Mergatroyd? Do you remember that word? Would you believe the spell-checker did not recognize the word, Mergatroyd? "Heavens to Mergatroyd!"
The other day a not so elderly (I say 75) lady said something to her son about driving a Jalopy; and he looked at her quizzically and said, "What the heck is a Jalopy?" He had never heard of the word jalopy! She knew she was old ... But not that old.
Well, I hope you are Hunky Dory after you read this and chuckle.
About a month ago, I illuminated some old expressions that have become obsolete because of the inexorable march of technology. These phrases included: Don't touch that dial; Carbon copy; You sound like a broken record; and Hung out to dry.
Back in the olden days we had a lot of moxie. We'd put on our best bib and tucker , to straighten up and fly right.
Heavens to Betsy! Gee whillikers! Jumping Jehoshaphat! Holy Moley!
We were in like Flynn and living the life of Riley ; and even a regular guy couldn't accuse us of being a knucklehead, a nincompoop or a pill. Not for all the tea in China!
Back in the olden days, life used to be swell, but when's the last time anything was swell? Swell has gone the way of beehives, pageboys and the D.A.; of spats, knickers, fedoras, poodle skirts, saddle shoes, and pedal pushers.
Oh, my aching back! Kilroy was here, but he isn't anymore.
We wake up from what surely has been just a short nap, and before we can say, "Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!" Or, "This is a fine kettle of fish!" We discover that the words we grew up with, the words that seemed omnipresent, as oxygen, have vanished with scarcely a notice from our tongues and our pens and our keyboards.
Poof, go the words of our youth, the words we've left behind. We blink, and they're gone.
Where have all those great phrases gone?
Long gone: Pshaw, The milkman did it. Hey! It's your nickel. Don't forget to pull the chain. Knee high to a grasshopper
Well, Fiddlesticks! Going like sixty. I'll see you in the funny papers. Don't take any wooden nickels. Wake up and smell the roses
It turns out there are more of these lost words and expressions than Carter has liver pills.
This can be disturbing stuff! (Carter's Little Liver Pills are gone too!)
Leaves us to wonder where Superman will find a phone booth.
See ya later, alligator! Okidoki.
You'll notice they left out "Monkey Business"!!!
WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE FABULOUS 50'S . NO ONE WILL EVER HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY AGAIN … WE WERE GIVEN ONE OF OUR MOST PRECIOUS GIFTS: LIVING IN THE PEACEFUL AND COMFORTABLE TIMES, CREATED FOR US BY THE "GREATEST GENERATION!"
Keep smiling
Tug
Lost Vocabulary
Re: Lost Vocabulary
I used the word cattywampus at a board meeting not too long ago to describe a design problem, and no one knew what it meant. One guy said it wasn't a real word.
First heard it from my grandmother and mother and have used it as needed ever since.
Forest
First heard it from my grandmother and mother and have used it as needed ever since.
Forest
- Tug002
- Senior Master Sergeant
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Re: Lost Vocabulary
cattywampus is a new one to me. Don't know what it means though.
Keep smiling
Tug
Keep smiling
Tug
- Ron Attwood
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Re: Lost Vocabulary
Virtually all of those examples can be condensed into FFS, Oh. My. God. Seriously? F**k you.
Much handier
Much handier
Eva Vlaardingerbroek, an inspiratiom.
Re: Lost Vocabulary
It is another way to say "crooked, out of alignment, askew". If you were crabbing into an airport in the south and a local was watching you he might think you were flying cattywampus.
Forest
- Tug002
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Re: Lost Vocabulary
thank you FAC257
Keep smiling
Tug
Keep smiling
Tug
- Tug002
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Re: Lost Vocabulary
OUCHRon Attwood wrote: ↑06 May 2022, 11:09 Virtually all of those examples can be condensed into FFS, Oh. My. God. Seriously? F**k you.
Much handier
Keep smiling
Tug
- Ron Attwood
- Chief Master Sergeant
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- Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK
Re: Lost Vocabulary
What? What? It's twoo, it's twoo.Tug002 wrote: ↑06 May 2022, 15:29OUCHRon Attwood wrote: ↑06 May 2022, 11:09 Virtually all of those examples can be condensed into FFS, Oh. My. God. Seriously? F**k you.
Much handier
Keep smiling
Tug
Eva Vlaardingerbroek, an inspiratiom.
- Killratio
- A2A Spitfire Crew Chief
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Re: Lost Vocabulary
Abso-cun-lutely!!!!Ron Attwood wrote: ↑06 May 2022, 18:13
Virtually all of those examples can be condensed into FFS, Oh. My. God. Seriously? F**k you.
Much handier
I recognise all but a couple of them which I suspect are US and didn't make it here.
I'll add a couple of others:
"Dreckly" My grandmother was always going to do something "dreckly" which I am sure was a contraction of the UK "Directly".
Also, in Oz "go get knotted" was a much more family friendly way of asking someone to reproductively relocate.
- Killratio
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Re: Lost Vocabulary
Oh... and "poof" was either a foot rest OR something a little less politically correct than would be acceptable here (see also "light in the loafers" "bats for the other side", "bowls from the Paddington end" or "friend of Dorothy" )
To be hefty was to be "built like a brick SH one T house"
To be a "friendly girl" was to be like "Comet" (DHL in the States I think).
To be hefty was to be "built like a brick SH one T house"
To be a "friendly girl" was to be like "Comet" (DHL in the States I think).
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