jlipskoc

Forwarded Email, Enjoy! Some things a bit before my time

-------------------------------------------------
Memories
what the heck is a fender skirt?

I came across this phrase in a book yesterday "FENDER SKIRTS". A term I haven't heard in a long time and thinking about "fender skirts" started me thinking about other words that quietly disappear from our language with hardly a notice.

Like "curb feelers" and "steering *****." Since I'd been thinking of cars, my mind naturally went that direction first. Any kids will probably have to find some elderly person over 50 to explain some of these terms to you .

Remember "Continental kits?" They were rear bumper extenders and spare tire covers that were supposed to make any car as cool as a Lincoln Continental.

When did we quit calling them "emergency brakes?" At some point "parking brake" became the proper term. But I miss the hint of drama that went with "emergency brake."

I'm sad, too, that almost all the old folks are gone who would call the accelerator the "foot feed"

Didn't you ever wait at the street for your daddy to come home, so you could ride the "running board" up to the house?

Here's a phrase I heard all the time in my youth but never anymore - "store-bought." Of course, just about everything is store-bought these days. But once it was bragging material to have a store-bought dress or a store-bought bag of candy.

"Coast to coast" is a phrase that once held all sorts of excitement and now means almost nothing. Now we take the term "world wide" for granted. This floors me.

On a smaller scale, "wall-to-wall" was once a magical term in our homes. In the '50s, everyone covered his or her hardwood floors with, wow, wall-to-wall carpeting! Today, everyone replaces their wall-to-wall carpeting with hardwood floors. Go figure.

When's the last time you heard the quaint phrase "in a family way?" It's hard to imagine that the word "pregnant" was once considered a little too graphic, a little too clinical for use in polite company. So we had all that talk about stork visits and "being in a family way" or simply"expecting."

Apparently "brassiere" is a word no longer in usage. I said it the other day and my daughter cracked up. I guess it's just "bra" now "Unmentionables" probably wouldn't be understood at all.

I always loved going to the "picture show," but I considered "movie" an affectation.

Most of these words go back to the '50s, but here's a pure-'60s word I came across the other day - "rat fink." Ooh, what a nasty put-down!

Here's a word I miss - "percolator." That was just a fun word to say. And what was it replaced with? "Coffee maker." How dull. Mr. Coffee, I blame you for this.

I miss those made-up marketing words that were meant to sound so modern and now sound so retro. Words like "DynaFlow" and "Electrolux." Introducing the 1963 Admiral TV, now with "SpectraVision!"

Food for thought - Was there a telethon that wiped out lumbago? Nobody complains of that anymore. Maybe that's what castor oil cured, because I never hear mothers threatening kids with castor oil anymore.

Some words aren't gone, but are definitely on the endangered list. The one that grieves me most "supper." Now everybody says "dinner." Save a great word. Invite someone to supper. Discuss fender skirts.

Bart Timothy

Times have changed. I don't how we ever survived all those fun times riding in the back of a pickup truck, which is a big no-no now.

Go back even earlier and remember "rumble seats".

Greenhornet1986

Haha, I'm 19 years old, and love learning out the history of old cars, so I've heard a few of those words.

I dont know if its about where you grew up, but we say "dinner" for lunch time, and supper for well, supper. Thats something that my grandma taught me a long time ago. Also, you invite anybody over for supper, if they are hanging around your house. Doesnt matter who they are, just ask them anyways, even if you might have to cut down on your own serving.

hotdram

Next you'll be telling me phone numbers used to start with 2 letters,
like PA 6-5000

~Rob

BBWD

Rob: How about BR-549. remember that one???

John (DH)

winkle

Now a days the big thing is " is that home made" or " did you make that yourself ". Especially food, it kinda of interesting how thing change.

durasmack

Riding in the bed of a pickup is illegal

59FORD

I remember when ...............






was all the rage!


aaaahhhhhhhhhh those were the days................ zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Whitehall6 2754

blackdiesel

being as how ive grew up in a family that loves old cars, and has rebuilt a few, i know all about fender skirts, curb feelers, steering *****, Continental kits and emergency brakes. and im 15

my dad rebuilt my grandpa a '57 two door hard top bel air. then he also had a '51 shoebox ford built. The 57 is black and looks totally awesome. that 51 is just plain ugly. what was ford thinking? terrible design it even has fender skirts on it. heck, ive even heard of rat fink! and ive also set in a rumble seat. ahh the good ole days

BigBlue

Ahhh. Good ole' rat fink. He's going on my next tattoo.

bentwings

Ya I well remember rat fink and fender skirts. My first real car a 54 Olds Super 88 2 dr sedan. came with fender skirts. They left with the "garbage Man" the next day. haha They'd probably bring $500 today.

Here is one for y'all that are older 'an dirt. This is not to be taken as diragatory in any sense it's just the way it was. There was a guy that came down the alley about once every 2 weeks dressed in a complete black outfit including top hat and long grey beard. Us kids were scared to death of him. The parents called him the sheenee. He dealt in metals and house hold items and ice for the ice boxes. He came on a twin horse drawn buckboard and had a long riding whip. Spectacular guy. We all used to run and hide but the adults carried on a lively barganing day with him. One day he showed up with a C cab truck. A dualie no less as my mom says. Honest injun. a real C cab. I remember the adults cussing like they had been screwed for years just so he could buy the thing. As usual the threat was that if you didn't mind your P's and Q's you would take a ride with the sheenee.

bentwings

CSAGrey1

Huh,
We still say supper here, guess maybe it just depends on what part of the country your from. I still use a steering ****/wrist breaker/suicide ball, (even if they are less than legal) know what curb finders, finder skirts, and Continental kits are (popularized in my era by low riders) I still use a perculater for my coffee when i am camping or feeling like I need to do things such as make pocorn in a skillet. Some of these things are not lost just hidden abit.

Bart Timothy

duh.... The point is it didn't used to be.

Greenhornet1986

CSA, we still use suicide ***** for our boats, and a couple of my friends use them in their trucks, I just dont want one on my gasser right now. Some people look at you weird-like when you say something about a suicide ****, like you're going to kill yourself or something, lol.

Mopardan

Heck, I was born in 59', and I remember having a outhouse, and taking a bath in a wash-tub. We walked to church and it had a 2 holer outhouse. A couple of years ago I told some guys @ work that we used to keep a slop jar under the bed @ night. They thought we were feedin hogs . Then I asked them what kind of "casins" (spelling) they had on their cars. That got some looks.