Words that have changed meanings.

[winkywanky]

Sounds like fun.

The other game is to be given a word that must be used in every telephone call....... Obviously can only be tried within an office environment, so it can be checked. 
The level of difficulty = the most obscure or funny word and without laughing obviously.

A good challenge for vocabulary, communication skills and self control.......extra points can be awarded if everyone else in the room is pissing themselves laughing..

The testimonials made me       

[Rocket Scientist]

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At a previous place of work we played Bullshit Bingo during a meeting.  Strangely it did not go down well with line management. Apparently it's disrespectful to the speaker!

[catweazle]

The testimonials made me       

When I was office-based ( years back) we would (without the manager's knowledge obviously) agree on the theme for the day, and then have to drop something associated with the theme into the discussion. (e.g., one day it was "Wham!" song titles. In a discussion about who had leaked the monthly sales figures early, l managed to work in: "well, you'll get no careless whispers from me". Suppressed sniggers all round......,)

[winkywanky]

 

[tesla]

When I was office-based ( years back) we would (without the manager's knowledge obviously) agree on the theme for the day, and then have to drop something associated with the theme into the discussion. (e.g., one day it was "Wham!" song titles. In a discussion about who had leaked the monthly sales figures early, l managed to work in: "well, you'll get no careless whispers from me". Suppressed sniggers all round......,)

not sure why, careless whispers was not a wham song title, it was solo effort from one of the band members

[A Decent Fist]

not sure why, careless whispers was not a wham song title, it was solo effort from one of the band members

No, it was released under the Wham! name. As always, the late George Michael wrote the song and did all the singing. Andrew Ridgeley (the only other member) was there to look good in shorts, dance about with an unplugged guitar and take part in the promotional chores.

George gave Andrew half the writing credit for Careless Whisper because he knew it would be an enormous hit, he knew he was about to go solo, and he wanted to set his mate up for life. He succeeded, and Andrew has lived as a comfortably-off surfer dude ever since.

For all his sexual weirdness (who are we to talk), his drug problems and his tragic end, George was good-hearted and generous to a fault.

[winkywanky]

Mega-talented too of course, but then we all knew that  .

[tesla]

No, it was released under the Wham! name. As always, the late George Michael wrote the song and did all the singing. Andrew Ridgeley (the only other member) was there to look good in shorts, dance about with an unplugged guitar and take part in the promotional chores.

George gave Andrew half the writing credit for Careless Whisper because he knew it would be an enormous hit, he knew he was about to go solo, and he wanted to set his mate up for life. He succeeded, and Andrew has lived as a comfortably-off surfer dude ever since.

For all his sexual weirdness (who are we to talk), his drug problems and his tragic end, George was good-hearted and generous to a fault.

well you live and learn, they still only made one good record  "Wham rap"

[snaitram99]

Back to the original theme, when did shipping (as in shipping charges) cease to involve ships and be applied to all forms of transport and delivery?

[wearegreat]

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

Originally known as The Withdrawing Room where the gentlemen withdrew to after dinner in the dining room, and partook of cigars and brandy away from the silly muddle headed ladies.

[bhudda]

Originally known as The Withdrawing Room where the gentlemen withdrew to after dinner in the dining room, and partook of cigars and brandy away from the silly muddle headed ladies.

Iirc it is the ladies who withdrew, the blokes stayed in the dining room

[wearegreat]

Iirc it is the ladies who withdrew, the blokes stayed in the dining room

Don't be silly. The ladies had to stay and clear all the dishes and glasses,wash them all in the sink (women have smaller feet than men so they can get nearer the sink) and then set the table for breakfast in the morning.
Well that's what happens in my house anyway!!!!

[bhudda]

Don't be silly. The ladies had to stay and clear all the dishes and glasses,wash them all in the sink (women have smaller feet than men so they can get nearer the sink) and then set the table for breakfast in the morning.
Well that's what happens in my house anyway!!!!

