… and 26 words
I turned fifty yesterday. Throughout my adult life I have been fascinated by language and communication. In particular, I love to watch as the surface of language shifts and undulates – a sea of words whipped into different shapes by the winds of time and culture. This morning I have been reflecting on how numerous words have changed in this relatively short time:
Afghan – a thigh-length sheepskin coat.
Bite (byte) – something you took from an apple.
Core – see above, and no Pentium or processing involved.
Drone – referred to a person who went on and on.
Ethnic – had nothing to do with cleansing.
Fish – was spelt with an ‘f’ not a’ph’.
Gig – was something you went to not a unit of storage.
Hybrid – was something found in a garden center rather than a car showroom.
Isis – was an Egyptian goddess
Jihad – was a word as foreign as the concept.
Ka – was the name of a snake, and not a vehicle.
Lol – was something you did on a lazy day.
Mouse – was a cat’s arch enemy and unlikely to be found near a computer.
Nine eleven was an innocent combination of numbers.
Orange – had pips and not masts.
Profile – referred to a face seen sideways on
Quidditch – was as unheard of as Baptist ministers reading stories about wizards.
Reality TV – would be a TV you really had
Spinning- was something done by a gymnast or a dancer, rather than a publicist
Troll- lived under the bridge, not in a computer.
Upcycle - would have sounded like the description of riding a bike uphill.
Virus – was something which you might refer to a medical doctor.
Windows – came in a variety of shapes and sizes on Play School.
X-factor – was a mystery ingredient and had nothing to do with Mr Cowell.
Yew tree – was a pure source of gorgeous orangey-brown wood.
Z – was the letter you always used to finish lists like this one.
What would be on your list?