a list of words that are only ever used in one phrase and one phrase only

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pale and wan

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:02 (eighteen years ago) link

'and never the TWAIN shall meet'

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:03 (eighteen years ago) link

'as is my WONT'

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:03 (eighteen years ago) link

I don't agree about 'wan' - I use it and have heard it used alone quite frequently.

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:05 (eighteen years ago) link

I don't agree about 'wan' - I use it and have heard it used alone quite frequently.

Well, you *are* on a Belle and Sebastian mailing list...

― I Dream Of Sleep (kate), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:08 (eighteen years ago) link

Hue and cry

― beanz (beanz), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:09 (eighteen years ago) link

hatch-"down the hatch" (not in the context of eggs)
render-"render unto Caesar what is Caesar's..."

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:09 (eighteen years ago) link

(xpost) zing!

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:09 (eighteen years ago) link

'woe betide'
'kith and kin'

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:11 (eighteen years ago) link

I always thought that "profusely" had a limited usage, in that I would wager that 80% of the time, it's used with one of the following words: cry, sweat, bleed, apologize, and thank.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:12 (eighteen years ago) link

haha, bloody poets showing up and saying "Nah, 'wan' is in common use"! (xpost to Archel)

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:13 (eighteen years ago) link

'rent asunder'

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:13 (eighteen years ago) link

(did I spell that right?)

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:14 (eighteen years ago) link

'stark naked'

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:16 (eighteen years ago) link

cleave (in the sense of join, not split) "cleave to one's principles"

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:18 (eighteen years ago) link

Ha ha Nick just reminded me of one of Billy Connelly's finest

Teacher: Woe betide the boy who plays football instead of coming into class

Young Billy: Who's this fucking Woby? He's got the right idea!

(or words to that effect)

― Rumpea, Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:18 (eighteen years ago) link

"Render" is not uncommon.

― elmo (allocryptic), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:19 (eighteen years ago) link

The quick and the dead – quick as in alive
Hold fast – fast as in, er, not moving at all

― beanz (beanz), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:20 (eighteen years ago) link

You use a derivative of fast still - as in fasten.

― I Dream Of Sleep (kate), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:22 (eighteen years ago) link

Duh

― beanz (beanz), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:23 (eighteen years ago) link

I guess I meant render in the sense of "to pay", the whole action, not using "render payment" which is redundant.

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:24 (eighteen years ago) link

Brimstone
Mickle, muckle
Hale

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:25 (eighteen years ago) link

'Hale', of course, is usually used in conjunction with 'twat'.

http://www.20six.co.uk/pub/channel26/hale_and_pace2.jpg

― beanz (beanz), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:31 (eighteen years ago) link

After the 'wan' thing I just shouldn't say that I use 'hale' and 'brimstone', should I?

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:33 (eighteen years ago) link

Hale, Satan

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:35 (eighteen years ago) link

Hoist on his own petard is from Hamlet, right?

Pétard in French is slang for a joint.

― M. White (Miguelito), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 15:40 (eighteen years ago) link

"For 'tis the sport to have the enginer / Hoist with his owne
petar" Shakespeare, Hamlet III iv.

"Hoist" was in Shakespeare's time the past participles of a verb "to hoise", which meant what "to hoist" does now: to lift. A petard (see under "peter out" for the etymology) was an explosive charge detonated by a slowly burning fuse. If the petard went off prematurely, then the sapper (military engineer; Shakespeare's "enginer") who planted it would be hurled into the air by the explosion. (Compare "up" in "to blow up".) A modern rendition might be: "It's fun to see the engineer blown up with his own bomb."

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 16:16 (eighteen years ago) link

cleave

the only word in the english languaged that means one thing and also its opposite.

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 16:37 (eighteen years ago) link

nah, there's loads

― Slumpman (Slump Man), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 17:23 (eighteen years ago) link

eke!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 17:28 (eighteen years ago) link

quench

When is it ever used not in conjunction with "thurst" ?

― JTS, Tuesday, 23 August 2005 19:57 (eighteen years ago) link

short SHRIFT
out of KILTER

― Si.C@rter (SiC@rter), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 20:08 (eighteen years ago) link

.cx

― LeCoq (LeCoq), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 20:11 (eighteen years ago) link

roffle!

