Granted that I'm elderly, what are you going to call me? "Senior" and "senior citizen" are just bland, milk-toast terms, so I have looked into the possibilities.
old-timer That suggests a veteran, an "old hand" who understands how things work. That seems inadequate, since the thing I know how to do, editing, is apparently no longer valued or done.
codger An affectionate, or mildly derogatory, term, the dictionary says, if you think you can pull off affection and derogation simultaneously.
coot Old, harmless, and sometimes not bright. I deny "harmless."
fogy Behind the times, overconservative, and slow. Well, you'd have to append "old," because those three qualities are hardly limited to age.
boomer Since I was born while Harry Truman was president, lumping me with the 1946-1964 tranche of Americans is something I can't very well deny.
dotard Weak, with limited mental faculties. Not quite yet.
gaffer I'm not British.
geezer Odd, eccentric, and unreasonable. I think we may be nearing the mark.
curmudgeon Crusty, ill-tempered, and difficult. Bingo!
Unless you would like to suggest another.
Happy birthday! (?)
ReplyDeleteThe most neutral thing I hear (at my job, where I am the oldest) is "oldhead."
For you, maybe "éminence d'argent"?
"Old fart" is a term I tend to identify with.
ReplyDelete"Elder" is another option. Not one I'd apply to myself, and even less have applied to me by others, but YMMV. Here (in Spain), "abuelo" is common, and problematical too.
ReplyDelete