Anachronistic lyrics confusion?

[Mister_Rik]

@MrAtoz

Yeah, in the old days, to “make love” to someone was to woo them or make advances to them. It is funny to see it turn up in old books and movies.

Yup. I remember being a bit startled the first time I read the Narnia books, and read a line about Lucy (the youngest girl) making love to everybody in the house.

[Mister_Rik]

@Just_Asking_Questions

In Bullitt (1968) the SFPD gets a copy of Ross’ ID via a handset modem fax. Mind you it took five minutes per page, was as big as a small car, and made more noise that a 707 taking off, but it was a [del]sex[/del] fax machine.

Probably a topic for a different thread, but I wonder when “fax” became the standard term. I do recall my dad, before the 80s, mentioning the “facsimile machine” at work.

[markn_1]

According to Etymology Online, the term “fax” for the technology dates from 1948, as a verb from 1972, and as a noun meaning the transmission itself from 1980.

[Smapti]

@Thudlow_Boink

“By Jove, you’re right!” he ejaculated.

“Watson!” Holmes ejaculated.

[Dewey_Finn]

@Just_Asking_Questions

@Jeff_Lichtman

Also, fax machines were common in businesses by 1980, when the song was written. Home faxes came along later.

In Bullitt (1968) the SFPD gets a copy of Ross’ ID via a handset modem fax. Mind you it took five minutes per page, was as big as a small car, and made more noise that a 707 taking off, but it was a [del]sex[/del] fax machine.

As I remember, the climax of Call Northside 777, a 1948 film, involved a faxed photo that proved the innocence of a man on death row.

[RealityChuck]

@markn_1

According to Etymology Online, the term “fax” for the technology dates from 1948, as a verb from 1972, and as a noun meaning the transmission itself from 1980.

That fits in with my experience. We were using the term c1975