You sound like a broken record and other archaic expressions

I was reminded of a recent posting of Stephen Abram's when grandson Paul grew frustrated trying to fast-forward over the commercials on our hotel's TV last weekend. At his home, of course, there is a DVR that gives the appearance that broadcast or cable TV can be replayed, paused, and fast-forwarded much like a DVD. Paul is growing up not knowing synchronous broadcasting. He may well never know having to fight with his little brother over what TV show to watch, only when.

Abram's post does a good job of listing a few things that don't have any literal meaning for kids anymore:

• a card catalog (or book pockets or date stamps)
  
• dialing a phone (or memorizing phone numbers)
  
• loading a camera (or "let's see what develops")
  

When asked what the sound of a needle being pushed across the grooves of a (vinyl) record was, kids don't know - only that it indicates an abrupt transition. To my generation, it usually signaled shelling out $7 or so for a replacement of the album.

The literal meaning of expressions is fading.

• You sound like a broken record. (Did "in the groove" come from vinyl records?)
  
• Get a snapshot of that. (As opposed to what other kind of shot?)
  
• Every pot has a lid. (Were those the cooking devices we used before microwaves?)
• Off the map. (With a GPS?)

Of course many expressions have already gone the way of all good things. "Throwing the baby out with the bath water" actually was a concern in the days when the whole family shared a common filling of the tub, with the smallest members of the family using the water last. How primitive - almost as archaic as a dial-up Internet connection.

And your "dated" expressions? 

 

Comments

[Danita Russell]

Loved the post. Made me think of the sayings my parents and grandparents used that I had to question. I said card catalog the other day with my 8th graders and they had the deer in the headlight look. Soon, our kids won't know what a cassette tape was - let alone an 8 track! Gee, I'm beginning to feel old and I'm only 40! The funny thing, is that my hubby wanted a record player for Christmas. Need I tell you how difficult that was for Mrs. Santa to find?

Thanks again for a good chuckle.

[Lazygal]

Two things: one was when our music teacher flipped an LP and a student said - in all stunned innocence - "there's music on both sides????"

The other isn't really a saying, but Ellen DeGeneres pointed out the whole "rolling/winding down the window" motion has basically got no meaning anymore, but that the motion to hit the button just looks odd. Unless you're like me and got a car with stick shift AND wind-down windows!

[saranimals]

"Carbon Copy" has no meaning. So "cc me on that" is literally meaningless.

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Sara,

Yup. Not much "carbon" in carbon copy anymore!

Doug