RHYS BOWEN: I read an article the other day about how we all, unknowingly, use completely obsolete words. When we send an email and we CC we are adding a carbon copy—putting that sheet of carbon paper into the typewriter to make an extra copy. We say we are e-mailing somebody when in fact we are sending an electronic message, no mailman involved.
We also say we are taping a program we are watching on TV, but nobody has video tape any longer.
Announcers sometimes still say “don’t touch that dial!” as if we still have a dial on our TV. People still talk about dialing a phone when we haven’t had dials since my youth.
Filmed before a live audience is not true. We don’t film any more. We don’t create albums on vinyl or call them records.
The icon for the save button on our computer is still a floppy disc!
I find that I email somebody saying, “It was great to hear from you again.” No, I didn’t hear, I read a message from them.
My husband John always calls his computer a machine. Not true as a computer has no moving parts, hence is not a machine.
My granddaughters do not date any more, or even go steady. My granddaughter Liz says that she and Nick are “talking”. That’s the stage before the going steady and who knows what that is called!
I know I am horribly guilty of so many such words—are they anachronisms? First I am British so my vocabulary includes words like brilliant. I don’t say groovy, however. Or cool any longer. And second I write about the past so that vocabulary is constantly running through my head. My characters say “Heavens! And Golly! And Gosh. All of which I sometimes use. I tell someone I’ll “ring them up”. Or “give them a ring” when I mean call them on my cell which is no longer a mobile phone. (although it is in England).
I am aware enough not to call a flight attendant a stewardess, although I know people who do. I am certainly aware enough not to use words like queer or gay although both of those had a perfectly good meaning when I was young.
I do not actually write books, as in holding a pen in my hand over a piece of paper. I transmit my thoughts electronically. So the word writing means the act of creation not the way I do it. And I may announce that my books are “hot off the press” when they probably were never hot.
I still hear “running out of steam”, “blowing off steam” “on the flip side” “flash in the pan” And what about “nose to the grindstone”. How many of us have actually used a grindstone, let alone put our noses anywhere near it?
So I’d like to know what outdated words and phrases you still use, probably without thinking of their original meaning?
And having talked about writing, at a keyboard, I thought I'd end with some levity! Have a great weekend.
And Edith’s tote bag goes to Nora A. Email Edith at Edith@EdithMaxwell.com
And Susan’s winner is Flora. Please contact Susan at scauthor@me.com