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 20:13 (eighteen years ago) link

(well except for joshblog)

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 20:14 (eighteen years ago) link

One autoanytonym that I just came across that isn't on that list: muck, as a verb, which means to remove the muck from something, and to put the muck on something.

Pyrrhic is a proper name (relating to Pyrrhus), and so I'm not sure it qualifies.

I'll add the sense of "brand" used in "brand [spanking] new".

For "stark naked", see also "stark raving".

I'm kinda with Archel in this, in that I use many of these words in other contexts, but Martin will tsk me as well I suspect.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 20:42 (eighteen years ago) link

Re the autoantonyms: is there a term for flammable/inflammable, words that look like they should be opposites but in fact mean the same thing?

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 20:46 (eighteen years ago) link

'stark naked'

also used with contrast

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 21:02 (eighteen years ago) link

scantily clad.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 21:10 (eighteen years ago) link

INTENTS and purposes

― Rotgutt (Rotgutt), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 22:37 (eighteen years ago) link

INTENSIVE PORPOISES

ihttp://www.crru.org.uk/images/porpoise_callout.jpg

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 22:57 (eighteen years ago) link

damn.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 23:06 (eighteen years ago) link

When is it ever used not in conjunction with "thurst" ?

when it's used in conjunction with 'desire'?

I love autoantonyms!

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 23:23 (eighteen years ago) link

The word tuffet exists nowhere outside of Miss Muffet's direct sphere of influence.

― Aimless (Aimless), Tuesday, 23 August 2005 23:29 (eighteen years ago) link

kith (and kin)
rack (and ruin)

― isadora (isadora), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 01:45 (eighteen years ago) link

fast = fast asleep!
stark = stuff is always getting put "in stark relief"
hatch = hatch-as-mouth is just a metaphor, though
fro = limited to haircuts
spic = you can imagine why people don't say it a lot
wan = I'm with Archel
wont = as is my wont, as he is wont to do
render = on all yr bills, at least
profuse = lots of "profusion," though
muck = muckraking, mucking drains, etc
scantily = original "scant" gets used plenty
intents = "intent" gets used all the time
rack = nice one

― nabiscothingy, Wednesday, 24 August 2005 02:11 (eighteen years ago) link

'Wreaking' is nothing without 'havoc'

― Lurky McLurk, Wednesday, 24 August 2005 03:01 (eighteen years ago) link

Hue and cry

is "hew and cry," innit?

― Leeeeeeee (Leee), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 03:22 (eighteen years ago) link

i came across a good for real one playing scrabble the other day but i can't remember it for the life of me. it started, i think, with a t, and means essentially an object of fond desire.

also -- livelong, as in "the livelong day"

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 03:27 (eighteen years ago) link

Nab, I just meant "muck" as an autoantonym, not as a word that is used in one phrase only.

You can wreak terror as well.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 03:40 (eighteen years ago) link

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my parents used to use britches as a simple synonym for pants/trousers ie get on your britches

― Humanitarian Pause (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 21 November 2023 22:15 (four months ago) link

beck

― Zelda Zonk, Tuesday, 21 November 2023 22:23 (four months ago) link

― Humanitarian Pause (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 21 November 2023 23:06 (four months ago) link

Soz but

beck1
/bɛk/
nounNORTHERN ENGLISH
a stream

― Tyler Perry's Cystitis (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 21 November 2023 23:43 (four months ago) link

linguists call these fossil words, related and fun is the cranberry morpheme

― the absence of bikes (f. hazel), Wednesday, 22 November 2023 02:06 (four months ago) link

Britches always makes me think of Washington, DC clothing retailer Britches Great Outdoors, which started out as a store that sold slacks.

― peace, man, Wednesday, 22 November 2023 12:27 (four months ago) link

I suspect this may be US-specific (i.e., the word is used more broadly elsewhere), but bow about "britches" as in what you get too big for?

I think "britches" is American? It's breeches in England and breeks in Scotland.

― The First Time Ever I Saw Gervais (Tom D.), Wednesday, 22 November 2023 12:39 (four months ago) link

... breeks is much more commonly used than breeches.

