Terms Which Have Disappeared

[St. Louis]

Oh, that's funny -- I call people nincompoops all the time! Not to their faces, of course -- and mostly when I'm behind a steering wheel.

My favorite phrase of the golden era is "all in," as in "totally exhausted." I wish I could use it, because I think it's a perfect description of that state, but I don't think anyone would know what I was talking about.

 

[2jakes]

Oh, that's funny -- I call people nincompoops all the time! Not to their faces, of course -- and mostly when I'm behind a steering wheel.

My favorite phrase of the golden era is "all in," as in "totally exhausted." I wish I could use it, because I think it's a perfect description of that state, but I don't think anyone would know what I was talking about.

Greetings St. Louis,

Please go ahead & say it !

I'm pretty sure there are some of us here that would know what you're talking about !

I also like the 30s & 40s period.

One thing though that I'm curious about is the film language.

I sometimes wondered if folks really started a conversation with this word..(SAY)

" Say...what do you mean by that?"
"Say...can you spare a dime "

Perhaps I've been watching too much TCM...:eusa_doh:

 

[Fading Fast]

Oh, that's funny -- I call people nincompoops all the time! Not to their faces, of course -- and mostly when I'm behind a steering wheel.

My favorite phrase of the golden era is "all in," as in "totally exhausted." I wish I could use it, because I think it's a perfect description of that state, but I don't think anyone would know what I was talking about.

It is a great expression (my grandmother used it all the time). It has a modern sound to my ear even though I know it is dated. It has the abbreviated style of today as well as the "slightly tired with how much life throws at you" timeless view.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Oh, that's funny -- I call people nincompoops all the time! Not to their faces, of course -- and mostly when I'm behind a steering wheel.

We have a similar term around here, which we apply to new-money types who move up here from out of state and immediately try to insinuate themselves into the community by telling all us rubes how we ought to be doing things.

We call them "Incompoops."

 

[Stanley Doble]

"Say, listen"

I think that was a regional verbal tic that originated in the midwest someplace. In other places people started conversations with "hey" or in England, "Oi".

Is there a name for internally contradictory catch phrases like "say, listen" "pretty ugly" "a little big" or do they go in with the oxymorons?

 

[Stearmen]

We have a similar term around here, which we apply to new-money types who move up here from out of state and immediately try to insinuate themselves into the community by telling all us rubes how we ought to be doing things.

We call them "Incompoops."

We have those people also, they are called, Traffic Engineers! Why the city keeps hiring people from back East I'll never figure out? They know nothing about our traffic patterns, but insist on making us all into some Eastern city.

 

[Edward]

Occurred to me that my brother's kids, now six and seven, will have no comprehension of what a 'record' is. I'm not sure if they've ever seen a vinyl lp or even a 45 (7,10 or 12 inch). Interesting even among the undergraduate kids I teach now, all born in the early nineties(!) how many of them don't have any real comprehension of a "B-side", or "Side one and Side two", and such. Some of this will come back a bit, I think, for the kids who get seriously into music, given that while other formats (MD, DAT, SACD, DVDA....) have failed, vinyl has never gone away for audiophiles. For the majority, though, I wonder when these terms will disappear entirely, simply because music will have become, for them, an entirely intangible consumer experience.

 

[2jakes]

Before shopping malls when dinosaurs walked the earth

I need to go downtown tomorrow . My kicks are worn out to the bone.
Not sure whether Thom McAn's or Hardy's Shoe store.
I might take in the saturday matinee .There's a double-feature.
but I'll grab a chocolate malt @ Woolworth's or a coney island first.

Kids today have no idea & would probably think I've gone "meshuga"...

 

[HudsonHawk]

Occurred to me that my brother's kids, now six and seven, will have no comprehension of what a 'record' is. I'm not sure if they've ever seen a vinyl lp or even a 45 (7,10 or 12 inch). Interesting even among the undergraduate kids I teach now, all born in the early nineties(!) how many of them don't have any real comprehension of a "B-side", or "Side one and Side two", and such. Some of this will come back a bit, I think, for the kids who get seriously into music, given that while other formats (MD, DAT, SACD, DVDA....) have failed, vinyl has never gone away for audiophiles. For the majority, though, I wonder when these terms will disappear entirely, simply because music will have become, for them, an entirely intangible consumer experience.

