ADVERTISEMENT

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you are having a conversation with someone and they use a word or a phrase that you haven’t heard of and have no idea what it means? There are some people who like to use more colorful language and revive words that are no longer used or have changed their meaning throughout time. If you still feel lost when you hear some archaic word or phrase, you are not alone as one Reddit user, @SunRevolutionary8315, asked other people online “What is an outdated word or phrase an older family member uses that makes your brain hurt?” Soon people started sharing sayings their parents, grandparents and other older relatives use in their everyday language and trying to explain the meaning behind these words. So if you’re also looking for ways to expand your vocabulary, the post with more than 34k upvotes is a great source of knowledge.  

Do you know someone in your family who also likes to puzzle you with outdated language? Don’t forget to share it in the comments down below!

More Info: Reddit

#1

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group Anyone else get told they were “Cruisin for a bruisin” as a kid or just me?

CuteCanary , Jamie Smed Report

#2

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group My late father (born in '33) used to say he'd been "d**ked by the dangling dong of destiny" when something went wrong that was out of his control.

mourninglark , Sarah Stierch Report

Add photo comments
POST
spirit wolf
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I will be adopting this phrase, going into effect immediately. Thank you!

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#3

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group When I was a kid and we had a slow start to our day my mother would say “we’re off like a herd of turtles” still makes me smile

kurtsta , Krabiman Report

#4

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group There was an older gentleman, about 70, that I used to work with that looked at me and said “His butter done slid off his biscuit” referring to another coworker acting crazy. I’m in southern Kentucky.

Awerunner , Bill Selak Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#5

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group My grandpa likes to use the phrase "not my monkey, not my circus"

to everyone asking if he's Polish, we're Latino. He says it in both Spanish and English, "no es mi circo, no son mis monos". I didn't realize until writing it out that he flips the order in English.

Career_Much , Ben Tullis Report

#6

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group answers the phone

“Yellow!”

fjordbastard , Erik Vanden Report

Add photo comments
POST
Sky Render
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Better than the early 2000s, when the standard phone greeting was "WHAZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!?"...

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#7

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group Went into a speed shop the other day and overheard the shop owner talking to someone on the phone. Man was 60+ and said un-ironically "Catch ya on the flip side Daddio" to end the conversation he was having.

ampd1450 , Adam Report

#8

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group slight stray from question, my english professor says “heavens to betsy”

MyxHere13 , Shane Global Report

Add photo comments
POST
Otter
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Your English professor isn't allowed to swear on the job

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
#9

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group You can call me anything you like except late for dinner!

I use this all the time and my wife tells me that’s something only old men say

Flashy_Concern_4676 , Peter Hellberg Report

Add photo comments
POST
Vicky Z
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hello Mr "in time for dinner" I'm Mrs "always room for dessert"

View more commentsArrow down menu
#10

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group “If ifs and buts were candies and nuts, we’d all have a merry Christmas”

aGrlHasNoUsername , Antonio Castagna Report

#11

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group My nana says “That really turns me on” about ANYTHING. Good ice cream, a movie, music, doesn’t matter.

spinkyrinky , alex yosifov Report

#12

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group "Davenport" to mean couch. Apparently, it was a name-brand couch back in the day.

bradradio , Kara Babcock Report

#13

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group My mom was not a fan of colorful language, I can't recall ever hearing an f-bomb escape her lips. But if she was mad at someone, she would say "They can just go piss up a rope!" I still don't know WTF she meant.

nachobitxh , dailyinvention Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#14

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group My dad used to say “That’ll put lead in your pencil”.

FactoryV4 , Yusuke SAKAI Report

Add photo comments
POST
Tiny Dancer
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's got to be right up there with, "That'll put hair on your chest!", which always bugged me seeing as I was a chick, lol.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#15

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group My mother used to say "he's got his wobbly boots on" whenever she saw someone drunk.

kiss_my_what , boothekolt Report

#16

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group When you put something in your mouth it's really hot and react.

Que grandma "well it wasn't cooked on a f*****k sewing machine"

thatmaintenanceguy , Emma Jane Report

Add photo comments
POST
Daniel Pacheco
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

wonder if your grandma has latino roots? Sewing machines and to-saw, in castellano & spanish is 'máquina cosedora' / 'coser' (which is very simmilar to 'cocer' /to cook

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#17

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group My father says, and I quote, "Foshizzle Manizzle."

