you did in your car away from the lights

[The Film Director]

And further off topic 

How nothing these days can be referred to a OK; good or very good, these days you have to seem to totally over enthuse about everything to avoid being called negative, so it wasn't good it was "Amazing" even for shit that's frankly mediocre 

Seems to have crept in over the last 10 or 15 years, a bit like when my mate was telling what a big fan of some shitty boy band his daughter was only for her to pipe up "No i'm a Super Fan" 

The blame for that sits squarely with the Yanks 

[hornyguylondon]

I like these - strangely sexual 

Package
Hung
Stacked

[Moby Dick]

CLUNGE:

“A stealthy adaption of the basic attacking move in fencing, in which the leading foot is thrust forward close to the floor with the knee bent while the back leg remains straightened.”

 

[bhudda]

Really? That's incredibly insightful.   

To the point of being awesome? Another word that is overused so much it has actually become meaningless rather than having aquired a new meaning.

[The Outsider]

It irritates me that the word "concerning" is increasingly used instead of the word "worrying". 

[The Film Director]

To the point of being awesome? Another word that is overused so much it has actually become meaningless rather than having aquired a new meaning.

Another one from the Septics .... are you beginning to see a pattern here 

[lostandfound]

It irritates me that the word "concerning" is increasingly used instead of the word "worrying".

It concerns me too. 

Looking at the thread the message I take is that we have conceded cultural dominance to the Americans. Oh well. 

[Ali Katt]

I like these - strangely sexual 

Package
Hung
Stacked

Head as well.

[willie loman]

These are other examples. Riff, hack, hipster. junk,

[Blackpool Rock]

Another one from the Septics .... are you beginning to see a pattern here 

Yeah man I think your onto something dude 

[Baxter63]

A draw isn't something you put your socks in. 

We don't have feds , we have police.

We never used to run a red traffic light, we jumped it.

Corona was a make of soft drinks.

Sheep Shaggers were Welshmen.

A pouf was something your old grandad put his feet up on

[A Decent Fist]

A pouf was something your old grandad put his feet up on

Always pronounced "puffy" in my north-east homestead.

[WARSZAWA16]

In football commentaries:

"He's hit the frame of the goal" rather than he's hit the bar or post.
Going on about "the 30 minute mark" or "the hour mark" rather than 30 minutes or 60 minutes gone (although I don't see the significance of mentioning it at all as a game lasts 90 minutes).
"There was contact" rather than he probably dived.
"He went down a bit easily" rather than he did dive.
"He did leave his foot in a bit there" rather than he meant to "do" him.

[Ahalfa Carling]

Yeah man I think your onto something dude 

You're, not your!!!

[smiths]

CLUNGE:

 

That's down to Jay from The Inbetweeners and obviously the writers.

[King Nuts]

'Almost exactly' is an oxymoron.

It's either exactly, or it's almost.

[King Nuts]

Have you noticed for some reason the word 'future' seems to have disappeared from the language to be replaced by the phrase 'going forward.'  And the conjunction 'so' traditionally used to link clauses in a sentence now invariably begins sentences by most younger people. There was on guy who even when asked his name on a quiz show replied, 'So it's...' 
Presumably beginning a sentence with so is the trendy thing to do going forward? 

I think 'going forward' is a phrase that can be dropped into almost any sentence, and adds almost nothing to the meaning.

'I think I'm going to get my eyes tested going forward'.

'Going forward, I asked my neighbour where all those farting noises were coming from'.

'The Chancellor told Sir William to keep his panties on going forward'.

And of course, you can pointlessly add 'so' at the beginning of all those sentences, as with any other.

[Blackpool Rock]

You're, not your!!!

Thank you for You're correction, perhaps I need to use a spell chequer 

[Blackpool Rock]

Can't stand the expression "Thus far", I believe it's perhaps the correct and more formal way of saying so far but it just boils my piss 

[lostandfound]

200%, 500%, 1000% etc as in "The lads gave 200% effort today, all over the pitch."

[Blackpool Rock]

200%, 500%, 1000% etc as in "The lads gave 200% effort today, all over the pitch."

Yeah agree with that one 110% 

The other football phrase when talking about the team who won the game is to say "They wanted it more", exactly WTF is that actually supposed to mean, it means fuck all 

[King Nuts]

Yeah agree with that one 110% 

The other football phrase when talking about the team who won the game is to say "They wanted it more", exactly WTF is that actually supposed to mean, it means fuck all 

If you're getting into Colemanballs, there's a wealth of them. See here: External Link/Members Only

[King Nuts]

200%, 500%, 1000% etc as in "The lads gave 200% effort today, all over the pitch."

Martin Lukes is the man for this. Always giving it 120 per cent of his best

External Link/Members Only

[Colston36]

Scale, once used referring to size, crocodiles or weighing machines some now use to mean make bigger.

Hack meant a broken down horse, a journalist (I confess) now it is apparently a clever way of stealing an idea.

People now say they are "circling back" to me - which conjures up images of John Wayne and cattle ranches, but means they're writing again about something I didn't reply to - usually because they're idiots.

A lot of these changes come from the U.S. which is heavily infuenced by German constructions, where nouns are changed into verbs. Thus we get referencing rather than referring to. I suspect beginning sentences with So for no reason comes from the same source. 

But I have strayed from the point and apologise.

[Colston36]

A draw isn't something you put your socks in. 

We don't have feds , we have police.

We never used to run a red traffic light, we jumped it.

Corona was a make of soft drinks.

Sheep Shaggers were Welshmen.

A pouf was something your old grandad put his feet up on
[/quote

Most people put them on pouffes.

[B4bcock]

Call me old fashioned, but I hate the way lots of Brits now use the americanism "ass" instead of our wonderful, rich word "arse".

[Beamer]

Call me old fashioned, but I hate the way lots of Brits now use the americanism "ass" instead of our wonderful, rich word "arse".

+1
Too much Americanism
Too much Trump
Not enough Churchillian

[WASA38]

When I did English Language at school in about 1950 (does this exist a s a subject any more ?), we were taught against the use of the word 'hopefully' as a disjunct rather than an adverb . I have ever since tried to avoid starting sentences with 'Hopefully' in the sense 'It is to be hoped that ---' , effectively a translation of the German 'Hoffentlich --'. However, searching in support of this posting I find an elegant discussion in Wikipedia which shows me to have been wrong these past 70 years !

Certainly better a single word rather than six.

[tesla]

Call me old fashioned, but I hate the way lots of Brits now use the americanism "ass" instead of our wonderful, rich word "arse".

well that's is probably because we watch too much american TV and our high streets are full of american shops, ie Madonald, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, et al

[WARSZAWA16]

Hate the new found term "on point" which, if I've got it correct, is to mean just right and/or perfect.

[Thephoenix]

I'll touch base with you tomorrow but meanwhile can you, like,  diarise our next meeting so we can drill down on the issue.

Thank God I'm well retired!

[sparkus]

I'll touch base with you tomorrow but meanwhile can you, like,  diarise our next meeting so we can drill down on the issue.

Thank God I'm well retired!

Make sure it's done by COP though

People who begin sentences with "So..."

[sparkus]

I like these - strangely sexual 

Package
Hung
Stacked

'Stacked' is another Americanism.  I mean, I adore stacked women (protruding tits and arse, as in a pair of shelves) but the expression kind of cheapens or diminishes their achievement.