Words that have stopped being used or changed meaning

[Duleigh]

I have one worse than "Hack"

I was hired by Adelphia to build control servers for digital cable systems. No big deal, follow the instructions, sweat, swear, and kick the damn thing a few times and it works. Once they were built it was my job to run them. I controlled 96 cable systems up and down the east coast from West Palm beach to Boston. That made me an "Engineer"

I said, "Really?"

They handed me a handful of money

I said, "Really!" I'm an engineer. My degree is in English, my previous job was running the tech center at Staples, but the paycheck said "Engineer."

 

[Emilymcplugger]

https://media.tenor.com/zX_tLb6Sv80AAAAC/the-big-lebowski-jeff-bridges.gif

Nope. Never been into it, which is ironic considering that it does play a huge role in my story-telling, but I don’t mind performing it.

For me, every night can be Taco Tuesday.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Meh! I get that a lot. I don’t drink, have never done drugs, don’t see the point in going out drinking a lot, and don’t receive oral.

I tried one puff of weed and nearly had an asthma attack. I’ve never smoked tobacco (same reason). I do, on a very rare occasion, have a moderate amount of alcohol, in a wholly sensible fashion, and not one that leads to me being even more nonsensical than normal on AH.

[It is possible that not all of the above is true]

I’ve always been kind of an outlier.

I prefer being an underlier.

[I could do an insurance joke, but only two people would get it]

Em

 

[UsuallyPresent]

I have one worse than "Hack"

I was hired by Adelphia to build control servers for digital cable systems. No big deal, follow the instructions, sweat, swear, and kick the damn thing a few times and it works. Once they were built it was my job to run them. I controlled 96 cable systems up and down the east coast from West Palm beach to Boston. That made me an "Engineer"

I said, "Really?"

They handed me a handful of money

I said, "Really!" I'm an engineer. My degree is in English, my previous job was running the tech center at Staples, but the paycheck said "Engineer."

Much like a 'documentation engineer,' or 'sanitation engineer'....

 

[Moon Glade]

This is my life!

Em

Not sure what you mean?

 

[MrPixel]

From my experience, a celebration of life is more a casual get together, for friends and loved ones to share memories and celebrate the life the person lived. Often they're held in halls or community centers, rather than a place of worship.

Not around here. Usually held at the funeral home. Probably due to lack of venues. What you're talking about were once referred to as a "wake". I haven't heard that one in decades.

 

[NoTalentHack]

I'll give you a really old one: silly used to be a synonym for "holy."

In texts from the 10th century, the virgin Mary is referred to as "silly." It was a synonym that denoted a certain level of innocence. So then it morphed into just meaning innocence. Then naivete. Then foolishness. Then madness. Then stupidity. And eventually, into what it means now.

Pretty much every word that is a pejorative meaning "unintelligent" was at one point an accepted and socially polite word for "special needs." And even that is now turning into "sped," an insult. Idiot, moron, etc. all used to be "nice" words for referring to the same "type" of folks.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Not sure what you mean?

Oh dear, how boring for everyone:

1. My second boyfriend was British, met him when I was doing a summer job at Wildwood and he was vacationing
2. In part to see how things might work out with him (they didn’t), I later signed up for study abroad and did a semester in London, followed by exploring the country and a short continental trip
3. My current boyfriend / future husband was born in London, his parents are both British (now dual US) and they moved to the US for his Dad’s work when he was three and his sister seven
4. So he’s as American as me, but gets an odd accent when he talks to his folks
5. He also uses British phrases that he picked up from his parents / relatives
6. His sister (who we see a lot) uses more and still has a vaguely British accent
7. His Mom sounds like the late Queen
8. His Dad had more of an educated London accent
9. He also has relatives in the UK, just met some of them
10. I have two London-based staff on my team at work
11. I don’t know if it’s pronounced sKedule or sHedule anymore

Em

 

[onehitwanda]

sHeduke

technically the term is Duchess.

sorry. It's entirely Pavlovian. I can't control the voices.

 

[EmilyMiller]

technically the term is Duchess.

sorry. It's entirely Pavlovian. I can't control the voices.

I can’t type - so sue me!

Em

 

[onehitwanda]

Nope. Never been into it, which is ironic considering that it does play a huge role in my story-telling, but I don’t mind performing it.

For me, every night can be Taco Tuesday.

Can I have your helping of it then? Since you're not going to... ahem... want it...

https://media.tenor.com/GxiEZhVxT08AAAAM/my-hero-academia-whistle.gif

 

[Emilymcplugger]

Can I have your helping of it then? Since you're not going to... ahem... want it...

https://media.tenor.com/GxiEZhVxT08AAAAM/my-hero-academia-whistle.gif

Sorry, the other half gets that.