A few years ago, my sister the elementary school teacher told a funny anecdote. She would still sometimes use the old school record player to play them records for various things. The kids loved it when they got to listen to a "big CD".

But it occurs to me now...most kids have no comprehension of what a CD is! They refer to everything as a "download", as in "I just got the new Justin Bieber download". I still call everything a "record".

 

[dh66]

Why, I can remember going to Woolworths for a burger and a malt as recently as 30 years ago.

And awhile back we took the kids to a matinee too, it only cost $8 apiece. And a large popcorn and coke was only $12.

 

[2jakes]

Why, I can remember going to Woolworths for a burger and a malt as recently as 30 years ago.

And awhile back we took the kids to a matinee too, it only cost $8 apiece. And a large popcorn and coke was only $12.

 

[Zombie_61]

...But it occurs to me now...most kids have no comprehension of what a CD is! They refer to everything as a "download", as in "I just got the new Justin Bieber download". I still call everything a "record".

Our DirecTV box has DVR capabilities. But when a specific broadcast is discussed, my wife and/or a good friend will still ask, "Did you tape it?" My usual response is something to the effect of, "No, but I recorded it." We haven't had a VHS player/recorder for five or six years now; it stopped working long before we finally unplugged it, so it spent it's last five years of service as a big ugly clock. lol

 

[Renault]

I need to go downtown tomorrow . My kicks are worn out to the bone.
Not sure whether Thom McAn's or Hardy's Shoe store.
I might take in the saturday matinee .There's a double-feature.
but I'll grab a chocolate malt @ Woolworth's or a coney island first.

Kids today have no idea & would probably think I've gone "meshuga"...

Sure looks like San Antone!!

 

[HudsonHawk]

Sure looks like San Antone!!

Yep...just a few blocks from the Alamo!

 

[2jakes]

sure looks like san antone!!

The locals call it "San Antonio"

 

[Renault]

Ha! Dad was born & raised in Atascosa county. Mebbe 30 miles south of where that pic was made. They used to call it San Antone all the time.

 

[Renault]

Yep...just a few blocks from the Alamo!

Prolly a pinto pony and a Navajo hanging around there somewhere!

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

I started this thread with my discovery of the now-extinct (or pretty nearly so) "French Laundry", a kind of service business. This morning I'm looking through a directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Cities for 1871 to see if I can find when my great grandfather moved from Pittsburgh to my home town. These books are a precursor to a phone book, but without phone numbers, of course. While this era predates the one TFL mostly concerns, the directory lists the occupation of those included, in addition to rough addresses.

Some of these jobs are now extinct, and difficult to decode. Here are some entries:

Knisk Patrick, puddler, 34 Nineteenth, E B
Knishler Martin, striker, 111 Third, A
Knittle Joseph, knobbler, W P
Knorr Phillip, livery band, 33 Miltenberger

Here's a link to the page if your curiosity is piqued.

 

[Fading Fast]

I started this thread with my discovery of the now-extinct (or pretty nearly so) "French Laundry", a kind of service business. This morning I'm looking through a directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Cities for 1871 to see if I can find when my great grandfather moved from Pittsburgh to my home town. These books are a precursor to a phone book, but without phone numbers, of course. While this era predates what TFL mostly concerns, the directory lists the occupation of those included, in addition to rough addresses.

Some of these jobs are now extinct, and a difficult to decode. Here are some entries:

Knisk Patrick, puddler, 34 Nineteenth, E B
Knishler Martin, striker, 111 Third, A
Knittle Joseph, knobbler, W P
Knorr Phillip, livery band, 33 Miltenberger

Here's a link to the page if your curiosity is piqued.

My bet is that LizzieMaine will not only know what each of those jobs is, but she'll have an interesting backstory for each one.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Puddler and knobbler are both trades connected with iron working or iron casting, not surprising as Pittsburg was the leading iron and steel making city at that time. If I had to guess I would say striker had to do with the same industry.

Livery band may have something to do with a livery stable.

You are right, there were a lot of trades and sub divisions of trades that don't exist now. In those days a machinist was judged by his skill with a file, today you can hardly even buy a file. Nobody makes anything by hand anymore at least, not like they used to.