NT: Fender Skirts

[Catherine]

Sent to me by my cousin Norma (the graphics didn't paste in):

Came across an interesting phrase 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.' (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 the old folks are gone who would call the accelerator the 'foot feed.' Many today do not even know what aclutchis or that thedimmer switchused to be on the floor.

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 '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 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 '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 is 'supper.' Now everybody says 'dinner.' Save a great word. Invite someone to supper. Discuss fender skirts.

[Don in Upstate NY]

Well, at least we're all better drivers now. Because we don't need "curb feelers" to assist us in parking.

[OldJack]

What do you mean those words are gone? I use them all the time. Oh, now I understand why my grandkids are laughing at what I say! Now you are making me feel old.

[bstaxes]

I miss the radio and high beam button on the floor. I recently heard my son say e-brake. Maybe some of the words are coming back. Sure wish the simple times would come back. Thanks for fender skirt and running boards.

[GeneInAlabama]

The only one I had never heard was "foot feed". We always called it the "gas pedal". Some words may be localized like coke/soda/pop/dope.

[Kea]

There are regional differences. I still use the word "supper" & I still hear it used -- although not as often as I used to.

[JohnH]

How about "ice box" to describe a refrigerator?

[OldJack]

>>The only one I had never heard was "foot feed". We always called it the "gas pedal". Some words may be localized like coke/soda/pop/dope. <<

Before the "foot feed" it was called "The Ears" as it was 2 levers one on each side of the steering column (thus they looked like ears). One lever was for the "spark" setting (spark advance) and the other the "motor speed". To run full blast down the road you pulled the "ears" down. There was nothing on the floor about gas or speed.

[Lion EA]

My daughter cracks up every time I say ice box.

[Catherine]

My daughter cracks up every time I say ice box.

I mentioned a music album to a younger friend a couple of years ago. He interrupted and said, "You have albums?! My -parents- have albums!!"

I let him live. Barely.

[Kea]

My parents had 78s. And my portable record player could play 16s, 33 1/3s, 45s & 78s. I never saw a 16, but I could have played it.

[Jack from Ohio]

How about party lines and houses with only ONE telephone!

[Lion EA]

As we were clearing out household items for the church fair many years ago, my son spotted our Beatles albums. He was surprised that we knew the Beatles (hey, I watched them on Ed Sullivan in B&W, maybe on a neighbor's TV, long before son was born) and that TVs had not always been color. But, he was really amazed, since he was old enough to collect CDs of his favorite performers: "Mom, they're recorded on BOTH sides!" Remember the little inserts to be able to play our 45s on our record player?

[Catherine]

My parents had 78s. And my portable record player could play 16s, 33 1/3s, 45s & 78s. I never saw a 16, but I could have played it.

We had a huge monstrosity of a console record player (monaural, way before stereo) that could play all those speeds. We only had 33's and 45's, but the other two settings were there. Sometimes we'd play something too slow or too fast on purpose because it was so funny. There was a big spindle cover to accommodate the 45's. And I do recall the little plastic inserts for 45's, too.

[bstaxes]

This may date me. I have a juke box that plays 45's and the records. Also have 33 1/3's and 78's. My favorite is my coke a cola vending machine that dispenses bottles (glass) of coke for a quarter. To bad they don't make those bottle anymore. My next favorite is a Gottlieb pinball machine with side flippers and the balls bounce around and ring the bells and hit the bumpers. Oh well back to 2009. Thanks for the trip.

[GeneInAlabama]

How about "ice box" to describe a refrigerator?

When I was a kid, we had a piece of cardboard with 25, 50, 75, 100 written on each edge. We would put the card in the window with the size of block of ice we wanted showing at the top. The ice man would bring the ice in without having to make a trip in to see what size block of ice we wanted. At one place we lived, the ice man delivered with a mule and wagon. Us kids would follow behind and he would give us the slivers of ice that would break off when he broke the chunks of ice down to the proper size. (Trucks and cars were in use at that time - thats just the way HE delivered the ice. I'm not really THAT old.)

[Gail in Virginia]

When my son was about six, we were having a conversation about computers. I told him that when I was his age, I not only did not have a computer but nobody I knew had a computer - they were only in really large commercial or government offices. He asked me if we had electricity way back then....

[JohnH]

My daughter asked me that one time when she was a youngster.

I told her that back before we had electricity, we had to watch TV by candlelight.

[Bart]

My daughter asked me that one time when she was a youngster.

I told her that back before we had electricity, we had to watch TV by candlelight.

When I was young I watched a neighbor take out his upper teeth and put them in a glass. Then he took out his lower teeth and put them in a seperate glass. I waited a few seconds and then asked him if he could take out his tongue also.

[Daune/CA]

How about party lines and houses with only ONE telephone!

Are you talking about the "crank phone" that you used to crank to make it ring? Our phone was "3 long rings". And 5 long rings meant for everyone to listen for an important message.

My dad could not understand why we paid money to put the spare tire back on the outside again after they had tried for many years to get it inside the trunk. He thought a "Continental Kit" was crazy.

You were part of the "elite" if you had an inside bathroom instead of an outhouse, or later on if you had an antenna on your roof--this meant you had a TV!

[jainen]

>>made-up marketing words<<

My folks had a Desoto with Fluid Drive. And I remember when Dentyne prevented cavities, and when Wonder Bread only built strong bodies eight ways.

[Gail in Virginia]

Are you talking about the "crank phone" that you used to crank to make it ring? Our phone was "3 long rings". And 5 long rings meant for everyone to listen for an important message.

My dad could not understand why we paid money to put the spare tire back on the outside again after they had tried for many years to get it inside the trunk. He thought a "Continental Kit" was crazy.

You were part of the "elite" if you had an inside bathroom instead of an outhouse, or later on if you had an antenna on your roof--this meant you had a TV!

And remember rotating antennas, so you could actually pick up television stations from more than one city? No one had cable then, and in rural areas that was the only way to get more than one station sometimes.

[Catherine]

And remember rotating antennas, so you could actually pick up television stations from more than one city? No one had cable then, and in rural areas that was the only way to get more than one station sometimes.

I remember having the job of sitting on the floor next to the big B&W console TV, ready to adjust the vertical hold knob when the picture started creeping up. Watched lots of Ed Sullivan and Disney Sunday-night shows from a very steep angle!

[JohnH]

I had completely forgotten about our TV antenna.

Ours was mounted on a long rusty pole which extended down to the ground beside our front porch.

When we changed channels, one of us would run out on the porch and turn the pole while someone inside shouted:

"Keep turning. More. More. Whoah, back a little. Stop right there - that's as good as we can get it!"

[jainen]

>>a long rusty pole<<

Yes, but those snooty neighbors had a new one with a bunch of short crossbars which meant they were getting special extra channels.