Learning a new language

by Joanne Petty

Today we seem to be gathering together so many new vibrant words, thanks to the rise of the internet, but what about the words that were once popular but have now faded away?

This is a guide to a few words that were once over-used, plus a few new ones you may not know.

Old words

Groovy: This word is said to come from the afro-carribean jazz musicians of the 1930s.

The origin is  not entirely clear: some scholars think it stems from the needle going in a groove on a record, others think it is a metaphor for sex.

Wherever it came from, it is notoriously associated with the 1960s during the period of ‘free love’, and it has the same meaning as the word ‘cool’.

Square: This is also another jazz word – originally meaning someone who failed to appreciate jazz or was out of date. This led to the phrase “be there, or be square” which is still used today – though somewhat ironically. 

Square has been featured in a lot of songs and even sparked the 80s hit It’s Hip To Be Square by Huey Lewis and the News. Now it has become less popular and other words such as ‘geek’ or ‘nerd’ are favoured.

Glad Rags: A word that originated in the late 1800s, it is a phrase that means your ‘best clothes’ and was made popular in the 1950s in the song Rock Around The Clock. Now it has a much more vulgar meaning in urban culture; meaning a woman’s sanitary towel.

Anorak: A word similar to geek, more specifically someone who is very interested in a niche field, such as bird watching. This word is thought to have come about in the 1960s when people who were interested in off-shore radio would wear parkas on their boats. Anoraks are often quite dull, asexual, and are seen as reliant on their mothers.

New words

Noob: Sometimes spelt n00b or newb, it’s a shortened form of ‘newbie’. It is used in gaming to describe a player who is new to the game. It is often used derogatorily, especially if the player is outlandish and unwilling to cooperate with experienced players.

Now slipping into everyday language, it is often used to tell someone that they are rubbish at something.

Googling: Meaning to search for something on the internet, usually using the search engine Google, but can be applied to other engines.

Google famously opposed their brand becoming a verb, fearing it would erode the value of their company (much like how the company Hoover became famous for the verb ‘hoovering’). However, it has stuck, and no doubt will be around for as long as the internet will exist.

For the win: Sometimes shorterned to ‘ftw’, this phrase was used on the American game show Hollywood Squares, which was a large game of noughts and crosses with a celebrity in each square of the board. Contestants would choose a celebrity and say ‘for the win’ when they needed that celebrity to complete a three in a row.

This phrase somehow crept into modern culture, usually through the form of gaming, and now means that something is really good.

Troll: A person that is part of an internet community who endlessly harasses a particular user, or posts prerogative comments to get a reaction from the board. They will often post things that aren’t necessarily true or something that they believe in, but will do it to get a reaction and attention.

Many trolls will have several accounts so that if one is banned they can still post on the board, thus causing more irritation to users. The word was used in the early 1990s, and is a nod to the trolls of fairytales, who often caused mischief. It is also a fishing technique where bait is dragged through water slowly – much like what an internet troll does.