There are words and phrases people write but
don’t say. Why use archaic
language and references to extremely dead cultures? Do you know anyone who keeps annals rather than records and keeps their money in a coffer? Time to join the 21st century - or at least the 18th.
Latest additions:
aloft
apace
aplenty
clamour
erstwhile for for because garlanded for awarded honours
girding (preparing) It's short for "gird up your loins", from the Bible ill-gotten gains
in thrall to (enslaved by). Met many thralls lately? lest
lot for fate, situation (bewailing her lot) oft (oft-repeated) penchant
pocket handkerchief sized When did you last hear someone say "pocket handkerchief" – or see anyone using a handkerchief? rollicking, rambunctious, rumbustious, ruckus, romp Why use these antique pseudo-rural words, and why do they all begin with R? scion
sully, sullied
yet for but
abhor loathe
abjure renounce, give
up, swear off
aforementioned If you've already mentioned it, people will probably remember.
akin to like
albeit however
allayfears lessen,
reduce
amidst, amid in the
middle of
amiss, would not have
gone would have been useful
anent about
anew again
annals records
ardour fervour, enthusiasm,
keenness
atop on top of
attain get, gain
augur promise
augury forecast,
prediction
bane bad thing
bear carry
befall, befallen
happen, happened to
befitting consistent
with
beholden indebted
behoves (it behoves X
to) X ought to/should
beseech beg
besmirch dirty,
tarnish:
betide happen
beware look out
beyond our ken outside our knowlege
bode
ill doesn’t promise well, doesn’t look good
boon good thing
borne out
verified, confirmed
brook (no delay,
dissent) tolerate
buffet you can be buffeted by wind, war or fate, but not usually by people any more
by dint of by means/virtue of
Byzantine Kafkaesque
cleave to stick to
coffers bank account
cow, cowed
intimidate/d
cumbersome awkward,
clumsy
curtail stop, cut off
deem consider
diehard holdout
disabuse undeceive
don put on
drubbing beating
dub name, call,
christen, baptise
dwindle shrink,
decline, diminish, weaken
encumber overload,
burden
eponymous
erstwhile former,
once, ex
eschew avoid,
disdain, forego, shun
esteemed respected
feign fake
fete celebrate
forthwith
immediately, at once
fount (of wisdom) Why
not fountain, spring, well, tap, supply?
gainsay deny
garb clothes
glimpse see, sight
gymslip
mums When did you last see a schoolgirl in a gymslip? 1955?
handiwork doing,
signature
harangue lecture, monologue
harbinger precursor, forerunner Merriam-Webster: archaic: a person
sent ahead to provide lodgings
heed pay
attention to
held in high esteem
respected
hence so
heralded announced
heretofore up to now,
before now
hitherto up to now
holds sway dominates
in the midst of in
the middle of
inveigh (against) rage, rail
ire, wrath anger
irk annoy, irritate,
anger
jeopardize endanger
just deserts fitting
reward, just what he deserved, suitable punishment
ken knowledge,
mindset, ambit, view
laggardly
stick-in-the-mud
lambast beat up
languish (in jail) do time
last bastion last
outpost
laud (much-lauded) praise
laurels (winning, resting on
them) medals, rewards, prizes – except that the Olympics have revived laurel wreaths for winners
manifold: many
mar damage, affect,
compromise, taint
maw mouth, jaws
mete out (punishment,
justice) dish out
might, with all your
(Bible) with all your strength
moot disputed
not one whit not an
atom
not to be borne
intolerable,not to be endured
on behalf of X for
X’s benefit, in X’s place, as X’s proxy
outstrip outrun
paramount important
perforce:
unavoidably
peruse read
plaudits praise
posset Word people only mention when you’re ill. They may say cosset as well.
quell subdue
rife endemic
rift split
riven divided
rollicking
ruckus
saw fit to thought it
necessary to
screed letter (OED:
originally meant strip, and came to mean: A long
roll or list; a lengthy discourse or harangue; a gossiping letter or piece of
writing. Seems to be used
ironically to mean manifesto, apologia. Confused with credo? Sounds like script
and scroll so calls up image of old, closely written document?)
smells of the lamp
sounds made-up
solace comfort (you
wouldn’t call it a solace zone)
spoils rewards
sully dirty, tarnish
sunder part
surmount overcome
that
smacked of... there was a hint of...
throng crowd
thus so
to boot as well
to wit that is
tout brag about, advertise, talk up
tread (those who have trod its streets) walk
turmoil disorder
unabashed unashamed
unbeknownst unknown
unscathed unharmed
unwittingly unknowingly
vaunt (much-vaunted)
boast of/boast, much-praised
victor winner
vie compete
voice
(an opinion) air, give, come up with
vouch (for the fact
that) swear to, verify, attest
was wont to : was given
to, used to
wedlock marriage
well-to-do comfortably off
whereby
wield use, brandish,
flourish
wittingly knowingly
bane, befall, befitting, beholden, betide, beware, bode, boon, heed, ken are all Anglo Saxon unlike the alternatives (consistent, take notice of etc). They’re shorter and sound better than the Latinate alternatives, so why do they sound pompous?
hence, thence, thither, whence, whither,
hither, henceforth, wherein, whereupon, whereat are all useful and could be
used more. People only use hence to mean thus when they want to sound
important. People don’t use whence, thence, but do use
wherein and whereby.
As Omar Khayyam wrote:
What, without asking, hither hurried whence? (hurried to here from
where?)
And, without asking, whither hurried hence! (hurried from here to where?)
Archaic
