What are some literary references that you expect people of all ages to know? Do our metaphors need updating?

[DrPepper12]

Obviously metaphors change over time. "Netflix & chill" has replaced "Hanky panky" and that's fine. Languages evolve (except the damn French & their purity council but that's for another question) but does the changing of metaphors represent that we are less widely read, historically knowledgeable or biblically literate? Or is it just natural evolution?

Do you make any assumptions about people if they don't know what a "Catch 22" or "manna from heaven" mean?

Other than the Bible & Shakespeare NO ONE has given us more words & phrases than the Lost Generation / Roaring 20s. They are simply delightful!

ace - a dollar bill

applesauce - nonsense

baby - term of endearment

baloney - nonsense

bank's closed - no kissing or hugging

balled up - confused, messed up

bee’s knees - the best

beef - problem

belly laugh - a loud laugh

berries - something excellent

bluenose - prude or killjoy

breezer - convertible car

bunk - nonsense

carry a torch - to have unrequited feelings

cat’s meow - stylish or cool

cat’s pajamas - really cool

cheaters - eyeglasses

clams - money; dollar bills

corn-shredder - a bad dancer

crush - to have romantic interest

dapper - neatly dressed; elegant

dough - money

duck soup - easy

flat tire - a bad date

flivver - a small car in bad condition

goofy - crazy or silly

grift - swindle

grill - question

hard-boiled - tough

heebie-jeebies - the creeps

hooey - nonsense

hotsy-totsy - perfect

jalopy - old car

know one’s onions - well-informed

mazuma - money

nailed - caught

neck - to kiss passionately

nicked - stolen

nifty - very good

noodle - brain

on the level - legitimate, honest

pinch - to arrest

rag-a-muffin - dirty or disheveled

ritzy - elegant

upchuck - vomit

swell - great; excellent

whoopee - to have a good time

It's just natural evolution of language

We are less read, knowledgeable or/and biblically literate

Updates

1 y

Some nautical examples because their my favs!

"Down in the doldrums" - Signifies windless waters that stranded ships.

"Flotsam and jetsam" - Goods lost or deliberately thrown overboard at sea.

"Show your true colors" - From naval warfare where ships displayed their actual flags after deception.

"Three sheets to the wind" - From a ship's sails flapping loose & uncontrolled in the wind.

[MisterWack]

Okay so…. That is a long list and as a Gen Z person I want to respond to all that know personally / can recognize as such :

Baby , Baloney , Balled up , Bee’s Knees , Beef , Belly Laugh , Carry A Touch , Cat’s Meow , Cat’s Pajamas , Clams , Crush , Dapper , Dough , Goofy , Grift , Grill , Hard-Boiled , Heebie-Jeebies , Hooey , Hotsy-Totsy , Jalopy , Nailed , Neck , Nicked , Nifty , Noodle , On The Level , Pinch , Rag-A-Muffin , Ritzy , Upchuck , Swell , Whoopee.

That is 33 I know personally out of 47 listed from ‘The Asker’.

I don’t expect people to know these in all honesty because I only knew Hotsy-Totsy , Jalopy , Ritzy , Dapper , Cat’s Pajamas/Cat’s Meow from cartoons / animation referencing olden times….

Language changes and how we communicate / express ourselves change too, so of course things get left behind, think of William Shakespeare’s time. We don’t talk like that anymore because language changes. ‘Hold The Phone’ comes from the early days of the phone as a small example of this. Nothing really complicated other than some things stick while others don’t and get left behind. I’m sure not many young people would knew of ‘Malarkey’ until a few years ago too.

[WindAtMyBack]

"What are some literary references that you expect people of all ages to know?"

None. I don't even expect everyone from the time they are popular to know them. I don't know most of those myself. Many of the rest are archaic.

"Do our metaphors need updating?"

No.

As you said, language evolves. I'm a hard core descriptionist, as opposed to a prescriptionist. In other words, I don't care about grammar. The more time I've spent teaching English, the more I don't give a shit about grammar. I think the focus on grammar is detrimental to learning language.

Language is very fluid, and it must be. Language wouldn't even exist if it was not allowed to evolve. If language was forced to be static, we wouldn't know what a mouse click is.

It amaze me just how many idiomatic words and phrases there are. It amazes me the things a student has a hard time with. Sometimes I can only guess why they don't understand something.

For example:

Two students named Haruka and Yuki. They know each other.
I talk to Haruka and she says "Tell Yuki hi."
When I see Yuki, I say "Haruka says hi".
It confuses the hell out of Yuki. Even after thinking it through I'm not sure if she figured it out.

That's not an idiom. It's not a metaphor. But it confused the hell out of her.

[Beckybooboo]

I think it's just the evaluation of language. The other day an older guy at work said, "shiver me timbers", I had no clue what he meant lol I actually looked it up!

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

"(except the damn French & their purity council but that's for another question)"

Where is this question? 😏

[DJB72]

You left out "Brass Monkey", one of my favourites.

Children age 11 in 1900 had a known vocabulary ten times that of language students graduating university today. Inferred meanings change and the language is weaker for it.

[Dongie]

Heh, I like those. Another money-skins
Thousands$-Gs

I wonder if you have watched the old gangster movies.

[Dongie]

Evolution

[DrPepper12]

I'm a huge fan of the Sting!

[Dongie]

Ok. How about Cagney, Bogart, Raft, and E. G. Robinson?

[DrPepper12]

No. Sorry.

[Dongie]

You're 53. I figured you may have caught them. Some good movies. I saw them growing up.

[DrPepper12]

Oh I've seen them. Didn't care for them. I like gangsta, not gangsters.

[Dongie]

Oh, to old fashioned I guess. I'm not sure how it would be now. After all, I was 10 -11 years old at the time. Gangsta like Harlem Nights?

[NathanDavis]

swag...

[exitseven]

I listen to young people today and they use phrases like cringe and sketchy. I think it just means that time has gone by.

[OddBeMe]

Did you know Shakespeare invented the Your Mama joke?

I can’t remember the line exactly. But it’s like “your mother had it coming”…”I already doth had your mother”. Or something like that.