this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2024
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Inspired by something I said last night when complaining about an achievement at work and the only way I could think to describe it was "pure frippery."

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[–] Canadian_Cabinet@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Last week a coworker described a restaurant as being "kitty-corner" from our office. Took me forever to figure out what they meant

[–] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I occasionally hear "catty-corner" too.

[–] LunarLoony@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I was always under the impression that was a similar expression to 'dog-eared', i.e. a bit beaten up. But maybe I'm conflating it with another phrase

[–] Wolf314159@startrek.website 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Dog-eared means that a corner got folded down (making a diagonal) on a page as a bookmark. A dog-eared book isn't necessarily beat-up beyond the damage to the corners of pages. Catty-cornered or kitty-cornered is adjacent to something on the diagonal, i.e. not orthogonally next to it like up, down, left, or right. So there is an argument to be made for a loose (coincidental) connection between those ideas, but I don't think they come from the same roots.

[–] Classy@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago

I'm my area it's said "caddy corner", or you might hear the random old euphemistic "caddy-wampus" which means either "diagonal to reference position" or "all fucked up!"

[–] Adderbox76@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I used the phrase "tilting at windmills" when discussing current politics and got looked at like an insane person.

No one reads anymore, apparently.

[–] ArtVandelay@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Aww I loved that book when we read it in school

[–] whaleross@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Heh. Back in my youth in the 1990s I used dated slang ironically and now it is part of my daily vocabulary. Neither myself or anybody else can tell if it is ironic or not. Now I'm just a middle aged man speaking in a weird capitol city dialect in the second largest city, which by the locals is a crime on its own.

[–] m4xie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 month ago

That's shits tubular, yo!

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Yesterday I learned the word Steez from my son in high school.

Still not completely sure what it means, but I believe it's something between a dork and a douche.

[–] JesusSon@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

So back in the 90s "steez" was your overall style. Like "this dude's steez is off the chain." But it's not just style but also hutzpha, so "check this steez yo, fresh shells smoking a blunt on the street"

Idk what it means today but this old head used to have steez but then I got old and now I just sneeze rimshot I'll be here all night folks.

Long post just to ask, is that still what it means?

Edit: forgot a part

[–] superkret@feddit.org 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I’ll be here all night folks.

In your bed, snoring, right?

PunchlineBecause you are old

[–] JesusSon@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Nothing good happens after 8pm anyways

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I think it does still mean that, but, not in a good way.

The 90s celebrated Steez (which I personally never heard of back then) then it's definition today is essentially "The 90s called and they want their style back."

Definitely explains why he had to borrow some of my clothes for it. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[–] JesusSon@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Ha, isn't that how it always goes? Like dope, if my dad called me a dope it was because I was being stupid. If I called you dope it was because you were cool.

[–] stringere@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You know my steez

True indeed

Say it loud

Black and proud

Ain't no time to hesitate at the gate

Do it now!

[–] JesusSon@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Are you the raw sugar cane, nutrasweet, never equal? If you were in Binzito or your mother's Buick Regal would you get up like Chino shouting power to the people?

[–] stringere@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago

Yes, the first cut should be the deepest
To penetrate beyond the muscle wall's inner regions

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago

I've heard steeze in snowboard / Park rat culture. Though it's a bit dated it means like, style/vibe/look

[–] kaklerbitmap@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I don't personally think it's wierd, but my partner told me I sounded like an old for using the word "flummoxed"

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] Kayday@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Today you may be a youth, but you will be an old someday.

[–] stringere@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago

I only recently realized that I am doomed to become that which I loathe: an old white man.

[–] Taniwha420@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

My parents emigrated from Aus/NZ just before I was born, so I inherited a bunch of weird down-under, outdated vocabulary.

"What are you fossicking around in the pantry for?" "Did you find a few skerrigs of chocolate?" "I need to use the dunny." "That guy in car dealership was apoplectic."

Lots of other turns of phrase, but - with the possible exception of "dunny" are legit words.

EDIT: OK. A few others, I still use 'blasted' as an adjective. If my kids do something ridiculous, "Jesus wept, child," sometimes comes out of my mouth. Then a bunch of, "running around like a sprayed blowfly," or, "wandering around like a lost soul."

[–] Adderbox76@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 month ago

apoplectic

Legitimately one of my favourite words.

[–] shinigamiookamiryuu@lemm.ee 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I'm a cultural Kiwi and don't recognize half of these.

In the case of dunny, I was trained on calling it the loo.

[–] Taniwha420@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Fossicking and skerrig are related to mining activities, so may be more localized to areas were the gold rush was big. I confirmed they're actual words.

[–] shinigamiookamiryuu@lemm.ee 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

TIL there was an Australian gold rush.

[–] Taniwha420@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Yeah, in between the gold rush in San Fransisco, and the gold rush in British Columbia.

[–] aimizo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

My kids and I use dunny now because of Bluey.

[–] sunbrrnslapper@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

I used rigamarole in an email to a colleague today. And I regularly use kerfuffle.

[–] cheese_greater@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Peripatetic = walking person. By "use" i mean read and looked it up im dictionary

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago

No fair if you're a nurse

[–] compostgoblin 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

One of my new favorites when trying to decide if something is worth doing - “Is the juice worth the squeeze?”

[–] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

That’s gotta be very old

[–] CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

To use the word cozy as a verb. To coze or to be cozed.

[–] jve@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Cozy is already a verb

verb

INFORMAL

  1. give (someone) a feeling of comfort or complacency.

    "she cozied him, pretending to find him irresistibly attractive"

[–] CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Sure but that’s not coze or cozed.

[–] Stomata@buddyverse.one 4 points 1 month ago

Shit of a beast

[–] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 1 month ago

I use the phrase "wide-awake nightmare" kind of a lot.

At least I know where I picked it up from, the Screaming Skull episode of MST3k.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Dropped a Tom Swifty on my wife... the other day.

"They want me to check in at the hospital..."

"She said admittedly."

I got "the look".

[–] Akasazh@feddit.nl 3 points 1 month ago

'Spasmodic'. A boy walked in the sidewalk and he showed signs of having cerebral palsy.. Somehow that word popped up and it surprised me how topical that word was and that I don't realize how I know the word.

[–] Aatube@kbin.melroy.org 1 points 1 month ago

jimmanuel centennial carter