Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
W
wow Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
I received an email about old time words that we hear rarely if at all these days. I became nostalgic and so here it is with some additions and subtractions - in other words , heavily edited.... but perhaps it will spark some discussion!
Please excuse typos. I am recovering from (would you believe) Carpal Tunnel in right hand which is reason I haven't been posting in a great while.
So - here we go : I came across "fender skirts" - a term I hadn't read or heard in a long time There are other words and phrases that quietly disappear from our language with hardly a whimper.
Words/phrases like : "steering knobs" and "Continental kits." And still on subject of automobiles - when did we quit calling them "emergency brakes?" At some oint "parking brake" became the proper term. But I miss the hint of drama that went with "emergency brake."
And speaking of drama : Do you remember being able to ride on a car's "running board?"

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.
And mothers were embarrassed if they had to admit a cake was "store bought" instead of home made! How times do chage.

"Coast to coast" is a phrase that once held all sorts of excitement. Now we take the term "world wide" for granted.
On a smaller scale, in the 1950s, "wall-to-wall carpeting" covered hardwood floors. Today, everyone replaces their wall-to-wall with hardwood floors.

When's the last time you heard the quaint phrase "in a family way?" Imagine - "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 "expecting."

Apparently "brassiere" is a word no longer in usage. It's just "bra" now. "Unmentionables" probably wouldn't be understood at all. But we still use the word "delicates" - go figure.

In my youth we went to "the pictures" or "the movies'" Some really cool kids called movies "the flicks"
Here's a word I miss - "percolator." That was just a fun word to say. And what was it replaced with? "Coffeemaker." Booooring.
Ok, your turn.

Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
When I was a young kid "Sunday clothes" was still in vogue
to describe the best suit or dress ( for guys and gals respectively...just to make it clear, I could see the vultures diving in on that ambiguity ) you wore for church or special occasions. I think the term goes back to "The Gilded Age" (late 1800's) when everyone wanted to be the Vanderbilts or Astors but were too poor to afford more than one set of nice clothes.

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
how timely--i saw a propeller plane today--remember when that term was used to distinges between them and 'jet engines" --(the first time i traveled to ireland we flew on a 4 engine propeller plane)

and how about 'station to station' (vs Person to person) long distance calls. --they used to have to scheduled and connected by an operator, too, none of this dialed direct stuff!

(when did i get old?)

Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
I
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
I
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
I think any apparatus for making coffee from grounds is technically a percolator, so you can still call any boring old coffee maker that.

To keep to the thread, In New York, people are forgetting the names of the individual subway lines, the IND, BMT, and IRT.

Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Quote:

I think any apparatus for making coffee from grounds is technically a percolator, so you can still call any boring old coffee maker that.




Percolator is just the kind that has the grounds basket sitting on top of that hollow tube that the boiling water comes bubbling up through. Read all about it.

Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
I
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
I
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
Quote:

Quote:

I think any apparatus for making coffee from grounds is technically a percolator, so you can still call any boring old coffee maker that.




Percolator is just the kind that has the grounds basket sitting on top of that hollow tube that the boiling water comes bubbling up through. Read all about it.




Coffee is a percolate; thus, anything that makes coffee from grounds is a percolator. "Percolator" as name for the kind of percolator we all know and love is a special usage. Me thinks.

Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

I think any apparatus for making coffee from grounds is technically a percolator, so you can still call any boring old coffee maker that.




Percolator is just the kind that has the grounds basket sitting on top of that hollow tube that the boiling water comes bubbling up through. Read all about it.




Coffee is a percolate; thus, anything that makes coffee from grounds is a percolator. "Percolator" as name for the kind of percolator we all know and love is a special usage. Me thinks.




the link Faldo gave was interesting reading, even for one that doesn't ever drink the swill.

"It is virtually impossible to make a decent cup of coffee with a percolator."

Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
I
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
I
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

I think any apparatus for making coffee from grounds is technically a percolator, so you can still call any boring old coffee maker that.




Percolator is just the kind that has the grounds basket sitting on top of that hollow tube that the boiling water comes bubbling up through. Read all about it.




Coffee is a percolate; thus, anything that makes coffee from grounds is a percolator. "Percolator" as name for the kind of percolator we all know and love is a special usage. Me thinks.




the link Faldo gave was interesting reading, even for one that doesn't ever drink the swill.

"It is virtually impossible to make a decent cup of coffee with a percolator."




Er, yah, it looks good, but I'm at work -- diligently, as you can see. I *did* take the time, though, to check dic.com *after* posting ( ), and it looks like Faldo's right [play 2.5 measures of Souza]. Still, I don't see why we can't extend the meaning a little and have some fun using it.

BTW, you *can* make a good cup of coffee in a percolator, but it is an art, like baking bread.

Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 270
enthusiast
Offline
enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 270
I miss "whensoever" and "forsooth"

"The flicks" is just UK slang right? never heard of it being used in the US. I'm all against coinage of words, we have enough as it is

Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
I have heard flicks or flics used in the Colonies. It is often heard in conjunction with a generic modifier, e.g. horror flics, chick flicks.

Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 444 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5