# Is the phrase "Back in the day..." widely accepted now? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 13, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-back-in-the-day-widely-accepted-now/312419 "2005-07-13T22:30:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Evil\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/45deac/32.png) [@Evil\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_One)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-back-in-the-day-widely-accepted-now/312419/21 "2005-07-15T17:32:13Z")
> [@UrbanChic](#): > > Whoa. You are way off base. There was no trap and I was in no way implying you were a racist. My question was legitimate on its face. Please forgive my cynicism. I spend a lot of time in Great Debates and I don’t agree with the majority of the folks in there, so I’m used to innuendo in responses to me. I’m sorry if I seemed defensive or snarky. To answer your question, anytime someone butchers or dumbs down the English language, it gets under my skin. Bad grammar also sets my teeth on edge. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-back-in-the-day-widely-accepted-now/312419/22 "2008-06-03T20:36:03Z")
It’s been almost 3 years since I started this thread, and now the language [maven](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/magazine/01wwln-safire-t.html?ref=magazine) himself is using the phrase…and in the first sentence of his column! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-back-in-the-day-widely-accepted-now/312419/23 "2008-06-03T23:00:52Z")
[QUOTE=Evil One] To me, people use idioms when they are incapable of expressing themselves with more clarity. [/QUOTE] This is one of silliest things I’ve ever read. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2008, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-back-in-the-day-widely-accepted-now/312419/24 "2008-06-04T02:07:24Z")
I think we need a **Hostile Dialect** all up in here. ---
**Author:** ![Renob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8c91f0/32.png) [@Renob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renob)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2008, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-back-in-the-day-widely-accepted-now/312419/25 "2008-06-04T03:02:32Z")
[QUOTE=Evil One] Bad grammar also sets my teeth on edge. [/QUOTE] How is “back in the day” any different than “sets my teeth on edge”? Both are phrases that, given just the words as they are constructed, don’t necessarily mean anything. However, they are both common phrases that are used by people to express a certain meaning, one which most listeners (or readers) understand. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2008, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-back-in-the-day-widely-accepted-now/312419/26 "2008-06-04T05:21:29Z")
[QUOTE=Jackknifed Juggernaut] It’s been almost 3 years since I started this thread, and now the language [maven](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/magazine/01wwln-safire-t.html?ref=magazine) himself is using the phrase…and in the first sentence of his column! [/QUOTE] Yes indeed-but wouldn’t a link to this thread have sufficed? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-phrase-back-in-the-day-widely-accepted-now/312419.md?page=1)