Terms Which Have Disappeared

[MisterCairo]

In, of all things, the Pat Benatar song "Hit Me with Your Best Shot", I heard "put up your dukes" for the first time in yonks...

 

[Fading Fast]

In, of all things, the Pat Benatar song "Hit Me with Your Best Shot", I heard "put up your dukes" for the first time in yonks...

That song was written 37 years ago. A good pop-rock song though as she delivers it with passion.

 

[Stearmen]

Don't blow your stack!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Better to do a slow burn than blow your top.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I got the dirt on them.

 

[BlueTrain]

Yeah? Says who? Well, go ahead and spill the beans; let the cat outta that bag; lay it on the line!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Ahh, razzberries.

 

[Upgrade]

Reminds me of when Conan and Maya Rudolph were discussing some of the more opaque phrases in classic movies. In particular from Sweet Smell of Success, "The cat's in the bag, the bag's in the river."

 

[ChrisB]

Road Apples!

 

[Fading Fast]

Reminds me of when Conan and Maya Rudolph were discussing some of the more opaque phrases in classic movies. In particular from Sweet Smell of Success, "The cat's in the bag, the bag's in the river."

How awesome is Maya Rudolph for keeping TCM on 24/7 in her kitchen so that her kids "absorb" it? Enough with the books, classical music and all those other child pedagogical advice - a full-on TCM education for kids. Love it.

 

[tonyb]

I got the dirt on them.

I use some variation on that phrase all the time.

 

[BlueTrain]

Does anyone ever get referred to as a "stuffed shirt?" They'd be the ones you'd like to get some dirt on. Sadly, though, life isn't like Mission Impossible. It's next to impossible to actually embarrass some people these days.

That also remind me of the saying "Cleanliness is next to godliness." But sometimes cleanliness is next to impossible.

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

Does anyone ever take Shank's Mare anymore?

 

[tonyb]

Does anyone ever get referred to as a "stuffed shirt?" They'd be the ones you'd like to get some dirt on. Sadly, though, life isn't like Mission Impossible. It's next to impossible to actually embarrass some people these days.
...

I'm fond of that expression myself, although I don't use it with great frequency. Best to save it for the truly deserving.

It's similar to but distinct from "empty suit," which is perhaps an even more biting put-down.

Both expressions are only metaphorically about attire. Still, we've all known people whose attire is a tip-off that they might very well belong in either or both categories. I can appreciate a well put-together sartorial presentation. I got dozens of interesting vintage suits and jackets, etc. myself. Scores of ties older than I am. And so many hats I've lost count. But the last thing a person wishing to be taken seriously ought to do is let his clothes wear him.

 

[BlueTrain]

That's one expression I've never heard before. Sounds almost like a legal expression.

Supposedly you should never notice a well-dressed man's clothes, only that he is well-dressed. Sounds like it would be a trick to pull off. One does see a lot of well-dressed men (and women) in old movies but chances are, that couldn't be taken as typical. I always liked the way William Powell dressed (or was dressed) in the Thin Man series. Someone commented though, that Paul Henreid in Casablanca was the first person who ever escaped from a concentration camp wearing a Palm Beach suit.

 

[tonyb]

...

Supposedly you should never notice a well-dressed man's clothes, only that he is well-dressed. Sounds like it would be a trick to pull off. One does see a lot of well-dressed men (and women) in old movies but chances are, that couldn't be taken as typical. I always liked the way William Powell dressed (or was dressed) in the Thin Man series. Someone commented though, that Paul Henreid in Casablanca was the first person who ever escaped from a concentration camp wearing a Palm Beach suit.

Well, there's a reason they call it "the fantasy factory."

 

[Fading Fast]

Milquetoast - a wonderful expression that seems all but done for.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Did English-speaking people call condoms really "Johnnys"??

 

[FedOregon]

Road Apples!

Horse biscuits!

 

[FedOregon]

Does anyone ever get referred to as a "stuffed shirt?" They'd be the ones you'd like to get some dirt on. Sadly, though, life isn't like Mission Impossible. It's next to impossible to actually embarrass some people these days.

That also remind me of the saying "Cleanliness is next to godliness." But sometimes cleanliness is next to impossible.

Stuffed shirt, or "all hat, no cattle."