This used to be a common phrase uttered among families gathered around the TV set, meaning change the channel. It dates back to a time long before streaming and when there was much less choice when it came to what to watch, with the UK only getting a fourth channel in 1982. People also often refer to TV shows rather than programmes these days, too, while the British word series is facing a battle for survival against the US equivalent season.placeholder image
This used to be a common phrase uttered among families gathered around the TV set, meaning change the channel. It dates back to a time long before streaming and when there was much less choice when it came to what to watch, with the UK only getting a fourth channel in 1982. People also often refer to TV shows rather than programmes these days, too, while the British word series is facing a battle for survival against the US equivalent season. | Frank Martin/BIPs/Getty Images

You're probably showing your age if you use these 13 words and phrases, which are at risk of dying out

Robert Cumber
By Robert Cumber

Property and retro writer

Published 2nd Jun 2025, 14:41 GMT

The English language has some brilliant words and phrases, some of which you’ll rarely hear outside of the UK.

But language is an ever-evolving thing and as new words and sayings are born, others inevitably fall out of fashion.

We’ve put together a list of words and phrases you don’t hear as often as you once did - some of which are at risk of dying out.

They may be the victims of developing technology and changing lifestyles, or perhaps they’ve been superseded by their US equivalents.

There are some fantastically colourful turns of phrase among them, which it would be a shame if we lost for good.

But if you find yourself uttering any of these words and sayings on a regular basis then you’re probably showing your age.

How many of these do you use, are there any you don’t recognise, and what other sayings do you not hear as often today as you once did?

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The British have always had a way with insults, which is probably why we have so many of them. Plonker was Del Boy's favourite put-down for his long-suffering little brother Rodney on Only Fools and Horses but it's not one you hear very often these days. Other once popular insults which could be on their way out include pillock, dipstick and wazzock

7. Plonker

The British have always had a way with insults, which is probably why we have so many of them. Plonker was Del Boy's favourite put-down for his long-suffering little brother Rodney on Only Fools and Horses but it's not one you hear very often these days. Other once popular insults which could be on their way out include pillock, dipstick and wazzock | Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

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Avocados are hugely popular in the UK today but that wasn't always the case. Marks & Spencer claim to have introduced them to the UK in 1968 but it took a while for us to warm to them. That was partly down to confusion, with the exotic, new foodstuff initially marketed as 'avocado pears' and one customer complaining that she'd stewed them and served them with custard, with unsurprisingly disappointing results. The term 'avocado pear' stuck around for a while but is rarely used today. Despite their similar shape, avocados are not related to pears in any way and are actually part of the berry family.

8. Avocado pear

Avocados are hugely popular in the UK today but that wasn't always the case. Marks & Spencer claim to have introduced them to the UK in 1968 but it took a while for us to warm to them. That was partly down to confusion, with the exotic, new foodstuff initially marketed as 'avocado pears' and one customer complaining that she'd stewed them and served them with custard, with unsurprisingly disappointing results. The term 'avocado pear' stuck around for a while but is rarely used today. Despite their similar shape, avocados are not related to pears in any way and are actually part of the berry family. | ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images Photo: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

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We love a euphemism in the UK and there are all manner of ways to politely excuse yourself when you need the loo. Some people still say they're off to spend a penny, but it's not a phrase you hear as much as you once did. It dates back to the days when it actually did cost a penny to use a public lavatory, but inflation means it's much more costly to relieve yourself these days.

9. I'm going to spend a penny

We love a euphemism in the UK and there are all manner of ways to politely excuse yourself when you need the loo. Some people still say they're off to spend a penny, but it's not a phrase you hear as much as you once did. It dates back to the days when it actually did cost a penny to use a public lavatory, but inflation means it's much more costly to relieve yourself these days. | Evening Standard/Getty Images Photo: Evening Standard/Getty Images

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Sacré bleu! The use of the term 'French stick' to refer to a baguette, or usually a poor British approximation of one, dates back to the days when we were much less cosmopolitan on these isles. It wasn't until around the 1990s that more genuine baguettes, which the French wouldn't turn their noses up at, became readily available in the UK and started to be known over here by their proper name.

10. French stick

Sacré bleu! The use of the term 'French stick' to refer to a baguette, or usually a poor British approximation of one, dates back to the days when we were much less cosmopolitan on these isles. It wasn't until around the 1990s that more genuine baguettes, which the French wouldn't turn their noses up at, became readily available in the UK and started to be known over here by their proper name. | Michael Hardy/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Photo: Michael Hardy/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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You'll have to search much harder these days to find people taking a 'dekko', meaning to have a quick look. It dates back to the 19th century and comes from the Hindi word 'dekho', meaning look. While the word 'dekko' is still used in the UK, it is considered quite archaic these days.

11. Take a dekko

You'll have to search much harder these days to find people taking a 'dekko', meaning to have a quick look. It dates back to the 19th century and comes from the Hindi word 'dekho', meaning look. While the word 'dekko' is still used in the UK, it is considered quite archaic these days. | Fox Photos/Getty Images Photo: Fox Photos/Getty Images

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Cats everywhere must be rejoicing at the slow death of this bizarre saying, describing a cramped room, which a 2022 survey found fewer than half of those questioned had ever used. Quite how it came about is unclear. A popular theory is that it originates from the cat o' nine tails whip used in the navy but this seems unlikely as the earliest known use of 'swing a cat' is understood to predate the first use of 'cat o' nine tails'. For the avoidance of doubt, the swinging of cats is never acceptable, however much room you might have.

12. Not enough space to swing a cat

Cats everywhere must be rejoicing at the slow death of this bizarre saying, describing a cramped room, which a 2022 survey found fewer than half of those questioned had ever used. Quite how it came about is unclear. A popular theory is that it originates from the cat o' nine tails whip used in the navy but this seems unlikely as the earliest known use of 'swing a cat' is understood to predate the first use of 'cat o' nine tails'. For the avoidance of doubt, the swinging of cats is never acceptable, however much room you might have. | Richard Chowen/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Photo: Richard Chowen/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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