Old Words and New Words

I was reading a book today. Yes, really - a book. Not the kindle. One of those old-fashioned blocks of paper and card that doesn’t stay open like the kindle when you are trying to eat toast and drink your tea (or coffee !)

It was written in the 1980’s and I kept coming across words that confused me. Did we really use some of those words in the 1980’s ?

I am being anaesthetised by modern slang and abbreviations

The first one was fiat, as in a fiat delivered from the court.

Now the only Fiats I know being delivered are those from the main dealers. The word wasn’t in my Oxford English Dictionary (another book !) so I Googled it, and sure enough, there were my first page of options:-

FIAT – City and Family Cars, the FIAT Official website

FIAT main dealers for the best choice of new and used vehicles,

or a Wikipedia entry on FIAT, largest Italian automobile manufacturers. Production output 1,455,650 units (2010)

It was only in the small print at the bottom of page 1 that fiat with a small f was mentioned. Turns out it is a formal authorisation or proposition. A decree. An arbitrary order. So that what was being delivered, not a Fiat 500.

Fiat was a much used word 100 years ago, but now lost almost without trace. When I checked the online Oxford English Dictionary, the word was there. But it would be with 600,000 entries. My book version only had 100,000.

Other words in my 1980’s book were “Simulacrum”, “Atavistic”, “complaisant” and “Derivative”, words largely being replaced by shortened ones today in popular speech and writing, as we email and text with speed being the critical factor.

BTW I had to LOL (these should be in by the end of this year)

The OED is adding to its entries 4 times a year, at the rate of about 500 a quarter.

You will be pleased to know that such modern day masterpieces as Geek, Gob, Gobby and Gobsmacked are all now approved and documented.

Also Brexit, Brunchtime, Browsability and Brr-brr to name but a few others as I scanned down the list.

Selfie is there, plus YouTuber, and Glam-ma (a glamorous grandmother)

I also noticed that Out-strategized (with a z) was included, which I consider very un-English. Maybe a stateside wordsmith has infiltrated the organisation.

All a bit depressing. The Only positive is that we can now make our own words up, as obviously anything goes. Write it a few times in your posts and pages, and it will be in the Oxford English Dictionary before you know it

BFN

Chris