Words We (some of us) Used When Growing Up.Archived Message
Posted by Sleuth on April 24, 2017, 1:59 pm
As are stores like HH Gregg, Woolworths, Montgomery Ward, K Mart, Macy’s, Sears all in trouble. Sad
WORDS WE USED WHEN WE WERE GROWING UP
Would you believe my spell checker did not recognize the word “murgatroyd”? ; Lost Words from our childhood: Words gone as fast as the buggy whip! Sad really! ; The other day a not so elderly (70ish) lady said something to her son about driving a jalopy and he looked at her quizzically and said "What the heck is a jalopy? Oh, Oh a new phrase! He had never heard of the word jalopy!! She knew she was old but not that old. ; Well, I hope you are Hunky Dory after you read this and chuckle. ; About a month ago, I illuminated some old expressions that have become obsolete because of the inexorable march of technology. These phrases included "Don't touch that dial," "Carbon copy," "You sound like a broken record" and "Hung out to dry." ; Back in the olden days we had a lot of moxie. We'd put on our best bib and tucker to straighten up and fly right. Heavens to Betsy! Gee whillikers! Jumping Jehoshaphat! Holy moley! We were in like Flynn and living the life of Riley, and even a regular guy couldn't accuse us of being a knucklehead, a nincompoop or a pill. Not for all the tea in China ! ; Back in the olden days, life used to be swell, but when's the last time anything was swell? Swell has gone the way of beehives, pageboys and the D.A. and of spats, knickers, fedoras, poodle skirts, saddle shoes and pedal pushers. ; Oh, my aching back. Kilroy was here, but he isn't anymore. ; We wake up from what surely has been just a short nap, and before we can say, well I'll be a monkey's uncle! or, this is a fine kettle of fish!, we discover that the words we grew up with, the words that seemed common as rain, have vanished with scarcely a notice from our tongues, our pens and now our keyboards. ; Poof, go the words of our youth, the words we've left behind. We blink, and they're gone. Where have all those phrases gone? ; Long gone: Pshaw!!, The milkman did it. Hey! It's your nickel. Don't forget to pull the chain. Knee high to a grasshopper. Well, Fiddlesticks! Going like sixty. I'll see you in the funny papers. Don't take any wooden nickels. ; It turns out there are more of these lost words and expressions than Carter has liver pills. This can be disturbing stuff ! If only we could dial an Operator for assistance? ; We of a certain age have been blessed to live in changeable times. For a child each new word is like a shiny toy, a toy that has no age. We at the other end of the chronological arc have the advantage of remembering there are words that once did not exist, and there were words that once strutted their hour upon the earthly stage and now are heard no more, except in our collective memory. It's one of the greatest advantages of aging. ; Unless you live in Oregon or Massachusetts, you probably don’t know what a gas station attendant does. Don’t bother looking for the janitor in a school, or a stewardess on an airplane either, as they’ve been replaced by maintenance engineers and flight attendants. Stewardesses (who were young and pretty) used to serve meals and drinks on flights, after the “No Smoking” light was turned off. Oh my gosh, people smoked cigarettes on airplanes??? Secretaries have been replaced by administrative assistants, nurses have become health care providers and mechanics have become automotive technicians. Most people under 30 years of age today would be just as confused by the sight of a clutch in a car, as they would be by seeing a typewriter on a desk, not to mention listening to a record player.
It’s a changing world for sure. I'll take them anyday compared to how people talk today....Half of today’s "Phrases" couldn't be repeated... in 'Mixed’ company back then!
on April 24, 2017, 1:59 pm