Make Your Point > Archived Issues > OLD FOGEYDOM
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Old fogeydom. Yes, it's a real phrase, listed in dictionaries and used in print since 1852. It strikes me as so funny that I can't help but share it, and the same goes for these words:
1. "Ch______ring" means "miserly" and conjures up an image of someone bent possessively over a block of cheddar, shaving off slices of it to keep for herself, squinting at you distrustfully as if to say, "You should have brought your own cheese."
2. "In____itate" calls to mind a hot dog eating contest. It means to greedily gobble something down. It sounds like, and basically is, a longer, louder, sloppier version of "gorge."
3. "De_____trate" means to hurl something out an open window. Fwoosh!
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make your point with...
"OLD FOGEYDOM"
The terms "fogey" and "old fogey" date back to 1785. They first meant "a soldier who's too hurt or sick to perform duties." Then, their meaning expanded to "an old person, or a person with old, outdated ideas."
So now, "fogeydom" and "old fogeydom" are funny, slangy terms that mean "the state of being old and outdated."
Pronunciation:
old FOE gee dum
(Make the "g" sound hard, as in "gosh," not soft, as in "gee whiz.")
Part of speech:
Noun, the uncountable kind ("this old fogeydom," "their old fogeydom").
Other forms:
Fogey(s), old fogey(s), fogeydom.
If you prefer, instead of "old fogeydom," you can say "old fogeyism." I prefer the formal "-dom" suffix as it sounds funnier tacked onto the informal "fogey."
How to use it:
Although you might use this term to make fun of people and their old, outdated, backwards habits or thinking, I recommend using it instead for gentle humor and exaggeration, especially because it can suggest all kinds of negative stereotypes about old age, like crankiness, sickliness, rigid thinking, sexism, racism, etc.
Talk about someone's old fogeydom, some group's old fogeydom, or the old fogeydom at, on, in, or of some group, thing, place, or idea.
Or, talk about someone or something slipping into old fogeydom, reaching old fogeydom, fighting back against old fogeydom, etc.
examples:
Futurama often pokes fun at old fogeydom. Here's the aged and kooky Professor Farnsworth: "Oh, I don't have time for this. I have to buy a single piece of fruit with a coupon and then return it. Making people wait behind me while I complain."
"Misinformed attacks on Old Fogeydom, I have noticed, invariably represent us as people who shudder at a split infinitive and would sooner kill or be killed than tolerate a sentence that ends with a preposition."
— Gary Goshgarian, Exploring Language , 2003
has this page helped you understand "old fogeydom"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "old fogeydom" without saying "state of bitter old crankiness" or "senescence."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "I love (something) and I'll keep (using it, doing it, eating it, playing it, watching it, listening to it, etc.) until I reach old fogeydom."
Example: "I love mac and cheese and I'll keep eating it until I reach old fogeydom. Which is convenient because it's served at Luby's and hospital cafeterias."
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Quintessential TV Quotes!
Each day, match the given vocabulary word to the quote that best illustrates it.
From the previous issue:
From Pinky and the Brain, which quote below illustrates something saccharine?
Quote A:
Brain: I feel the need. I feel the need for expeditious velocity.
Quote B:
Brain: Look at these tapes! "It's a Sugary-Wugary Day" by Laffie. "Life's a Rosy-Posie Bed of Honey" by Marie Fluis and Pork Chop. The titles alone are enough to make my teeth rot!
Pinky: I'll help you floss.
Quote C:
Brain: How are we going to get the Earth to lose weight?
Pinky: I know! We can get everyone to go on a diet!
Brain: Diets don't work.
Pinky: Not even if you call them "A Whole New Way of Eating?"
Brain: No.
Answer: In quote B, the saccharine song titles disgust Brain.
Try this one today:
From Modern Family, which quote below illustrates something officious?
Quote A:
Phil: Act like a parent, talk like a peer. I call it "peerenting."
Quote B:
Gloria: Jay, what are you wearing? You can't go to church like that.
Jay: Well, that settles it then. I'm going golfing.
Quote C:
Claire: You think I smother our children?
Phil: It's not your fault, honey; "mother" is part of the word. You ever hear of anyone being sfathered to death?
review today's word:
1. One opposite of OLD FOGEYDOM is
A. HEYDAY OF YOUTH.
B. STRUGGLES OF YOUTH.
C. IGNORANCE OF YOUTH.
2. At some point, you just have to embrace your old fogeydom and _____.
A. put on a little black dress
B. make your art, even if no one else likes it
C. go to bed at sundown if that's when you're tired
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Old fogeydom. Yes, it's a real phrase, listed in dictionaries and used in print since 1852. It strikes me as so funny that I can't help but share it, and the same goes for these words:
"OLD FOGEYDOM" The terms "fogey" and "old fogey" date back to 1785. They first meant "a soldier who's too hurt or sick to perform duties." Then, their meaning expanded to "an old person, or a person with old, outdated ideas."
Futurama often pokes fun at old fogeydom. Here's the aged and kooky Professor Farnsworth: "Oh, I don't have time for this. I have to buy a single piece of fruit with a coupon and then return it. Making people wait behind me while I complain."
Explain the meaning of "old fogeydom" without saying "state of bitter old crankiness" or "senescence."
Fill in the blanks: "I love (something) and I'll keep (using it, doing it, eating it, playing it, watching it, listening to it, etc.) until I reach old fogeydom."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. One opposite of OLD FOGEYDOM is
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |