>>A term I haven't heard in a long time, and thinking about
>>'fender skirts' started me thinkingabout other words that
>>quietly disappear fromour language with hardly a notice,
>>like 'curb feelers'
>>And 'steering knobs.' (AKA)
>>'suicide knob,' 'neckers knobs.'
>>
>>Since I'd been thinking of cars,
>>my mind naturally went that direction first.
>>
>>Any kids will probably have to find some older person
>>over 50 to explain some of these terms to you.
>>
>>Remember 'Continental kits?'
>>They were rear bumper extenders and spare tire covers
>>that were supposed to make any car
>>as cool as a Lincoln Continental.
>>When did we quit calling them 'emergency brakes?
>>At some point 'parking brake' became the proper term.
>>But I miss the hint of drama that went with 'emergency brake.'
>>
>>I'm sad, too, that almost all theold folks are gone
>>who would call the accelerator the 'foot feed.'
>>Many today do not even know what a clutch is
>>or that the dimmer switch used to be on the floor.
>>For that matter, the starter was down theretoo.
>>
>>Didn't you ever wait at the street for your daddy to come home,
>>so you could ride the 'running board' up to the house?
>>
>>Here's a phrase I heard all the time in my youth
>>but never anymore - 'store-bought.'
>>Of course, just about everything is store-bought these days.
>>But once it was bragging material to have a
>>store-bought dress or a store-bought bag of candy.
>>
>>'Coast to coast'is a phrase that once held all sorts
>>of excitement and now means almost nothing.
>>Now we take the term 'worldwide' for granted.
>>This floors me.
>>
>>On a smaller scale, 'wall-to-wall' was once
>>a magical term in our homes. In the '50s,
>>everyone covered his or her hardwood floors with,
>>wow, wall-to-wall carpeting!
>>Today, everyone replaces their wall-to-wall carpeting
>>with hardwood floors. Go figure.
>>
>>When was the last time you heard the quaint phrase
>>'in a family way?' It's hard to imagine that the word 'pregnant'
>>was once considered a little too graphic,
>>a little too clinical for use in polite company,
>>so we had all that talk about stork visits and
>>'being in a family way' or simply 'expecting.'
>>
>>Apparently 'brassiere' is a word no longer in usage.
>>I said it the other day and my daughter cracked up.
>>I guess it's just 'bra' now.
>>'Unmentionables' probably wouldn't be understood at all.
>>
>>I always loved going to the 'picture show,'
>>but I considered 'movie' an affectation.
>>
>>Most of these words go back to the '50s,
>>but here's a pure '60s word I came across
>>the other day 'rat fink.' Ooh, what a nasty put-down!
>>
>>Here's a word I miss - 'percolator.'
>>That was just a fun word to say.
>>And what was it replaced with 'Coffee maker.'
>>How dull... Mr. Coffee, I blame you for this.
>>
>>I miss those made-up marketing words that were
>>meant to sound so modern and now sound so retro.
>>Words like 'Dyna Flow' and 'Electrolux' and 'Frigidaire'.
>>Introducing the 1963 Admiral TV, now with 'Spectra Vision!'
>>
>>Food for thought.
>>Was there a telethon that wiped out lumbago?
>>Nobody complains of that anymore.
>>Maybe that's what Castor oil cured,
>>because I never hear mothers threatening kids
>>with Castor Oil anymore.
>>
>>Some words aren't gone, but are definitely
>>on the endangered list.
>>The one that grieves me most is 'supper.'
>>Now everybody says 'dinner.' Save a great word.
>>Invite someone to supper. Discuss fender skirts.
MOONIE
