Words and phrases looked up this week to see if they were in use in 1907.
- black market — No! Not in use until 1931. Changed from “on the black market” to “knew the right trafficker.”
- loosen up — No! It doesn’t start turning up until the mid-teens. Replaced with “unbuckle.”
- to kill time — Yes! Since at least 1751
- one up each other — No! It came into use in 1963. Swapped with “to lick”
- Hi — Yes! Since 1862
- tech or technical rehearsal — No! Not until the 1930s.
- full run — No! Swapped for “full rehearsal”
- green room — Yes! Since 1701
- Your timing is good — No. Changed for “you have good timing.” I know it’s a small thing, but…
I have to admit, when I read “to lick” I was NOT in a 1907 frame of mind. Took me a moment to get there. Now I feel strange and unusual.
HA! Sorry for doing that to you.
Do you have a master document where you keep all of these? Pretty soon you could publish your own reference book.
The master document would be the website. Seriously, I jot them down here because I know I can find them later. I should, probably, keep a spreadsheet so I can hand it to the copyeditor and say, “These are in the clear.”
Hah! I’ve just begun a novel that takes place in 1910, and am running into some similar issues. What always gets me are the phrases that I assume wouldn’t work, but do. “Take the cake” for instance, has been in use since the late 1800s, and the word “stuff” has been in use for centuries. So much changes, so much stays the same. (Also, am I the only one who finds researching phrase usage to be totally fun?)
Well Natania, fun I’m not sure, but I find it fascinating!
I’m so glad you’re posting these – they’re fascinating! I was surprised the term “green room” was so old and “black market” was so recent. I would have thought the opposite.