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.

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Waitrose proclaiming that they had decimated their prices.

This means ‘I can see your arse’. Trousers lowered to half height, like a flag. Waistband below underpants.

Trousers that are too short need to be lowered. That’s the opposite.

I’d surmise that the issue with trouser descriptions is that ‘half mast’ is a neat term. There isn’t a similarly neat term for ‘too short’, so people have erroneously adopted the wrong term, just because it’s there.

How are people using it wrongly? It's not a word I ever say or hear in general conversation

It means too short.

The term was used when I was a child long before anyone wore trousers half way down their arse. It means half way up the leg.

HALF-MAST | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/half-mast

Apparently it could mean either.

For a flag to be at half mast, the flagpole has to be visible above and below the flag. If the ‘flagpole’ is being used as a metaphor for a person, it would make sense that the head is visible at the top of the ‘flagpole’ and the ankles are visible at the bottom.

People use it to mean not interested in as find it boring or don't care. As opposed to unbiased.

So a judge in a case should be disinterested but not uninterested (which implies she isn't paying attention).

When a flag is flown at half-mast, it isn’t just pulled half-way up the flagpole. It’s raised to the very top and then lowered again. Isn’t it?

People commonly misuse disinterested to mean uninterested.

Walkman

I don't think it's that specific in relation to trousers.

Have you never seen a teenager look in the mirror and adjust their trousers before going out? 🤪

The bit about the flag going up first then down doesn't relate that specifically to trousers. I have two adult grandsons and two teenage ones. They don't wear their trousers round their arses or hoik them up and down so I don't know what you mean.

Then they've got better taste than many.

@FallingfortheUnderdog , others have posted, but:
Disinterested means impartial or unbiased, while uninterested means not interested or lacking curiosity.

I was just in NY and, somewhere near Grand Central, was walking behind a youth who had so fully committed to the half-mast trousers that they were fully underneath his buttocks, and only the exaggerated way he walked (sort of throwing each leg out to the side with every step) kept them from falling to his ankles. I kind of admired his commitment. It must have been absolutely exhausting, and very slow. Like walking in a spancil.

Apart from Simon Cowell and Richie from Bottom, I don't think I've ever seen anybody wearing trousers where their head wasn't visible

I'm finding hard to believe a 10 year old doesn't know the duel meanings of gay and queer, and deduce from that when using those words may be unclear or cause confusion.
If this is indeed true you need to widen her world.

Yes it makes little sense to me. What exactly did she say and how did the getting into trouble manifest itself?

duel meanings

Oops

That’s fighting talk!