Fortnight and other old words

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's a deficit of interesting vocabulary in the USA due to the terrible education system. Words like "fortnight" are used throughout the English speaking world.

What? Words fall in/out of use all the time. Just because some English speaking countries use different words than others doesn't mean there's any kind of "deficit". It's not like we don't know what "fortnight" means.

There are also some fabulous American words not heavily used outside the US - like, jalopy, varmint and chancy.

[Anonymous]

hereby
doth
henceforth

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about we state our weight in stones instead of pounds?

And instead of "going forward" we say "henceforth"? It also sounds much more committed to whatever one says they are going to start doing.

Ounces to pounds to stones is a brain exercise in 16 and 14 times tables.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about we state our weight in stones instead of pounds?

And instead of "going forward" we say "henceforth"? It also sounds much more committed to whatever one says they are going to start doing.

I think "stone" is also the plural form. They don't say "I weigh 14 stones," they say "14 stone".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:alight

Isn't "alright" just the informal version of "all right", not a previous, older version? Like anywayS vs anyway.

Sigh

+1 Big sigh

Anyways isn't a word. It's only become begrudgingly accepted because idiots keep using it. Same as irregardless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crapulous

feeling ill as a result of too much eating/drinking.

Which makes one corpulent. (Fat, but in a fancy way, like an old obese king).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like all the mongers (ex. fishmonger.)

I know we hear fearmonger occasionally but returning the word to commerce would be fun.

Cheesemonger is my absolute favorite

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rod, as a unit of distance. 1 rod = 5.5 yards.
Hoyden = an energetic, lively girl
Riprap = stones spread or piled along a shoreline to prevent erosion

I was so annoyed to find that the NYT Spelling Bee game doesn’t accept hoyden or riprap.

I discovered the other day it also doesn't take riata, which is another form of a lariat, or lasso.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: cattywampus

yonder

I use this and kitty corner a lot for some reason

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's a deficit of interesting vocabulary in the USA due to the terrible education system. Words like "fortnight" are used throughout the English speaking world.

I was watching an idiotic British show with my mom (I think it was Absolutely Fabulous) and she pointed out how even in these lowbrow shows the vocabulary is richer than American vocabulary. For example, the two women went on a stroll, not a walk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: cattywampus

yonder

I use this and kitty corner a lot for some reason

I use catty corner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a deficit of interesting vocabulary in the USA due to the terrible education system. Words like "fortnight" are used throughout the English speaking world.

What? Words fall in/out of use all the time. Just because some English speaking countries use different words than others doesn't mean there's any kind of "deficit". It's not like we don't know what "fortnight" means.

There are also some fabulous American words not heavily used outside the US - like, jalopy, varmint and chancy.

Thank you! Please let's not have this devolve to an American bashing thread. I know so many Americans with rich and varied vocabularies as well as accents.

A lot of words have just fallen out of fashion; it's not as if people don't know them. Everyone is offering them up, mostly from literature--not from other English-speaking countries' vocab!

Also let's not forget all the English people who say "I was sat" ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a deficit of interesting vocabulary in the USA due to the terrible education system. Words like "fortnight" are used throughout the English speaking world.

I was watching an idiotic British show with my mom (I think it was Absolutely Fabulous) and she pointed out how even in these lowbrow shows the vocabulary is richer than American vocabulary. For example, the two women went on a stroll, not a walk.

You are kicked off this thread for thinking AbFab is idiotic and lowbrow, and for thinking stroll is a "rich" term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a deficit of interesting vocabulary in the USA due to the terrible education system. Words like "fortnight" are used throughout the English speaking world.

I was watching an idiotic British show with my mom (I think it was Absolutely Fabulous) and she pointed out how even in these lowbrow shows the vocabulary is richer than American vocabulary. For example, the two women went on a stroll, not a walk.

You are kicked off this thread for thinking AbFab is idiotic and lowbrow, and for thinking stroll is a "rich" term.

Patsy and Edina likely went to for a drunken stumble but I digress. And I agree that AbFab was one of the most hilarious shows that ever made its way across the pond. Very funny and well written.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crapulous

feeling ill as a result of too much eating/drinking.

Which makes one corpulent. (Fat, but in a fancy way, like an old obese king).

Prefer the use of zaftig