Rabid Rich
07-07-2005, 08:54 PM
Fender Skirts ?
What a great blast from the past! 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. 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 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. I had "Fender Skirts" AND a "Continental Kit" on my late model 1955 Ford Custom. Hum......SWEET!
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 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
granddaughter cracked up. I guess it's just "bra" now. "Unmentionables"
probably wouldn't be understood at all.
It's hard to recall that this word was once said in a whisper -"divorce" 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
this.
I 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, 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 -- "supper." Now everybody says "dinner." Save a great
word. Invite someone to supper. Discuss fender skirts.
Someone forwarded this to me, and I thought some of us of a "certain
age" would remember most of these!!
Sheeeeeeeeez......... I'm a gettin OLD!!! 66 in a few daze but what a RIDE !!!! Gotta Love it!!!
================
What a great blast from the past! 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. 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 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. I had "Fender Skirts" AND a "Continental Kit" on my late model 1955 Ford Custom. Hum......SWEET!
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 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
granddaughter cracked up. I guess it's just "bra" now. "Unmentionables"
probably wouldn't be understood at all.
It's hard to recall that this word was once said in a whisper -"divorce" 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
this.
I 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, 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 -- "supper." Now everybody says "dinner." Save a great
word. Invite someone to supper. Discuss fender skirts.
Someone forwarded this to me, and I thought some of us of a "certain
age" would remember most of these!!
Sheeeeeeeeez......... I'm a gettin OLD!!! 66 in a few daze but what a RIDE !!!! Gotta Love it!!!
================