Good English Words that are Ruined Forever
85Over time the meaning of a word can change or the popular definition of the word can be redefined. Sometimes the new definition is so strong that it overshadows the primary definition and renders the word almost unusable in its original context. Consider the following words. Some of these words are now considered crude and even sexist. I’m just talking about the words here so please don’t get mad at me.
Gay - Tell me, can we use this word in a sentence these days and not have it refer to sexual orientation. To say someone was happy and gay did not used to bring into question his or her choice of partner. These days, unless you are making a point or you are dealing with the subject of sexual orientation, the word gay is avoided like the plague. There was a time when everyone wanted to be gay. There were Gayety Theaters in many towns including downtown Washington. The amusing thing is that the Gayety Theater downtown put on a popular burlesque show; I take the fifth on how I know that.
Bitch - Everyone knows a bitch is a female dog, but just try to say a sentence out loud in mixed company with the word bitch in it. You can either get snickers or objects thrown at you by outraged women. The term has come to mean a negative opinion of a woman when in reality it has nothing to do with the temperament of the female dog. I’ve owned some very pleasant bitches in my time. Being related to a dog in any case is not very flattering but female dogs are also being maligned. People think when a guy is called a son of a bitch that the insult is directed at the guy’s mother. That is not true. It indicates that he was not born of his mother at all but from the dog in the basement.
Cock - Try to use this in a normal sentence and not get a reaction. The honored rooster has always been the king of the henhouse. The term cock fit him well. It described the way he appears to strut around his domain. You can describe a person as being cocky or they can be cock sure and that might bring a mild reaction, but write, “the cock stood tall and proud,” and see what reaction you get. I’m sure you would be accused of using foul, or is it fowl, language.
Balls - This word has only been slightly impaired; there are still many ways to use it without having a problem. The problem comes when it is preceded by a possessive pronoun. When you say, “my balls are red”, someone may think you are describing a medical condition. If you say, “my balls are big”, you may be accused of boasting. Yes it would take someone whose mind is in the right place, but let’s face it, when is a guy’s mind not in that place?
Randy - This one is to honor my friends in the UK. For my US friends who may not know, Randy is a popular term for “horny” in the UK. I’m sure it was initially used as a more civil term but I’m bending the rules a bit to get this one in. I wanted to put this in because of the little story behind it. I went to the UK back in 1992 to do some work. I went with a guy whose sheer nature made him an international incident waiting to happen. This guy’s name happened to be Randy. I don’t believe he made it out of the country without being arrested or getting beat up by an irate server. If anyone deserved his name, it was Randy.
I’m sure you can come up with a few of these victimized words yourself if you try. They once held their proper place in conversation, but now they lost their way. What good words of today will end up being the unmentionable words of tomorrow, we will see.
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I supposed. :-)
My younger brother's name was Randy (we lost him when he was 16). He was a nice, sweet, kid. What I think is funny is that while it is not polite to speak of 'balls' in polite society, many people (at least in the southwest) substitute 'cojones' (Spanish for, well, balls) and it is perfectly acceptable.
Certainly makes you think. I've noticed with teens (in UK) the new word for "Good" is now "bad". So, if your wearing a nice pair of shoes and a teen says to you "they're so bad", please take it as a compliment.
How about the word fly; it now means pretty or sexy.
Pete, how about the names Dick or Willie? I've know of few of those... My daughter is now a young adult, but I remember her using words like phat or sick for good or great.
Beach t_shirts are a great source of name jokes. Hey what an idea for a hub. Anyway one was See Dick drink, See Dick drive, See Dick wreck. Don't be a Dick.
Gay means "lame" or "un-cool" amongst the younger set now, for what it's worth. It still means "homosexual" broadly, and "cheerful" in patches, but it mostly means un-cool if you are 40-ish or under, and particularly if you are 25 or under. It's one of those annoying words where it's innocent in one conversation and incendiary in the next, and you never know who's poised and waiting for an opportunity to be offended.
I was having a ball reading this hub. And I recall the Flintstones having a gay ol time in their neighbourhood which proves homosexuality was around in the stoneage before it was seen to be unseemly. Errr?
