Our changing language.

English is not my mother tongue but I was taught English at school. I remember having it explained to us that when you meet a person you say "How do you do?" The other person will respond: "How do you do?" I found this most peculiar!

'Swinging', as in 'Swinging London'. Where did that go to?
A co-habiting partner, in the Scots vernacular might have referred to as a 'bidie in'. Could be still in use for all I know, in my status as an 'exile'.

Ah yes I see I got it wrong now I’ve googled it.It must have been living over the brush my late Mum used to say and she did originate from Yorkshire. Apparently couples used to jump over a brush if they couldn’t have a church wedding! You learn something new every day! Or to use more modern parlance every day’s a school day!

Three words which seem to have gone out of fashion are “please” and “thank you”
Working in a school breakfast club and kitchen we encourage the children to say them in breakfast club but they seem to have forgotten again by lunchtime.
I don’t think these words are used at home today.

Play out - replaced now by either play in the garden or have a playdate.

I have made sure my DGC know the word pinny, even if they normally say apron.

Counterpane. Britches.

In Yorkshire it was 'Livin' ovver't brush' if you were de facto.

I have been snigger at when I've referred to what they think are cupcakes, as buns.

My son uses all manner of Americanisms which amuse me but I doubt if my grandparents even heard the expression 'Okay.'

Language has changed a lot since the war when we said,
'What's the latest gen? and ' They've just had a sprog. and
'Let's have a dekko.'

And when did anyone last hear, 'It's all my eye and Peggy Martin.' and 'Tell it to the Marines.' ?

In Orkney.

I say railway station while people a good bit younger than me say train station.

My Mum referred to couples living together as living under the brush! I still sometimes refer to going to the pictures! Until I am reminded it is now called the cinema!

My daughter would say "Let's see what's on the box" when she put the tv on.

It always seemed an old fashioned phrase for a youngster.

Still say pull the chain.

If a couple lived together my mum always said they were living in sin.

Batty is apparently these days an unpleasant way of referring to someone who is gay. In my time it was someone who was a bit strange. And weirdly, you’re gay, is these days not a reference to sexual preference but that you’re just a bit pathetic.
Oh and sick means good.
It is like a game of opposites!

We went to the 'flicks'. First house or second house' Do they have those now?

I call them knicks, mum called them panties and granny called them britches.

Annanan I can answer that question. I'm 66 and when I was 13 I called my mum a slut when I came home and the house was in a particularly dirty state. She never let me forget it and told every single friend, neighbour and acquaintance what I'd called her! In hindsight I suspect it was a case of if the cap fits....

knspol - do you mean 'churching'? That was when the new mother had to go to church to be blessed (cleansed?) after giving birth. As in 'she hasn't been churched yet so she can't visit you'.

Has anybody heard of this? My mother had a word (cannot for the life of me remember what) that I think meant a newborn child had to be taken to the church before either the child was visited by others or else before it went visiting with mother. Sorry to be so vague but now I've thought of it it's driving me mad.

I do get a bit irritated by, "Can I get....?" in a cafe or restaurant. What's wrong with, "Can/May I have....? " or, "I'd like...." when placing an order? I heard it again today when I was out having lunch. Oh well, things change but I will never say it!

When my children were young they listened to tape recorded nursery rhymes and stories. Often on long journeys, we had the joy of listening to Noddy or Thomas the Tank Engine on a loop!

As teenagers they went from walkmans and tapes to CDs.
They considered records and
record players as very old fashioned.

How things have changed the record player and vinyl are now back in vogue , together with 'vintage clothes'.

I remember when the word 'partner", referring to one half of a cohabiting couple, started to be more widely used in our language.
It gave rise to a lot of disparaging comments, and I remember a lot of people saying how both odd and confusing they found it, and how they could not imagine ever using the word themselves!

I am sure that when I was younger, the word “ slut” was used to describe a woman whose house was dirty. Now it is exclusively used to denote a whore. When did this change happen?

- funny GN language is as bad - I saw Flossieturner's thread above and thought to myself "Why would our doctors be concerned about househusbands" Doh!

I wonder what our GPs would have made of HouseHusband.

Even the word wireless is no more!

My late father used to say if you behave yourself I'll mug you meaning I'll give you something but image someone saying that to you nowadays