You know you are old when..this all makes sense.

[James]

The mimeograph newsletter columns came out all caddywampus.

 

[T-Square]

Everything is just hunky dory around here.

 

[CalG]

by jeesem. I'm getting on.

 

[Uncle-A]

Lost Words from our childhood:

Mergatroyd!...

Do you remember that word? Would you believe the spell-checker did not recognize the word Mergatroyd? Heavens to Mergatroyd!

The other day a not so elderly (I say 75) lady said something to her son about driving a Jalopy; and he looked at her quizzically and said "What the heck is a Jalopy?" He never heard of the word jalopy!! She knew she was old.... But not that old.

Well, I hope you are Hunky Dory after you read this and chuckle.

About a month ago, I illuminated some old expressions that have become obsolete because of the inexorable march of technology.
These phrases included: Don't touch that dial, Carbon copy, You sound like a broken record, and Hung out to dry.

Back in the olden days we had a lot of moxie. We'd put on our best bib and tucker, to straighten up and fly right.

Heavens to Betsy! Gee whillikers! Jumping Jehoshaphat! Holy moley!

We were in like Flynn and living the life of Riley; and even a regular guy couldn't accuse us of being a knucklehead, a nincompoop or a pill. Not for all the tea in China!

Back in the olden days, life used to be swell, but when's the last time anything was swell? Swell has gone the way of beehives, pageboys and the D.A.; of spats, knickers, fedoras, poodle skirts, saddle shoes, and pedal pushers.

Oh, my aching back! Kilroy was here, but he isn't anymore.

We wake up from what surely has been just a short nap, and before we can say, “Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!” Or, “This is a fine kettle of fish!” We discover that the words we grew up with, the words that seemed omnipresent, as oxygen, have vanished with scarcely a notice from our tongues and our pens and our keyboards.

Poof, go the words of our youth, the words we've left behind. We blink, and they're gone. Where have all those great phrases gone?

Long gone: Pshaw, The milkman did it. Hey! It's your nickel. Don't forget to pull the chain. Knee high to a grasshopper. Well, Fiddlesticks! Going like sixty. I'll see you in the funny papers. Don't take any wooden nickels. Wake up and smell the roses.

It turns out there are more of these lost words and expressions than Carter has liver pills. This can be disturbing stuff! (Carter's Little Liver Pills are gone too!)

We of a certain age have been blessed to live in changeable times. For a child each new word is like a shiny toy, a toy that has no age. We at the other end of the chronological arc have the advantage of remembering there are words that once did not exist and there were words that once strutted their hour upon the earthly stage and now are heard no more, except in our collective memory. It's one of the greatest advantages of aging.

Leaves us to wonder where Superman will find a phone booth...

See ya later, alligator! Oki-doki

One of the terms was "In Like Flint" like a movie with James Coburn. I don't know a term "In like Flynn"

 

[cantunamunch]

One of the terms was "In Like Flint" like a movie with James Colburn. I don't know a term "In like Flynn"

Interesting.

 

[CalG]

Flynn had his way with the gals.

So.... In like Flynn!

Someone on a IRC board told me that. ;-)

 

[Seldomski]

Please be kind, rewind!

 

[Uncle-A]

Interesting.

View attachment 71492

It is interesting, I am wondering if there is a geographical location based on different terms. Terms used in some places not popular in other locations. Is the graph based on any locally?

 

[graham418]

One of the terms was "In Like Flint" like a movie with James Coburn. I don't know a term "In like Flynn"

Erroll Flynn. Man of daring-do. Ladies man extraordinaire. James Coburn is a weak substitute

 

[cantunamunch]

Is the graph based on any locally?

No, it's on published books. If you click on any given date range at the bottom, you can see the sources for any given year range:

>Click Here For Link To Google<

THE most fascinating link from there is to THIS article - who even remembers Democrat Boss Flynn? But it does speak to your question about regionality.

https://www.straightdope.com/column...ynn-refer-to-errol-flynns-success-with-women/

Ladies man

And bottle man, at least according to Scotty Bowers.

 

[Uncle-A]

Flynn had his way with the gals.

So.... In like Flynn!

Someone on a IRC board told me that. ;-)

That sounds old alright, not sure if that works in today's world.

 

[Uncle-A]

Erroll Flynn. Man of daring-do. Ladies man extraordinaire. James Coburn is a weak substitute

Erroll Flynn, yes very old, silent moves I think

 

[chilehed]

I was just thinking that you know you're getting old when you realize that Mrs. Howell wasn't a bad looking lady.

 

[David Chaus]

I was just thinking that you know you're getting old when you realize that Mrs. Howell wasn't a bad looking lady.

Lovey? She was totally a looker, and had some nice assets too.

 

[slowrider]

Better late than.......pregnant ;-)

 

[SugarCube]

I was just thinking that you know you're getting old when you realize that Mrs. Howell wasn't a bad looking lady.

Maybe you can look up her number in the phone book, wait 'til the party-line is free, and then dial her number and say hi!

 

[cantunamunch]

Maybe you can look up her number in the phone book, wait 'til the party-line is free, and then dial her number and say hi!

You mean the operator won't know?

 

[Sibhusky]

Mergatroyd!...

Do you remember that word? Would you believe the spell-checker did not recognize the word Mergatroyd? Heavens to Mergatroyd!

Maybe because it had a U?

https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/heavens-to-murgatroyd.html

 

[Uncle-A]

You mean the operator won't know?

By the time they were saved form the island the "Rich" Howells would have had a rotary dial phone or maybe even touch tone phone.

 

[Andy Mink]

No long distance calls until after 9pm!