Good old days
Good old days is a cliché in popular culture. It refers to an era considered by the speaker to be better than the current era. It is a form of nostalgic romanticisation.
An early use is by John Henley in The Primitive Liturgy: for the Use of the Oratory, Part 1. Being a form of Morning and Evening Prayer..., 1726 [1]
To all sincere Lovers of their Religion, And of their Country ; of Truth, Learning, Charity, and Moderation ; to all honest Admirers of the good old Days of their best and wisest Fore-fathers, this first Part of the Primitive Liturgy Is most humbly dedicated.
This book is reviewed in The Historical Register, volume 11, 1727[2]
In 1727, Daniel Defoe wrote "In the good old days of Trade, which our Fore-fathers plodded on in ...".[3]
It has been used as Laudator temporis acti (Praiser of past times) in Roman times.[4]
See also
References
- ^ John Henley (1727). The Primitive Liturgy: for the Use of the Oratory. unnumbered page before p. 74 (3 ed.).
- ^ The Historical Register. Vol. 11. 1727. p. 243.
- ^ The Complete Tradesman. Vol. 2. part 2, page 7.
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: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Spenser, Henry McDonald (May 1918). "Laudator Temporis Acti". The Lotus Magazine. 9 (8): 386. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- Finkelstein, Norman H. (1999). The Way Things Never Were: The Truth About the "Good Old Days" (1st ed.). New York: Atheneum. ISBN 978-0689814129.