See how many of these you remember

[Guest lvdkeyes]

This was sent to me in an e mail.

 

 

I came across this phrase yesterday "FENDER SKIRTS".

 

 

 

 

A term I haven't heard in a long time and 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." (AKA) suicide knob

 

Since I'd been thinking of cars, my mind naturally went that direction

first.

Any kids will probably have to find some elderly person over 50 to explain

some of these terms to you.

 

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 "world wide" for granted

This floors me.

 

On a smaller scale, "wall-to-wall" was once a magical term in our homes.

In the '50's, 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 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" or

simply"expecting."

 

Apparently "brassiere" is a word no longer in usage. I said it the other

day and my daughter cracked up. I guess it's just "bra" now

"Unmentionables" probably wouldn't be understood at all.

 

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? "Coffee maker." How dull. Mr. Coffee, I

blame you for this.

 

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 kids with castor oil anymore.

 

Some words aren't gone, but are definitely on the endangered list. The

one that grieves me most "supper." Now everybody says "dinner." Save a

great word. Invite someone to supper. Discuss fender skirts.

 

Someone forwarded this to me. I thought some of us of a "certain age"

would remember most of these.

 

 

 

[Guest wowpow]

I know what you mean. Siam has gone and become Thailand - but for how long?