Terms Which Have Disappeared

[skydog757]

The phrase "That's highway robbery!" seems to have run it's course. "Cybercrime", however, seems ubiquitous.

 

[Fading Fast]

I was reading a 1950 Ross MacDonald novel yesterday and one of the characters used the term "scarf" for eating. While that is still used today (hence, not disappearing), I was surprised as I didn't know it dated back to that time. I watch a lot of old movies and read a lot of early 20th Century novels and don't remember coming across that term before.

 

[tonyb]

"Pungle."

An hour or so ago I came across it in a newspaper clipping from 1974. I don't recall ever hearing the term before. Turns out it's from the Spanish word "pongale," meaning something akin "put it down," specifically to put down money. "Pongale" itself is from "poner," which means "to put" or "to place."

According to usually reliable sources, "pungle" first appears in English in the 1850s, used to mean the same thing as "ante," and usually followed by "up," as in "ante up" or "pungle up."

I've often heard (and used) "pony" in a similar way, as in "time to pony up," not meaning "put money on the table to buy into this card game," but more along the lines of "gimme the money you owe me." It's not such a stretch to think it, too, derives from "poner."

 

[ChiTownScion]

"Fish or cut bait," or its less sanitized cousin, "Sh** or get off the pot." Admonitions to cease the fence straddling.

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

"Pungle."

An hour or so ago I came across it in a newspaper clipping from 1974. I don't recall ever hearing the term before. Turns out it's from the Spanish word "pongale," meaning something akin "put it down," specifically to put down money. "Pongale" itself is from "poner," which means "to put" or "to place."

According to usually reliable sources, "pungle" first appears in English in the 1850s, used to mean the same thing as "ante," and usually followed by "up," as in "ante up" or "pungle up."

I've often heard (and used) "pony" in a similar way, as in "time to pony up," not meaning "put money on the table to buy into this card game," but more along the lines of "gimme the money you owe me." It's not such a stretch to think it, too, derives from "poner."

And from there back to Rome. The word is thus related to such common English words as "posit", "deposit", "position", "depose", "disposition", etc.

 

[tonyb]

The phrase "That's highway robbery!" seems to have run it's course. "Cybercrime", however, seems ubiquitous.

I suspect that most people who use the former have no idea what a highway robber was. I was one of those people, once. Turns out that falling victim to such a robber was among the hazards of travel BITD.

 

[skydog757]

Has anyone had occasion to box someone's ears lately? It used to be a common threat when I was a child. Never did get 'em boxed though . . .
Got a mild cuff on them once or twice

 

[Zombie_61]

I was reading a 1950 Ross MacDonald novel yesterday and one of the characters used the term "scarf" for eating. While that is still used today (hence, not disappearing), I was surprised as I didn't know it dated back to that time. I watch a lot of old movies and read a lot of early 20th Century novels and don't remember coming across that term before.

"Scarf" in that context was quite popular around here when I was in high school in the late-70s, but can't recall hearing it since the early- to mid-80s.

Has anyone had occasion to box someone's ears lately? It used to be a common threat when I was a child. Never did get 'em boxed though . . .
Got a mild cuff on them once or twice

Lately, no. But I did it to a guy once years ago when I was in my early teen years. I saw it on TV and thought I'd give it a try when he chose me as the "target of the moment" for his bullying. I was surprised by how well it worked. He was probably shocked and/or surprised more than anything else, but it did seem to disorient him for several seconds and it ended the encounter. Apparently I wasn't the easy target he thought I'd be.

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Scarf" has largely been replaced by "nom nom nom," which makes about as much sense. Both are, as they say, onomatopoetic.

 

[scottyrocks]

 

[Fading Fast]

"Scarf" has largely been replaced by "nom nom nom," which makes about as much sense. Both are, as they say, onomatopoetic.

I was surprised to see it in a 1950 novel, does it go back much farther than that?

 

[LizzieMaine]

It was collegiate slang in the '30s, which trickled down to high school level by the mid-forties. "Jughead scarfed down one hamburger after another!"

 

[tonyb]

And from there back to Rome. The word is thus related to such common English words as "posit", "deposit", "position", "depose", "disposition", etc.

But it shares not a drop of blood with the modern online abbreviation POS, used to describe everything from the Yugo (you don't go) to various high elected officials. In the latter case, it's often preceded with "lyin'," as in "that lyin' POS." Sometimes the P gets substituted with an S, for "sack," because, you know, it's alliterative.

 

[Fading Fast]

I haven't heard "cooking with gas -" to mean doing something really well or fast or better - being used in a long time.

 

[LizzieMaine]

But it shares not a drop of blood with the modern online abbreviation POS, used to describe everything from the Yugo (you don't go) to various high elected officials. In the latter case, it's often preceded with "lyin'," as in "that lyin' POS." Sometimes the P gets substituted with an S, for "sack," because, you know, it's alliterative.

The hilarious thing is that, in retail operations, "POS" is also used to refer to "point of sale," such as in "POS computer." Which is what I've been telling them all along.

 

[ChrisB]

The hilarious thing is that, in retail operations, "POS" is also used to refer to "point of sale," such as in "POS computer." Which is what I've been telling them all along.

Or “Product of Sums” in Boolean algebra.

 

[tonyb]

Or the POS pins the Port of Seattle police wear on their shirt collars.

 

[HudsonHawk]

I haven't heard "cooking with gas -" to mean doing something really well or fast or better - being used in a long time.

I actually hear (and use) that term pretty regularly. Of course, down here in Texas, most people really do cook with gas.

And speaking of gas...a baseball pitcher who throws really hard "brings the gas", but one who gets hit hard is said to be a "gas can".

 

[Trenchfriend]

"Cheeky/breezy girl". A language-use, that is not more there, in Germany. I remember my youth. The 90s still saw that language around the older people. "Cheeky bee" or "cheeky bobbysoxer".

 

[Fading Fast]

I actually hear (and use) that term pretty regularly. Of course, down here in Texas, most people really do cook with gas.

And speaking of gas...a baseball pitcher who throws really hard "brings the gas", but one who gets hit hard is said to be a "gas can".

Growing up in the Northeast in the '60s/'70s, I heard the phrase regularly (and used by kids and adults), but it really seems to have faded (again, in the Northeast) in the last few decades.

As to really cooking with gas, when we bought our apartment a few years back, one of the "requirements" was that it have a gas oven as my very active baker and cooker girlfriend dislikes electric ovens. Fortunately, since we only looked at pre-war apartments, almost all had gas ovens.

Of course, today the phrase you hear more commonly to describe a hard-throwing pitcher is he "brings the heat."