― The First Time Ever I Saw Gervais (Tom D.), Wednesday, 22 November 2023 12:40 (four months ago) link

breeches is often the spelling in English, especially older prose, but i still think it's pronounced "britches"

― Tyler Perry's Cystitis (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 22 November 2023 12:41 (four months ago) link

Yes, could be.

― The First Time Ever I Saw Gervais (Tom D.), Wednesday, 22 November 2023 12:44 (four months ago) link

Maybe not by Genesis P-Orridge though.

https://boingboing.net/2009/04/17/genesis-p-orridges-c.html/amp

― The First Time Ever I Saw Gervais (Tom D.), Wednesday, 22 November 2023 12:46 (four months ago) link

Lol I mean he could be making a play on the word without strictly thinking it's pronounced that way, but on the other hand it's one of those words that you're likely to have seen written down and never heard spoken aloud, I guess anybody who reads books much has a few of those

― Tyler Perry's Cystitis (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 22 November 2023 15:17 (four months ago) link

Peace, man: Britches (the store) has had an interesting resurgence.

https://warthog.vip/

It was a staple of my preppy-ass youth. People in my personal orbit treasure memories of it. I haven't been back (because I don't dress that way anymore) but it is there if you want it.

― Oh I believe in Yetis' Day (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 22 November 2023 16:10 (four months ago) link

Dion Dublin, for the BBC today:

Brighton have played some really good stuff they never panic and always buy their time.

Is "bide" ever used outside of this idiom?

― Kim Kimberly, Saturday, 25 November 2023 16:36 (four months ago) link

The dude bides

― Oh I believe in Yetis' Day (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 25 November 2023 16:56 (four months ago) link

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/bide-a-wee

(Scottish for wait a while)

― koogs, Saturday, 25 November 2023 17:15 (four months ago) link

https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/720a095c-3ae2-41a9-8bfe-490b671980d5/IMG_5287.jpg

― mark s, Saturday, 25 November 2023 17:16 (four months ago) link

yeah, 'wait' as in 'stay'. i think 1 in 3 Scottish b&bs are called bide-a-wee

― koogs, Saturday, 25 November 2023 17:37 (four months ago) link

Could one bide on a bidet?

― Iris Demented (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 25 November 2023 17:42 (four months ago) link

Yes, there are parts of Scotland where the question, "Where do you bide?" will be asked.

― How old Cary Grant? (Tom D.), Saturday, 25 November 2023 18:57 (four months ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QTu8ks9X9M

― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 25 November 2023 22:25 (four months ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbXSXvt2tb0

― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 25 November 2023 22:28 (four months ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t-zC0e1Tgc

― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 25 November 2023 22:30 (four months ago) link

So yeah mostly the one set phrase.

― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 25 November 2023 22:30 (four months ago) link

Joe Bidin'

― Iris Demented (Ye Mad Puffin), Sunday, 26 November 2023 00:38 (four months ago) link

hither and yon
arms akimbo

― henry s, Sunday, 26 November 2023 01:35 (four months ago) link

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9_XAqUIQAANNSL.jpg

― How old Cary Grant? (Tom D.), Sunday, 26 November 2023 02:35 (four months ago) link

https://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/yon

― How old Cary Grant? (Tom D.), Sunday, 26 November 2023 02:36 (four months ago) link

He, I almost linked the entry for “bide” earlier.

― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 26 November 2023 04:16 (four months ago) link

Heh

― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 26 November 2023 04:16 (four months ago) link

I have an app for students, Scots ABC. It has a random word generator, from which I just learned the word “oorie.”

― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 26 November 2023 04:20 (four months ago) link

Doesn’t have any of the example sentences though, for one thing.

― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 26 November 2023 04:32 (four months ago) link

auk (auk and style)
― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, August 23, 2005 2:42 PM (eighteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

Turns out "auk and style" doesn't exist as a saying at all, I'd heard "dressed in auk and style" but maybe it was really "dressing up in style" or something. I do know of one song where I'd misheard the latter for the former, but I'm sure my hearing predates it.

Unless, y'know, you know?

― Mark G, Sunday, 26 November 2023 09:50 (four months ago) link

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