Dont you have staff to do that for you?

[wearegreat]

Dont you have staff to do that for you?

Unfortunately due to spending all my ill gotten loot on ladies of the night I had to let them leave my employ. One must get by as best one can in these most testing of times for the gentry.

[tesla]

Roast, as in joke at someones expense rather than cook

[WARSZAWA16]

Don't like the use of "flag up" or "flag it up" - rather than bring something to someone's attention or point out.

[threechilliman]

Don't like the use of "flag up" or "flag it up" - rather than bring something to someone's attention or point out.

I were on a course once run by flag man. It were his favourite phrase - you'd have loved it.

[sparkus]

Roast, as in joke at someones expense rather than cook

Could be something else entirely if your workplace is a Premier League club and you find yourself in a hotel room with a workmate and a drunk bird...

[Bogof60]

Back to the original theme, when did shipping (as in shipping charges) cease to involve ships and be applied to all forms of transport and delivery?

Same as Freight as in Freight plane or moving Freight.
The term Freight is specifically a term for the money paid to move cargo not the cargo itself

ie The freight for moving 1000 boxes of bananas from port A to port B is X pounds

[daviemac]

Same as Freight as in Freight plane or moving Freight.
The term Freight is specifically a term for the money paid to move cargo not the cargo itself

ie The freight for moving 1000 boxes of bananas from port A to port B is X pounds

Not according to the Freight Transport Association.

The 'freight charge' is the cost to the customer of moving their freight from A to B, by road, air or sea. In other words the freight is the goods the charge is the price to pay. 

[snaitram99]

Not according to the Freight Transport Association.

The 'freight charge' is the cost to the customer of moving their freight from A to B, by road, air or sea. In other words the freight is the goods the charge is the price to pay.

What do they say about shipping?

I seem to recall learning many years ago that goods could be shipped (i.e. on a ship!) either CIF standing for cost, insurance, freight and meaning all these charges were included, or FOB meaning Free on Board (the ship that was doing the shipping) so the buyer paid for the insurance and freight charges for the cargo.

[daviemac]

What do they say about shipping?

I seem to recall learning many years ago that goods could be shipped (i.e. on a ship!) either CIF standing for cost, insurance, freight and meaning all these charges were included, or FOB meaning Free on Board (the ship that was doing the shipping) so the buyer paid for the insurance and freight charges for the cargo.

I've been involved with the road transport industry (Including the FTA & RHA) for all my working life and if I asked what the 'freight' was on a particular load I would be told what it consisted of not what the price was. Shipping is the price to be paid for transporting the freight, regardless of transportation method.

The basis of the Freight Transport Association was founded well over a hundred years ago, in 1968 the then British Rail started a company called 'Freightliner' both would seem to be unusual names if it wasn't the term accepted within the industry to mean the goods being transported.   



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[Bogof60]

What you say Davie is all true.
As in the thread title Words that have changed meanings, Freight is now accepted as the actual cargo as in Freightliners, or FTA.
Whereas Freight being the charge is the much older, and correct, term.
Ships have been carrying cargo and charging Freight much longer than 100 years.

[Ali Katt]

Could be something else entirely if your workplace is a Premier League club and you find yourself in a hotel room with a workmate and a drunk bird...

And a strategically placed bottle of champagne.

[snaitram99]

What about "showcase"?

[Ali Katt]

The word fantastic has two meaning, but I think most people know it as meaning very good rather than something that is unbelievable or out there such as supernatural ghost stories.

[Aj280]

Doesn't bother me personally, but I've noticed alot of people now say "Can I get..." rather than "Can I have...". I only noticed when a cashier once said to my little brother, "well, go on then, get one".

[B4bcock]

It seems to be a gender issue how some words meanings get changed.   I've met a lot of women who have informed me, directly or indirectly, that 'discretion' really means 'NO!'.

