# Terms that have fallen out of fashion **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 6, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938 "2012-03-06T16:39:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/1 "2012-03-06T16:39:45Z")
Do you remember eating gorp? It was all the rage in the 70s. But now you can’t find the stuff. But you can find trail mix. How about rubbers? Long before they became condoms, they were called galoshes. Now they are called overshoes, or Totes. There must be dozens more of these. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/2 "2012-03-06T16:43:52Z")
Thongs. That you wear on your feet. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/3 "2012-03-06T16:44:45Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Thongs. That you wear on your feet. You mean flip flops? ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/4 "2012-03-06T16:47:23Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > You mean flip flops? I still wear thongs although depending on the audience I’ll expand it to thong sandals. ---
**Author:** ![Haunted\_Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@Haunted\_Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haunted_Pasta)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/5 "2012-03-06T16:50:35Z")
My MIL still calls her couch a davenport. She comes from the upper midwest- is this maybe a regional thing? ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/6 "2012-03-06T17:00:55Z")
It’s interesting that we still talk about _dialing_ phone numbers. I think there are people alive who have never literally _dialed_ a phone in their life - they just push the buttons. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/7 "2012-03-06T17:04:47Z")
Anybody still use the term “cordless” phone anymore? Actually, now that I think of it, I am going to start asking people to call me on their “cordless cell phone”. When was the last time you said you wanted to buy a new “color” TV? Does anyone brag they flew in a “jet” to Hawaii? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/8 "2012-03-06T17:08:19Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > It’s interesting that we still talk about _dialing_ phone numbers. I think there are people alive who have never literally _dialed_ a phone in their life - they just push the buttons. And when they’re done they hang up. Um… up where? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/9 "2012-03-06T17:14:57Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > It’s interesting that we still talk about _dialing_ phone numbers. I think there are people alive who have never literally _dialed_ a phone in their life - they just push the buttons. Speaking of dialing (and TVs), when was the last time a TV announcer said “Don’t touch that dial!” as an admonition against changing the channel? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/10 "2012-03-06T18:00:21Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Speaking of dialing (and TVs), when was the last time a TV announcer said “Don’t touch that dial!” as an admonition against changing the channel? Where are “Underdog” reruns currently airing?😃 ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/11 "2012-03-06T18:34:58Z")
Atomic energy. Popular 50s/60s phrase, now supplanted by nuclear. I think “stereo” as a noun is pretty much kaput. (Come to think of it, “kaput” is probably pretty much kaput too.) Here’s a real old one – “motorcar.” ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/12 "2012-03-06T18:54:06Z")
Occasionally I’ll hear someone older mention putting something into the “icebox”. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/13 "2012-03-06T18:54:27Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Anybody still use the term “cordless” phone anymore? Actually, now that I think of it, I am going to start asking people to call me on their “cordless cell phone”. How do you describe my home phone, a landline with a base to charge the handset? ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/14 "2012-03-06T18:57:11Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Thongs. That you wear on your feet. We called them Zoris. I have no idea where that came from. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/15 "2012-03-06T18:58:14Z")
> [@campp](#): > > Occasionally I’ll hear someone older mention putting something into the “icebox”. My grandmother switched off between “icebox” and “frigidaire”. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/16 "2012-03-06T19:01:59Z")
I get a kick out of picking out anachronisms in music. Well, I guess they weren’t anachronisms when the song was recorded, but it’s funny to listen to song lyrics like “I Can’t Stand Losing You” by The Police: > [@](#): > > I see you sent my letters back, > And my LP records and they’re all scratched. If it was written today it would be: > [@](#): > > I see you de-friended me on Facebook, > And deleted all my songs from your iTunes account. Or something like that… ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/17 "2012-03-06T19:02:02Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > We called them Zoris. I have no idea where that came from. It’s what the Japanese call them. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/18 "2012-03-06T19:32:11Z")
We used to refer to Memorial Day as “Decoration Day”. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/19 "2012-03-06T19:38:43Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > How do you describe my home phone, a landline with a base to charge the handset? I still use the term “cordless” but also sometimes call it “the landline”. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938/20 "2012-03-06T19:44:52Z")
I know the reason, but I think it’s odd we still refer to gasoline as “unleaded”. My FIL stills calls premium gas “Ethyl”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-have-fallen-out-of-fashion/614938.md?page=2)