Nuts and Bolts: skunked terms.

 A skunked term is a word or phrase which is either in the process of changing its meaning (in which case the old folk will assume one meaning and the young ones another) or it's a word that's become controversial (not necessarily for any logical reason).

Fulsome is an well-known example of such a word. Does it mean insincere (which was the only thing it did mean in the mid-twentieth century) or does it mean enthusiastic and complete (probably its commonest meaning nowadays)?

The Word Den has already looked with mixed irritation and affection upon many of these meaning-shifting words, but one example not yet explored here is moot point, which to a middle-aged British person means an important issue at the heart of an argument, but which to an American will probably mean an issue of no, or only academic, importance.

(Academic...now there's another interesting word!)

As for an example of a newly controversial word...and The Word Den is now stepping into dangerous territory...but it would be no surprise if describing someone as niggling is soon enough to call up a Twitter mob.

It's a fine bold label, is skunked term, but many words have changed their meaning over time, and most have largely lost their power to confuse.

But then I suppose that every skunk does, eventually, lose its smell.

Thing Probably Not To Use Today: a skunked term. This term was coined by the lexicographer Bryan A Garner in 2008.

Niggling comes from Scandinavia and is probably something to do with the word nygg, which means stingy. Moot is basically the same word as meeting. Fulsome started off meaning full, as in a stomach, then came to mean nauseated, then sickening and insincere, and now it's getting back to meaning full again.

The word skunk is a gift from Algonquian.