It is hard keeping up with the vernacular meaning of words, especially without the help of having had children which helps keep one abreast of the latest in interpretations. Guess hubpages will keep me updated. Thanks Pete for your part in it! Ha!
Working with Americans in the UK it was always good for a laugh when some one asked for a rubber. (the usual british term for an eraser) I could go on but it gets worse. Incidentally I have a friend whose name is Gay, poor woman.
When language evolves, it rarely seems to do so for the better!
Teresa!!!
A friend of mine bought one of those machines that filters out any bad words off the tv. He thought it was great until he figured out it was filtering out "balls", "hoe", and "screw". ESPN, HGTV, and DIY were just impossible to watch.
Great idea. You should expand this with all the new suggestions
Such a focus for us lustful guys that they required many names.
Gay was a very popular girls name 100 years ago. It is my middle name. I found out the hard way, growing up, that it had lost its beauty. :(
Faggot is another word that has lost its meaning. It is not acceptable to 'collect faggots (small sticks) for the fire,' as found in many older books!
Really enjoyed this hub! In the UK faggots are something you eat. They are like a meatball made out of offal.
And also in the UK, fags are something people smoke.
Offal is a funny word to us Yanks. It makes us think the stuff is awful.
Pete,
I really liked the topic of your hub! I don't think anybody else has touched upon it ever before. Also, 'crack' was a normal respectable word until someone associated with the drug! The other day I was asking a friend "I think I saw a crack over there" and he was like Jeez, I sure feel like smokin' it!
Great Hub! :D
Hi Pete, Just checked your page to read the latest comment and noticed you have now written 100 Hubs. Well Done! I'll be sending you a Virtual bottle of Champayne. Lol. Keep them coming....
Thanks Lady
Ya... Sad But True.
Good one, Pete! Yeah, "gay" meant "un-cool" when I was a kid, too (25 yrs. ago). How about: hoe/ho, clink (jail), thick (as in "she is thick") referring to body type. I guess these are still in original use, though. Hmmm...Do another hub!
OH! CONGRATS ON HITTING 100!
Thanks, maybe this does deserve a sequel.
Cool hub Pete...grins....I think the new word for p**is is cheney? :)
Nice one... Everyone knows the other term used for Richard but I can't very well call myself livewithd*** now can I...lol
I'll second that one Tom.
For the sequel may I suggest a story about Johnson, who got caught jerking his hand away from the knob when he felt the prick of sharp metal?
Excellent! That's is another challenge. See how many ruined words can be used in a sentence. That's hard to beat; oops did I say something bad?
Loved your article. So true about words being ruined. Sometimes when i teach and use the word gay from a classic novel in my english class, i see my students giggling.. Will definitely try to find more words like these.
Loved your article. One word which comes to mind is the the word "dicky" commonly used in India for boot of the car, and rubber for eraser. The name Pansy caused great embarrasment to a girl in school years ago and she got it officially changed!
A dicky was also a fake turtle neck worn under another shirt.
LOL, I was making up a silly song and singing to to my 2 and 3 year old grandsons. I sang, "We are happy and gay....." I abruptly stopped and said, "Okay, scratch that, guys, we are happy, but we are NOT gay, okay?"
A college professor of mine called it bastardization. And maybe we just don't ascribe contexts and meanings like we should. Or are unaware that we eventually shoo some words to obsolescence.
I think our language has deteriorated over the last couple of decades, (or else I'm just getting old lol) and I have trouble keeping up with all the slang. I find I have the tendency to correct the kids' grammar...guess that means I am getting old! LOL
Alright me ole cocker!!;)
Etymology has always interested me and the ever changing of words and meanings and what they mean in differant parts of the world!!
I have two nick names, and i had to ask many people from over seas which one i should use because either one of the names could have meant something very offennsive or just pants!
LOL...interesting hub. After reading some of those David Icke books...I have never been able to think of the word , willie, in the same way. Why that stuck in my mind...well, I have no idea!
So many comments, I was not sure if anyone mentioned the difference between what Fanny means in the UK and the USA?
Great article...you are dead on the fact that these words are quite impossible to use these days
Teresa McGurk says:
7 months ago
But we can still say "he pimped his wiener," right? (Ok, i'm being silly.)