If you grew up in the 60's or 70's; what phrase do you find you use that other people don't understand?
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Pandora (
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September 2nd, 2012
You are welcomed to go further back than the 60’s but please explain the phrase for those of us who may not know what it means and how it was used or why?
My question came about when I told my daughter the phrase, In like Flint. Which came from the movie with James Colburn who played a sexy spy who could manipulate his way out of anything or into anything. It was in like Flynn as in Errol Flynn, before Colburns arrival but that was before my time.
If someone wanted to let others know that they are very much in favor with their boss or has made a really good impression on someone without having to really try, then they would say I am in like Flint.
Well please add on. I would like to learn some new ones.
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21 Answers
Don’t have a cow – said to someone pitching a fit
Slug Bug – slang for a Volkswagen Beetle car (and if you spotted one on the road, you’d punch the arm of the person next to you and yell, “Slug Bug!”)
@Pied_Pfeffer I still do. My kids tell me I’m doing it WRONG!
Groovy. Once I was subbing for a teacher who was out on paternity leave. I was there for two days. On the second day I decided to have the kids draw and color a “Congratulations” banner. I told them it needed to be 60’s style, and showed them how to make bubble letters. I left the decorating completely up to them. One kid asked if he could do a soccer motif in his. I said, “Absolutely.”
Later he came to show me his work.
“Groovy!” I said.
He looked at me funny. “What?”
I said, “Groovy!....Don’t you know ‘groovy’?”
He just snorted derisively and said “No. But I know Wayne Gretskey,” and walked away!
True story! I’ve tried to sell it to Readers D a couple of times, but never heard back.
Snarffle. As in “I snarffled that brownie in a heartbeat”. To eat quickly.
My co-workers were younger than me and had never heard the word before, but they started saying it too.
If I say “far out” the kids start throwing things at their old man! lol!
“You bet your sweet bippy”
LOL^ @ everyone!
Not coming up with anything over here in the moment. Hmmm…
I grew up in the 70s, but spent a lot of time with my grandparents, who were the WWI generation. So I’m kind of a hybrid. Okay, here’s a sample:
He/she is “a card”.
A funny and entertaining person.
“No flies” on her/him.
Can’t put anything past them. Too smart for you.
“No skin off my nose.”
Doesn’t bother/effect me in the least.
“No great shakes.”
or
“Nothing to write home about.”
Not all that great.
@cprevite I always thought no flies on him or her meant they weren’t shit or that they always keep on the go. LOL I’ve only heard it once or twice myself in spanish, and never really ever bothered to ask what it meant. My mom use to describe my son that way when he was a toddler. So since he was constantly into things, that is what I thought she meant but he was also clever for a toddler. Recently she used it on my daughter and she was being a smart ass, so I guess your definition is probably right.
The phrase Corny in relation to please stop being corny.
Just plain old scary,plain or unappealing.
Only yesterday I referred to a mistake as a boo-boo and found I had to explain what I meant by the term.
To tape something, as in, to record something.
@silky1 I always thought “corny” meant “silly.” Like, “That was a corny joke!”
I’m with @Dutchess_I I I , “corny” means silly. One website even defines it as meaning cheesy, not funny.
I always thought corny meant it sort of meant lame.
I agree with all of the above, “Silly, unrealistic, phony, lame..” The kind of jokes that make you go “O, groan!” but they’re still kind of funny.
It’s like when we get into our word play games. I saw a post on Google plus. Kid taking a test. “Name the 4 types of rocks.”
Kid answers, “Punk, hard, classic.”
I said, “That joke rocks! Granite, it was corny, but it rocks!”
I consider my comment corny.
How many here remember the term “lid”
hint: it was a unit of measure
I think it’s just shy of an “Oh Zee” because to have in your possession a full OZ or more would bring significantly higher punishment than a quantity of slightly less, so it was a safety measure in order to drop it down to misdemeanor. Which was a heck of a lot better, than prison.
I’ve heard it was how much would fit in a coffee can lid or a large mayonnaise lid but that was how stuff was divided up, mostly by eye because there were no triple beamers back then to make it exact.
About that time there sprung up another term called….
“fingers” another unit of measure, again not exactly accurate depending upon the size of the fingers involved but sellers with skinny fingers maybe sold more bags than fat finger dealers? Or did they buyer get to use their fingers to shop but I think the bags were pre packed before the buyers got there.
I’m not sure if those old standards were better than accurate scales of today. But one thing is for sure, and that is you won’t go to the pokie if your “scales” are permanently attached to your hand but let “th man” find a 3 beam in your house and you got some ‘spainin to do.
Why would anyone need to know what 28 grams looks like?
Grams gets me. My guys don’t know squat about the difference between the metric system vs the “standard” system. Except when it come to grams. And…how “standard” is the American system, when we’re the only one’s using it! Soooo…when it comes to teaching “metric” (which I don’t know all that well myself, except to recognize that it’s a MUCH easier system) I have to relate back to grams n ounces.
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