Alice, over at Finslippy, just posted about one of my very favorite prompts fromNo One Cares What You Had for Lunch. It’s about bringing back beloved words that no one uses any more. A few of my favorites pulled from her comments section:
Cinchy, meaning easy to do.
Fie as a curse word.
“I’m all sixes and sevens,” meaning “off my game.”
Poppycock, as an expression of disbelief.
“I’ve got a hitch in my git-along,” meaning “I feel stiff.”
Zozzled, meaning drunk.
What words do you adore?
Mighty Girl 
I’m fond of the word gubernatorial, just because. My wife says “Effenheimer!” as an exclamation instead of the “F” word since we now have three boys who are excellent mimicks.
My grandfather always used to say Dag-nabbit! Reminds me of Yosemite Sam
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I use “DRATS” a lot when something goes wrong
I love “EGAD!” – as in “what a horror!
Also “fercryinoutloud!”
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Obligatory is my very favorite, followed closely by perfunctory, and I refuse to call undergarments anything but Skivvies.
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flippin’ ‘enry (the nicer form of effing hell) and sweet fanny adams (the nicer version of sweet fuck all). Both common in England, but not here. Here they are used in a sentence:
Me: Look at this giant pimple on my face.
Her: FLIPPIN’ ‘ENRY, that IS huge.
Me: Okay, who ate the last piece of chocolate cake?
Him: I know sweet fanny adams about your choccie cake
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What about “the deuce you say!”, to show incredulity or as a substitute for “bullshit”. Sorta 19th century, but successfully used by Peter Weller in Buckaroo Banzai!
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My great uncle would liberally pepper his conversation with “confound it,” because he “wouldn’t say sh!t if he had a mouthful.”
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We always said “hitch in my (or his) giddy-yup” but it meant something like having “a spring in your step” which is also a good one.
My grandma always said “purt near” meanning “close to”.
My personal favorite is “he’s a swell joe”.
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How about my husband’s favorite: higgledy-piggledy
or mine:
discombobulated
Both mean:
all mixed up or confused
We’re also fans of the exclamation “Great GooglyMoogly!” as a stronger substitute for “Oh for crying out loud!”
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I will find any available opportunity to use old-timey words for jail/prison. The sound of the words “hoosegow,” “pokey,” and “the clink” fill me with perverse delight.
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My grandparents would use the phrases
“Well, for Pete’s Sake” in exasperation
“Once in a blue moon” for anything that ocurred very infrequently
And once, when describing how a very irritable cat had sat on my uncle’s lap – until he tried to pet her “and that broke the spell” meaning that the charmed moment/mood of the cat had ended.
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Heard my dad use the word ‘dusty’ in reference to his feeling a little hungover one morning. It just stuck.
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My boyfriend has a couple that make me grin:
mudandes (pronounced moo-dawndys), the Italian word for underwear.
Well, F!@#-a-doodle-doo! (said sarcastically, particularly if someone is bragging).
I also like to say “the bee’s knees”, which is used when you think something is great – that shirt is the bee’s knees!!
I also like “tart” “harlot” and “hussy” for disreputable women.
Being from the Northeast, there are a bunch of regional expressions :
Ayuh (used in the place of yes). However, that is shortened to “hyuh”, which is said 3 times in a row on an intake of breath.
Dinnah – the mid day meal
Suppah – the meal after dinnah
Wicked – used in the place of very (that chocolate cake was wicked good).
Cunnin’ – meaning smart or cute (Ain’t she cunnin’!)
I could go on and on…
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I love Words that are common in England, making American phrases so pedestrian. For example, things that are “totally super funny” in the US are “uproariously hilarious” in the UK. Sounds so much more intellectual. One exception is “bits” My friend is always fixing the small bits on his laptop, or picking out the nasty bits from his pizza. I hate the word “bits”. I know, I know, hate is a strong word. But not strong enough.
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>> Comment by Kim | October 17th, 2006 at 8:39 am
Thought of another one,
my grandmother used to use the word “rounder” to describe someone who is wild, or gets around.
Your grandmother was probably using a shortened version of “roundheel,” a flapper-era synonym for “slut.” A girl with round heels was easily pushed over backward – onto a bed, for example. That’s my favorite term from that time.
If someone mock-insults me, I’m liable to reply with, “Thank you. And the horse you rode in on.”
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I prefer “lady of the night” and “tart” as they seem more complimentary than derogatory.
Also, “I’ll give you the what-for!” is my favorite threat when my sweetums has hidden my whosiwhatsit.
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“Jumpin’ Jehosephat!”
