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The Elementarie, created by Richard Mulcaster in 1582, is recognized as the first English dictionary, featuring 8,000 words. Prior to this, Latin dominated as the language of scholarly work. Robert Cawdrey, a schoolteacher, later authored A Table Alphabeticall in 1604, the first dictionary organized alphabetically.
As language evolves, less frequently used words are often removed from modern dictionaries to accommodate new terms and expressions. Below is a brief compilation of words and phrases likely to vanish soon.
10. ‘Mutt And Jeff’
Mutt and Jeff, a comic strip launched in 1907, was the brainchild of Harry Conway “Bud” Fisher, a former sports cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle. The strip revolved around the duo Augustus Mutt and Jim Jeffries.
The phrase “Mutt and Jeff” describes two individuals who are complete opposites, often contrasting in height or build. Similar pairs include Abbott and Costello, Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo, and Laurel and Hardy. It became a popular expression for two friends or colleagues with starkly different personalities.
9. ‘Kilroy Was Here’
Throughout World War II and the Korean War, a legendary figure known as “Kilroy” emerged. This soldier was always the first to arrive, the first to engage in combat, and the first to charge into enemy territory. His iconic symbol was a cartoon of a face peeking over a fence, representing the ultimate “super soldier.”
Numerous tales surround the origins of “Kilroy was here,” but the most plausible one involves James J. Kilroy, a shipyard inspector responsible for examining rivets on newly built warships. He would mark inspected areas with the phrase “Kilroy was here” in inconspicuous spots, eventually adding a small sketch resembling the iconic image.
Soldiers transported on these ships encountered the cartoon and, unaware of its origin, took it upon themselves to spread the drawing to the most unexpected locations they could discover.
The phrase “Kilroy was here” is said to appear in unlikely places such as the base of the Arc de Triomphe, the arm of the Statue of Liberty, lunar soil, and even an outhouse used during the 1945 Potsdam Conference attended by Churchill, Stalin, and Truman. After using the outhouse, Stalin reportedly asked his aide, “Who is Kilroy?”
8. ‘Bedlam’
The term “bedlam” describes a scenario that is utterly chaotic, uncontrollable, and potentially dangerous.
Its roots trace back to Bethlem Royal Hospital, a infamous London institution for the mentally ill, commonly referred to as “Bedlam.” Established in 1247, the hospital was constructed above a sewer that often overflowed.
Initially, the facility served less as a treatment center for mental illness and more as a means to generate funds (“alms”) for the Crusades. By 1330, it transitioned into a full-fledged hospital, and by 1377, it was exclusively dedicated to housing and treating the mentally ill.
In the 1600s, Bedlam’s administration shifted from the church to the state. Over time, patients were subjected to bizarre and hazardous experimental treatments, such as being spun in a suspended chair until they vomited.
Patients endured beatings, starvation, burns, and poisoning as supposed remedies. Many did not survive, and mass graves were later discovered on the premises. Today, Bethlem Royal Hospital remains operational, with staff committed to providing compassionate care to those in need.
7. ‘A New York Minute’
The expression “A New York minute” refers to an extremely brief moment. It captures the idea of a rapid lifestyle or events occurring swiftly, reflecting the fast-paced nature of New York City.
Johnny Carson, the famous television host, humorously defined a New York minute as the time between a traffic light turning green and the driver behind you honking.
The phrase is thought to have originated in Texas around 1967. It highlighted the difference in speed between New Yorkers and Texans, suggesting that what a New Yorker accomplishes instantly might take a Texan a full minute.
6. ‘Blood, Sweat, And Tears’
The phrase “Blood, sweat, and tears” signifies dedicating maximum effort toward a goal, often involving immense hardship. It is thought to be a variation of a statement made by Sir Winston Churchill in a 1940 speech, where he cautioned Great Britain about the challenges of World War II: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.”
However, the earliest recorded use of the expression appears in a sermon by Christmas Evans, translated from Welsh to English in 1837: “Christ the High Priest of our profession, when he laid down His life for us on Calvary, was bathed in His own blood, sweat, and tears.”
