No offense, but this is getting old. Not like retro cool, more like a moldy oldie. Old school, but in a bad way.
When it comes to discussing age, you’ve got plenty of hurdles to traverse. There’s register, political correctness, connotation versus denotation, and idioms on life support.
Overwhelmed? I can help a bit, but this is by no means a guide.
This a guide:
Hey, for a decade-old video that’s aged pretty well. I’ll just ape that and double the length.
Here’s a vocab list with brief explanations and examples. Try your hand at a few yourself.
–old. Long lived for people. The opposite of new for things. Example: She was getting old and it took her longer to do routine things like run marathons and finish triathlons.
–oldie. So old it’s well known or enjoyed. Often media, sometimes people. Example: Hearing oldies on the radio made him nostalgic for his teen years working at a 50s diner in the 90s.
–oldster. The opposite of youngster. No one uses this anymore. Example: The oldsters showed her how to knit, get stains out of linen, and cheat on her taxes.
–old school. From the past. Positive for cool things. Neutral to negative for traditional things. Example: Their parents were old school and never let them go out on school nights or days that ended in Y.
–old fashioned. No longer current or up-to-date. Also, a delightful whisk(e)y cocktail. Example: Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think women should wear slacks … or be able vote.
–old as dirt. Really old. Idiomatic and hyperbolic. Example: I wouldn’t say she’s as old as dirt, but dirt was on hand for her bat mitzvah.
–OG. Sort for “original gangster.” The first one. Old by inference. Example: If you like The Kid LAROI you should check out Wagner — he’s the OG bad boy musician.
–classic. Old enough to be well known over time. Plus stereotypical or in high esteem. Example: It’s a classic story: Boy meets girl, girl rejects boy, boy starts a land war in Asia.
–retro. From the recent past. Or copying it. Usually from the past couple decades. Example: Whenever he wore his retro fluorescent vest everyone thought he was a crossing guard.
–vintage. Old and original. Usually at least a couple decades old. Not a copy. Also, the year a wine was made. Example: He had a vintage car, which means it was great for car shows and horrible for the environment.
–antique. Very old. Usually at least a century old. Example: Upon returning form his vacation abroad, he entertained lots of questions from custom agents about his new collection of antique surgical tools.
–ancient. Very, very old. Example: Just because it’s ancient wisdom doesn’t mean it belongs in a cookie.
–dated. No longer current or up-to-date. Example: His sense of style was dated … carbon-dated!
–dinosaur. Unable to adapt to change or new things. Also, the second banana in a long-running movie franchise. Example: What do you mean velociraptors had feathers?! You’ve got to explain that because, when it comes to paleontology, I’m a bit of a dinosaur.