Letting Our Language Slip?

It started with a casual conversation with my son. I’d said someone was “swinging the lead,” and he looked at me as though I’d just recited Chaucer in the original Middle English. I explained it meant shirking work - malingering - pretending to be busy while achieving precisely nothing. He nodded slowly, no doubt filing it away with other phrases his "old man" casually drops, like “donkey’s years” and “spend a penny.” 

But it got me thinking: how many of these phrases are slipping through the cracks, unknown to the younger generations? Are we witnessing the slow erosion of colourful British idioms, replaced by bland American imports and TikTok slang? 

Let’s take a moment to celebrate some of these expressions before they vanish entirely. 

Swinging the Lead

Originating from sailors who would drop a lead weight to measure the depth of water, swinging the lead referred to an easy task. Over time, it evolved to mean avoiding hard work - something we’ve all encountered in life. Yet, the modern workplace has different names for these people: quiet quitters or those working their wage. Personally, I prefer the salty old nautical term. 

Spend a Penny

Now, here’s a gem. In the days when public toilets charged a penny for use, spending a penny became a euphemism for using the loo. Try telling that to a 20-something in the era of contactless payments and £1.50 charges. They’ll look at you as though you’re describing a Victorian workhouse. 

Donkey’s Years

This one should be obvious, but even this drew a blank with my son. It means a long time, derived from the idea that donkeys live for many years. You’d think the stubborn, long-lived creature would make it clear enough, but no - it’s slipping away too. 

Mad as a Box of Frogs
A wonderfully visual phrase, and yet it’s being replaced by “unhinged” or “feral.” I ask you - which sounds better? A box of frogs, all leaping about in manic chaos, perfectly encapsulates eccentric behaviour. It’s a shame this one’s going out of fashion. 

Brass Monkeys

You say it’s “brass monkeys” weather, and you’re met with blank stares. The full phrase - “cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey” - refers to naval days, when cannonballs were stored on a brass frame known as a monkey because it was triangular with 3 holes. making it look like a monkey's face. In icy weather, the metal contracted, and the cannonballs fell off. Crude, yes, but beautifully descriptive. 

Bob’s Your Uncle 

Ah, the classic British way of saying “there you have it” or “job done.” It’s rumoured to have originated from Prime Minister Robert Cecil appointing his nephew to a plum job. Regardless of the truth, it’s a phrase that encapsulates British wit - and one I rarely hear from younger folks. 

Why does any of this matter? Well, language is culture. It’s the stories we tell, the shorthand we use to connect with our history, our humour, and each other. Without these phrases, we risk losing a layer of richness - that subtle seasoning of speech that turns conversation from functional to delightful. 

And frankly, some modern slang just doesn’t cut the mustard (there’s another one for you). I doubt anyone will fondly recall “slay” or “no cap” with the same affection we hold for these old idioms. 

So, if you’ve got younger people in your life, do them a favour - drop a few of these expressions into conversation. Explain them, if needed. They may roll their eyes now, but one day, they’ll catch themselves saying “swings and roundabouts” or “pull your finger out,” and they’ll think of you. 

Language, after all, is a living thing - but only if we keep it alive. 

Bob’s your uncle!