Do the 'Naughties' come after the 90s?

William Barclay · Post by **William Barclay** » Sun Jun 05, 2005 4:16 am

“Politically speaking, the 70s were a difficult period in our history.”
“I prefer music from the 50s.”

It is simple enough to refer to something that took place in the 20s, 30s,....90s, but what do you say when you want to refer to things that happened during the first two decades?

A friend suggested that for the first decade you would say the ‘Naughties’, and for the second the ‘Teenies’. Sounds good to me, but unlikely.

Any ideas?

Posted - 22 Jun 2006 : 22:50:59

I can cope with the twenties and thirties all the way through to the nineties. But what of this decade the "ooos" or the "naughties"?

Then what of the next. Maybe the twenties and thirties seem to have so much cultural significance because people have just lived through two decades not knowing what to call it.

Tony H

Erik_Kowal · Post by **Erik_Kowal** » Sun Jun 05, 2005 7:05 am

I conducted a brief internet search to see what other people had come up with, since I remember this being a hot topic of debate at the turn of the millennium. Among the suggestions I found for 2000-2009 were the following:

The aughts, oughts, naughts, noughts, aughties, oughties, naughties, naughty oughties, zeros, big zeros, pre-teens, nulls, zips, ohs, double-ohs, oh-ohs, two thousands, twenty-ohs, oohs (pronounced ‘ooze’), and “the years after the turn of the century”. What I did not find was any sign of consensus. If the world goes tits-up before the end of the decade, my suggestion would be ‘the zero years’.

Suggestions I found for the years from 2010 to 2019 were as follows:

The teens, one-and-somethings, one-ies, twen-teens, twe-teens, tennies and, unbelievably, "the peak years of global renaissance". (Anyone for tennies?)

Looking back, 1900-1909 was called "just after the turn of the century", as well as ‘the aughts’; 1910-1919 was referred to as 'the teens'; and 1920-1929 was nicknamed the 'roaring twenties'.

As for pronunciations, I found suggestions that 2005 should be pronounced "two thousand five" (which has a distinctly American ring), "two thousand and five" (which is how I say it), "twenty-oh-five", "double-oh-five" and "double ought five."

Of course, if we were to follow the pattern for one mainstream pronunciation of 1905, we could also call it "twenty-hundred and five".

Bobinwales · Post by **Bobinwales** » Sun Jun 05, 2005 4:46 pm

For what it is worth I use "twenty-oh-five" working on the principle that "two-thousand-one-hundred-and-forty-seven will be a bit of a mouthful for me when people ask me in what year I will be 100, twenty-forty-seven seems a lot easier.

Ken Greenwald · Post by **Ken Greenwald** » Sun Jun 05, 2005 5:24 pm

This is definitely a question of national importance and seems to me there OUGHTA BE A LAW. But I visualize the nuclear option having to be imposed after the filibuster has begun. (>:)
___________________

Ken G – June 5, 2005

Erik_Kowal · Post by **Erik_Kowal** » Sun Jun 05, 2005 6:49 pm

Ken, I suggest we wait until after the US has adopted the metric system.

Bob, based on what you wrote, you are either now 58, or you will be born in 42 years' time. ...Now, what was the question?

Bobinwales · Post by **Bobinwales** » Sun Jun 05, 2005 9:45 pm

Oh that I could have another go at this game called life in 42 years time, there might even be a cure for the mobile telephone by then.

I meant twenty-one-forty-seven of course. I often wonder why I didn't go in for maths.

kagriffy · Post by **kagriffy** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 8:30 pm

According to my calculations, Bobinwales, if you will be 100 in 2147, that makes you NEGATIVE 42 right now???? I'm guessing that you'll actually be 100 in 2047, but anything's possible, right?

Bobinwales · Post by **Bobinwales** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 8:24 am

I have ordered more fingers for Christmas so that I can do my sums, there are times that you can only feel an idiot!

Ken Greenwald · Post by **Ken Greenwald** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 10:49 pm

Tony, Your question on this topic was undoubtedly prompted by our current related discussion of NAUGHTICAL TERMINOLOGY. (<:)
__________________

Ken - June 22, 2006

tony h · Post by **tony h** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 8:38 am

Yes, Ken. I just thought it irreverant to take that subject so off topic.

daverba · Post by **daverba** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 1:21 am

In this age of brevity, I can see "two thousand and ..." quickly going the way of "nineteen hundred and ...".

Already, for example, I hear learned people talking about the year 2025 as "twenty-twenty-five" ... and they don't even bother with "THE YEAR twenty-twenty-five" due to the phrases such as "in 2025" or "by 2025" used in the context of time.

Remember, that "AD" is not only non-PC nowadays but also excessive baggage that fell by the wayside years ago.

gdwdwrkr · Post by **gdwdwrkr** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 1:52 pm

I reject pc.
Anno Domini!

Erik_Kowal · Post by **Erik_Kowal** » Mon Jan 03, 2011 10:11 pm

OK, so the world did go tits-up before the end of the decade... 'zero years' then.

marie26 · Post by **marie26** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 3:26 am

there are times that you can only feel an idiot!

Aside from their mathmatical duties, those extra digits will be put to good use no doubt.

Edwin F Ashworth · Post by **Edwin F Ashworth** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:57 pm

If AD is non-PC, what about January, July, Wednesday etc? Aren't these insulting to non- Roman- and Norse- polytheists? And Sneezy, Breezy and Wheezy to those who don't worship Disney?

Erik asked: Anyone for tennies?
In England, he may remember, elevenses are more usual.
Precious.

Wordwizard