Reader comments
Ann Cannon: You're a pill? Old-fashioned words sought

JoJo | 9:02 a.m. June 15, 2009

I was definitely called a pill. By the way, the calf roping comment was laugh out loud funny. I love your dog because, well, he is a pill and you still love him.

I don't hear the word, "smart allick" anymore. That one was also used on me quite often. It might've even been written on my report card.

Glad you got your column out. Take a break and ice that wrist.

XO

humm... | 9:04 a.m. June 15, 2009

Sick -
old: How come you weren't at school yesterday were you home sick?
new: That's the sickest things I've seen in a long time.

Gay -
really old: She is very nice and gay.
semi-old: That is so gay.
new: I bet he's gay.

Retarted
Old: we all know what it means
New: not allowed anymore because of political correctness

which brings me to a phrase I heard the first time the other day spoken by my son and his friend...
"that is sick gaytarded"

... is the politcally correct pendulum starting to swing back the other way
or is this just early teen rebellion?

all I know is that I'm not cool, hip, in, sick or whatever they call it now a days ... and I'm happy I'm not.

I'm just "old" at 46.

Spencer's Boy | 12:34 p.m. June 15, 2009

My Dad used to always say "Land of Goshen Boy". After several tears I finallly asked him "Why do you always refer to me as Atlantic Ocean" which is what I heard all those times.

Comments continue below

Candy | 1:58 p.m. June 15, 2009

My mother tends to call those that tease her a "puke," meaning about the same thing as a "pill."

K | 10:09 a.m. June 16, 2009

I saw a sign on a liquor store in Colorado:

"G Whil Liquors" (Say it out loud)

Both my 10 year old grandson and I got it, but my husband did not. How's that for irony? By the way, for you youngsters, it's an old-fashioned phrase meaning, "Oh my gosh", or similar

Steve Dawson | 1:38 p.m. June 16, 2009

How about:

Crimenentalies! (a mild oath, a variation of "crimeny")
Gee whiz!
nifty
swell, and it's variation, swellegant
keen, peachy keen
juvenile delinquent (now they're "troubled teenagers")

To brush up on more archaic terms, you might watch reruns of "The Andy Griffith Show".

Renae | 4:20 p.m. June 16, 2009

I'm between your generation and your parent's, so I've heard/used the "pill" reference. Another oldy is "Good night, Nurse!" said with exasperation. Perhaps patients frustrated at being awakened for yet ANOTHER shot or pill, originally growled it.

One of my grandma's favorite terms, used to describe her state of mind, was "punk" - "feelin' a little 'punk' today," she'd whisper as we dropped by for the first time in a week or more.

Then there were "Mormon" slang terms like "flip," which has now been substituted with "Omiheck." Missionaries often returned from the near-east or Far West with that classy expression embedded in their vocabularies!

Descriptive terms have changed, too, but so have the objects they described. The "beta" haircut - a precursor to the Beatle haircut that featured long, swooping bangs but short above the ears. A "D.A." or "ducktail," worn by "greasers," was a long, greasy haircut that swirled into a curl in the middle of the forehead and a kinda up-sweep in the back. (Of course, there was a girl's version of the ducktail, too.)

I must add was VERY young when I heard all these fun words!

Edward C. | 7:47 p.m. June 16, 2009

What about put your dukes up... duking it out.

I guess dukes are fists.

DE | 8:29 p.m. June 16, 2009

Dude, If I was bad, my mom either called me a pill or an imp. Imp. Seriously.
May I have my extra credit now?

Carol | 7:26 p.m. June 17, 2009

"For Pete's sake!" Who was Pete anyway and why for his sake and not Tom's?

Annette | 8:43 a.m. June 18, 2009

Mercy Maude!!

Kathy | 11:48 a.m. June 18, 2009

so, I asked a young employee to stop wearing thongs to work. she sheepishly asked how I knew what her underwear was! Yeah, and what happened to Keds? or tennies? footwear has me baffled.

Holly Mullen | 12:17 p.m. June 19, 2009

First, hope your wrist is recovering. I love this column topic.

As a word lover, let me add these:

"Hullabaloo." Which is to say, big loud fracas (there's another old word), total chaos.

"Shindig" for a big party.

My 81-year-old mother recently was talking about one of her friends who SHAMELESSLY chased a widower until he gave in and began courting (another old word) her. My mother said "Well, she sure had her cap set for him."

