names changing?

[sal]

I've been around along time and I've watched the meaning of words change. Por ejemplo;

A Hoe used to be something we used in the garden. Now it's a prostitute.

Bars used to be somewhere we would get a drink. Now it's your phone reception.

Watchagot?

sal

[Aladinsane]

My brain is stuck on this (but it’s not exactly what you asked for):

Almost all cars have electric windows, but we still make a cranking gesture to indicate for someone to “roll” down their window.

[RugerNurse]

Apple used to be a fruit. Now most people would think of the tech company

[Jimandchris2]

Yeah, language is always evolving—especially slang—and it's wild how everyday words flip meanings over time. You're spot on with those.
Awful: Originally meant "full of awe" or "inspiring wonder" (in a majestic, respectful way, like "the awful power of nature"). Now it just means really bad or terrible.
Sick: Back in the day, it only meant ill or nauseous. Now, in slang, it means awesome or cool ("that trick was sick!").
Lit: Once just meant illuminated (like a lit candle). Now it's slang for something exciting, fun, or wild (especially a party: "the club was lit").
Bad: Used to strictly mean negative or evil. Thanks to 1980s slang (think Michael Jackson's "Bad" meaning tough/cool), it can now mean really good or impressive.
Cloud: Originally could mean a hill or mass of rock. Now, "the cloud" means online data storage.
Mouse: Was just a small rodent. Then computers came along, and now it means that thing you click with.
Thong: In the old days (like mid-20th century), it meant flip-flop sandals. Now? Underwear that... well, you know.
Ghost: Used to mean a spirit of the dead. Modern dating slang: to suddenly cut off contact with someone ("he ghosted me").

More changes than a Cher concert! Don't ask me to name any knives Sal! LOL

[vivi]

Gay.

[James Y]

Gay.

I'm old enough to remember when that meant happy, cheerful, etc.

Now there's a ton of once-innocent words that you can't say anymore without offending someone or being misunderstood, especially for their original meanings.

Jim

[James Y]

*Edit*

I decided to reword my last comment. Suffice it to say that 'Ninja' to a lot of younger people nowadays no longer means what it originally meant.

People should be allowed to say words in their original meaning, without said words being changed to mean something they don't.

Jim

[sal]

Wow. Bet we could write a new dictionary. great stuff.

sal

[James Y]

How about 'Karen'?

Jim

[James Y]

Woke.

Jim

[Naperville]

There was a nice woman, I'm guessing in her 50's working with me at Amazon. She was a minority but I never think anything of that and had introduced myself to 150 people in the first 3 weeks. There is no way I could remember all of those names in 3 weeks, but over time I did for those that I saw every week.

Well, I was chatting with her, and I could not remember her name. You know that strange feeling that comes over you. I think that I saw her at most once a month. Amazon trains people on all systems as quickly as possible and moves people two to three times per shift to balance the workload in the warehouse.

I made the mistake of saying "Yes ma'am" and almost kicked off WW III.

She threw her fists up at me and her demeanor changed completely from friendly to a fighting posture.

I explained that ever since I was old enough to speak in our home, I said YES SIR and YES MA'AM. She did not want to hear it, and told me never to address her that way.

Now I skip all use of SIR, MA'AM, GUY, MAN, WOMAN, things that you could put your foot in your mouth.

Now I try to pay attention to how people want to be addressed. Obviously it is impossible to get it correct all of the time, but if they give you a name, USE IT!

[TkoK83Spy]

Whip - used to be, well, a Whip. Now it's slang for a car

Cap - used to be a hat, now it's slang for lying.

I have a teenager at home, I'm sure if I paid more attention to what her and her friends were saying, I'd have a bunch more

[bob-atlatl]

AI was Artificial Insemination, Ackley Improved, ,,

[ChrisinHove]

A thread used to be a piece of cotton, not a conversation!

[Mushroom]

GOAT used to be an animal - Now it's Tom Brady.

[Doc Dan]

LOL used to mean lots of love.

[Ramonade]

Changes a lot in France too, and the dictionary likes to add them, change them with the times, instead of trying to hold on to the older meaning.

I find it sad, and in the same thought I realize that, if everybody starts meaning B when I mean A, I'm in the minority, why whould things stay the same only for me.

The problem I see as a teacher is that this transformation of the meaning of so many words is facing, in parallel, a reduction in vocabulary. 5 y o kids from 10 years ago had around double the vocabulary library they have now.

[silver & black]

6/7...........

Can anyone explain that one?

[RustyIron]

double post

[RustyIron]

Sometimes the young people crack me up with their "Netflix and chill" sort of things. Sometimes they don't. I'm not groovy enough to understand all their hip lingo.

A while back I was chatting with one of the young ladies in one of my buildings. I was just talking the way I talk, telling her about doing something with my homeboys over the weekend. She burst out laughing, and had to call over one of the other guys so he could hear it, too. Apparently when old white boys use traditionally black slang like "homeboy," it's uproariously funny. How was I to know?