Is The Use Of Idioms Dying Out?

[bednobs]

Talking to my 12yo the other day I said something along the line of"there's many a slip t'wixt cup and lip" and she had no idea what I meant. When I further elaborated it's similar to don't count your chickens she again looked at me blankly. Her favourite song had a line in it about cutting off your nose to spite your face. She asked me what that meant. Am I just old now or do young people not use these idioms any more?

[Madgeorge]

They only use them when they include "like","so" or "you know" many times!

[Prudie]

Surely they only they know them if they're taught them?

[davebro3]

I still use them but only once in a blue moon!

[elliemay1]

From memory, weren't we taught them at the Primary school? 

[Cloverjo]

On a similar theme, I just asked my husband if he wanted to turn the telly over, meaning of course to us aged people, to change the channel. 
 

Do people say 'turn it over' now? Would young 'uns look blankly at us? 

[davebro3]

I don't recall ever being "taught" them but then there's quite a lot of things I don't recall...

[maggiebee]

Can I jump on the bandwagon?  I think idioms are the best thing since sliced bread.

[douglas9401]

'Cutting off your nose to spite your face' would see you up before the beak for encouraging self harm and damaging mental health.

It also leads directly to accusations of nasal shaming in the larger-conked.

[bookbinder]

It isn't surprising that younger people do not understand idioms. A person picks up that kind of expression by reason of simply 'living', listening to how people express themselves, watching people's behaviour. Learning about life just takes time, that's all.

[Omg21]

I learned many of these from my grandmother but when I say them to my granddaughter,  she also looks at me blankly and I have to explain them.

[newmodarmy]

12 year old get most of their language now from tiktok and idioms don't feature much.

However if you said you had skibidy rizz, you're sigma or ask her what's her mewing streak or so.ething was so Ohio, she'd know exactly what you mean

[douglas9401]

Confusingly though all that is also a sign of a mild stroke coming on.

[bednobs]

Ha! I knew what I meant but trying to explain it to someone else is not easy.