We Didn’t Use to Say It Like This

From the Paris Review, a few examples from literature of “usen’t to,” the old contracted form of “used not to.”

Arthur Wing Pinero, The Second Mrs. Tanqueray

“My face is covered with little shadows that usen’t to be there.”

Iris Murdoch, A Fairly Honourable Defeat

“They’ve got a sharper eye than we have for what’s rotten in this society.”
“Young people have always had that. But it usen’t to affect their joie de vivre.”

All the examples, notably, are downers, as is fitting for this particular verb formulation. It’s nice to know that there is something worse-sounding and worse-looking than “didn’t use to,” which does not exactly appeal. “Never used to,” that’s a good workaround, right? [Paris Review]