And finally...I met a group of my old high school friends for a "sleepover" this week at a Park City condo. We haven't seen each other in years. We got a little crazy. My hubby Ted said: "Sounds like you really had a 'smoker.' Ha. Isn't that some sort of old fraternity word for a big party? Back when they swallowed goldfish?

Just a few of my favorites. Love ya Annie!

Edward C. | 7:33 p.m. June 23, 2009

What about "ignernt"? Or "fer ignernt".

When I moved to Utah as a teenager in 1969, I couldn't believe how many of my behaviors were "ignernt".

scrapbookmomx4 | 7:55 p.m. June 23, 2009

Okay, how about some from the 80s?
"gnarly" = very, very cool
"fer shure" = okay
"gag me with a spoon" = I can't believe it
"garbage" = a "clean" expletive

My 18-year-old daughter uses:
"pop a squat" = sit down somewhere
"give him props" = congratulate someone

Here are some... | 6:51 p.m. June 24, 2009

How about:

"You bet"
"You betcha"
"Fer cryinoutloud"
"Bad" (meaning good, of course)
"Rad" (I guess this is radical)
"Rap" (to talk, converse)

One more... | 11:52 p.m. June 24, 2009

"Threads" - as in clothing

Phred | 6:07 a.m. June 25, 2009

Etymology: Study of the origin of words.

The Wilson snipe, contrary to what you may have heard, is one of Utah's game birds. About the same size as a dove, it hunts flying insects by swooping in low over the water in swampy areas and flying in a very erratic zigzag pattern that makes for a very difficult target to shoot. Thus, back in the day when some people made a living hunting and selling game to butchers in the village market, if you made a living hunting this bird, it was a great compliment to your prowess as a marksman to be known as a sniper.

fun stuff | 6:39 a.m. June 25, 2009

OH MY GOSH! what a COOL article! I was just over here CHILLIN with my HOMEBOYS when I came across this KILLER thread. FOR THE LOVE OF. this is good stuff.

Susan M | 6:51 a.m. June 25, 2009

I saw someone entered "for Pete's sake"........how about "Oh, for the love of Mike". Don't know who Mike is but it meant the same thing.
Another is you are "in a pickle" - no idea what a pickle had to do with it but you were in trouble......and how about "well dog my cats!" HUH?
And my mother slways said "Land-agoshins", which was something like "Oh my gosh!" I never really understood what that was about

BLB | 3:23 p.m. July 6, 2009

how about RAD. that was totally 80's.

MarkS | 9:18 p.m. July 9, 2009

Groovy article!

When we lived in South (SC), many of the adults would refer to this or that kid as "a mess", as in "He's a real mess." It was meant with some endearment, so was something like pill.

bforre | 11:45 a.m. July 13, 2009

On my blog a while back, I had some not-so-nice comments from "Anonymous," indicating that my beliefs are... well, a much nicer word than what he/she used would be "nonsense."

I may be 20, but I would have substituted that not-so-nice word with something I picked up from older generations--probably either "horse feathers" or "fiddlesticks."

Jane | 9:13 p.m. July 13, 2009

When I was being bad as a kid my grandpa would call me a "knucklehead" and my favorite, a "dookie" tee hee!

Brian | 9:34 p.m. July 13, 2009

Every time any music came on the radio with any kind of real beat my dad would yell at me to: "Turn off that Jungle Bunny music!"

Mama | 1:41 a.m. Aug. 19, 2009

Twerp, Doofus, Booger, Bonehead, Stinker, Goon.
Preppie (80's), Stoners = druggies, Rockers

Holy Moly! Gnarly! Far Out! Smooth move!

Heather | 1:18 p.m. Sept. 14, 2009

"for Pete's sake","Oh, for the love of Mike", are both confusing, but the one that always gets my husband and I that my mom uses is "Hurts like the Dickens." Who are the dickens, and why do they hurt? My husband hates the phrase "She came by it honestly" The best explanation I could come up with for him on that one was, "Well, her mom likes to read, so she came by her love of reading honestly...?" Seriously, though. What, is there a way to come by a trait dishonestly? Steal it from a neighbor?

Another phrase that people don't use anymore is "It Smarts" when they get an injury.

Geoff | 11:53 a.m. Oct. 22, 2009

Along with the already mentioned "For Pete's Sake" and "For the Love of Mike" (and wondering who those guys are?) my mother often wondered "What the Sam Hill is Going On?" (and we wondered who Sam Hill was). And in expressing disappointment, one might say, "Well, shoot a bean!" and while making rifle sounds (and occasionally dying sounds), my brothers and I would wonder why the violence to beans, and not to other vegetables?

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