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Original poster

What words have changed common meaning?

186 replies

theelectricnorth · 08/12/2023 22:40

I am currently watching White Christmas, and it has got me thinking about words that have changed what people would first think of when they hear it, compared to what they would have thought 50+ years ago (or any time really).

For example, according to merriam-webster dictionary, 'gay' means:

  1. Of, relating to, or characterised by sexual or romantic attraction to people of one's same sex
  2. Happily excited

Now, most people I know, these days, will automatically relate 'gay' to definition number 1, however this wasn't the case x many years ago. So, I was wondering, what other words do you know that have changed 'main' definition over time?

(The part of the film that got my brain going in case anyone was wondering... Judy and Phil were talking about engagement:
Judy: Of course, it's got to be a man.
Phil: That's an absolute must.
Judy: No, no, no. I mean a mature man. You know, one with talent and experience. One that's witty, gay, charming, attractive.)

OP posts:
BreakfastAtMilliways · 09/12/2023 00:45

Dilbertian · 08/12/2023 23:33

Prove used to mean test, not confirm.

Hence the proverb ‘the exception that proves the rule’: a saying which is now trotted out by arrogant and intellectually lazy people to prove (in modern parlance) that lies are truth.

shoutandpout · 09/12/2023 02:02

Blood, blud etc

Lucanus · 09/12/2023 06:24

Davros · 08/12/2023 23:37

Fantastic. It didn't used to mean excellent/good, it meant incomprehensible or very unusual/way out.
Decimated. People now seem to think it means virtually destroyed but it means reduced by 10%.

Decimate does indeed mean 'virtually destroyed ' in modern English because that's how people use it. It's used figuratively, not in error.

There is very little need for a word that means "reduce by a tenth", and certainly not in the context of the Roman military punishment of killing one in ten soldiers. And if you did want to say something had been reduced by 10%, you'd need to say so explicitly because the figurative meaning is now dominant.

Justleaveitblankthen · 09/12/2023 06:30

Amazing.
It's supposed to mean God and his Angels and the Kingdom of Heaven (am not religious)

Yesterday, when I confirmed I was available for the Opticians appointment on the phone, apparently that was "Amazing" too.. 🤨

dohgouse · 09/12/2023 06:35

Davros · 08/12/2023 23:37

Fantastic. It didn't used to mean excellent/good, it meant incomprehensible or very unusual/way out.
Decimated. People now seem to think it means virtually destroyed but it means reduced by 10%.

That's not what decimated means

Justfinking · 09/12/2023 06:40

Noseyoldcow · 08/12/2023 23:04

Well, there's the Fairytale of New York song, where one calls the other a faggot. Which when I was growing up meant a misery guts of either sex. But is now a rude word for a homosexual.

Oh I always wondered about that. I love that song but that bit always confused me!

crostini · 09/12/2023 06:41

Manifest!
This one really confuses my mum and aunties when I use it in the modern way.

WashItTomorrow · 09/12/2023 06:45

Awful - used to mean “inspiring awe”. Nothing to do with “horrid”.

Sussurations · 09/12/2023 06:46

Bunfight used to mean something like a WI tea party, ie a gathering with buns etc to eat. Now means an argument, if not actually a fight.

The saying the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Now people say the proof is in the pudding, which doesn’t really mean much - it’s more like ‘wait and see’ or ‘we’ll see’.

The word ‘masterful’ still means the same, but people also use it when they mean ‘masterly’.

One which hasn’t changed meaning is the saying ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it’ but my mum says ‘you can’t have the penny and the bun’ which I like. I like bun-related sayings!

WashItTomorrow · 09/12/2023 06:46

Cute - used to mean “clever”. Possibly still used like that in some regions.

sorrynotathome · 09/12/2023 06:50

Incredible used to mean scarcely believable or unbelievable (which is literally what it means) but now just means “quite good”.

AnImaginaryCat · 09/12/2023 06:51

Davros · 08/12/2023 23:37

Fantastic. It didn't used to mean excellent/good, it meant incomprehensible or very unusual/way out.
Decimated. People now seem to think it means virtually destroyed but it means reduced by 10%.

Your "now" is covering a long period of time! Decimate has been used to mean "kill, destroy, or remove a large proportion of" since the 1660s.

There's a few other words that had specific definitions in ancient Rome, that have long been used otherwise. These never seem to come up on these threads for some reason.

sorrynotathome · 09/12/2023 06:52

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

A faggot is a kind of large meatball wrapped in some animal’s innards (Northern).

lizzy8230 · 09/12/2023 06:54

@crostini manifesting an idea isn't a very modern usage, I'm pretty sure it's been around for centuries

ichundich · 09/12/2023 07:02

Gaslighting

VaddaABeetch · 09/12/2023 07:10

Woman used mean Adult Human Female.

Now it appears to mean an idea inside a man’s head. Usually associated with regressive stereotypes.

Dillydelly · 09/12/2023 07:14

@WashItTomorrow cute is still used in that context by some people in Ireland. A common saying is "oh he's a cute hoor alright" generally in relation to someone who is corrupt

Chewbecca · 09/12/2023 07:20

Everyone Gregg Wallace uses unctuous wrongly. It’s not a synonym for yummy, it means kind of greasy. So perhaps it has changed, or is in the process of changing its ‘common meaning’.

PercyPhelps · 09/12/2023 07:36

At some point the meaning of ‘making love’ changed from a man’s attempts to court a women to sex. In PG Woodhouse or Agatha Christie books it is used but does anyone know when/why it changed to the modern usage?

BarbaraofSeville · 09/12/2023 07:37

sorrynotathome · 09/12/2023 06:50

Incredible used to mean scarcely believable or unbelievable (which is literally what it means) but now just means “quite good”.

Yes, I've been caught out by this a few times, see also phenomenal. I went off chasing a certain type of cheese, view, chocolate or whatever, expecting an out of this world experience, only to be be brought back down to earth with a bump of 'meh, quite nice, not as good as X'.

OnAir · 09/12/2023 07:56

Male and female.

PollyannaWhittier · 09/12/2023 08:03

WashItTomorrow · 09/12/2023 06:46

Cute - used to mean “clever”. Possibly still used like that in some regions.

My (Welsh, in the home counties) home ec teacher used to use cute to mean someone was being an annoying know-all, and then got extremely angry when they deliberately misunderstood her Grin

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 09/12/2023 08:09

Amazing.
It's supposed to mean God and his Angels and the Kingdom of Heaven (am not religious)

Really? I just looked it up and apparently it's from the Middle English word 'amasen', meaning to perplex or bewilder.

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 09/12/2023 08:13

Everyone Gregg Wallace uses unctuous wrongly. It’s not a synonym for yummy, it means kind of greasy. So perhaps it has changed, or is in the process of changing its ‘common meaning’.

I don't think they are using it incorrectly or just meaning 'yummy'. I doubt even Gregg Wallace would use it to describe a delicious fruit or salad. It means greasy or fatty, but in food terms that can easily mean rich.

CumbrianYorkshireHybrid · 09/12/2023 08:17

Goat.