And here are a few classic sayings…
“Hungrier than a pole cat in the wintertime”
“Colder than a whore’s heart” or, alternatively, “Colder than a well digger’s ass.”
“Fuller than a tick on a black dog.”
And I like to call underwear either “knickers” or “skivvies”.
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Oh, and calling lil’ kids “Shavers” as in, “Look at those two little shavers, taggin’ along behind their dad.”
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@markdm rounder is older than that.
From etymonline: Rounder 1624, “a sentinel,” from round (n.) on notion of “one who makes the rounds.” Sense of “chronic drunkard or criminal” is from 1854, on notion of one who is habitually in and out of jails or bars.
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my best friend’s mother says she’s “sweating like a whore in church” when it’s hot out. I love her.
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I happen to love love the words
Pocketbook=purse
lavatory=potty
davenport=sofa
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“A lick and a promise” — said of a hastily and/or poorly done job, as in: The house was a mess but I could only give it a lick and a promise before the in-laws arrived. It sounds naughty, lol, but I think the “lick” here means a try or attempt.
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Criminy (or Cripes)
“Foot!” and “Spit!” (my mother’s favorite expletives)
“It’s rainin’ like a cow peein’ on a flat rock.” (I heard my father say this when I was a child. I’ll never forget it.)
Akimbo
Vittles
“Doy Hickey” (yet another “duh” alternative, circa 1981)
“Shazam!” and “O Mighty Isis!” (Superhero phrases from two ancient TV shows)
“My pleasure” (instead of “you’re welcome”)
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Just this afternoon while on the phone with my mom, I used the phrase “don’t know shit from shinola” and immediately thought of this post. I can’t possibly think that I’ve ever uttered that phrase before in my life.
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One old-fashioned Australian phrase that really tickles me is “chuck a nana”. It means to throw a tantrum.
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” ’round the corner with both oars leaking ..” is what my grandpa would answer when i’d ask him where he was going and he wasn’t going anywhere.
“going to visit mary” is what my great-grandmother would say when she had to use the bathroom.
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Instead of asswipe my mom calls stupid drivers “tissue”. That is quite funny to her yelled at other drivers.
I say “Good job Bob” alot or “smooth move ex-lax”.
“TISSUE”
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I’ve always been especially fond of:
“Well, butter my butt and call me biscuit!”
Meant to express, you know, surprise.
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My 75 y.o. dad in Vermont does not swear and so I love:
“Son of a gun!”
“Basket!”
and my mom also says davenport and “dressy pants” instead of dress pants.
My favorite Vermont phrase/swear?
“Jeezum Crow!”
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One Anne Lamott line from an early book of hers, “Joe Jones,” is “lighten up, Francis.” It’s just one ole lady talking to another…but it’s become a catch-phrase in our home for any over-reaction to anything.
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Hairdo – How do you like my new hairdo?
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My Catholic grandmother would not be caught dead cursing THE LORD, so she’d say, “For cry eye!” instead of “for Christ’s sake!” Cracks me up to this day.
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I could give a rat’s ass. Meaning I could care less.
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I’m personally promoting the American adoption of the British “cheers”, for either for “thanks” or “goodbye”.
And there’s always “Oh my stars!”, which goes over well at my office.
I’d forgotten about “at sixes and sevens,” which I think I shall adopt forthwith.
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“Whilst”, “randy”, “dawdle”, and “cunning” are some of my most favorite words.
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I love language and I love playing with it, using words ironically or using words people don’t say often. Some of the things I say frequently that haven’t been mentioned above..
“Lawdy” or “Lawd” (kind of drawn out and Southern-y)
“Oh, for Pete’s sake”
“Yikes”
“Oh, for the love of..”
“It’s colder than a witch’s tit”
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I adore the word “fiddlesticks”.
Which basically means, “Well, crap.”
I also use the word y’all quite a bit. I love it!
A favorite phrase: “Nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room fulla rockin’ chairs!” I heard that for the first time when I was a wee bairn, and the imagary Still give me a giggle.
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Kerfuffle: n., a crisis or confusion.
Rode hard and hung up wet: phr., looking rough around the edges. Orig., Grandpa.
Dwaddle: v., procrastinate. Orig., my mother. Usage: What I’m doing now.
Whore’s bath: phr., quick bath washing primarily privates. Orig., Mom.
Colder than a witch’s tit: phr., brrr. Orig., unknown.
Smuggling raisins: phr., erect nipples. Orig., some guy in college who said it to me; I didn’t figure it out until weeks later and then still blushed that he was looking at my chestal area.
Chestal area: phr., that where strange boys should not look nor comment about. Orig., 7th grade.
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“Cheese it! The cops!” is something I’ve always wanted to have the opportunity to say.
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