Over time, the majority ceases to use specific terms and expressions. Therefore, they are relatively rare and seldom heard. As is always the case with the language, the older generations have a way of speaking that makes the younger generations look confused. Enlisted below are 15 phrases that the older generation uses and explaining why such phrases are unintelligible to the younger generation:
1. “Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth”
This phrase means not to be offended by someone's generosity and to not be unappreciative or discourteous toward a gift. The origin of the words can be traced back to horses' rumps about their age, which are checked by examining their teeth. This phrase seems to involve horses and mouths, and older people may find younger people confused when using gratitude.
2. “Bite the Bullet”
To bite the bullet means to keep the terror down and face the fear bravely. Earlier, in surgeries without an anesthetic, bullets were placed in the mouths of the soldiers to be bitten on. The latter of the mentioned complexes may sound quite brutal, but it is rather graphic of how the older generation means one has to confront obstacles bravely.
3. “Burning the Midnight Oil”
Derived from this context, when someone says they are burning the midnight oil, it means he or she is working or studying at night. This phrase brings a memory of darkness and hardship, which necessitated an oil lamp as the only source of light before the development of electricity. The younger generation, brought up with LEDs and the emphasis on ease, may not get the ‘picture' that the phrase is trying to convey, and it comes across as an old-world cliché.
4. “Close, but No Cigar”
Originally used when people were winning prizes at carnivals and getting cigars, this phrase means that someone was a Goneril but missed out on success. The association with cigars as a trophy, which is not awarded as frequently in today's culture, makes this saying perplexing to the young generation. The image of cigars as rewards is entirely inappropriate for the present epoch, where people start paying attention to their health.
5. “Cost an Arm and a Leg”
This phrase implies that something is very costly. It can be traced back to the 18th century, depicting how painted portraits were expensive and revealing more limbs was even more so. While the imagery in the proverb might appear hyperbolical to the youthful generations, it becomes rather unusual to interpret.
6. “Cut the Mustard”
The meaning of the phrase is to perform or to do something that was expected of one or that one has to do as a requirement. The exact etymology is unclear, but it probably has to do with this specific mustard's cutting-edge and superior readiness. However, the latter might not be apparent to young audiences because mustard is associated with cooking, so high performance does not come with its context.
7. “Dead as a Doornail”
This means out of existence; in other words, it means lifeless. Its sourcing stems from using a hammer to nail fix it, which renders it unusable. The use of doornails leaves a somewhat puzzling impression on the modern audience since the current meaning of nails has nothing to do with the term. Further, it must be said that the term doornail is relatively rare now, and this fact only contributes to the mystery of phrasing.
8. “Don't Throw the Baby Out With the Bathwater.”
This phrase is used to discourage people from throwing out an essential item along with a useless/damaging one. It stems from when an entire family would use the same water for washing; it's a rather old-fashioned saying about scattering that can confuse most, mainly when used out of the historical context it belongs to.
9. “Fit as a Fiddle”
The saying that a person can be fit as a fiddle indicates that the person is in good health. The origin of this phrase is in the tuning of the fiddles (violins); they have to be tuned right. The actual phrase might translate as somewhat obsolete to people of the Millennial and Generation Z tribes, who might fail to see any connection between fitness and musical instruments.
10. “Go the Whole Nine Yards”
This American colloquial expression means going to the extreme in doing something. There is a debate over its roots: Its origin may be in WWII aircraft machine gun belts, which were nine yards long. Still, without this historical reference, the younger generations would not have comprehended this connection at all.
11. “In the Catbird Seat”
In the given context, the catbird seat refers to a person enjoying a vantage point. This phrase has originated from a catbird that always perches at higher places. Thus, without knowing these latter connotations, young listeners may remain puzzled about how cats and birds are incorporated into discourse about advantage.
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12. “Kick the Bucket”
This phrase has an equivalent meaning in English, which is to die. It possibly originates in the form of a method of dispatch where a man puts his head through a bucket, and the bucket is kicked away. The dark origin can appear too allegorical to some of the younger users and could be pretty confusing to those who do not recognize the bitter sarcasm in the words.
13. “Let the Cat Out of the Bag”
The idiom let the cat out of the bag is one where the meaning is simple: it implies spilling the beans or telling a secret. It originated from a scam involving pigs and cats. Banks have been making up far-fetched stories surrounding lending for decades. Though today's youth is likely to be far more familiar with cyber scams than with the peculiarities of the marketplace, the phrase might seem outdated.
14. “No Spring Chicken”
This term in English means that a person is not young anymore. That is from the realization that young chickens are more valuable than old ones from poultry farmers. Often, youngsters unaware of certain specificities of poultry farming might not immediately grasp why spring chickens are a reference to youth.
15. “The Bee's Knees”
Labeling a product or an item, a place, or a spot as the bee's knees implies that the quality of the product/item/place/spot is superb. The literal meaning of this phrase has been explained as originating in the context of the ‘jolly slang' characteristic of the interbellum and, more specifically, the 1920s. Today, it is somewhat picturesque, and younger generations may hardly understand how people used such a phrase to denote quality.
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