Rudy
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Some Forgotten Words
I haven't thought about "fender skirts" in years. When I was a kid, I considered it such a funny term. Made me think of a car in a dress, but it was sure cool to have them on your car.
Thinking about "fender skirts" started me thinking about other words that quietly disappear from our language with hardly a notice.
Like "curb feelers" and "steering knobs." Since I'd been thinking of cars, my mind naturally went in that direction first. Today's young people will probably have to find an elderly person over 60 to explain some of these forgotten terms.
Remember "continental kits?" They were rear bumper extenders and spare tire covers that were supposed to make any car as cool and as long as a Lincoln Continental.
And when did we quit calling them "emergency brakes?" At some point "parking brake" became the proper term. But I miss the hint of drama that went with "emergency brake."
I'm sad, too, that almost all the old folks are gone who would call the accelerator the "gas pedal" and that extra gadget a "choke." And how about a "roadster" or better yet a four-door convertible called a "Phaeton."
Didn't you ever wait at the street for your dad to come home, so you could ride on the "running board" up to the house? I can remember when a Model "T" came with a "magneto," "a spark arrester," and a "crank" and Model "A" coupes had a "rumble seat."
Here's a phrase I heard all the time in my youth but don't hear anymore - "store-bought." Of course, just about everything is store-bought these days. However, there was a time when you had bragging rights if you had a "store-bought" dress instead of someone's "hand-me-downs."
"Coast to coast" is a phrase that once held all sorts of excitement and now means almost nothing. Now we take the term worldwide and global for granted. Do you remember when we called a ten-dollar bill a "sawbuck" and a "double sawbuck" was big money?
On a smaller scale, "wall-to-wall" was once a magical term in our homes. In the '50s, everyone covered his or her hardwood floors with, wow, wall-to-wall carpeting! Today, everyone has replaced their wall-to-wall carpeting with hardwood floors.
When's the last time you heard the quaint phrase "in a family way?" It's hard to imagine that the word "pregnant" was once considered a little too graphic, a little too clinical for use in polite company. So we had all that talk about stork visits and "being in a family way," "with child" or just plain "expecting."
Apparently "brassiere" is a word no longer in usage. I said it the other day and my daughter cracked up. I guess its just "bra" now. "Unmentionables" probably wouldn't be understood at all. That's when girls wore "pedal pushers" or "bobby socks" while they listened to "groovy" music and the boys played "kick-the-can."
It's hard to recall that the word "divorce" was once said in a whisper. Furthermore, no one is called a "divorcee" any longer and certainly not a "gay divorcee" or "gay blade." Come to think of it, "confirmed bachelors" and "career girls" are long gone, too.
I always loved going to the "picture show," but I considered "movies" an affectation. Every house on the block had a "victory garden" and some even had an "ice box." Can you imagine having a "party line" on your telephone service today?
Most words like "cool cat" and "zoot suit" go back to the '40s, but here's a pure '60s word I came across the other day - "rat fink." Ooh, what a nasty put-down!
Here's a word I miss - "percolator." That was just a fun word to say. And what was it replaced with? "Coffeemaker." How dull Mr. Coffee! Remember when you went to the soda fountain and asked the "soda jerk" for a "malted milk" instead of a milk shake. Have you ever had a "push up" made of orange sherbet or a "fudgesicle?"
I also miss those made-up marketing words that were meant to sound so modern and now sound so retro. Words like "DynaFlow" and ElectraLuxe." Introducing the 1963 Admiral TV, with "SpectraVision!"
Was there a telethon that wiped out lumbago? Nobody complains of that anymore, maybe that's what castor oil cured. Funny, you never hear mothers threatening their kids with castor oil or cod liver oil today. And whatever happened to "Carter's Little Liver Pills" or are liver problems passe?
Some words aren't gone, but they're definitely on the endangered list. The one that grieves me most is "supper." Nowadays everybody says "dinner." I wonder - do some people still eat their evening meal on "TV trays?"