[Ali Katt]

Doesn't bother me personally, but I've noticed alot of people now say "Can I get..." rather than "Can I have...". I only noticed when a cashier once said to my little brother, "well, go on then, get one".

Surely the correct grammar is may I have.

[Colston36]

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

Me too. It is asinine. This is the hypocrisy introduced by the Puritans, whereby, for instance,  a cock became a rooster.

[Colston36]

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

We can blame all those fast food joints for a high proportion of deaths and illnesses - especially from Covid-19.

One other word common now is "issue" instead of problem popularised by the late, unlamented A. Wedgwood Benn.

[binbag]

When a rugby player threw the ball to a team mate it used to be called a pass. When did it become an offload?

[Thephoenix]

In football, a pass is now an assist.

And the phrase often heard.......'The striker's tiring...... I'm pulling him off at half time!'

When I played we used to just get oranges!

[sparkus]

It's amusing that no one under the age of 40 really uses "Roger that" (or "Copy that") anymore for "Understood", but when a colleague said "Roger!" in reply to me a couple of years ago I died laughing.

[Thephoenix]

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Sounds like the old Airplane film with Captain Oveur, Co pilot Roger, and Radio Officer Victor

[B4bcock]

Me too. It is asinine. This is the hypocrisy introduced by the Puritans, whereby, for instance,  a cock became a rooster.

You may be unsurprised to learn that I have never been influenced by the Puritan movement and therefore have no intention of becoming a B4brooster.

[Boristheboy]

Have you noticed for some reason the word 'future' seems to have disappeared from the language to be replaced by the phrase 'going forward.'

This bugs the fuck out of me.

[NIK]

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

Totally agree. ‘Ass’ is crap. Even worse is their ‘tush’ or ‘tushy’. 
Arse is much better - a real ‘woody’ word as Monty Python would have said.
One of my best prossies who was into all things arse used to pronounce it very lasciviously. You can’t do that with ‘ass’.
Even better is the German ‘arsche’.
The Jerries sure know how to make things sound filthy. 

[sparkus]

Totally agree. ‘Ass’ is crap. Even worse is their ‘tush’ or ‘tushy’. 
Arse is much better - a real ‘woody’ word as Monty Python would have said.
One of my best prossies who was into all things arse used to pronounce it very lasciviously. You can’t do that with ‘ass’.
Even better is the German ‘arsche’.
The Jerries sure know how to make things sound filthy. 

Ass only works if you say it in a mock American accent.

"That's a mightdy fine piece of ass"

Otherwise it still refers to a donkey.

I've never heard tush here, it's southern American if I'm not wrong.  Is more a polite word a woman might use to mention pain to a doctor or in company.

"What you waiting for, a playful pat on the tush?"

[A Decent Fist]

Ass only works if you say it in a mock American accent.

"That's a mightdy fine piece of ass"

Otherwise it still refers to a donkey.

I've never heard tush here, it's southern American if I'm not wrong.  Is more a polite word a woman might use to mention pain to a doctor or in company.

"What you waiting for, a playful pat on the tush?"

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[lostandfound]

One word change that irritates me is how "understated" now means "overstated".

Just read it again in this piece on Intu going into administration.

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The significance of Intu's collapse "cannot be understated," said Richard Lim, chief executive of Retail Economics.

FFS Richard, understated is the opposite of what you mean!

[Jonestown]

Reach out, as in, I reached out to his people for comment.


A "on a journey," as once was - leaving your home and going somewhere, is now some twats whole life experience.

[MilleMiglia]

Reach out, as in, I reached out to his people for comment.


A "on a journey," as once was - leaving your home and going somewhere, is now some twats whole life experience.

+1 on both of these - they bug the hell out of me.

Although not a change in meaning, but from the same songsheet as the two above, "Emotional Rollercoaster".

[unclepokey]

"RESPECT" as in 'with the greatest respect'  which means completely the reverse.