|
|
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 12
stranger
|
OP
stranger
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 12 |
More and more I see the interjection, "OMG!" I also hear it spoken, but in its full form, not the initials. While I know the expression has been around for many, many years, its ubiquity seems recent. Do others find this to be so? A century ago it might have been considered blasphemy!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
There is the Recency Illusion to consider but I think that in this case you're probably right. There was a time in the Victorian era when people were going all txtspk, so to speak, but I think it was limited to expressions where the name of the letter substituted for a syllable in the word being textspoken, e.g., XLNC for 'excellency'.
Then there was the '20s or '30s little byplay:
FUNEM?
SVFM.
FUNEX?
SVFX.
OKMNX.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 956
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 956 |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 5
stranger
|
|
stranger
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 5 |
It took me a while, but I got there. My late Grandfather (b.1895) told me a little riddle from his childhood which was:
ABCD Goldfish
MNO Goldfish
SDR Goldfish
You will almost certainly work it out but, in case it's too British, it's:
'Abe, see the G.'
'Them ain't no G.'
'Yes they are G.'
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 956
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 956 |
A century ago it might have been considered blasphemy!
Which got me wondering about why some people say 'gosh' instead.
Sounds like someone went to use the phrase, thought again at the last word, then out came gosh.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Interesting that you will hear 'whiskey tango foxtrot' but never (well hardly ever) 'oscar mike golf'.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526
veteran
|
|
veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526 |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 876
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 876 |
A century ago it might have been considered blasphemy!
Which got me wondering about why some people say 'gosh' instead.
Sounds like someone went to use the phrase, thought again at the last word, then out came gosh.
That's funny, because the alternative I've heard is "goodness"! It's so random which things get pronounced, and which spelled out. I've heard "lol" both ways, "url" only spelled (got admonished for pronouncing it...), "bbf" only spelled, but "pwned" only prounounced. I have a house full of 12-17, and I get told how not in the loop I am all the time... *sigh* ;0)
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 876
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 876 |
Interesting that you will hear 'whiskey tango foxtrot' but never (well hardly ever) 'oscar mike golf'. Had to work that one out... never heard it! I tend to say "What the ffffffff (that's the phoneme...), but again, it could be "freak" or "fudge", so you can CYA with those... he he ;0)
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Interesting that you will hear 'whiskey tango foxtrot' but never (well hardly ever) 'oscar mike golf'. Had to work that one out... never heard it! I tend to say "What the ffffffff (that's the phoneme...), but again, it could be "freak" or "fudge", so you can CYA with those... he he ;0) My point there is that while you will hear "double-you tee eff" or "whiskey tango foxtrot" or even the fully expanded phrase, you will hear "oh em gee" or the fully expanded phrase but never "oscar mike golf". It may be that the full phrase for OMG is not common military parlance the way WTF is.
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,915
Posts229,879
Members9,197
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
349
guests, and
3
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
