“Don’t expect the typewriter to ever completely disappear.”
The sun has disappeared behind clouds, but no rain is predicted. I’m thinking a grumpy Mother Nature is just spewing the sky with clouds. Today is warmish, in the mid 40’s with no breeze.
I have nothing whatsoever scheduled for today. It’s a grand feeling. It means I have another day all to myself. That may seem greedy as I now have many days like today, but for most of my life my days were scheduled with school, work, chores or errands, and I’d like to even the score.
In many ways I am obsolete. The words and phrases of my youth have disappeared. When was the last time anyone ever asked for a church key? I remember calling dibs for a window seat in the car. I wore thongs on my feet. We got blitzed at parties. Couples made out at the drive-in and in the back row of the movie theater. Some couples even went all the way which might have resulted in the family way and the girl going to her aunt’s. Some people were stuck up; others were finks. Life was cool, a gas and groovy.
My mother taught me lots of words. She used the word kibosh, and from her I also learned nosh. In a jiffy is another and so is before you can say Jack Robinson. I always wondered why it was Jack Robinson. I used rob Peter to pay Paul the other day and must have dragged that one from the way back of my memory drawer. I wonder if kids get in hot water anymore.
When I worked, I knew the current slang as kids were in and out of my office all day. I do admit, though, when I first heard the word ho, I thought of a garden and couldn’t imagine why two girls would fight over one being called a garden hoe. As I listened to their sides of the story, I learned the meaning from context. I’m so glad I didn’t ask.
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
January 4, 2019 at 9:30 pm
Hi Kat,
I inherited my father’s manual portable Hermès typewriter. When my son was a kid he loved playing on Grandpa’s ancient word processor. That was his term. Unfortunately, the ribbon has reached the end of its life. I’m sure I could find one on the internet but I don’t know what I would type.
Language is always in flux and colloquiums and foreign words become part of the official language. For instance nosh is a Yiddish word along with kibitz, shmuck and slemazel. From Spanish we get rodeo, lasso and sombrero. Texanese give us fixin’ such as, “I’m fixin’ to go to lunch.”
Isn’t ain’t now in the dictionary?
Today the clouds cleared up by noon and the sun was bright with a high of 59 degrees.
January 4, 2019 at 11:09 pm
Hi Bob,
I still have the typewriter which was one of my high school graduation gifts. It is down in the cellar. I do prefer the computer except I miss the clacking of the keys and the bell.
Words appear and disappear. Technology has introduced all sorts of new words. Immigrants too added to English, some of which you’ve noted.
Being in a dictionary no longer legitimizes words. Even the F…word is listed now.
January 4, 2019 at 9:38 pm
I still use many of those. “Groovy” has a special place in my vocabulary because it’s just so, um, groovy. I hadn’t heard about a girl going to her’s aunt’s, which sounds like it means going somewhere until no longer in the family way.
January 4, 2019 at 11:11 pm
Rowen,
That’s exactly the aunt ruse, hiding the pregnancy.
Groovy does have so much attached to it. It is positive in every way.
January 5, 2019 at 10:32 am
Oh my…I use Rob Peter to pay Paul…all the time…my grandma used to say “oh fiddlesticks”…I still use that. Somedays I miss the old days..lol..but I also look forward every day to what the future can bring. I love reading these. Doreen Muirbrook
January 5, 2019 at 11:31 am
Doreen,
I use nosh and always think of my mother. I also throw in a 60’s word once in a while though I’m always a bit surprised when it jumps out of my mouth. When I worked, I always knew the newest slang. Now, I have no idea at all.
The old days were definitely easier.