In the 21st century especially with emails and texting, you might think only in the last few years have certain phrases or words and initials been used frequently. Well, here are few that easily go back to your grandparents, that they may have used.
There is OMG (O.M.G.) — yes, the expression used back in the 1910s, written out with initials to mean ‘Oh! My God’.
The word Dude, started in the 1880s. It referred to a fancy dressed gentleman in a wilderness environment. It was used to describe a recent immigrant, Albert Krueger, who came from Germany then to New York and settled in the southeast coast of Florida by 1890. He would be dressed properly even as he worked his pineapple fields in the warm Florida weather.
Your grandmother could have well referred to your grandfather a hubby, meaning a woman’s husband. It goes back to the late 1600s. The term wifie or wifey dates back to the late 1700s and was actually used in some of Robert Burns’ poetry.
The letters together of LOL, appears to be very recent, used in Facebook or texting. Instead it goes back to the 1960s and meant ‘little old lady’. Since the 1980s and using computers it now means ‘laugh out loud’.
Ladies know what the LBD means, the little black dress, a classic style of outfit. Those initials and phrase go back to the 1880s, referring to a simple basic black dress worn by a lady.
Next is Trick Out, or Trick Up or Trick Off. This phrase goes back to the 1500s meaning something that is embellished for the distinct purpose of attracting attention. Simply today it means to heavily accessorize a car, boat, house, etc.
Look at Punk, this word goes back to the turn of the 20th century to mean a worthless person. By the 1920s it referred to an inexperienced youth.
With Facebook you would ‘friend’ a person or ‘unfriend‘. That unfriend term goes back to the 1200s and referred to an enemy.
So don’t be surprised if you come across what appears a modern term used in any writings by your ancestors.
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