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Underused but delightful, descriptive words

(229 Posts)
SORES Sat 30-Mar-24 10:27:22

in my humble opinion, of course,
these are words I have heard or read this week,
reminded me of my Grandma, old fashioned
words now but meaningful, it would be a shame
for them to be relegated to ‘archaic’

mirth
vexed/vexing
moreover
somnambulant
lovelorn
forsaken
regard (for someone)
nightgown
windborn

there were so many which captured my imagination,
now of course, wanting to lost them, my brain has
seized and I cannot remember any more

of course some words now are unnecessary, we do not have the article nowadays,
(although my Dad still says Wireless ! )

petticoat
casement
candlewick
globes! (lightbulbs)
eiderdown
counterpane
stretch covers
antimacassers
percolator
spills

any more ?

Ford15 Wed 03-Apr-24 19:50:45

I love the word serendipitous and use it as often as I can! Also discombobulated 😊

Cateq Wed 03-Apr-24 21:08:23

Brandy Gran the phrase due diligence is commonly used by businesses to ensure any decisions made are correct. We use it everyday at work

Kathmaggie Wed 03-Apr-24 21:11:04

Mum used to tell me to stop lozzaking around!

Jumblygran Wed 03-Apr-24 21:30:49

Fortnight seems to be disappearing from our language.
Sennight disappeared a long time ago.

I have always liked obstreperous.
When something is not quite true I tend to say “it is all a hum”

NanKate Wed 03-Apr-24 21:46:40

Twaddle - which my mum often used when she meant words that weren’t understood or made sense.

Mogsmaw Wed 03-Apr-24 21:46:40

I loving this but I seem to use most of the obsolete words regularly.
If you come into my work I’m “tickety-bo, how are you ?”
Glaswegians love long chewy words so obstreperous is quite common about someone who might cause an altercation. But sandshoes are definitely “guttys” because of the rubber.

welbeck Wed 03-Apr-24 21:48:08

chuffed

Lucyd Wed 03-Apr-24 22:04:39

A headteacher I worked for in the 1990s called knicker "underpinnings" which we then adopted and used in our family. My lovely Mum often referred to the boomI was reading as a "novelette" even when it was a weighty tome and she called any unnecessary items purchased "fripperies". I still use the word petticoat and my 25 year old refers to his "larder'" in his Victorian house.

Lucyd Wed 03-Apr-24 22:06:57

Also tomorrow morning is the morn's morn, slippers are baffies and sandshoes will always be gutted!

hollysteers Wed 03-Apr-24 22:35:09

Geegaws (love them)

hollysteers Wed 03-Apr-24 22:36:25

And kinky seems to have gone out of fashion.

Gin Wed 03-Apr-24 22:57:44

Re cubbyhole. It set me wondering what ‘cubby’meant. It seems ‘cubby’ means a small space and is a shortened form of the word ‘cupboard’. Well, as my Mum said, ‘you learn something everyday’.

NotSpaghetti Wed 03-Apr-24 23:42:11

Daddima - napkin is hardly "upper class" - it's just a fabric version of a serviette, surely?
I use them every day.

TiggyW Thu 04-Apr-24 01:26:50

We have a cubbyhole - we live on a hillside, so we have storage space under the conservatory! 😎
No-one goes to the ‘pictures’ anymore.
Isn’t ‘flashlight’ an American word?🤔
I still want to call the cupboard under our stairs the ‘pantry’ - it reminds me of the one my Grandparents had, which was actually used to store food.
Haversacks are now called rucksacks.
The ‘change of life’ is now the menopause.
Liberty bodice!😎 I used to wear one!

Elegran Thu 04-Apr-24 07:49:57

welbeck

chuffed

Still on use north of the border.

hollysteers Thu 04-Apr-24 09:40:04

Flicks

hollysteers Thu 04-Apr-24 09:43:09

NotSpaghetti

Daddima - napkin is hardly "upper class" - it's just a fabric version of a serviette, surely?
I use them every day.

Serviette is non-u (Nancy Mitford)

Neilspurgeon0 Thu 04-Apr-24 09:46:58

@welbeck. My grandchildren are always teasing me about”five and twenty to” which I use all the time - it just seems so natural to me.

Witzend Thu 04-Apr-24 11:22:53

Daddima

hollysteers

Esmay I say frock instead of dress, also scent instead of perfume.

Scent is frightfully upper class, like lavatory and napkin!

I actually use a lot of the words mentioned, except for things like eiderdowns, which don’t exist any more.
The ‘ fossilised fish hooks’ reminds me of my brother’s expletive, ‘ Oh, for Fox’s Glacier Mints’, guaranteed to cause a minor panic in any company.

I’ve always had table napkins. White linen ones.
However I will add that they only come out for guests (too much washing and ironing otherwise) - when it’s just me and dh it’s usually kitchen roll. 🙂

MissAdventure Thu 04-Apr-24 12:05:51

A napkin has always been something you put on a baby's bum around these parts.

Etoile2701 Thu 04-Apr-24 16:21:54

Splendid, alas, adept

Scribbles Thu 04-Apr-24 16:27:03

MissAdventure

A napkin has always been something you put on a baby's bum around these parts.

I think the dictionary definition of "napkin" is that it is a small, square piece of textile so it applies equally to the thing that covers your baby's bum and the thing that catches the gravy splashes at dinner.

MissAdventure Thu 04-Apr-24 16:39:04

The thing that catches gravy in this flat is generally called "my jumper". smile

I wonder if serviette is from France, originally?

NotSpaghetti Thu 04-Apr-24 21:23:41

Obviously then hollysteers - that must be why we only have napkins! grin

hollysteers Fri 05-Apr-24 08:09:22

Nymphomaniac.

(True NotSpaghetti, we are dead posh😁)