Euphemisms and similes that have changed through generations but mean the same thing

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON earlier on, I was chuckling that the British euphemism (well, rhyming slang, really, but I think one is a subset of the other) for haemorrhoids has, over the decades, for each succesive generation, gone from "Nobby Stiles" to "Johnny Giles", to "Adrian Chiles", and now "Harry Stiles".

Are there any others that have kept their root meaning but have evolved with the ages? Not just rhyming slang, but eg other ones from 40 years ago like "he's as fat as ..." which 40 years ago would probably have ended "Cyril Smith", or "he's as rich as" ... which might have ended "Onassis", which would similarly mean absolutely nothing now to a modern audience?

[ursus arctos]

[elguapo4]

When a player hits a pass that the opposition sees coming a mile away, most people would say " he telegraphed that" ,we don't say he texted or emailed it. The same with an actor giving a below par performance is still " phoning it in" .

[Jah Womble]

Haemorrhoids were always 'Farmers' ('Farmer Giles') in my day.

[Nefertiti2]

Emma Freuds

[San Bernardhinault]

They were always Chalfonts, to me

[Amor de Cosmos]

"pilesinyerarse" all one word.

[jdsx]

I thought the classic one was "Who do you think you are, Stirling Moss (Jackie Stewart/James Hunt/insert latest British racing driver)?" when stopped by the police for speeding.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

"Rockefeller" was always the "as rich as" of choice when I was growing up, or in practice "who do you think I am, bloody Rockefeller?" when trying to get money out of my dad for something. I'm guessing Bill Gates is the guy now, or maybe Elon Musk, but I think it skipped Jeff Bezos.

[San Bernardhinault]

I think "He's as x* as Elon Musk" these days is more likely to contain a pejorative than just being rich.

* x, in this case, not being Twitter, despite the subject matter.

[tee rex]

Has any modern job taken over the traditional sex role of the milkman?

It is/was famous enough to have a Wikipedia page, which suggests different occupations in other countries:

Milkman joke - Wikipedia

[Sporting]

I thought the classic one was "Who do you think you are, Stirling Moss (Jackie Stewart/James Hunt/insert latest British racing driver)?" when stopped by the police for speeding.

Here, speed merchants are called Fittipaldi.

[ursus arctos]

Fernando Alonso wonders just what he has to do to get some respect . . .

[Gangster Octopus]

I once got the Stirling Moss treatment. I was down some back alley in Newcastle at the time. Driving a car, before anyone says owt...

[Sits]

Has any modern job taken over the traditional sex role of the milkman?

It is/was famous enough to have a Wikipedia page, which suggests different occupations in other countries:

Milkman joke - Wikipedia

An old mate of mine was the milkman joke made real, moving in with a recently divorced partner and her four children as a result.

[Satchmo Distel]

Is a totally bald guy still a Kojak? No other TV character took that mantle AFAIK. More cruelly, Cannon for obese and Ironside for wheelchair-bound.

[3 Colours Red]

I thought the classic one was "Who do you think you are, Stirling Moss (Jackie Stewart/James Hunt/insert latest British racing driver)?" when stopped by the police for speeding.

Although there was a time between the retirement of Damon Hill and the emergence of Lewis Hamilton where there wasn't a British driver who quite fit the bill (Coulthard was never quite in those upper echelons and it took a long time for Button to truly fulfill his promise), so you'd often hear "who d'ya think y'are, Michael Schumacher?".

[Guy Profumo]

I thought the classic one was "Who do you think you are, Stirling Moss (Jackie Stewart/James Hunt/insert latest British racing driver)?" when stopped by the police for speeding.

I referred to Moss as "Nice driving Stirling", when witnessing a piece of egregious motoring

[ad hoc]

Is a Douglas still rhyming slang for a turd? I presume not, since the kids today they won't have heard of Douglas Hurd

[Nocturnal Submission]

I'm trying to think of some contemporary similes but absolutely nothing is spring to mind.

"Britneys" as rhyming slang for "beers" is all I've got.

[treibeis]

Has Tiger Woods replaced Jack Nicklaus as the golfer with fewer clubs than well-travelled professional footballers?

[Jah Womble]

‘Britney(s)’ is hugely unsatisfactory, because it can’t be used in the singular - ‘Richard Gere’ works better, if less topically. (Not that Britney’s especially ‘happening’ these days either.)

The fun, of course, is in making up one’s own: ‘the ol’ Junior Hoilett’ (toilet) is a handy recent acquisition, and there have been hundreds of others down the years ‘Dame Edna’ (‘[alcoholic] beverage’), ‘Robert Kilroy (‘milk’), etc, etc. (I’ll concede that describing my new shower [a Triton] as ‘the ol’ Michael Crichton’ was pushing things a tad…)

Is a Douglas still rhyming slang for a turd? I presume not, since the kids today they won't have heard of Douglas Hurd

’Richard the Third’ was always the go-to in my experience.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Is a Douglas still rhyming slang for a turd? I presume not, since the kids today they won't have heard of Douglas Hurd

A douglas was a third class degree.
A first was a geoff
A desmond was a two two

I presume these have now changed.

[Tony C]

FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON earlier on, I was chuckling that the British euphemism (well, rhyming slang, really, but I think one is a subset of the other) for haemorrhoids has, over the decades, for each succesive generation, gone from "Nobby Stiles" to "Johnny Giles", to "Adrian Chiles", and now "Harry Stiles".

Are there any others that have kept their root meaning but have evolved with the ages? Not just rhyming slang, but eg other ones from 40 years ago like "he's as fat as ..." which 40 years ago would probably have ended "Cyril Smith", or "he's as rich as" ... which might have ended "Onassis", which would similarly mean absolutely nothing now to a modern audience?

I remember that “Nurembergs” became popular many years ago when I still lived and worked in Manchester. Well the expression became popular not the condition.

When I was young the phrase “Fred Karno’s” was commonly used to describe a scene or incident that might be considered chaotic. Even then, in the early 60’s, I had no idea of it’s derivation although it seemed to stem from a well known circus. I actually heard it used not that long ago so kids today must be completely baffled.

[tee rex]

Has Tiger Woods replaced Jack Nicklaus as the golfer with fewer clubs than well-travelled professional footballers?

In similar vein, "Joe Jordan strikes faster than British Leyland" (Scotland banner, other players and teams were available). I don't know who it would be today. "Agrees resolution to hold ballot for possible industrial action", not quite as catchy.