Watching Face the Nation on CBS a few Sundays ago, I noticed they were really pandering to the over 65 Sunday Morning demographic: the program “*originated *in Washington, DC.” How long has it been since any TV or radio show “originated”? It smacks of long distance lines and coaxial cables.
culottes for skirt pants
pantaloon for combo slip and girls long underwear
knee breeches
For some reason, psychopaths became sociopaths somewhere along the way.
I’ve never heard of gorp. What is it?
Rubbers were used when I was in primary school to rub out my many, many errors.
“Motoring” as a synonym for “driving to”. I still hear this–very occasionally–from older people.
“Sheik” referring to a handsome young man.
“Trade-last”. Mary Pickford offered Buddy Rogers a trade-last in MY BEST GIRL (1927) and it took me a while to figure out what it meant, but here’s how a trade-last works: Person A has overheard a favorable remark about Person B. Person A offers to share that remark with Person B if Person B in turn has heard a favorable comment about Person A.
“Platters” or “plates” referring to phonograph records.
“Hooey” or “applesauce”–inanity, nonsense.
To give someone “the ritz”–act snobbish.
“Glad rags”–formal dress.
Good Old Raisins n Peanuts
My not be THE original sweet+salty snack, but it’s always been my favorite!
Hmmmm. Sounds like something I’d like.
Regarding “Davenport”. it is not only a sofa, it is also a small writing desk. The term, although not common, is in use today in the furniture trade.
Oh thank you. Now I understand the song “Handbags and Gladrags” better.
What kids? Most of my clients don’t know it, and I’m at the point where half of them are older than I am…
A couple of 80’s exclamations that I can remember that have died out. (Thank GOD, what were we thinking?)
- Radical! " Did you see the new Nike’s? They are Radical, man!"
- Groty (SP?) " He had spinach stuck in his teeth, it was, like…so groty!"
A grandma-ism I just remembered. When we would play a practical joke on Grandma as a young kid. "You Rat Finks! "
And when your computer program crashes and saves all its memory to a file for post-mortem analysis, they still call that a core dump and always will. When was the last time a computer had core memory? When was the last time anybody even knew what core memory was or looked like?
Back when the full-color broadcasts began with a picture of a cartoon peacock and the announcement: “The following program is brought to you in living color.”
Those jets also flew your air mail to Hawaii. (ETA: Providing, of course, you put an air mail stamp on that letter!)
They did this way back even before there were jets!
We used to listen to music on the hi-fi
That “motorcar” used to be a horseless carriage
“Rabbit Ears” as a slang for the TV Antenna
“I had to adjust the Rabbit Ears on the tube. Mannix was all snowy.”
Rather charmingly, English-language newspapers in the Indian subcontinent sometimes say things like: “In Khulna yesterday three dacoits beat passers-by and robbed them of their treasure. Later the rascals were apprehended.”
For me, I listen to the radio, but my grandfather never used any other word other than wireless. I think I shall adopt this.
I’ve mentioned this before in another thread, but for a while in the 80’s and into the early 90’s desktop PCs were called IBM compatibles.
When my father-in-law (who will be 82 this month) whole-heartedly agrees with something, he’ll say “Right on!!” most enthusiastically. I don’t think he’s even in the demographic that popularized the phrase back in the 60s or 70s. I’m pretty sure he thinks he’s “hip” or “with it” when he says that.
What about the various “ins” of the past: sit-in, love-in, be-in…
I’ve never heard of Taomist’s explanation before, but it makes sense. Like I said in the OP, it’s now called trail mix, and typically has M&Ms in it as well. The idea behind it was to give you a shot of energy while hiking or camping.
Going camping for the weekend? Be sure to bring a flashlight, a sleeping bag, and plenty of gorp! Can’t go camping without a lot of gorp.
I agree - GORP is good old raisins and peanuts. II was a Girl Scout leader and the troop often ate GORP.
I just listened to Elvis singing In the Ghetto. I don’t hear the word ghetto used anymore.
Grody, I believe. In extreme cases, “grody to the max!”
Also, snazzy. That’s a snazzy outfit. You’ll really cut a dash.
Ghetto? Frigid? Air Mail?
When did those fall out of use? I still hear them all the time.