Lost English: Words and Phrases that Have Vanished from Our Language

By Chris Roberts

Within the final 30 years, lots of as soon as ordinary phrases, words, and expressions have disappeared with no hint from universal utilization within the united kingdom. And with them have long gone a few items, providers, and daily gadgets that have been as soon as an immense a part of their daily lives. the place did they move and why? misplaced English takes a glance at how our language alterations and explores the impact of differing cultures on each other. for instance, the velocity of contemporary existence and the impression of the USA at the united kingdom has perpetually impacted that country's sociological formation, and fast advances in expertise have made definite items out of date. It comprises such entries as: "Charlie's Dead," a euphemism used to inform a woman that her petticoat is displaying; "dekko," take a short glance or look; "brilliantine," or a men's hair dressing product; and "Nippy," the identify given to waitresses in Lyons nook homes. misplaced English illuminates most of these phrases and lots more and plenty extra. It's a phenomenal present for all these attracted to background and the English language and a desirable examine instances earlier.

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There's little obvious common sense to its derivation till one learns that ‘poodle’ was once nineteenth-century military slang for a girl, and ‘faker’ during this context refers to fake feelings. (An replacement derivation is that the individual is enjoying the function of a lap puppy. ) It refers, normally disparagingly, to a guy who cultivates the corporate of girls for his personal ends, even if those have been social development, visual appeal or, much less frequently, without delay monetary. George Orwell bargains a glimpse of the dim view taken of poodlefakers in his novel Burmese Days (1934), whilst describing a type of British officer who censoriously seen any social tasks in any respect as poodlefaking, and who disapproved of ladies usually: ‘In his view they have been one of those siren whose one objective was once to trap males clear of polo and enmesh them in tea fights and tennis-parties. ’ maybe the final commonly suggested use of the be aware in public was once within the early a part of this century while Tony Blair used to be defined by means of Boris Johnson, in an editorial within the day-by-day Telegraph, as a ‘mincing poodlefaker’. there's something a bit of effeminate, or at the least faux-effeminate, concerning the poodlefaker, potentially end result of the word’s organization with poodles, and it's a trait he stocks with the ‘fancy man’, one other time period seldom heard nowadays. The latter was once frequently held up in a terrible gentle opposed to the sincere toiling chap, yet this used to be partially simply because he may perhaps court docket the women along with his quick vehicle, flash outfits and ‘smart talk’. the partiality guy (or girl, for that topic) used to be additionally thought of too flighty to be marriage fabric, even though he may perhaps get a divorce a couple of, yet provided a welcome holiday from the usually drab lives of ladies caught at domestic. a few fellows may well discuss with them disparagingly as ‘ponces’, and some fancy males may possibly certainly were procurers for prostitution, yet so much have been simply flash blokes after speedy occasions. Pooh-pooh a manner of relatively with politeness, yet firmly, brushing aside an concept or pretty well anything, it derives from the repetition of a nonsense sound, ‘pooh’, suggestive of impatience, scorn or contempt, and initially of disgust. It has no transparent courting to the both defunct time period ‘pooh-bah’ or ‘grand pooh-bah’, so referred to as from the self-important personality in Gilbert and Sullivan’s comedian opera The Mikado (1885). The satirical use of pooh-bah to explain somebody with a very excessive opinion of himself, or keen on awarding himself titles (it is sort of consistently a male), has long gone, however the be aware litters pop culture of the hot previous, together with the yankee comic strip convey The Flintstones. ‘Pooh-pooh’, despite the fact that, continues to be occasionally heard, yet often with the implication that no matter what has been pooh-poohed would possibly not were given a good listening to. Pop (bottle of) the straightforward description is of a carbonated drink that doesn't comprise alcohol, even though the time period used to be occasionally broadened to incorporate cordials, squashes and different non-alcoholic drinks (slightly oddly, because the note is clearly onomatopoeic, from the sound of a bottle of fizz being uncorked).

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