# Please Explain Origin of 1920s X to me **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 1, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-origin-of-1920s-x-to-me/243054 "2004-05-01T23:10:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-origin-of-1920s-x-to-me/243054/1 "2004-05-01T23:10:14Z")
I feel like this is an in-joke that I’m not a part of. I know that there’s an esteemed member of this here message board that goes by the name 1920s Style Death Ray and I’ve heard references to 1920s style X here and there, but have no idea what the joke is. Please explain. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2004, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-origin-of-1920s-x-to-me/243054/2 "2004-05-01T23:24:49Z")
It’s from an old thread about “scalar weapons”; upon getting the concept, one poster said “Ah, they’re 1920’s style death rays!” This phrase was repeated and modified at length. Can’t find the thread, for some reason – oh, well. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2004, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-origin-of-1920s-x-to-me/243054/3 "2004-05-01T23:27:18Z")
What Nametag said. Just adding that the original post in question accidentally got quadruple-posted, which is what started everyone off. ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-origin-of-1920s-x-to-me/243054/4 "2004-05-02T00:02:13Z")
Ahh…my searches didn’t work either (then again, I’m going off of what you guys told me and guessing at what extra words add in), but thanks for the info). Apparently this has come up recently. In a thread about [threads from the past being lost](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=247789&highlight=1920s+style+death+weapons), Mangetout writes: > [@](#): > > I second the index thing; the other day I was looking for the original 1920s style death ray thread (title: “Are scalar weapons for real?”) The search didn’t find it, but the thread is still there. Apparently there’s somethign Tesla doesn’t want us to know… ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-origin-of-1920s-x-to-me/243054/5 "2004-05-02T00:15:09Z")
Here is a link to the original thread about scalar weapons that inspired the 1920’s style death rays joke: [linky](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=202225) Said rays might also be described as 1920s style, 1920’s-style, or 1920s-style in this iin-joke, running gag, or meme. (Can you tell I’m trying to include all possible helpful words so this is easier to find next time we search for it?) ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-origin-of-1920s-x-to-me/243054/6 "2004-05-02T00:17:30Z")
> [@elfbabe](#): > > Said rays might also be described as 1920s style, 1920’s-style, or 1920s-style in this iin-joke, running gag, or meme. And by iin-joke I mean in-joke. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-origin-of-1920s-x-to-me/243054/7 "2004-05-02T00:20:13Z")
AH! They’re \*1920’s \* Style Death Rays! Or, they’re 1920s Style Death Rays! Or, they’re 1920s-Style Death Rays! Or, they’re 1920s Style _Death_ Rays! Or… 😛😃 ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-origin-of-1920s-x-to-me/243054/8 "2004-05-02T10:41:06Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > AH! They’re \*1920’s \* Style Death Rays! > > Or, they’re 1920s Style Death Rays! > > Or, they’re 1920s-Style Death Rays! > > Or, they’re 1920s Style _Death_ Rays! > > Or… 😛😃 Hey you missed: …they’re 1920s Style “Death Rays” I think the quotes are an integral part. And an often used (but probably incorrect) hyphenated variation: …they’re 1920s Style Death-Rays ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-origin-of-1920s-x-to-me/243054/9 "2004-05-02T11:41:36Z")
Ah, they’re 1920’s style “Death Rays” is the "correct way to write it. ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-origin-of-1920s-x-to-me/243054/10 "2004-05-04T00:31:36Z")
I’ll be damned, our dearly departed Dogface was the gentle…man who began this trend.