Words That Mean Something Different Now

Discussion in 'Evolution of Language' started by Ken Anderson, Mar 9, 2018.

  1. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Which words mean something sharply different today than they did at another point in history?

    Gay is one such words. Although it technically still includes its previous definition of lighthearted and carefree, most people today think of homosexuality when they hear the word and, for that reason, most writers would choose another words if they were trying to express a carefree attitude.

    Although you might wake up feeling particularly pleased with yourself, and in a very good mood, if someone asked you how you were, you probably wouldn't tell them you were feeling gay.

    What other words have changed meaning over the years?
     
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  2. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    Poof...we'd say ''poof'' if we were mimicking magicking something from the air like a Genie..
    Text-- well now it almost always means typing on a mobile phone..but most of us think of it as words on a page..

    I agree about the word Gay though I had a friend at school whose name was Gay I wonder how she's coping now with her name

    However all those words and doubtless thousands more have evolved or changed from even what we have known them all our lives from something else too ..most of them completely different meanings
     
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  3. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    In Texas, there was a school known as Gay Junior High School, named for someone whose surname was Gay. They recently changed the name of the school.
     
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  4. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    Yep that's a shame...I thought and still think to this day that the homosexual community could have invented a word rather than hi-jack a word in common usage which meant something completely different, and was clearly a first name too..
     
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  5. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    A last name, as well.
     
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  6. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    They changed the name from Gay Junior High School to Memorial Middle School. It had previously been named for someone named Minnie Gay.

    GayJrHigh.jpg
     
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  7. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    There was also a town in Georgia named for a family named Gay. I don't know if the named has been changed or not. There used to be a joke about the speed limit in Gay, Georgia.
     
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  8. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    A couple of years ago, on a forum, a user named himself, "ya booty stank". Now, he touted himself as being smart but unfortunately trolled every topic on the forum. So....I asked him (quite openly) who would advertise how someone's odiferous posterior was of his particular interest.
    Sometime later, I was informed by a friend on a PM that "stank" is no longer a colloquial version of the past tense of stink but instead is quite complimentary.
    As in: Johnny says to Sally, "ya booty stank". Meaning: Your rear end is gorgeous.

    Perhaps, the new version is a way around a sexual harassment charge. The receiver of said compliment would automatically know that the commenter is broke and doesn't have enough of an education to get a high paying job so suing the wanna be Romeo would be useless.

    Another one I found out about recently is "dope" as in, "I'm dope". Somehow it means good or I'm good. To me, it still means " I'm an idiot".
     
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  9. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Ken Anderson
    What a shame it is, IMO, that cultural trends, especially P.C.-oriented ones, are rapidly overshadowing traditions such as using the name of someone who was held in esteem to name a school.

    Shame on P.C.

    Frank
     
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  10. Kate Ellery

    Kate Ellery Supreme Member
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    I grew up in New South Wales in a large very isolated town ,( about 40.000 people ) I’d never been out of the town until I was about 25 years old in 1971 ......the nearest city or town is about 500 km away )

    When I moved to South Australia I asked for a roll of durex ..( sticky tape) well ......I was asked if I wanted condoms
    NO ..NO...I didn’t ....

    I soon found out that despite Adelaide only being 500 km from where I was born and raised ...many things had different names and meanings
    I’ve lived in SA since 1971 and still say I need a roll of that “D” word around Christmas time each year ..some names just stick in your head ..but I can just pick it up now days with supermarkets without explaining what I want

    We find allot of different names for items when we go to Queensland ( about 2.500 km from where we live ) each winter for a month ....one example is
    We call our case ( suitcase ) just that , but when it comes to checking in at the airport .,they ...and most others we meet , call our case a Port...

    They have heard of pasties ,( in Queensland ) but many have never seen or tasted one ....the same with fritz which is a processed luncheon meat ..if you can call it meat ..

    It’s eaten cold on sandwiches ...it’s sort of like a smooth sausage ...I don’t like it ...never have ..
     
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  11. Hedi Mitchell

    Hedi Mitchell Supreme Member
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    Pasties here... tassles on the end of a dancers nipples.....lololol:D
     
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  12. Hedi Mitchell

    Hedi Mitchell Supreme Member
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    I can not think of any right now,but have noticed that the meaning of many things, are so different from state to to state. A soda in in California (well it use to at least) meant any carbonated drink -in Texas could mean baking soda-because the word Coke here means and caramel colored carbonated drink.
    ;)
     
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  13. Kitty Carmel

    Kitty Carmel Veteran Member
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    Liberal. I'm starting to rethink identifying as liberal. I'm certainly not the third wave feminism, SJW type.
     
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