Terms Which Have Disappeared

[Inkstainedwretch]

When was the last time someone was called a "bird dog" or accused of "bird-dogging"?

"Bird Dog"was an Everly Brothers song from 1958.

 

[HudsonHawk]

"Bird Dog"was an Everly Brothers song from 1958.

Hey bird dog get away from my quail...

 

[Stearmen]

Here is another song with lots of slang and terms that are not used these days!

 

[MisterCairo]

When was the last time you heard the word "luncheon'?

Last week!

Granted, it's not heard often in my part.

 

[skydog757]

John Law.

Bull (a Police Officer).

A square john.

 

[Zombie_61]

John Law.

Bull (a Police Officer).

A square john.

I still hear the term "Bull" once in a while, but it's usually used by someone who has been in the hoosegow.

 

[Trenchfriend]

"Stupid cow", what's in German "cinnamon-bitch".

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Lost in translation...

 

[LizzieMaine]

I still hear the term "Bull" once in a while, but it's usually used by someone who has been in the hoosegow.

"Screw" was a popular term in the Era for a prison or jail guard. Usually preceded by "ya dirty.."

"Flatfoot" and "dick" are a couple more you don't hear much anymore, at least in specific derogatory reference to law enforcement.

 

[Fading Fast]

"Screw" was a popular term in the Era for a prison or jail guard. Usually preceded by "ya dirty.."

"Flatfoot" and "dick" are a couple more you don't hear much anymore, at least in specific derogatory reference to law enforcement.

Wasn't "The Fuzz" a derogatory term for the police back in the '60s and '70s - or have I just made that up in my mind? It seems I remembering that term being used that way, but I am questioning myself a bit.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Indeed. "Fuzz" actually goes back to the 19th century -- supposedly it was a reference to the felt covering on a constable's helmet -- but became most popular in the sixties and seventies. As a kid I once got severely censured for yelling "HEY MISTAH FUZZ!" at a passing patrolman.

 

[Trenchfriend]

"Bulls" will never die out in Germany.

 

[Fading Fast]

Indeed. "Fuzz" actually goes back to the 19th century -- supposedly it was a reference to the felt covering on a constable's helmet -- but became most popular in the sixties and seventies. As a kid I once got severely censured for yelling "HEY MISTAH FUZZ!" at a passing patrolman.

Great that you knew that - these slang or, even, regular words always comes from somewhere. The term fuzz seemed to die out quickly, faster than disco died.

 

[BlueTrain]

Disco died? Well, how about that? You don't pick up the paper one day and you miss out on things. What about tea dances? Anyone that goes to tea dances probably goes to luncheons, too, but probably not to a disco. Or a dive, either. Or a beer joint. Maybe a juke joint, though. There is also a period in life when you have kids at home and you don't do any of those things. Eventually, after about 25 or 30 years, you get back into the swing of things only to find it ain't got that swing anymore and the hinges are a little rusty. Can't even swing on a star.

When was the last time you heard anything referred to as a "gizmo?" It was usually a mechanical or electronic thing-a-ma-jig. A small gizmo, usually something you are familiar with, is a gadget. A large gizmo is a, well, I don't think I've ever seen a large gizmo but there must be some around. But most things are a lot smaller than they used to be, you know; sort of a byproduct of the space race.

 

[Fading Fast]

⇧ "Gizmo" good one, definitely a term that's going away, but both had a heyday and is a heck of a term ("feels" like what it is).

 

[Fading Fast]

"Bulls" will never die out in Germany.

I think I posted this once before, but the word cool never goes out of style - cool is always cool.

Hep, groovy, neato, the bomb, swell and others all have had their day at being some variation of cool, but they all sound dated now, but cool is still cool.

I wonder why it has such longevity?

 

[skydog757]

"Screw" was a popular term in the Era for a prison or jail guard. Usually preceded by "ya dirty.."

"Flatfoot" and "dick" are a couple more you don't hear much anymore, at least in specific derogatory reference to law enforcement.

It was also sometimes preceded by "ya lousy . ."

Funny that "gumshoe" is usually associated with a private investigator; probably because stealth is key in that line of work.

 

[vitanola]

When was the last time you heard the word "luncheon'?

Last Thursday, when I made plans for yesterday's luncheon engagement.

Funny that "gumshoe" is usually associated with a private investigator; probably because stealth is key in that line of work.

The term was originally applied to robbers. IN fact, there was a comic called "Gumshoe, the Sneak-Thief" in the years just before the Great War. The term "Gumshoe" originally implied that the investigator was little more than a criminal himeslf.

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

"Flatfoot" no longer makes sense. Cops don't walk beats anymore,they stay in air-conditioned (or warm) patrol cars. So far nobody has made up a derogatory term for riding in a car.

 

[Stearmen]

Indeed. "Fuzz" actually goes back to the 19th century -- supposedly it was a reference to the felt covering on a constable's helmet -- but became most popular in the sixties and seventies. As a kid I once got severely censured for yelling "HEY MISTAH FUZZ!" at a passing patrolman.

Just like Cop is a shortened version of Copper, which came about allegedly, because of the badges Police officers wore at the time were usually made of copper. The word Cop does not have as hard an edge these days, even my Mom would use the word Cop!