Similar expressions exist in Italian and French, reflecting their shared Christian heritage.
In 1967, musician Al Kooper adopted the phrase as the name for his jazz-rock band. Over the years, Blood, Sweat and Tears has included at least 140 different musicians.
5. ‘Cassette’
The cassette, initially called the Compact Audio Cassette, is an analog magnetic tape format developed in 1963 by Philips, a Dutch technology firm. It came in two varieties: blank cassettes for recording audio and pre-recorded cassettes.
Originally intended for dictation machines, advancements in the technology made cassettes more popular than 8-track tapes and reel-to-reel machines. They also served as data storage for early microcomputers.
The first car dashboard cassette player was introduced in 1968. From the 1970s to the early 2000s, cassettes were one of the dominant formats, alongside vinyl records (LPs) and later compact discs (CDs). However, cassettes had a drawback: if the player lost power, the tape could get stuck, requiring careful removal and manual rewinding using a pencil or screwdriver.
4. ‘Floppy Disk’
A floppy disk is a magnetic storage medium designed for large amounts of computer data, similar to modern flash drives. Data was written to or read from the disk using a floppy disk drive. They were the primary data storage format from the late 1970s through the 1990s.
The development of the first floppy disk system began in 1967 at IBM’s San Jose, California facility. The disks were available in various sizes, with the 5.25-inch version becoming the most popular. Other sizes were introduced later but saw limited adoption.
Floppy disks remained widely used for nearly four decades. However, their popularity declined in the 1990s as high-speed computer networks and USB flash drives offered greater convenience. Today, floppy disks are primarily used with legacy hardware and specialized industrial systems.
3. ‘Golly’
The term “golly” has a rich history. It belongs to a group of interchangeable words, including “gosh” and “gee.” First documented around 1775, “golly” and “gosh” served as euphemisms for “God,” while “gee” was a substitute for Jesus.
Today, “golly” is used to convey mild surprise or amazement without resorting to profanity. It was a popular expression from the 1940s through the late 1970s, gaining widespread recognition in 1964 when Jim Nabors, portraying Gomer Pyle, frequently used it on The Andy Griffith Show and its spin-off, Gomer Pyle, USMC.
In modern times, “golly” has fallen out of favor as societal norms around swearing have relaxed.
2. ‘Swell’
The term “swell” has evolved significantly over the years. In the 18th century, it meant “arrogant” or “pushy.” By the early 19th century, it became an adjective describing someone as “distinguished” or “stylish.”
In the 1920s, “swell” was an adjective describing something as perfect. By the 1930s, its usage broadened to mean anything from “excellent” to “that’s fine.”
As a verb, “swell” has consistently meant to grow or increase in size or intensity. As a noun, it can also describe long, rolling ocean waves. Nowadays, “swell” is rarely used except sarcastically or ironically, such as in, “The washer is leaking? Oh, swell.”
1. ‘Yard Goods’
Before the era of ready-to-wear clothing in department stores, clothes were handmade. “Yard goods” refers to fabrics, plastics, and other materials purchased by the yard for creating clothing or household items.
After weaving, fabric is typically rolled onto a cardboard core. Fabric widths can range from 5 centimeters (2 inches) to 183 centimeters (72 inches), with an average of two yards of 137-centimeter-wide (54 inches) cotton needed to sew a medium-sized women’s shirt.
Various fabrics were utilized for crafting curtains, upholstery, waterproof tablecloths, and even bath scrubbies. In earlier times, Halloween costumes were also handmade. Most large retail stores nationwide featured a yard goods section, offering a range of fabrics on bolts along with accessories like buttons, zippers, thread, and sewing patterns.
Craft and fabric retailers such as Jo-Ann Fabrics, Fabric Barn, and Michaels became widespread across the country. They maintained their popularity until the mid-2000s, when purchasing ready-made clothing became more economical than sewing your own. Yard goods are still easily accessible online through numerous suppliers.
