oldtime2

by Chrysa Smith

Every Monday afternoon at 2pm, I gather with eight ladies to play tennis. It’s a somewhat friendly round of doubles (some friendlier than others), but I digress. The interesting part is that most of these ladies have at least 15 or more years on me and have been playing together for maybe as long. I’m the newbie—literally. At first, I wasn’t sure about this whole venture. I’m just not sure I fit in. But as weeks have passed, I’ve become amused at the various personalities, including one very good player, who tickles my funny bone, as she did this past week.

Always warm in temperature, she brings her water and her neck coolers. Most weeks, she asks for the fans to be turned on, the heat to be turned off and the air temperature to be cooled down. But what really got me laughing and thinking, was when she said that with the heat, she feels like she might have a conniption. A what? Yes, a conniption. Now some of you may know what that is, as I do. I heard it growing up. A fit; a rage; a ‘moment’ as some might say these days. But I hadn’t heard that term in years, but it was just the beginning of the week.

While I was listening to the radio later on that week, I heard someone, who didn’t like an idea, to exclaim that it ‘stinks on ice.’ Say what? Yes, on ice. Now some of you may know that phraseology, but again, I hadn’t heard it in years. And not only did this week of wit and wisdom get me to feeling old, it got me to thinking about retired words—-those that we just never hear anymore, but which still , nonetheless, have ‘legs’—you know, gripping power—you know–the right sound that means what it says and says what it means.

After feeling old and sentimental, I felt kind of sad. I mean after all, there have got to be dozens of words that have been lost with the changing generations. Words that we forgot that we forgot, but maybe wish we hadn’t. Words that might remind us of good times, past times, times shared. And wouldn’t it be nice to uncover, reveal and reintroduce some of these words and terms into today’s everyday language. So, with nothing to do after stapling business cards to book order forms, I took a break and began thinking. (not sure if that’s really a break, but I often find it hard to turn it off). What words am I missing from my childhood that I don’t even remember? What words or phrases am I missing from earlier days that were funny? Or just part of everyday speech?

jabony

Gadzooks!

cut a rug

buckaroo

skedaddle

postum

britches

jack squat

davenport

pocketbook

hanky

Are there words that make your kids or grandkids cringe? Feel like your lingo is out of date? What do you still say that some of the population just doesn’t get?