[AT] Food for thought

[DAVIESW739 at aol.com]

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 KNOBS". SINCE  I'D BEEN THINKING OF
>> CARS,
>> MY MIND NATURALLY WENT THAT  DIRECTION FIRST. 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 HEAR
>> 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-T O-WALL  CARPETING! TODAY, EVERYONE REPLACES THEIR WALL-TO-WALL
>> CARPET ING  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 THE 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- '60's
>> 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.
>>
>> SOMEONE FORWARDED THIS TO ME. I  THOUGHT SOME OF US OF A "CERTAIN AGE"
>>  WOULD
>>  REMEMBER MOST OF THESE.
>>
>> JUST FOR FUN, PASS IT ALONG TO  OTHERS OF A "CERTAIN  AGE."
>>
>>