A Glossary of Almost Forgotten Words and Phrases
A Glossary of Almost Forgotten Words and Phrases
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Glassman

Original Poster:

23,702 posts

231 months

Yesterday (00:01)
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Whilst killing a chunk of spare time, I tackled a crossword and got stuck on a clue: state of deep thought (5,5). After a bit of head scratching I arrived at 'brown study'. I had to look it up to make sense of it. It got me thinking, and you could say I fell into my own brown study, what other not-used-much words or phrases do you know of?

Such as:

Navel-gazing: the activity of spending too much time considering your own thoughts, feelings, or problems.

Another rarely seen word is antimacassar: a small cloth placed over the backs or arms of chairs, or the head or cushions of a sofa, to prevent soiling.




defblade

7,841 posts

229 months

Yesterday (00:05)
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Glassman said:
Another rarely seen word is antimacassar: a small cloth placed over the backs or arms of chairs, or the head or cushions of a sofa, to prevent soiling.
Now I'd use antimacassar quite happily, it's the right name for those things; however it's effectively an orphan word these days as the macassar oil they were there to defend against has long gone.

55palfers

6,134 posts

180 months

Yesterday (08:22)
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Please and Thank You.

wolfracesonic

8,289 posts

143 months

Yesterday (08:23)
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I know of anti macasser and its meaning, don’t use it a lot though, the word or the product.

Midden, that’s one I sometimes use, along with skivvy.

Oberheim

289 posts

7 months

Yesterday (08:54)
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Horseplay and tomfoolery.

lancslad58

1,375 posts

24 months

Yesterday (09:16)
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Wazzock

Eric Mc

124,013 posts

281 months

Yesterday (17:35)
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Wizard prang - beloved of World War 2 fighter pilots (at least in comics).

Mastodon2

14,061 posts

181 months

Yesterday (18:02)
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Japes.

Muntu

7,663 posts

215 months

Yesterday (18:21)
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French Letters or FLs - usually known as condoms by most of the planet


Super Sonic

9,907 posts

70 months

Yesterday (18:29)
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Copacetic

Warhavernet

219 posts

3 months

Yesterday (18:33)
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" there's something of the night about him/her "

I thought it had a long pedigree in literature, but according to sources, it dates back to Anne Widdecombe describing Michael Howard.

Billy Eyelash

815 posts

224 months

Yesterday (18:35)
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Cripes!

K87

3,971 posts

115 months

Yesterday (18:42)
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Cockwomble

A person who makes stupid statements and or behaves inappropriately.


So very many people will qualify.

Super Sonic

9,907 posts

70 months

Yesterday (18:49)
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Muntu said:
French Letters or FLs - usually known as condoms by most of the planet
Prophylactic.

Mr Squarekins

1,337 posts

78 months

Yesterday (18:51)
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Notwithstanding


Super Sonic

9,907 posts

70 months

Yesterday (18:52)
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Thou
Thine

Edited by Super Sonic on Saturday 16th August 19:00

Jonmx

2,792 posts

229 months

Yesterday (18:54)
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Thank you, please and sorry seem to have been forgotten by a large portion of society. Then again, perhaps they never learned them in the first place.

'Buffoon' would be my submission. A sorely underused word that I endeavoured to get into arrest statements when I was plod as it encapsulates perfectly how drunken folks should be described.

Tango13

9,576 posts

192 months

Yesterday (18:59)
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Billy Eyelash said:
Cripes!
Crivens!

Super Sonic

9,907 posts

70 months

Yesterday (18:59)
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Tango13 said:
Billy Eyelash said:
Cripes!
Crivens!
Crikey!

Super Sonic

9,907 posts

70 months

Yesterday (19:03)
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Golly!
Gosh!
Gadzooks!