This is kind of a short, silly post for today. I started working on another topic and then two hours later I had only written half of it. So I’m going to save that for another time when I don’t feel rushed. (Today was crazy, I’ll have to remember to write about my day this weekend because it was kind of a mess.) I’m going to go help Becky load up the trailer soon since she’s leaving for Minnesota tomorrow morning. .
I don’t know why this topic pops up in my head so often, but there are some common phrases that people use that I’ve realized that most kids probably have no idea why we say them. And it’s kind of fun to think of more that we can use that have lost their original meaning. Here are some that we use every day…
1. Hang up/Dial the number
Does anyone remember the rotary phone hanging from the wall with a long coiled cord that has become stretched and tangled over time, probably beige in color. I imagine many kids today would have no idea what one is, let alone how to use one. We still say “hang up” and “dial,” but it doesn’t really mean the same thing as it used to. We will literally have to “hang” the phone on the wall and use the rotary dial to make a call.
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| I was surprised to see that I have a picture of myself where I keep it. Hahaha |
2. Roll down the car window
My 2010 Jeep Patriot (which Eli now drives) still has the good old manual windows where you have to turn a lever to raise and lower each individual window. It also has manual locks. I actually chose them on purpose. I liked the idea of being able to roll down the window in an emergency where modern technology might fail. Same with locks.
me probably super old fashioned but I think simple is better in most circumstances. I always tell Jerry (and this sounds like my dad would say) that the more bells and whistles something has, the more things can go wrong. I often resist current technology in favor of old fashioned versions of things by hand. Anyway, thanks to my Patriot, my kids understand the meaning of “rolling down” the window, although they don’t quite agree that plain is better. Hahaha.
3. Rewind the video
Do you remember the catchphrase “Be Kind, Please Back” that was posted at video stores like Blockbuster? I actually used to work at a video rental store, and when people returned tapes without rewinding them, I would put them in a “winder” to make sure the entire movie was displayed in the left (or was that right? ) tape window.
“Rewinding” was literally rewinding the entire film tape to the beginning; courtesy for people to be able to just put the tape in the camcorder and press play. We still say we’re “wrapping” the video when we’re not actually wrapping anything. I’ll have to ask my kids if they know this one.
If you know of others, please share. I’ve had a hard time introducing them, but I’m noticing them more often as I go about my day. It’s kind of fun to see how phrases change over the years, and it makes me wonder which modern phrases will be phased out in 20 years.