Terms Which Have Disappeared

[Stearmen]

Well, it was really only a set in a filming studio, so...

:eusa_doh:

 

[Stearmen]

Where I come from if it looks like the temp will drop to 30º or below, we are advised by the wx man to turn on
the outside water faucets to a drip to avoid lines busting. But the freeze is only for a couple of days at most.

How the heck do you manage this where it is super cold up where you live & avoid a huge water bill. I 'm guessing
that your water lines are different ?

Around here, our outside faucets are 12" or longer, so the actual part that stops the water flow is inside the basement, so it does not freeze. But, you always disconnect your hose at the start of winter, or the trapped water will defeat the long spigot!

 

[2jakes]

~

1928 ~ Silent film ~ "The Cameraman" with Buster Keaton (right)

 

[2jakes]

In a diary that was written by James L. Trueheart in 1842. Who was taken prisoner during
the second Mexican invasion by General Woll under the command of Gen. Antonio Santa Anna.
Mr. Trueheart while in Perote prison in Mexico wrote about the march & the things he & fellow Texans encountered
along the way. One word or term is the use of "leagues" instead of "miles" to describe the amount of distance covered
on a day to day. There are other terms that are archaic to me, but were in vogue for the times. The closest that I have
seen or rather heard of this manner of speaking was in the series "Deadwood" (HBO) with the exception that in the
series there was an overabundant amount of cussing.The diary written under much stress is lacking with swear
words like today. It is very florid & not direct in manner of the ordeals & hardships encountered.
This is very interesting. Especially for me since I am no expert on languages or terms.

I have copies of the handwritten diary itself .This book which was published later &
written in a more modern format that most would be able to understand.

 

[skydog757]

I have not heard the phrase "strictly from hunger" for about thirty years. That and "She's been through the mill" or "She's been put through the mill". These phases seemed to be more common in rural areas.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^

Might be because rural people are likelier to know what a "mill" is?

May back in this thread there is some discussion of phrases which reference barnyard animals -- "mad as a wet hen," "stubborn as a mule," and a few other ones perhaps unfit for a family forum, and of which most speakers these days have no firsthand experience.

 

[skydog757]

^^^^^

Might be because rural people are likelier to know what a "mill" is?

May back in this thread there is some discussion of phrases which reference barnyard animals -- "mad as a wet hen," "stubborn as a mule," and a few other ones perhaps unfit for a family forum, and of which most speakers these days have no firsthand experience.

Mills are pretty pervasive, city or country (sawmills, steel mills, wind mills, water mills, pepper mills, etc.), and even in their absence people would understand the meaning. I think it's due more to the speaker wishing to come off as more urbane and dignified ("She's had her difficulties") rather than appear to be a bumpkin spouting colloquialisms.

 

[tonyb]

Maybe so. But when I hear someone has "been through the mill" I think gristmill, that the person has been ground down, as is grain in a gristmill. Maybe it's projecting a bit too much to assume, as I do, that a person with a more intimate familiarity with grain, a rural person, would have a better sense of how that grain is turned into flour.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Around here, we think of paper mills. And you *don't* want to be put thru one of those.

 

[tonyb]

... One word or term is the use of "leagues" instead of "miles" to describe the amount of distance covered
on a day to day. There are other terms that are archaic to me, but were in vogue for the times. ...

Maybe those among us who were actually in Vietnam during the American military involvement there could confirm or dispute what I heard from one such veteran, who informed me that "kilometer" was commonly abbreviated to "click" by the American GIs.

Can't say that I have heard that usage in any other context. Of course, I live in the U.S.A., where we much more commonly measure distances in miles, so the occasions for using such a slang term would be few.

 

[tonyb]

Around here, we think of paper mills. And you *don't* want to be put thru one of those.

They start by grinding up the wood, right? To make a pulp? And that process is, well, let's say it might be more pleasant to live upwind of it.

 

[LizzieMaine]

If you ever drive thru Rumford, do it with your windows rolled up. And I say this having grown up in a town where chicken-gutting was the main industry.

 

[Stearmen]

I thought of a saying that has changed through the years, but, is probably still being used, however, with a different name. When I was real little, you would hear old people say, "slow down Barney," referring to the race car driver Barney Oldfield. When I was learning to drive I would hear, "slow down Parneli," as in, Parneli Jones, also a famous race car driver. Then still later, it was, "slow down Mario," Andretti of course. A variation was, "who do you think you are, Parneli Jones?" Referring to how fast you were driving! Is there a modern version of this, with a new young race driver?

 

[Stanley Doble]

I live in a small town and at one time there must have been at least a dozen saw mills and grist mills within 20 miles of here. On a likely river there would be a mill every 3 or 4 miles, driven by water power.

The local farmers took their grain to be ground by the sack, took it home and put it in a flour barrel or tin 5 gallon pails. If a farmer wanted to build a shed or a barn he cut some trees from the wood lot, hauled them to the mill and had them cut into lumber.

So yes, at one time everyone knew what a mill was.

The name was applied to all kinds of factories, and even to "gin mills". It was a common term used everyday.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Did we have "going like sixty" or "going a mile a minute" for something fast? From the days when 60 MPH was a terrific speed.

 

[2jakes]

Maybe those among us who were actually in Vietnam during the American military involvement there could confirm or dispute what I heard from one such veteran, who informed me that "kilometer" was commonly abbreviated to "click" by the American GIs.

Can't say that I have heard that usage in any other context. Of course, I live in the U.S.A., where we much more commonly measure distances in miles, so the occasions for using such a slang term would be few.

My home base was Guam during Vietnam. I remember that term
back then. Another slang term
was "gooks". I never bothered to find out the
meaning or origin. Was too busy trying not to
be so scared & get some peaceful sleep . lol !

 

[Harp]

A click is a kilo. L,U,V are escapable ambush configurations. An X is inescapable. :coffee:

 

[LizzieMaine]

Did we have "going like sixty" or "going a mile a minute" for something fast? From the days when 60 MPH was a terrific speed.

"Mile A Minute" was a popular instrumental piece by composer Johnny Green in the mid-thirties, intended to give an impression of the fast pace of 20th Century city life. It was also common for kiddie adventure programs on the radio to promise "mile a minute thrills!"

 

[HudsonHawk]

My home base was Guam during Vietnam. I remember that term
back then. Another slang term
was "gooks". I never bothered to find out the
meaning or origin. Was too busy trying not to
be so scared & get some peaceful sleep . lol !

It's a derogatory term for Asians. It is highly offensive, on par with a certain word used for African-Americans.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^

Yup.