Fender Skirt And Other Good Words

[Lone Gunman]

WHAT THE HECK IS A FENDER SKIRT?

I CAME ACROSS THIS PHRASE IN A BOOK YESTERDAY "FENDER SKIRTS." A
TERM I HAVEN'T HEARD IN A LONG TIME AND THINKING ABOUT "FENDER
SKIRTS" STARTED ME THINKING ABOUT OTHER WORDS THAT QUIETLY
DISAPPEAR FROM OUR LANGUAGE WITH HARDLY A NOTICE.


LIKE "CURB FEELERS" AND "STEERING KNOBS." SINCE I'D BEEN THINKING
OF CARS, MY MIND NATURALLY WENT THAT DIRECTION FIRST. KIDS WILL
PROBABLY HAVE TO FIND SOME ELDERLY 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 THE OLD FOLKS ARE GONE WHO WOULD CALL
THE ACCELERATOR THE "FOOT FEED".


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 HEAR
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 "WORLD WIDE" 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'S 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
THE 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- '60's
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 "DYNAFLOW" AND
"ELECTROLUX." INTRODUCING THE 1963 ADMIRAL TV,NOW WITH
"SPECTRAVISION!" 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 "SUPPER". NOW EVERYBODY SAYS "DINNER."


SAVE A GREAT WORD. INVITE SOMEONE TO SUPPER TO DISCUSS FENDER
SKIRTS.


SOMEONE FORWARDED THIS TO ME. I THOUGHT SOME OF US OF A "CERTAIN
AGE" WOULD REMEMBER MOST OF THESE.

[K C Muffin]

Thanks for posting those....unfortunately, I remembered almost all of them. Now I, too, wonder what the hell happened to those phrases.

[Highwayman]

Remember when the lighter in a car was a “Cigar Lighter” instead of a cigarette lighter?

[lBugsy]

Remember when you wore thongs on your feet?

[Lone Gunman]

Originally Posted by K C Muffin

Thanks for posting those....unfortunately, I remembered almost all of them. Now I, too, wonder what the hell happened to those phrases.

I remember them too Miss Muffin. You don't think that makes us old do you? Naw were just experienced. Or maybe we just have good memories.

[K C Muffin]

Originally Posted by lBugsy

Remember when you wore thongs on your feet?

yep - I wore 'em today, in fact! The whole office just roars when I call 'em thongs. They have no respect for authority!

I agree alonegunboy, there were some great memories! I wish, just for a day or so, we could go back there. I would have saved more stuff - like 8 track tapes and a player to play them on. And a few posters. Maybe drank an extra root beer float - the real kind.