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Bill Jacobs
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Days Gone By
I was thinking about "fender skirts" and it started me thinking about other
words that quietly disappeared from our language with hardly a notice.
Like "curb feelers" and "steering knobs." Since I'd been thinking of cars, my
mind naturally went that direction first. Kids will probably have to find some
elderly person over 50 to explain some of these terms to them.
Remember "Continental kits?" They were rear bumper extenders and spare tire
covers that were supposed to make any car as cool as a Lincoln Continental.
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 "foot feed."
Didn't you ever wait at the street for your daddy to come home, so you could
ride the "running board" up to the house?
Here's a phrase I heard all the time in my youth but never anymore:
"store-bought." Of course, just about everything is store-bought these days. But
once it was bragging material to have a store-bought dress or a store-bought bag
of candy.
"Coast to coast" is a phrase that once held all sorts of excitement and now
means almost nothing. Now we take the term "worldwide" for granted. This floors
me.
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 replaces their wall-to-wall carpeting with hardwood
floors. Go figure.
When's the last time you heard the quaint phrase "in a family way?" It's hard to
imagine that t! he 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" or simply "expecting."
It's hard to recall that this word "divorce" was once said in a whisper. And no
one is called a "divorcee" anymore. Certainly not a "gay divorcee."
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 "movie" an
affectation.
Most of these words go back to the '50s, 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, I blame you for that.
I miss those made-up marketing words that were meant to sound so modern and now
sound so retro. Words like "DynaFlow" and "Electrolux."
Introducing the 1963 Admiral TV, now with "SpectraVision!"
Food for thought: Was there a telethon that wiped out lumbago?
Nobody complains of that anymore. Maybe that's what castor oil cured, because
I never hear mothers threatening their kids with castor oil anymore.
Some words aren't gone, but are definitely on the endangered list. The one that
grieves me most is "supper." Now everybody says "din! ner." Save a great word.
Invite someone to supper. Discuss fender skirts.
Thanks to contribution from Tom Priz.
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