Things People Don't Say Any More

If you're my age or older, these expressions will be familiar. If not, well, you're missing something ...

"Heavens to murgatroyd!" (I remember my parents saying this occasionally, and wondering who the hell murgatroyd was. For the record, it's not Peta Murgatroyd)

"Heavens to Betsy!" (I use this one sometimes, too)

"Great Caesar's ghost!" (I actually use this one a lot when the grandchildren's tender ears are near)

"Don't touch that dial!" ("Don't finger that remote!" doesn't have the same ring to it)

"Carbon copy." (Who needs carbon paper when you can just send more copies to the printer?)

"You sound like a broken record!" (With long-playing albums making a comeback, maybe this expression will come back, too)

"Hung out to dry." (Homeowners' associations usually hate it when you put up a clothesline in your yard)

"Living the life of Riley." (The TV show "The Life of Riley" was also the source of another of my favorite expressions: "What a revoltin' development this is!")

"Nincompoop." (This is a wonderful noun derived from the Latin non compos mentis, meaning "not of sound mind." I think we need to bring it back for use in political reporting.)

"All the tea in China." ("All the artificial islands in China" is more current, but doesn't have the same ring to it)

"Knickers." (People generally don't wear knickers any more, but it lives on in the expression, don't get your knickers in a twist)

"It's your nickel!" (How long has it been since a phone call cost just a nickel? Or since you even saw a pay phone?)

and finally,

"See ya later, alligator!" answered by, "In a while, crocodile!"

I have deliberately left out some other things people don't say as much any more ... like "please," "thank you," and "excuse me." Sigh.

Have a good day. If you're in NoVa, drive carefully in this morning's snow. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo