Terms Which Have Disappeared

rjb1 · Dec 11, 2013

"Apparently you should be ashamed of being Australian."
No - don't make more of it than was meant. I didn't want to be critical of someone from another country who didn't live through the draft in the US, or know anyone who did, and therefore didn't know much about it. No, more, no less...

Alex Oviatt · Dec 11, 2013

"Everything's Rosie, everything's jake; how much more can a good girl take?
I told you I loved you, now get out."

If only everything was still jake.......

Stearmen · Dec 11, 2013

[video=youtube;UIFJHYIlNi4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIFJHYIlNi4[/video]

Fading Fast · Dec 11, 2013

KayEn78 said:
My dad remembers the lottery. In 1971 when turned eighteen, he received his number...247. He told me once that had he received a low number, he would've gone to Vietnam.

My grandpa wanted to join the service during WWII, but his parents wouldn't sign the papers. He was 16 in 1944. When the Korean War came around, he tried to join up but was turned down due to flat feet.

I had an uncle who had flat fleet and was turned down for service in WWII for that reason. He seemed a bit ashamed of it, but everyone in the family said he went down and try to get in. I will say, he always wore these God awful, heavy metal arches in his shoes. I have flat fleet (must run in the family) and put in pair of Dr Scholl's arches ($11 / pair, last for several years) and problem solved. But they didn't have the synthetic materials back then - so maybe this was a serious issue considering marching was a big part of a soldiers life.

Gene · Dec 11, 2013

After WWII, you start hearing guys referring to each other in civilian life as "soldier," a definite hangover from wartime routine.

Also a lot of army terms entered the lexicon, some still to this day, like "gremlins," "going AWOL," "chickenshit," "Dear John letter," "jeep," "yardbird," etc. etc.

LizzieMaine · Dec 11, 2013

I still announce payday with "The eagle flies!," a term I picked up long ago from reading "See Here, Private Hargrove." I'm sure that's a bowlderization of the original Army dialect, though.

W-D Forties · Dec 11, 2013

Taking a constitutional - we still say that in our house. When I was a kid my dad would say that he was 'going to see a man about a dog' - that was code for going to the pub!

1961MJS · Dec 11, 2013

LizzieMaine said:
I still announce payday with "The eagle flies!," ...

Here in Aerospace, it's the Eagle, but the verb is substantially different.

Later

vitanola · Dec 12, 2013

Shangas said:
What the heck is "1-A"? I've never heard of that before.

[video=youtube_share;uY-lDIooy3Y]http://youtu.be/uY-lDIooy3Y[/video]

KayEn78 · Dec 12, 2013

Heard an episode of Fibber McGee and Molly not too long ago where Martha Tilton was featured singing this song. The was shortly after Pearl Harbor.

-Kristi

John Galt · Dec 12, 2013

Live Danny Kaye. Thanks for that...

"Faint hat never won fair lady."

Stearmen · Dec 13, 2013

"I don't take no guff".

KILO NOVEMBER · Dec 15, 2013

I've just been watching "The Thin Man" (1934) for the umpteenth time. In one scene, a "kept woman" is explaining the presence in her apartment of a man unknown to her "keeper", for lack of a better term. She says, "Oh, he's just a man I used to know. I haven't seen him in years. I didn't want him to think I was 'high-hatting' him."

Oh, and Mia Farrow's mother is a supporting actress in this one. She was best known for her role as Tarzan's mate.

I've also noticed what I think is a New York stage accent. The actors pronounce "you" as "yo". Anyone know anything about New York stage dialect from the early part of the last century?

Stanley Doble · Dec 16, 2013

By keeper do you mean sugar daddy? High hatting is a good one. There is a lot of good slang and snappy patter in the Thin Man series.

In another one, Nick takes Nora to a wrestling match at Madison Square Garden where he introduces her to some of his underworld acquaintances. They take to her at once and he says, "baby, you've arrived" another expression you only see in old novels and movies.

KayEn78 · Dec 16, 2013

Was listening to The Great Gildersleeve and in the episode, a train schedule was called a "timetable." I don't think the expression "hang out" as in "I'm going to hang out with my friends" was said in the '30s, '40s, and '50s, but instead, the expression "pal around" was used (at least in radio shows). "Who do you usually pal around with?"

-Kristi

tonyb · Dec 16, 2013

Stanley Doble said:
...

In another one, Nick takes Nora to a wrestling match at Madison Square Garden where he introduces her to some of his underworld acquaintances. They take to her at once and he says, "baby, you've arrived" another expression you only see in old novels and movies.

I still hear "you've arrived," but not often. I doubt if young people would "get" it.

It occurs to me that your use of "take to" may be falling by the wayside as well.

Stanley Doble · Dec 16, 2013

I was surprised to find the phrase "hang out" dates back to the mid 19th century. I think it was in one of Mark Twain's stories I saw it. An old lady from the mountains, criticizing a neighbor's cabin, says "I wouldn't hang out in such a derned hole".

A lot of these terms go in and out of style. I was surprised when "old school" made a comeback 10 or 15 years ago. That was another old phrase from the 19th century I didn't expect to hear from the young.

How about "you are as slow as molasses in January". Another old time phrase my older relatives (born in the late 19th century) used to use.

I thought of it today when I was having a plate of corn bread and molasses. When was the last time you had corn bread and molasses?

Stearmen · Dec 17, 2013

I heard this a lot, well into my 20s, "slow down Barney", and "who do you think you are Barney Oldfield!"

Stanley Doble · Dec 18, 2013

That's what you get for going a mile a minute.

When were you born, 1900?

dh66 · Dec 18, 2013

Stanley Doble said:
I thought of it today when I was having a plate of corn bread and molasses. When was the last time you had corn bread and molasses?

Haven't had that in a while, but we eat biscuits and molasses on a regular basis. Black strap molasses no less. When i was a kid my grandfather grew sugar cane and sorghum and every fall would carry a truckload to the syrup mill. He always came back with a couple of paint cans full of molasses. In January you could stand a spoon up in it at breakfast and it would still be upright at dinner.

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Terms Which Have Disappeared

Practically Family

Practically Family

I'll Lock Up

Practically Family

Practically Family

My Mail is Forwarded Here

I'll Lock Up

One of the Regulars

Vendor

I'll Lock Up

One Too Many

Call Me a Cab

One of the Regulars

Call Me a Cab

I'll Lock Up

Call Me a Cab

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