Fender Skirts and Supper
May 14, 2018 11:54:43 #
FENDER SKIRTS AND SUPPER
I know some of you will not understand
this message, but I bet you know
someone who might.
Yesterday, I was reminded about,
'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.'
(AKA)
'suicide knob,'
'neckers knobs.'
Since I'd been thinking of cars,
my mind naturally went that
direction first. Any kids will
probably have to find some
older 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.'
Many today do not even know
what a clutch is or that the dimmer
switch used to be on the floor.
For that matter, the starter was
down there too.
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 'worldwide'
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 was 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.
words that were meant to sound
so modern and now sound so
retro. Words like 'Dyna Flow' and
'Electrolux' and 'Frigidaire'.
Introducing the 1963 Admiral TV,
now with 'Spectra Vision!'
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 is 'supper.' Now everybody
says 'dinner.' Save a great word.
Invite someone to supper.
Discuss fender skirts.
I know some of you will not understand
this message, but I bet you know
someone who might.
Yesterday, I was reminded about,
'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.'
(AKA)
'suicide knob,'
'neckers knobs.'
Since I'd been thinking of cars,
my mind naturally went that
direction first. Any kids will
probably have to find some
older 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.'
Many today do not even know
what a clutch is or that the dimmer
switch used to be on the floor.
For that matter, the starter was
down there too.
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 'worldwide'
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 was 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.
words that were meant to sound
so modern and now sound so
retro. Words like 'Dyna Flow' and
'Electrolux' and 'Frigidaire'.
Introducing the 1963 Admiral TV,
now with 'Spectra Vision!'
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 is 'supper.' Now everybody
says 'dinner.' Save a great word.
Invite someone to supper.
Discuss fender skirts.
May 14, 2018 12:28:10 #
May 14, 2018 13:18:09 #
May 15, 2018 13:58:10 #
May 15, 2018 14:01:39 #
Along with the fender skirts there were the Curb Finders also.
bahmer wrote:
FENDER SKIRTS AND SUPPER br br I know some of y... (show quote)
May 15, 2018 14:17:10 #
Yeah, those were the days, I remember yelling at the gas station attendant the day I pulled in to fill up my '56 Merc Phaeton 4 dr hardtop in '59 (just paid $850 for it) and saw the sign on the Esso extra pump at .33 cents a gallon. Not to mention how music has changed. The Everly Bros hit Wake Up Little Suzie was banned at CYO dances for being 'suggestive.
May 15, 2018 14:53:08 #
anybody remember,taking the shifter (the one on the steering column) from the right side,and moving it to the left side? I moved my 51 chevy,and my 48 ford to the left.great for dating !!
May 15, 2018 18:59:17 #
bahmer wrote:
FENDER SKIRTS AND SUPPER br br I know some of y... (show quote)
Glass Pack Mufflers
Carburetors
Raked
Three Deuces
Slicks
Spinners
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