I haven't thought about "fender skirts" in years. When I was a kid, I considered it such a funny term. Made me think of a car in a dress, but it was sure cool to have them on your car.
Thinking about "fender skirts" started me thinking about other words that quietly disappear from our language with hardly a notice.
Like "curb feelers" and "steering knobs." Since I'd been thinking of cars, my mind naturally went in that direction first. Today's young people will probably have to find an elderly person over 60 to explain some of these forgotten terms.
Remember "continental kits?" They were rear bumper extenders and spare tire covers that were supposed to make any car as cool and as long as a Lincoln Continental.
And when did we quit calling them "emergency brakes?" At some point "parking brake" became the proper term. But I miss the hint of drama that went with "emergency brake."
I'm sad, too, that almost all the old folks are gone who would call the accelerator the "gas pedal" and that extra gadget a "choke." And how about a "roadster" or better yet a four-door convertible called a "Phaeton."
Didn't you ever wait at the street for your dad to come home, so you could ride on the "running board" up to the house? I can remember when a Model "T" came with a "magneto," "a spark arrester," and a "crank" and Model "A" coupes had a "rumble seat."
Here's a phrase I heard all the time in my youth but don't hear anymore - "store-bought." Of course, just about everything is store-bought these days. However, there was a time when you had bragging rights if you had a "store-bought" dress instead of someone's "hand-me-downs."
"Coast to coast" is a phrase that once held all sorts of excitement and now means almost nothing. Now we take the term worldwide and global for granted. Do you remember when we called a ten-dollar bill a "sawbuck" and a "double sawbuck" was big money?
On a smaller scale, "wall-to-wall" was once a magical term in our homes. In the '50s, everyone covered his or her hardwood floors with, wow, wall-to-wall carpeting! Today, everyone has replaced their wall-to-wall carpeting with hardwood floors.
When's the last time you heard the quaint phrase "in a family way?" It's hard to imagine that the word "pregnant" was once considered a little too graphic, a little too clinical for use in polite company. So we had all that talk about stork visits and "being in a family way," "with child" or just plain "expecting."
Apparently "brassiere" is a word no longer in usage. I said it the other day and my daughter cracked up. I guess its just "bra" now. "Unmentionables" probably wouldn't be understood at all. That's when girls wore "pedal pushers" or "bobby socks" while they listened to "groovy" music and the boys played "kick-the-can."
It's hard to recall that the word "divorce" was once said in a whisper. Furthermore, no one is called a "divorcee" any longer and certainly not a "gay divorcee" or "gay blade." Come to think of it, "confirmed bachelors" and "career girls" are long gone, too.
I always loved going to the "picture show," but I considered "movies" an affectation. Every house on the block had a "victory garden" and some even had an "ice box." Can you imagine having a "party line" on your telephone service today?
Most words like "cool cat" and "zoot suit" go back to the '40s, but here's a pure '60s word I came across the other day - "rat fink." Ooh, what a nasty put-down!
Here's a word I miss - "percolator." That was just a fun word to say. And what was it replaced with? "Coffeemaker." How dull Mr. Coffee! Remember when you went to the soda fountain and asked the "soda jerk" for a "malted milk" instead of a milk shake. Have you ever had a "push up" made of orange sherbet or a "fudgesicle?"
I also miss those made-up marketing words that were meant to sound so modern and now sound so retro. Words like "DynaFlow" and ElectraLuxe." Introducing the 1963 Admiral TV, with "SpectraVision!"
Was there a telethon that wiped out lumbago? Nobody complains of that anymore, maybe that's what castor oil cured. Funny, you never hear mothers threatening their kids with castor oil or cod liver oil today. And whatever happened to "Carter's Little Liver Pills" or are liver problems passe?
Some words aren't gone, but they're definitely on the endangered list. The one that grieves me most is "supper." Nowadays everybody says "dinner." I wonder - do some people still eat their evening meal on "TV trays?"
RickO
