# Do you actively use archaic words? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 28, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817 "2007-06-28T20:40:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/1 "2007-06-28T20:40:31Z")
I use at least one. Ever since I was a kid. My mom used to say it all the time: Priddiner. (It could also be spelled pridiner, pritiner or prittiner possibly…I have no idea) It basically means ‘almost’ or ‘just about’, like, “I priddiner tripped over that stick there”. Anytime I’ve ever said it in conversation outside my family, nobody seems to know what it means. So I’m guessing it’s an archaic word that a few people might still use. Is there anything you say that used to be commonplace, but isn’t anymore? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/2 "2007-06-28T20:42:14Z")
Verily. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/3 "2007-06-28T20:44:53Z")
[QUOTE=Amazon Floozy Goddess] I use at least one. Ever since I was a kid. My mom used to say it all the time: Priddiner. (It could also be spelled pridiner, pritiner or prittiner possibly…I have no idea) It basically means ‘almost’ or ‘just about’, like, “I priddiner tripped over that stick there”. [/QUOTE] I pretty near feel I’m being whooshed. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/4 "2007-06-28T20:45:14Z")
[QUOTE=Amazon Floozy Goddess] I use at least one. Ever since I was a kid. My mom used to say it all the time: Priddiner. (It could also be spelled pridiner, pritiner or prittiner possibly…I have no idea) It basically means ‘almost’ or ‘just about’, like, “I priddiner tripped over that stick there”. Anytime I’ve ever said it in conversation outside my family, nobody seems to know what it means. So I’m guessing it’s an archaic word that a few people might still use. Is there anything you say that used to be commonplace, but isn’t anymore? [/QUOTE] Are you sure she wasn’t just saying, pretty near? ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/5 "2007-06-28T20:48:40Z")
Ouch, forsooth. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/6 "2007-06-28T20:57:59Z")
[QUOTE=Sternvogel] I pretty near feel I’m being whooshed. [/QUOTE] :smack: I was so full of my own lame joke I didn’t even notice that–that’s priddiner humiliatin and damnir humblin. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/7 "2007-06-28T20:58:35Z")
Yes, it’s pretty near. Also spelled purtneer if used by my grandmother who was from plumb yonder down in Kentucky. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/8 "2007-06-28T21:04:28Z")
Aw, how cute. You thought that was an “archaic” word. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/9 "2007-06-28T21:12:40Z")
Methinks I may use such words in quotidian conversation. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/10 "2007-06-28T21:19:25Z")
Words I use frequently: zounds forsooth verily quip perchance portend rife swell ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/11 "2007-06-28T21:45:56Z")
Betwixt. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/12 "2007-06-28T21:55:23Z")
Amongst. Bally. Hornswoggled. ---
**Author:** ![rhythmonly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@rhythmonly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhythmonly)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/13 "2007-06-28T21:56:31Z")
Discombobulated. Cogitate. Groovy. (I know the last one isn’t exactly archaic, but everyone sure acts like it is!) ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/14 "2007-06-28T22:05:11Z")
Mayhaps, if it behooves me. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/15 "2007-06-28T22:16:35Z")
Shan’t. There was a thread here in which someone used the word shan’t, and somebody else came back to say they need to work it into more everyday conversation. I use it as a matter of course. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/16 "2007-06-28T22:26:03Z")
I struggle to avoid baffling people with words they don’t know. I often fall short of that goal. However, I like telling friends “fare thee well” when I leave. When I’m startled, you might hear “gadzooks, shiver me timbers, sacre bleu, or great Caesar’s ghost.” Since my eye surgery, I’ve sworn off “blimey.” :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/17 "2007-06-28T22:27:59Z")
Whence is a good word, so is varlet. ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/18 "2007-06-28T23:24:49Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] Whence is a good word, so is varlet. [/QUOTE] I also use “whence”. And “whilst”, though I’m not sure if that’s archaic or just british… ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/19 "2007-06-28T23:34:33Z")
[QUOTE=teela brown] Hornswoggled. [/QUOTE] "_ **Heavens to Betsy** _…you used my word, though i always mentally spelled it Hornschwaggled…who knew 😉 ? dip me in shit :smack: tsfr ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2007, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817/20 "2007-06-28T23:36:59Z")
This is balderdash! You’re all just lackwits engaging in humbuggery! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off on my velocipede. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-actively-use-archaic-words/409817.md?page=2)