Vesper2004 , Remy Sharp Report

Add photo comments
POST
Joanna
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, this is something older millennials remember. I remember it from 9th grade and I'm 32.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#18

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group When talking about drinking, my dad says "I got plowed the other night" rather than "I got drunk the other night"

Practical-Usual-4414 , Juan Camilo Trujillo Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#19

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group I have a friend, about 15 years older than me, who constantly says s**t like "bump uglies".

KomedyChameleon , Charles Brewer Report

#20

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group My mom is 71, she says things are cool. But she pronounces it like kewel, or kyoul.

OhAces , Jessica Merz Report

Add photo comments
POST
Mary Rose Kent
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She’s only five years older than I am and one of my faves is “cool beans”

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#21

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group "The devil's been beatin' his wife"- when the sun is out but it's still raining. I heard this a lot growing up but apparently some people have never heard of it?

confused_enby102 , followtheseinstructions Report

Add photo comments
POST
Yugan Talovich
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's a very old English proverb that goes something like, If it rains while the sun is shining, the devil is beating his wife with a leg of mutton. It's so weird I've never forgotten it.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#22

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group My grandma would say “bull feathers” instead of bulls**t

Hunk_n_Butt , hotzeplotz Report

#23

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group My older relatives in Michigan (all passed away now) used to say Geez-O-Pete instead of Jesus Christ, I guess so as not to blaspheme? Who f**king knows?

motown_missile , Carlos Ebert Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#24

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group My dad still talks about "The Japs!" Like he fought in world war 2. But he's too young and also not American.

Sparkes , Ryan Hyde Report

Add photo comments
POST
Caro Caro
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lots of countries had to fight the Japanese in WWII. Dutch, British, Australians and then there were all the locals like Malay, Indonesian, etc.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#25

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group I hate when old people ask “can you whack this off for me”

For $20 anything is possible tho

MarkedHondaMan , John Trainor Report

Add photo comments
POST
Thorfin Wolfsbane
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"technically, sir, if I whacked it off for you, it wouldn't be called whacking off..."

View more commentsArrow down menu
#26

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group My coworker says "It's hotter than a blistered d**k in a wool sock"

CoolWalrus2085 , AnnaKika Report

#27

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group 50/50 chance my mom is gonna say “and we’re off like a dirty shirt” when leaving an establishment.

I kinda like it though

Moonflufff , woodleywonderworks Report

Add photo comments
POST
Mary Rose Kent
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My favorite is “Let’s blow this popsicle stand.” I like it so much that I had a Swedish person tell me how to say it, so now I say (this is a transliteration since I have now idea how it it would be spelled in Swedish) the upper-case letters are said in a higher tone than the lower-case ones (apparently this matters) “Lo-TOOS spreng-A det-TA EES-glass stahnd...or, in the language of my people, Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#28

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group grandpa: says narcist instead of narcissist. apparently back in the day that was normal

grandma: if wishes were fishes we’d have a big fry

Embarrassed-Cream , C Watts Report

Add photo comments
POST
Leo Domitrix
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"If wishes were Porsches, beggars would drive" ---- my mom having twisted "If wishes were horses".

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#29

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group My mom says she’s “gotta go tink tink” instead of to the bathroom.

VividTangerine , Paul Report

Add photo comments
POST
Jessica Rabbit
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I called it tinkle once and my husband was like, "You are an adult, not a child".

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium
Unlimited content
Ad-free browsing
Dark mode
#30

My father still says oriental

Bro-die6 Report

Add photo comments
POST
Yugan Talovich
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in the Orient where the term is still used and useful. Asia is everything from Arabia to the Philippines. The Orient is the Far East, the Chinese cultural sphere.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#31

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group not offensive, just weird. my dad still says “sipping the sauce” instead of drinking lol

midnight_prophet_ , Kim Lowton Report

Add photo comments
POST
Scagsy
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Here in the UK, people can still be heard saying 'I had a good night on the sauce last night'. Meaning they had many interactions with the barman.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#32

29 Outdated Words And Phrases Some Older Folks Use That Puzzle Millennials And Gen Zers In This Online Group Mother in law.. "black doctor" or "lady doctor" or "man nurse".. always a point worth noting for her

moneyshot62 , OnCall team Report

Add photo comments
POST
Mary Rose Kent
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She probably remembers back when it was pretty much all white men all the time.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#33

Cotton picker. My dad said this instead of swears.

PurpleDerpNinja Report

Add photo comments
POST
Mary Rose Kent
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’ve heard cotton-picking as a substitute for numerous swear words.

View more commentsArrow down menu
#34

Dude, outdated? I get a headhache from my tennage brothers new terminology. Like eating is called dusting. He's dusting the food. What?

Erik-Priebe Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda