BS: old words - new meanings

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: GUEST, topsie
Date: 23 Feb 11 - 05:08 AM

Although English nouns are all neuter it is still fairly common to use 'she' and 'her' when talking about ships as well as, sometimes, cars or countries.

A word that can cause misunderstandings these days is 'partner'.
This used to mean a business partner, or maybe a dancing partner. Nobody would have thought it was any other kind of relationship. Now, if you introduce someone as your 'partner' people are likely to assume it is a bedroom rather than a business or dancing arrangement.

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 23 Feb 11 - 04:41 AM

English nouns don't have gender. Whatever remnants of gender there are in English are confined to pronouns, which should probably be common, femininine and neuter. But it is probably true to say that we don't have gender, only sex.

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: Ringer
Date: 23 Feb 11 - 04:31 AM

Pedantry warning (but then they are probably only pedants reading this thread anyway): John on the Sunset Coast, if you're going to differentiate sex and gender (one of my own bêtes noires, I have to admit), you should really categorise nouns as masculine, feminine or neuter rather than "male, female or neither."

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 23 Feb 11 - 03:44 AM

50+ years ago a group of traditional musicians living around Lake Charm, Victoria, got together to play for dances & called themselves the Gay Chalmers. They are still performing, tho no doubt today some folks find their name amusing.

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity
Date: 23 Feb 11 - 01:38 AM

or, "Now we don our gay apparel
    Fa-la-la la la-la-la la "

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: Ebbie
Date: 23 Feb 11 - 01:25 AM

In the song 'How Great Thou Art', there is a phrase that jars every time I hear it: something something 'awesome wonder'.

Surely the wonder isn't awesome? Surely it is 'aweFILLED wonder'? Anyway, that is how I sing it.

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 23 Feb 11 - 12:35 AM

John on Sunset Coast, disagree re 'gay': homosexual usage was confined to being an in-word among the gay community themselves from probably, about late 30s [see Peter Wildeblood's account of his notorious 50s trial with Lord Montagu and another, Against The Law 1955]. It was about 60s that it broke thru into mainstream, and, for all practical purposes, made previous main meaning no longer usable except defiantly, or in an older context such as singing The Gay Fusilier; so that 'homosexual' is now the primary meaning given in Chambers Dict, and others are labelled as 'obsolete': a sad example of loss of a useful and pleasant word to the depredations of an axe-grinding interest group ~ my objection, let me stress is not to homoexuality, towards which I have no negative feelings whatever, but only to linguistic impoverishment.

'Niggardly' still ONLY means stingy. Except to the ignorant, it has no racial connotations whatever, having no connection except a slight similarity in sound to another, taboo, word.

~Michael~

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 11:56 PM

'Love' used to mean a state of being where one would lay down his life for another for the rest of their lives....
..now you can 'make love' for one night, while thinking of new ways to get away, as fast as you can, after you get off!

GfS

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 07:32 PM

Outrageous

Old meaning: causing public outrage, like a serial murderer or child-molester.
New meaning: In quirkily bad taste, like appearing slightly drunk at the Golden Globe Awards.


Awesome

Old meaning: awe-inspiring, like the Grand Canyon, or the launch of an Atlas missile.
New meaning: convenient, like receiving a coupon for a free liter of Coke.


Incredible

Old meaning: Inspiring disbelief or mistrust, like a failed political speech.
New meaning: Inspiring belief or trust, like a successful political speech.


Infamous

Old meaning: Egregiously evil, like Hitler or Pol Pot.
New meaning: Famous for showing one's naughty bits, like Paris Hilton or Brett Favre.

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 11:47 AM

Sex used to be what you are (male or female), and an activity you partake in. Gender was a linguistic term noting (in those languages that made such distinction) whether a noun was male, female or neither..

Now sex is just the activity, while the linguistic term has been transferred to the physical being. BTW, I always cross out the word gender on applications, and replace it with the word sex. Someday where it asks sex I may answer either 'yes' or 'sometimes'.

Decimated, in classic times, meant to 'kill every tenth person'...prisoners of war, rebels, group punishment for disobeying orders, etc. Now it usually means wholesale slaughter regardless of the actual percentage killed, or severe cuts as in economic programs.

In my lifetime (not inconsiderable as lifetimes go, as I am beyond the Biblical three score and ten) sanctioned has always had the dual meaning, but sanctions (n.) has always meant punishmnet.

Likewise 'issue' has always had both meanings.

Gay, while always having the two meanings, now pretty much seems to be exclusively.

In these times of ferment, it is perhaps interesting to note that te word 'magazine' (from the Arabic) has meant a storage of armaments, and a booklet (storage) of written and pictorial articles.

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: DMcG
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 11:28 AM

Yep. In Roman times, to decimate a village was to kill one in ten. Now, it is more generally thought of as only one in ten left alive.

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: harmonic miner
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 11:15 AM

"From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler - PM
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 07:45 AM

Decimated old meaning - reduced by ten percent.

new meaning - reduced to ten percent."

really?

If the price was €100 and it is now €90, it has been reduced BY 10%
If the price was €100 and it is now €10, it has been reduced TO 10%
Has this changed?

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 10:17 AM

"For your convenience..."

Old meaning: It will be more convenient for you
New meaning: It will be more convenient for us

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: MarkS
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 10:14 AM

Niggardly used to mean cheap or stingy. Just ask Hamlet!
Today it is said to be a racial slur.

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 09:09 AM

Not all these are new meanings; some have always co-existed, tho apparently contradictory, like 'sanction', which has always had the dual meanings of 'permit' and of 'apply a sanction, or preventative measure, to'.

~M~

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 08:31 AM

'Wicked' used to mean extremely evil
Wicked now = brilliant, wonderful, fantastic.

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: GUEST, topsie
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 08:28 AM

'Sanctioned' - it used to mean 'approved'

now it means 'punished'

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 07:45 AM

Decimated old meaning - reduced by ten percent.

new meaning - reduced to ten percent.

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: DMcG
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 07:34 AM

Old meaning - 'making this absolutely clear'
New meaning - 'avoiding answering the question'

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 07:27 AM

issue - was an edition of a magazine for instance

has become:

ishyooooooooo - a problem!!!!!

gay - was happy or jolly

now - homosexual

Subject: RE: BS: old words - new meanings
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 06:38 AM

Old meaning - Customer Service Helpline
New meaning - an opportunity to listen to thirty minutes of Vivaldi, Frank Sinatra and/or 'soothing' panpipes

Subject: BS: old words - new meanings
From: Bert
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 03:52 AM

The word is marathon

Old meaning - a long race
New meaning - an excuse to show reruns all afternoon.


There must be plenty more....