Rustic

Since when did rustic mean old, decrepit, crude, and nasty.

Think about it:

At one time rustic was more or less a synonym with  traditional, unfussy, and just plain ol’ stuff.   Rustic food was food that hadn’t been fussed over; cooked and presented traditionally or family style.

Rustic furniture was comfortable with a lot of fancy accouterments, generally built in traditional ways.  If old, a lot of the original character is maintained as opposed to being “cleaned up”.

Now?  Not so much.  Anything that looks old, decrepit, crude, and nasty has become rustic.  If someone makes a mistake in a recipe or a food presentation; rustic, not a mistake.  Crappy old furniture; rustic, not junk.

The worst part?  People try to recreate rustic by making stuff looking old and used, hence rustic.  Generally speaking, they are not very good.  Thus rustic has become synonymous with faux crappy.

In other words: when I hear rustic, I run not walk away.