As she always says “fancy dessert?”

 

[onehitwanda]

I can’t type - so sue me!

Em

This made me think of how on earth to track you down, then I was going to pun on putting things in your box, and, well, one thing led to another...

 

[onehitwanda]

Sorry, the other half gets that.

As she always says “fancy dessert?”

oh fie on you. I got all hopeful

 

[EmilyMiller]

This made me think of how on earth to track you down, then I was going to pun on putting things in your box, and, well, one thing led to another...

Will watch when back home!

Em

 

[tenyari]

Ah, I have another one: "literally." While the figurative literal, the usage of the word as an intensifier rather than to say "this is a thing that really happened," has been kicking around forever, the sudden shift towards its usage as intensifier over the last 10-15 years is new.

I was amazed that cum was viewed as a recent interloper by many of the - shall we say - more venerable AH denizens.

Both 'cum' and 'literally' as an intensifier are things I've been using since my childhood in the 1970s.

 

[MrPixel]

... My degree is in English, my previous job was running the tech center at Staples, but the paycheck said "Engineer."

Not at all unusual. My last job title was "Systems Engineer" although my degree is computer science, which at the time was a math degree. Now I was truly an engineer in the sense that I designed, implemented and maintained complex systems, which was probably similar to what you did.

In some states you cannot have the title "Engineer" unless you have a P.E. (Professional Engineer) certification. It was a defensive move against fly-by-night contractors who'd call themselves "engineers" when what they were was builders who couldn't know an actual structural calculation if it bit 'em on the butt.

 

[Moon Glade]

Oh dear, how boring for everyone:

1. My second boyfriend was British, met him when I was doing a summer job at Wildwood and he was vacationing
2. In part to see how things might work out with him (they didn’t), I later signed up for study abroad and did a semester in London, followed by exploring the country and a short continental trip
3. My current boyfriend / future husband was born in London, his parents are both British (now dual US) and they moved to the US for his Dad’s work when he was three and his sister seven
4. So he’s as American as me, but gets an odd accent when he talks to his folks
5. He also uses British phrases that he picked up from his parents / relatives
6. His sister (who we see a lot) uses more and still has a vaguely British accent
7. His Mom sounds like the late Queen
8. His Dad had more of an educated London accent
9. He also has relatives in the UK, just met some of them
10. I have two London-based staff on my team at work
11. I don’t know if it’s pronounced sKedule or sHedule anymore

Em

My first wife was from Lancashire so over the years I learned English as well as Lancashireisms. She of course had no problem with Skouse but while we were in Glasgow we had to get an interpreter from Edinburgh to translate for us. Your 'Oh dear, how boring for everyone' is typical Brit phrasing...it does wear off on us.

 

[EmilyMiller]

My first wife was from Lancashire so over the years I learned English as well as Lancashireisms. She of course had no problem with Skouse but while we were in Glasgow we had to get an interpreter from Edinburgh to translate for us. Your 'Oh dear, how boring for everyone' is typical Brit phrasing...it does wear off on us.

Doesn’t seem to happen the other way round for some reason.

Em

 

[Emilymcplugger]

oh fie on you. I got all hopeful

Funnily enough today my boss was talking and she was referring to the paying in and paying out teams as “givers” and “receivers”.

Being filthy-minded we both cracked up.

 

[Moon Glade]

Doesn’t seem to happen the other way round for some reason.

Em

Your right. I never thought of that. Although over the years my wife sounded less and less Brit when we lived in the US although she never picked up US idioms. But when she read aloud I thought I was hearing the BBC lady.

 

[UsuallyPresent]

Doesn’t seem to happen the other way round for some reason.

Em

More experience in cultural appropriation?

 

[Trionyx]

It’s scientifically proven that Emilys / Emilies (delete as applicable) are 47.3% better at giving oral sex (no significant variation in was found based on the gender of the recipient) and 38.5% better at receiving it (with a slightly higher score recorded for female donors than male). They also are smarter than the average bear.

Em

Since you've told us on more than one occasion your real name isn't Emily, I can only surmise you are 47.3 worse at giving oral sex... ouch!

 

[EmilyMiller]

Since you've told us on more than one occasion your real name isn't Emily, I can only surmise you are 47.3 worse at giving oral sex... ouch!

My name is Emily. Miller isn’t my surname as I’m not terminally stupid .

Em

 

[Trionyx]

I stand corrected. You may assume your 47.3% superiority.