Words Rarely Heard Anymore

[Lehuaann]

Housecoat

 

[AppleDumpling]

Pocketbook

I believe this is more a regional thing too. (Like sneakers vs. tennis shoes.) Here in NYC area, people of all ages use this word. The T is silent, pronounced like “pockabook”. Purse is what holds your money/credit cards, and goes inside your pocketbook, aka wallet.

My mom called a suitcase a valise, and also what I would call an armoire or wardrobe, a chiffarobe.

 

[ronandannette]

Everyone I know still calls it supper…including me and my whole extended family.

I can go that one better. I grew up calling lunch dinner (as in breakfast, dinner, supper) and my home folks still do.

 

[emer95]

My grandmother used to say “Ye Gods!” When she was surprised. And my grandfather would always reply, “And how.”
I like old fashioned words and phrases.
In a family way
Betrothed
Whipper snapper
She has “taken to her bed”
Sunday best

 

[tvguy]

thongs, as in shoes

Still thongs here. A lot of folks used to call them flip flops when I was a kid 50 years ago.

 

[luv2cheer92]

Maybe your 96 year old grandmother or aunt still says them.

Davenport- sofa
Oleo-margarine
Dungarees-blue jeans
Radar Range-microwave oven
TV Dinners-frozen prepared meals
Clam Diggers-capri length pants. Not to be confused with floods or pedal pushers.
Wastepaper Basket-small trash can for inside the home
Galoshes-boots with buckles worn over shoes in rainy or snowy weather. The low cut version is called rubbers. (Tee hee hee)

Referring to a refrigerator by its brand name-put the oleo back in the Kelvinator (or Fridgidare)

I still hear TV dinners used quite a bit.

Pocketbook

I somewhat recently moved to a new area, but only about 50 miles or so from where I grew up and lived for most of my life. I have now heard probably 5-6 ladies refer to their purse as a pocketbook. Most of them have been in their 60s-70s, but I had never heard that before.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

My MIL is like 80, and she says "Egads"... honestly I never even knew that word was actually used by people.

 

[slo]

SWELL - I love that word. I’m the only person I have ever heard use it in today’s world

FRONT ROOM - instead of living room. My mom and I still say front room - I never hear anyone else say it.

 

[Pooh2]

Everyone I know still calls it supper…including me and my whole extended family.

I still invite my kids for supper all the time!
My son-in-law let me know it is "backwoods"..
But... I still invite them to supper!

 

[Pooh2]

My father passed in November, he still used "ice box" instead of refrigerator.

 

[fly girl]

Saying spectacles when referring to glasses.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

Tennis shoes, which to me are those white Keds, we always called bobos. No, I have no idea why. When we were kids we used to sing, 'Bobos...they make your feet feel fine, bobos...they cost $1.99...' Other sneakers are, well, sneakers.

I say Fridge now, but my Mom called it an icebox.
Still say TV dinner.
We call going to use the ATM 'tapping Mac.'
A sofa is a couch.
I call my purse a purse, but when shopping for one I usually tell my sister I want to look at pocketbooks.
Capris come down to the bottom of your calf. Pedal Pushers are right below the knee.

 

[anniemae]

More of a phrase, but I worked with an older woman once who would say Darn Tootin' when she was agreeing with something you said.

 

[tzolkin]

I haven’t called them tennis shoes in decades - now I say sneakers....

This one is regional, not old fashioned.

I have always called them sneakers because that's the norm for where my parents and I were born. But I've lived most of my life in places where people call them tennis shoes. I've somehow won out in our household. My husband calls them tennis shoes, but all three of our kids say sneakers.

FRONT ROOM - instead of living room. My mom and I still say front room - I never hear anyone else say it.

We had a "front room" in our previous house (technically the parlor in a big Victorian) so my kids are familiar with this word. We always had a "front room/formal living room" when I was growing up even when we lived 7 people in a tiny house. I think most families now use their entire house for daily living instead of reserving spaces for special occasions, so perhaps that's why terms like "front room" have disappeared.

 

[RDR_BU]

Light bill for electric bill.
Mustn't.
Turtle for car trunk.
Getting fresh.

 

[RUDisney]

My MIL is like 80, and she says "Egads"... honestly I never even knew that word was actually used by people.

Gosh, I use so many of these terms, but Egads is one of my favorites, when I'm not using Holy Hannah as an equally old euphemism.

Speaking of which, gosh is probably one, too.

 

[Silver saucer]

Im embarrassed to say I still use many of the previously mentioned words.

 

[T-Daddy]

groovy thread

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

dear=expensive
gay=happy

 

[kiddo76]

Clicker - remote