“Nobody wants to work any more” or “kids aren’t disciplined anymore”, and “millenials…something something something” to refer to any generation younger than them.
“People don’t have pensions anymore?”
No, Mom, we don’t.
“Are you ready to rock?”
In my day.
pulling myself up by my bootstraps
Let me just talk for a while, you’ll get some
Television set.
You kids, get off my lawn!
Something I once heard my sister say to our grandniece, “I saw the Beatles live.”
“Knee high to a grasshopper” (short)
“Beyond the pale” (outside social norms, I think. Maybe just strange)
“Dance maven”
“I’ll just do that in my copious free time…” (sarcastically, because you are too busy)
“Copacetic” (it’s all good)
“Heavy” (meaning important, grave)
I learned all of these thirty years ago from a man in his fifties. He was full of interesting expressions.
If the question is things “only” old people say, you have to exclude phrases old people say that were repopularized through media.
“Heavy” (meaning important, grave)
For example this is a really quotable line from Back to the Future, so kids would pick it up.
40 year old movies are not really a major influence on slang & pop culture…
Lmao, k
I’ve started saying “beyond the pale” and “copacetic” after playing Disco Elysium
The only time I have ever heard the word copacetic and only reason I know it exists is because of a song that probably only dinosaurs and hipsters listen to anymore: Bound For The Floor.
Other than that, I’ve never heard it used in any context. So I’mma agree that it’s definitely an old person word ( or a pretentious “I’m BeTtEr ThAn YoU” kinda word ).
I couldn’t remember the song title Pink Pony Club and called it Hoke Pokey Unicorn the other day… so that
Dad gum
My dad called rootbeer floats “boston coolers” and called BigBoy’s restaurants “Manners”
Im trying to keep boston coolers alive.
Boy, I sure love owning a house.
Hey, I’m heading into my late 40s and I haven’t been able to say that yet lol
So not old, cool
“Kids these days don’t want to work.”