I read in the news the other day that schools in the United Kingdom are replacing analog clocks in exam rooms because students can’t read them.
I laughed a little at this. But then I thought what about the terms clockwise and counterclockwise? If we should see the end of analog clocks, will those terms remain in the lexicon?
There are a lot of phrases in use today that are commonly used, but are outdated. I found a list on an entertainment website called “a plus.” I have to share some, simply because I never thought about the fact that someone might not understand what these phrases mean.
“Hold your horses” simply means wait, instead of don’t go anywhere, as it did in the days where horses were the primary mode of transportation.
“Running out of steam” means getting tired, not getting low on power in a steam engine.
“Like a broken record” means to repeat oneself, much as an actual vinyl record would if it were scratched or warped.
“Drop a dime” is used today to mean someone snitched on someone else. The phrase comes from the 10-cent cost of a payphone to call someone.
See you “on the flip side” is another phrase coming from 45 rpm vinyl records, where a second, lesser-known song would be on side B. Now it simply means seeing someone later.
Have you ever heard someone say they’ve “been through the wringer?” Now, it implies someone has had a rough time of things. Back in the days before washers and dryers, a “wringer” would press the water out of the fabric to help it dry quicker.
We still say roll down the car window, and I know some modern cars on the lower end of the cost scale don’t have power windows. However, power windows are more common today.
How about dialing a phone number? Now, we push a button instead of actually using a rotary phone with the dial on it. I imagine I’m not alone in hating to call anyone long distance on a rotary phone.
Interestingly, we have rotary phones at The Era office, our emergency lines for when the power is out. I often have to show young hires how to use them.
Hanging up the phone is another older phrase. Many people in this area still have landlines, and still have phones with handsets. Perhaps it’s better understood around here where this phrase comes from.
I find myself saying “it’s nothing to write home about” in conversation, something that puzzles younger people. I should start asking them if they’ve ever penned a letter. When I was younger, I had boxes of stationary and my cousin in London was my pen pal. I used to love getting letters from her, and sitting down at my grandmother’s old desk to write her back.
I frequently get written letters here at The Era, and I love it. I especially love that most come written in a secret code that younger folks can’t read — cursive. I think, pretty soon, those of us above the age of 25 are going to have secret communication skills the younger generation won’t recognize.
We can pass notes written in cursive, and we can use analog clocks to plan a time for secret meetings.
And if we hide all the charger cords for phones and electronic devices, the young folks will never know.
(Schellhammer is the Era’s associate editor. She can be reached at marcie@bradfordera.com)
