Old time phrases -

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I’ve been going through my Grandma’s papers, otherwise known as Grandma has exploded all over my desk, and have found a few old-time phrases. Most of them I’ve heard before, but a couple I haven’t.

“. . .well I should hope to smile.”; “. . . well it all counts on twenty.”; and “that got my dander up.”

I’m pretty sure the first is a mutation of I hope to God, and meant as a general intensifier. I Googled the second and found a couple of references that make it clear that it’s Navy slang. The third I know mostly from old cartoons. I know that it means, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say it.

As to Grandma’s papers, it seems like she never threw out any letter, card, or postcard that anyone sent her. I’m sure that’s not literally true, but it sure feels like it. One of the people I mentioned that to thinks that it’s a generational thing. If you grew up before the telephone, letters are nearly official documents.

Although I’m interested in knowing the meaning of “well, it all counts on twenty,” this thread is meant to share old phrases, old letters, and boxes of odd stuff from old relatives. If I get really curious, I may open a question thread in GQ. But for now, I’m just glad I’ve got it whittled down to one bin full.

2

When my maternal grandfather died, a whole, dried carrot was later found in one of his dresser drawers. He was an agricultural inspector, so that’s probably where it came from.

We don’t know whether he found it dried or it was dried out later. Also, why did he put it in a drawer and not tell anyone about it?

3

A few months ago the subject of The Rockford Files and James Garner came up. My 85 year old aunt said “Oh, Jim Rockford can tuck his shoes under my bed anytime”
On the one hand, I liked the phrase. It seemed very chivalrous (for lack of a better word) that even when a guy is about to sleep with a woman he’s still takes the time to make sure things aren’t strewn about the room. It reminded me of something Cary Grant would do.
OTOH, I really didn’t need to hear my 85 year old aunt say it.

4

My dad used to say ‘It all counts on thirry.’ What he meant was that whatever happens (whatever crap duties you are assigned) it all counts towards 30 years and retirement.

5

I’ll swanee!

6

My mom has often referred to walking someplace as ‘taking Shank’s mare’.

Once, when phoukabro minor was in high school, he had a survey on colloquialisms and dialectical words he had to give several people. He asked my dad what he called a forked stick with an elastic strap used to fire projectiles, and my dad immediately said “a ni-”, stopped himself, and then said “a slingshot”. It was years before I learned that when my dad was growing up in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas in the 1930s, a slingshot was called (by poor white trash like Dad’s family) a “nigger shooter”. It was gratifying to learn that he’d trained himself out of using it.

7

When my dad was in the navy, his ship’s motto was “Hard Oil” which he explained was another way of saying tough luck (to the enemy). Apparently, oil can go hard and when it does, it’s no good. It’s easy to see why it isn’t heard anymore.

8

I made the mistake of gabbing when grandma was listening to her stories on the radio. How’d she tell me to shut up? “Hark!” I’ve never forgotten that. It was the one and only time she was ever short with me.

9

:: Joey Googles “define Hark”::
Hark comes up as meaning to listen closely.
I just want to make sure that song I had to listen to all through Catholic Grade School didn’t actually mean “Shut Up, The Herald Angels Sing”

10

My grandmother would use “a right smart” as an indication of large quantity.

11

The military idiom is usually rendered (at least from the 80s forward) as “It all counts *for *20” or “it all counts *towards *20”. I don’t think I’ve ever heard or read “It all counts *on *20”.

The point of the saying being that every task, good or bad, easy or hard, at least gets you that much closer to 20 years service & a pension. e.g.:

Corporal Sam: Boy, it really sucks to be pulling guard duty on Christmas.
Sergeant Jim: Yep, but it all counts for 20.

12

Dad retired from the Navy in '68, before spending another 22 years with the FAA.

.

13

If I dropped something delicate my uncle would say “careful, you’ll knock the set out of the ring”.

He had worked for years as service manager at a car dealership.
I always assumed piston rings could be ruined if they were dropped before installing.

My uncle used the phrase for practically anything that got dropped.

14

Dad used it when someone dropped something heavy, the implication being that someone was wearing a ring with a huge rock in it. (i.e., a stone so large that it would make a loud sound when it hit the floor.)

15

A couple of other things dad would say:

‘It’s pert’ nigh, but not plumb.’ (That’s ‘pretty nigh’. i.e., ‘close, but not perfect’.)

‘Close enough for government work.’

‘How’d you like a poke in the snot locker?’

‘How’d you like a toilet water shampoo?’ (i.e., a ‘swirly’.)

16

I hadn’t considered that “knock the set out of your ring” could literally be a ring you wear.

<shrug> It could easily be a real ring and not a piston ring. I couldn’t find this phrase with google.

17

“The Throne” for toilet was used much more by my grandparent’s generation (born in the 1910’s), as common people moved up from outhouses and thundermugs.

18

But you can’t listen closely without shutting up. The “shut up” is implied. In grandma’s case, it was explicit. :slight_smile:

19

It ain’t what you want, but what you eat that makes you fat.

20

A elderly mentor of mine, born in 1910, used to refer to nitpicking as “pulling flyspecks out of pepper.”

I also noticed his calling a lunchbox a “dinnerbox.” No biggie, just mildly amused me somehow.
.