# Things that were once cool, but today scream "old geezer/ette" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2026, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789 "2026-01-18T14:34:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**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:** [February 1, 2026, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/221 "2026-02-01T15:33:55Z")
I recently saw a marriage certificate.of a 36yo mand and a 34yo woman. The man was listed as 'bachelor,: and the woman was listed as ‘spinster.’..I think there’s mental image of a spinster as an ‘old maid,’ so it was interesting to see a relatively new document (~100 or so years old) using it in the original sense. Unfortunately I don’t recall whether I came across it myself or whether I saw it on ‘Finding Your Roots.’ ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/222 "2026-02-01T17:20:06Z")
Crone has been reclaimed somewhat. Women of a certain age identify as crones, and it seems to have positive connotations. I don’t know how widespread that is, but common enough in my circle. No male equivalent. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2026, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/223 "2026-02-01T17:27:43Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Karen’s That term is used to describe a specific subset of women, but it doesn’t really connote age, especially advanced age. It means a shrill, quick-to-complain woman who wants to see the manager. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2026, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/224 "2026-02-01T17:53:48Z")
Men can be Karens too. But absent a qualifier like “male Karen”, then yeah, she’s a she. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2026, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/225 "2026-02-01T19:57:57Z")
aren’t “male Karens” … Elons? ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2026, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/226 "2026-02-01T20:49:53Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > Pipes Oh, lots of people still use pipes. It’s just that today, they are made of glass. Oh, and nobody puts tobacco in them. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2026, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/227 "2026-02-01T22:52:48Z")
Speaking of pipes, I don’t think youngsters are saying that singers have a great set of pipes much anymore, if at all. It’s a saying related to those big church organs that were more common in days gone by, now they have electric sound systems in smaller settings. Now they just say that a singer has quite a set of lungs. ---
**Author:** ![schnebs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/35a633/32.png) [@schnebs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schnebs)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/228 "2026-02-17T03:57:43Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > My daughter carries a purse. But she’s old fashioned in many ways. I’ll watch on the streets and see who carries a purse these days. My wife almost never carries a purse and hasn’t for years. If it can’t be carried in a pocket of her jeans or slacks or can’t be carried by her personal Sherpa with his cargo pants (me), it ain’t worth carrying. (Unless we have one of the grandkids- good grief, you need a lot of stuff for them!) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/229 "2026-02-17T14:43:22Z")
Mass killers no longer chant “acid is groovy, kill the pigs”.\* That’s so dated. \*the phrase convicted killer Jeffrey MacDonald claimed that intruders were chanting when they supposedly murdered his wife and children. Even in 1970, “groovy” had pretty much lost its cool. > [@Disinfectus](#): > > Oh, lots of people still use pipes. It’s just that today, they are made of glass. Oh, and nobody puts tobacco in them. [“Nobody”](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/i-love-smoking-a-pipe.104532/) is [carrying a lot of freight](https://www.artofmanliness.com/living/leisure/pipe-smoking-for-beginners-how-to-pack-light-and-enjoy-a-tobacco-pipe/) there. ---
**Author:** ![schnebs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/35a633/32.png) [@schnebs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schnebs)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/230 "2026-02-17T18:40:40Z")
I’m assuming that wood paneling to decorate your living room was cool once, because I remember a lot of people having it when I was a kid, but these days, if I see it in a movie or TV show, it’s shorthand for “this person is broke and/or has no taste.” ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/231 "2026-02-17T18:47:30Z")
> [@schnebs](#): > > I’m assuming that wood paneling to decorate your living room was cool once, because I remember a lot of people having it when I was a kid It was absolutely “the thing” in middle-class America in the 1970s. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/232 "2026-02-17T19:11:45Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Mass killers no longer chant “acid is groovy, kill the pigs”.\* That’s so dated. Hey, in a deeply bitter and cynical sense, I can totally see _part_ of that phrase coming back to coolness. With far more justification. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/233 "2026-02-17T23:31:30Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@schnebs](#): > > > > I’m assuming that wood paneling to decorate your living room was cool once, because I remember a lot of people having it when I was a kid > > It was absolutely “the thing” in middle-class America in the 1970s. I still like the look. My contractor refused to put it in my den, citing how dated it looks, and we went with off-white plaster walls and natural wood-colored trim around the windows and doors. That was 30 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/234 "2026-02-18T00:40:53Z")
To me the funny thing about 1970s wood paneling (and yes, my parents’ house had some too) is that is was a cheap mass market copy of the sort of real wood-covered walls that were the height of luxury in e.g. the 1880s to 1920s. Fatcats’ drawing rooms and private clubs had richly finished real wood plank walls. Ordinary people had plaster and lath. So 1970s middle class adults were aping their grandparents’ era fatcats. I wonder what things middle class middle-aged (WAG 25-40) people do today that are aping their grandparents’ betters of the 1970s? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/235 "2026-02-18T01:14:54Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I wonder what things middle class middle-aged (WAG 25-40) people do today that are aping their grandparents’ betters of the 1970s? Apparently, sunken living rooms are chic again: > **[‘Deadly but unforgettable’: conversation pits make a comeback on and off screen](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/oct/04/interiors-conversation-pit-sunken-living-room-making-comeback-deadly-but-unforgettable)** > > Sunken lounges were a popular feature in mid-century homes. Now the ‘nest-like’ spaces are featuring in science fiction and offering a solution to tech-reliant living ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/236 "2026-02-18T01:30:47Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Apparently, sunken living rooms are chic again: We had one in a home we were renting- bad idea. Great way to have a nasty fall. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/237 "2026-02-18T01:47:19Z")
Interesting. For sure a big 3-sided couch, whether sunken or not is great for a party / conversation, but sux if everyone wants to watch the TV on one wall or in one corner. The advent of 10 people getting together to all stare at their phones says the semi-circular couch is no longer a liability when the conversation lags and folks want to watch something. Besides, the home theater with the popcorn machine and the big recliners in staggered rows is just down the hall on the left. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/238 "2026-02-18T03:33:43Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > real wood-covered walls that were the height of luxury in e.g. the 1880s to 1920s My living room (1910s) has this. I love it. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/239 "2026-02-18T21:39:15Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > When I was in high school, the only acceptable way to wear a backpack was on a single shoulder. Wearing it with arms through both loops was Prime Dweeb Behavior. Watching the students filling out today, I noticed they all wore their backpacks on both shoulders. I was of the “one shoulder” age group. Wearing a pack like designed was terminal dork-itis. I do wonder what the transition period was like. Did it change immediately all at once over one summer, or one day, or was there overlap? And who decided? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/240 "2026-02-18T21:56:22Z")
This article says it started in the mid-90s, with “the real sea change” happening about ten years later: > **[The Eternal Backpack Question, Answered: Is It Cooler to Two-Strap or to...](https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/11/two-straps-on-a-backpack-or-one-strap-whats-cool.html)** > > Toward the beginning of the 2012 comedy 21 Jump Street, Officer Jenko (Channing Tatum), a onetime cool kid, gives his partner some advice as they... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789.md?page=13)