The Lemon Fool

DAK if the psychological term "gaslighting" is being used a lot more frequently these days? A year ago, I had never heard anyone say this word, but now I probably hear it once a week.

I don't know but agree with your observation.

Maybe there's just more classic film fans out there these days?

Well, in recent years at least, yes. This shows the much increased use in literature up to 2019:

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=gaslighting&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=1

I think it's fair to presume that references prior to the 1938/40/44 play/film/film * refer to Victorian street lighting.

However, if you change the corpus to British English there is a curious peak around 1990. Not sure what that's about...

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslight_(1944_film)

I think its use has grown in tandem and as a result of, the invention of the term "coercive control" (in general recognition of that being a thing).

Meanwhile, I have gas lighting in my boat. I think this is different though....

Steely Dan, circa 2000. (No, I didn't know what it meant at the time, until I'd heard the vocals. Man playing away with another woman gets a kick out of confusing his current wife/partner, including lending her clothes to his new amour.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZemaEpPJ80

Tasty bit of music, though, innit? Turn up the bass.

BJ