I think the word “Lest” is becoming (has become?) an anachronism. I use it whenever I can - lest it be forgotten.
j
Grandpa used to say, “What the Sam Hill”. As a youngster I thought he was swearing.
Call 'em a caitiff; that’s too old-school to be mistaken for “Victorian” or otherwise jokey.
I did hear a (relatively) young person [American, though Wiktionary says it is originally RAF slang], within the past few years, refer to something awesome as “wizard!”, so maybe that could be on the way back.
I have to imagine JK Rowling and her ghastly (though highly profitable) literary offspring have a hand in that.
Me, too.
I’ve seen it as “off-piste,” and I’ve seen it quite a bit in UK books/movies/TV shows. It’s a kinda English/French hybrid term.
“I will desire you to live in the mean time, and eat your victuals: come, there is sauce for it.”-- Fluellen (in Henry V).
Of course, it is often claimed that Appalachia is the place to go if you want to hear English as it sounded in Shakespeare’s time.
“Pshaw” doesn’t recall come across in print; at least, once the ink is dry.
Back to “frank”, the popularity of the phrase “Not to put too fine a point on it…” really shows the lengths people will go to to avoid the word.
I hope to use the word fulcrum more often, in particular I hope to use the plural form some day. I day-dream about a situation in which I could muse that a lever with two non co-axial fucra is an oxymoron and remains immobile.
And here you just did!
Mark your calendar and take yourself out for dinner.