Underused but delightful, descriptive words

oleaginous, (a la uriah heap).
egregious.
thingamebob.
ha'penth, as in not having a ha'penth of . . .

thrup-penny-bit
tuppence.
florin.
half-crown.
i'm on a roll here. happy days of yore.

lots of non-native speakers do not understand commonly used terms, eg quid.

I still use a fair few of those,the one that had a friend chuckling was bathing suit which I also use a lot .A bolster in this family is a large flat metal tool that was my grandfathers and my OH uses it for breaking concrete

My DGC found a ha'penny in my useless coin collection yesterday.
I miss the useful coins of my youth.
Florins
Half crowns
Shillings
Ten bob, but that was a note i think.

These same DGC use Americanisms and talk about butts and boobs.

We have bolsters on our double beds. Dunelm sell them.

Constitutional - as in “I take a daily constitutional with the dog”

Galoshers

Perhaps those of us who have been properly educated should make a point of speaking English correctly and bringing all these words back into use. Our language is being corrupted by the uncouth and we need to remind everyone how the language should be.

An irration of mine is how we seem to have adopted the use of the American " two times " instead of twice !!

I love the word ' mangleworzel ' it conjures up magic spells for me although it is a vegetable similar to turnips and swedes!!!!

BrandyGran

We have a book which belonged to my late father in law. Inside is a beautiful label which says in the head teachers writing: Awarded to ————- for extreme diligence. U never hear that word now.

You hear it a lot in connection with business transactions/certain jobs - due diligence. Especially when whoever it is hasn’t done it.

I thought I was quite smart with a decent vocabulary, after perusing this wonderful thread, I realise I’m not, and know nothing 😳

Common words in my house as a child were:

Bolster (a long, very heavy pillow that went underneath individual pillows)

Eiderdown (ours were stuffed with the feathers from our own chickens and were heavenly warm)

Liberty bodice (I had a "bad chest" and wasn't allowed out without one. I hated the things).

Petticoat (no self respecting woman or little girl went out without wearing one)

Brawn (mum used to boil a pigs head, peel off the flesh and press it in a pudding basin, it was delicious)

Kidney beans (growing up in the West Country this was the name given to runner beans).

Underpinnings for underwear
Drawers ..as in winter draws on.
Brassiere
Petticoat
Combinations
Singlet
Garters
And liberty bodices ….

Slattern - read it in an old-ish novel recently. That’s one you don’t hear any more, or at least I haven’t for ages.

Flappergirl you see plenty of brawn in France, either fresh or in jars. It’s called ‘fromage de tete’ (‘cheese’ of head). I’ve often brought some back for a dd who loves it.

I remember seeing halves of pigs’ heads in butchers’ shops windows back in the Dark Ages.
I dare say that nowadays all that goes into dog food.

Taking a ‘constitutional’ walk
Potty

Pouffe

Roded, rhoded? bacon. Anyone heard that? Used by my dad.

Donkey jacket😁

We don’t hear “conceited” much nowadays. It was much used when I was young.

When we were ‘nippers’ (another delightful Northern word, still used my my 83y uncle in Oldham, mum used to send my younger sister and I to the local shop for “half a pound of flitch bacon cut on number four”.
Happy days.

Some randoms…
furbelows (underwear)
Libation (drink, alcoholic?)
Bottoming (good clean )

Nannylovesshopping

I thought I was quite smart with a decent vocabulary, after perusing this wonderful thread, I realise I’m not, and know nothing 😳

Luckily for the likes of you and I, there are people who are properly educated who will learn us.