Old Time-y sayings are...the bee's knees!

Earlier this Fall, my husband and I took the kids to see Annie, the musical in Stratford, Ontario.

Outstanding Performance! The acting, staging, costumes, and musical score were all remarkable, yet it was the children's talent and grace on stage that truly stood out. Bravo to that talented crew! 

On the car ride home, we started talking about the language and phrases from different eras in history and if their meaning still resonates today.

As our kids are both under 10, so there was A LOT of giggling about some of the words we discussed.

This convesation got me thinking once again about how important the written (and spoken!) word is to our culture, shared experiences and shared histories.

Much of my written language is of the intimate variety (written to and for one person’s eyes only). BUT just because I am usually writing for an audience of one doesn’t mean I skip the use of some good old historical slang (aka anachronisms).

The use of words and phrases from days-gone-by excite the imagination of both writer and reader, can evoke an immediate vibe or societal context that can be relatable across generations and let’s be honest; some archaisms are just plain hilarious.

So to spark your card-writing creativity, I’ve included some of my favourite old-timey slang….Annie styles!

-Abyssinia (Ill be seeing you)

-Applesauce or Baloney (nonsense)

-As straight as a line (strict)

-Awfully (very much)

-A real gasser (a great time)

-Bamboozle (to get something through trickery)

-beat (broke)

-Bet Your Bottom Dollar (to be absolutely certain)

-Horn (telephone)

-Giggle Water (Alcohol) 

What is your favourite retro saying?

Cordially Yours,

Shannon