Campaigners are calling on the public to stop using common phrases such as “over the hill” and “stuck in their ways”, arguing they entrench ageism and damage older people’s confidence.
Research from the Centre for Ageing Better found that even people in their late 40s and early 50s frequently encounter such language. A survey of 4,000 UK adults revealed one in 10 respondents aged 45-54 had been called “over the hill”, while nearly a quarter were told they were “stuck in their ways”.
The problem persists among older age groups: almost one in 10 people aged 65 and above have been labelled a “dinosaur”, and 13 per cent of over-75s were dismissed as “past their sell-by date”. The study also showed 8 per cent of 45-54 year olds had heard the adage “old dogs can’t learn new tricks”, and 18 per cent of all adults admitted to using the phrase “mutton dressed as lamb”.
Harriet Bailiss, co-lead of the age without limits campaign at the Centre for Ageing Better, said: “We probably use these phrases without thinking, but their repeated use helps to entrench ageism within society which can limit everybody’s work, health, relationships, ambition and confidence as we grow older.”
Katherine Crawshaw, also from the centre, warned that seemingly harmless language can have damaging knock-on impacts, such as people being overlooked for jobs or medical treatment due to their age. “We want people to stop and question whether they are making judgments or assumptions about people based on their age,” she said.
