old

old: or auld is a prefix to numerous nicknames, or names for Nick¹, the devil, who was liable to appear if you spoke about him directly: whence our expression talk of the devil, if a person about whom we have been speaking in his absence comes into view. Instead of using the word devil, people spoke of (the) old or auld bendy, blazes, bogey, boots, boy, chap, child, cloot, cloutie, dad, Davy, driver, gentleman, gooseberry, Harry, hornie, lad, mahoon, man, Nick, one, poger, poker, Roger, ruffin, Sandy, scratch, serpent, smoker, sooty, thief, toast, etc. Some of these names are dealt with elsewhere, without the prefix. It was not uncommon for a farmer to leave a patch of ground untilled for the devil's use (today Brussels calls it setaside), in the hope that he might be induced to leave the rest of the farm alone:

The old man's fold, where the druid sacrificed to the demon. (EDD) and see clootie's croft under cloot.

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Synonyms:

Aged, elderly, of advanced age, advanced in years / Crafty, cunning, sly, wise, shrewd, sagacious (colloq.) / Aged, antiquated, bad, mean / Ancient, antique, antiquated, old-fashioned, olden / Of long date, not new / Going to decay, worn out, good for nothing, decayed / Ancient, pristine, primitive, original / Former, pre-existing, preceding / Experienced, practised, skilled / Long-cultivated, fertile, rich / Thoughtful, sensible, intelligent

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Old — Old, a. [Compar. {Older}; superl. {Oldest}.] [OE. old, ald, AS. ald, eald; akin to D. oud, OS. ald, OFries. ald, old, G. alt, Goth. alpeis, and also to Goth. alan to grow up, Icel. ala to bear, produce, bring up, L. alere to nourish. Cf. {Adult} … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Old — or OLD may refer to: Contents 1 Age 2 Places 3 Persons 4 Music 5 Acronyms … Wikipedia
Old 97's — Old 97 redirects here. For the Southern Railway train and its crash, see Wreck of the Old 97. Old 97 s The Old 97 s performing in 2008 Background information … Wikipedia
Old 8×10 — Studio album by Randy Travis Released July 12, 1988 … Wikipedia
Old No. 1 — Studio album by Guy Clark Released 1975 Recorded RCA Studios … Wikipedia
Old — ([=o]ld), n. Open country. [Obs.] See {World}. Shak. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Old B.O.B. — Old B.O.B. is a robot from the 1979 Disney motion picture The Black Hole .B.O.B. was a battered and outdated robot model, the last of his kind to remain aboard the U.S.S. Cygnus . B.O.B. was working in parts storage when the crew of the U.S.S.… … Wikipedia
Old '67 — is a song from Elton John s album, The Captain the Kid. Throughout its lyrics, John and Bernie Taupin look back upon the time they began forging their songwriting partnership and friendship. Categories: Elton John songsSongs with music by Elton… … Wikipedia
old — I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Old English eald; akin to Old High German alt old, Latin alere to nourish, alescere to grow, altus high, deep Date: before 12th century 1. a. dating from the remote past ; ancient < old traditions > b … New Collegiate Dictionary
old — See: CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK, COMFORTABLE AS AN OLD SHOE, COMMON AS AN OLD SHOE, OF OLD … Dictionary of American idioms
old — See: CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK, COMFORTABLE AS AN OLD SHOE, COMMON AS AN OLD SHOE, OF OLD … Dictionary of American idioms

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How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms

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