Words you can't use any more

[CoalTit]

I know language evolves and all that. I accepted that "nonplussed" is now an unusable word because so many people take it to mean its opposite. I didn't really have much occasion to use it anyway. But now it turns out that "lame" and "literally' have suffered the same fate.

I've hurt my foot. I tried to explain to a friend on WhatsApp that I won't be going dancing this week, by writing: "I'm literally, technically lame". I got a long voice message in return expressing sympathy for my lack of confidence, saying how intimidating the dance scene can be.
So I tried, "No, lame, like a horse" and that seemed to work.
Then I messaged my upstairs neighbour to say I can't help her with her work in the light well today because I'm lame. I hurt my foot helping her so I thought she'd understand.
She replied asking me to get up the ladder so she can pass things down to me. I tried " I can't help you today; I can barely walk", and she seemed to understand.

I thought I could use "lame" to save myself typing out "I hurt my foot; it's badly swollen and I can barely walk". I thought I could use "literally" to make it clear, but no.

A chap I know in his late twenties hadn’t heard the phrase ‘two-timing’ which I found quite surprising.

It in my experience. It was the kind of casual homophobia you got from older men.

But in their eyes it probably meant the same as corrupt, deviant, 'a wrong 'un' not a completely separate meaning because that was their opinion of homosexuality.

Plussed? The word I'd use would depend on the context. Unperturbed, unfazed, ...

I described something as looking cheap on a Style & beauty thread, and got accused by posters of implying it was tarty. I simply meant it looked like it hadn't cost much.

This letter was in the Telegraph this morning. I have to say, I didn’t know that’s what epicentre meant.

“Epicentre” is often used to describe the exact location of any event or occasion (Letters, October 27). The word is specific to earthquakes, the centre of which is underground, with the epicentre on the surface.
If people wish to incorrectly emphasise a statement, may I suggest a new word – the “megamaxiepicentre”? Alternatively, they could use “centre”.

Fortunately, dh also loves a bit of pedantry. Unfortunately, he always uses 'Trousers at half-mast' incorrectly. I think so, anyway. Please tell me what you think it means.

I'd have thought slung too low like half way down their arse.

@PaperPanama , trousers that don't reach your shoes.

I always imagine a pair of trousers which are short, in an ill-fitting kind of way - flapping around above the ankles, when they should be brushing the top of the shoe!

But a flag at half mast is lower than it normally is, not higher.

One of my team called up and a younger colleague took the call
team member said she felt rather bilious and wouldn’t be coming in and the young colleague said to her what’s that 🫣

I'm imagining waitband round the knees like you got up from the loo and didn't do the zip back up

Its.

You mean selfless?

I wouldn’t say selfless exactly. More that you don’t have any skin in the game.

Yes, that's perfect - an observer who is on the fence with nothing to offer either side.

I think we must be of the same era, @ErrolTheDragon. I'm hard pushed to remember whether "bent as a nine bob note" referred to a homosexual or a corrupt copper. As I was 11 when homosexuality was legalised in the UK, I reckon I used the expression in relation to a corrupt copper, though I probably heard it used by homophobic men at the time to refer to gay men.

This is hideous!

Well, now, this is interesting. My understanding is that trousers at half-mast have not beeen pulled up all the way, like a flag at half-mast is not all the way up at the top of the flagpost. Dh uses it to mean trousers that are too short. It seems that the MN pedants are also split on this.

Surely that's not half-mast at all? Surely the appropriate phrase for that particular scenario is "Why don't you spread some jam on your shoes and invite your trousers down for tea?!"

That’s what I thought - the internet seems to disagree and think it means short trousers but I’m positive my mother used it for low slung ‘hanging at half mast’ so the internet must be wrong. DM had a saying ‘mother is always right, even when she isn’t’.😂

I think this is the correct pendant take on it. Things at half mast are too low not too high.

Who or what is the correct pendant?

Ive only used lame for an animal, thought id look it up and is apparently outdated and offensive.

Well, every day's a school day.

My late mother.