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Malone @1753, I realise that I responded to your use of GBTD (and asked if I could steal it) on a completely different thread yesterday and I see now where it originated!
Your suggestion of slipping it into everyday conversation reminded me of a game I play with a family member.
For a couple of years I’ve been compiling a list of ‘fossil words’ - words that are broadly obsolete but remain in current use due to their presence within a specific phrase or idiom. In the game we score points for using a fossil word outside of the usual idiom in general family correspondence without anyone else noticing. It’s great fun!

Grunger, Jigjag, and Jono

Thanks for your interesting - and in parts, fun - posts. I'll reply to them individually ... so that I don't forget or miss anything!

Grunger

Thanks for the account of my intransitive verbs contretemps, but there was a major factual error. I would never - ever - resort to violence. I think we'll reword the story so that the book was thrown at me, rather than by me. 'There, that's what I think of you and your "Chambers says it's also an intransitive verb" nonsense.' could have been the accompanying remark, almost as wounding as the physical injury.

The GBD/GBH bit was hilarious.

Jigjag

Don't worry too much about CBUAU, it's already been changed to AAAAA - upgraded, after serious errors in the algorithms were noticed and acted upon. I'm glad the applications for the university places have all had a successful outcome too.

Jono,

Thanks for the 'guided by the science...' stuff - sorry, guided by the dictionaries. I think there must have been a slight brainwashing element to the 'guided by science' when we heard to much of it earlier in the year. I am pleased to jettison it and delighted to give 'guided by the dictionaries' a fully-deserved place in the nation's consciousness.

I really like the sound of your 'fossil words' activities, - that sounds interesting and lots of fun. I wouldn't mind hearing some examples.

Malone,
Here are some fossil word examples. Arguably some are better examples than others. It’s interesting the role that alliteration plays. (This is a cut and paste so I hope it formats ok).

FELL (In one fell swoop) fell meaning cruel or evil
TRUCK (Have no truck with) truck meaning dealings
PALE (Beyond the pale) pale meaning fence or fencepost
KITH (Kith and kin)
SPICK (Spick and span)
CURRY (Curry favour)
AMOK (Run amok)
HALE (Hale and hearty)
FRO (To and fro)
YON (Hither and yon)
DESERTS (Just deserts)
BANDY (Bandy about)
EKE (Eke out)
KEN (Beyond one’s ken)
VIM (Vim and vigour)
FETTLE (Fine fettle)
OFFING (In the offing)
NEAP (Neap tide)
THITHER (Hither and thither)
BECK (Beck and call)
DINT (By dint of)
IMMEMORIAL (Time immemorial)
BATED (Bated breath)
WEND (Wend ones way)
LURCH (Leave in the lurch)
SHRIFT (Short shrift)
UMBRAGE (Take umbrage)
HUE (Hue and cry)
WEEDS (Widow’s weeds)
WIT (To wit) wit meaning know
WEND (Wend one’s way)
AWEIGH (Anchors aweigh)

Did you know that "time immemorial" once had a precise meaning? In 1275, when landowners were trying to establish they had rights to their land, it was declared that if they could show they had held it since time immemorial, they had nothing further to prove. Time immemorial was defined as the accession of Richard I in 1179.

Thanks Chris, no I didn’t know that. I really should annotate the list with the original meanings. I had started but got distracted.
I’d love to know anyone can think of other fossil words.

Jono, thanks for the list. Most of the words seem quite well-known- but only in the context of their use in certain phrases! I'd struggle to insert, casually and naturally, some of them ... but I might give it a go!

ChrisE, thanks for the 'time immemorial' information - new and interesting.

genuine misprint - 1189