What was the most recent instance when someone used a word or phrase you hadn't heard in a long time and the hearing of it sent you racing back as reliably as any time machine could take you?
I challenge anyone over sixty-five to hear va-va-voom, and avoid thinking of Marilyn Monroe, Mamie Van Doren, or Jayne Mansfield. What picture would your mind immediately conjure if someone called something or someone groovy? I'm guessing an elegant website, a hedge fund manager, or a dish of sushi wouldn't be among the first things your mind's eye would see.
Thirty or forty-year-olds - if any of you read this post - which frequently used words or expressions from your formative years sound to you like quaint etymological relics in 2022? Will awesome end up next to va-va-voom and groovy someday, becoming what I've started calling time machine words? Or is it there already? If so, what haircut goes best with it? I'm confident saying most people could answer the haircut question for groovy.
Right on!
ReplyDeleteNice work, "anonymous"; Not only did you unearth another etymological fossil, you also now hold the record for the quickest ever comment made following one of my posts. Post published = 8:55; your comment went up a mere seven minutes later (9:02), leading me to conclude you must be one of my Facebook friends, given I put this post up on my FB wall immediately after publishing it. That makes you "semi" anonymous.
DeleteFar out
ReplyDeleteChris; Yeah, that definitely qualifies as a relic, i.e., I can see the bell bottoms and the bandanna.
DeleteHey, Pat. Someone I am close with, to their credit, tries very hard not to use any harsh words or language. As a result I have heard them call someone, including me, a 'Wisenheimer' and 'Smart Alec'. I'm sure my look of disbelief comes as no surprise to them - lol. As for me, I've been known to say that something is 'Cool' - a word that I believe has become almost timeless.
ReplyDeleteBe well,
Bob
Bob; I would put both "Wisenheimer" and "Smart Alec" in that time machine as well, circa late 50s, early 60s. Having heard either said aloud in a LONG time. Thanks for the comment.
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