Sometimes words get me to thinking, like .....
"Fender skirts!" What a great blast from the past! I hadn't thought
about fender skirts in years. When I was a kid, I considered it such a
funny term. Made me think of a car in a dress.
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. You kids will
probably have to find some elderly person over 40 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. But never worked, in my estimation.
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."
I miss those made-up marketing words that were meant to sound so modern
and now sound so retro. Words like "DynaFlow" and "ElectraLuxe."
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 their kids with castor oil anymore,
either.
Some words aren't gone, but are definitely on the endangered list. The
one that grieves me most - "supper."
Save a great word. Invite someone to supper. Discuss fender skirts.
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