Just out of curiousity, what other names for things are so different? We laugh at "foot-feed" for the gas pedal, "turtle hull" for the trunk of the car, and when my mother-in-law complains, she calls it "raring and faunching" Has anyone else heard those terms?

How about parking hole and grocery buggy? I got a lot of grief when I moved north, and was informed that it was a parking space and grocery cart.

3 comments

by justonlyme 16 Jan 2012

Oh, and I grew up knowing the toilet as the pot. But of course my parents had the pot that they kept under their bed before the days of indoor plumbing...

by starlizard 16 Jan 2012

A 'chamber pot'... I still have the little pee pot from my childhood. LOL!

by justonlyme 16 Jan 2012

My mom has hers too. It was all decorated pretty. :) Do you proudly display it?? :) It would be fun to set it out to see what visitors thought it might be.

Sandyqueen mentioned clutches in straight shift cars and it reminded me of a log truck my father had back in the 50's and 60's. It had something extra in it to allow extra gears for very heavy loads. It was referred to as a 'dog'. You would go through all 4 gears and then flip a switch on the lower part of the dash which then allowed you to go through all 4 gears again for more pulling power with a total of 8 gears. I never heard the actual name for whatever the transmission had. Has anyone ever heard of that or know what it's real name was? There are lots of things now I wish I could ask my dad.

When working for an attorney in B'Ham years ago there was a case no one really knew enough about to figure out how the accident could have happened. It was at a death at a saw mill. It was assigned to me and I called my dad (he was a saw miller) and asked him questions about it. He knew every answer and he even knew one way a 3 ton hydraulic carriage could move without anyone moving the stick. We had our answer. A weak or worn out spring was the only way. During our conversation I asked him about the person on the carriage 'setting blocks'. He told that even saw mills now were updated and the sawyer 'sets his own blocks' with some buttons on a stick control. I had a picture of the buttons but we didn't know what they were. He educated us easily. It is so funny the little things you remember after your parents are gone. Even sawmill questions.

Thank you Parkermom. Your question is bringing back many pleasant memories.

Marcelle

Thanx for posting Parkermom~ This has been very intererting. Hugs, Judy

Dimmer switch used to be a button on the floor to the left of the clutch (changed lights from high beam to low beam). Cluth was used to change gears in stick shift autos.

S

4 comments

by marcellelewis 16 Jan 2012

How neat! I had forgotten about dimmers in cars. Things have really changed.

by ramona 16 Jan 2012

I think the floor dimmers were much safer than the ones now on the column. You didn't have to take your hand off the wheel to change the lights.
I did have a car that did the dimmer automatically but my newer vehicle doesn't.

by marcellelewis 16 Jan 2012

I used an automatic dimmer a long time ago. It could drive you crazy dimming at everything. Around curves it would dim at reflective road signs. Current car has it but never use it. Marcelle

by justonlyme 16 Jan 2012

Both my car and pickup have dimmer switches. But they are getting a little bit aged.

I haven't thought of this for years... until I read your post.

This was about 20 yrs. ago. Friends of ours were missionaries to England. When they came back to the USA their 10 yr.old asked a clerk where the "rubbers" were. After a lot of anguish, and the clerk almost having an attack, her mother appeared and they figured out that the child wanted an eraser!
This woman is in her 30's and still remembers how embarrased she was.
MJDG

1 comment

by madrocki 16 Jan 2012

I can relate to that as I was born and grew up in England. We always called erasers "rubbers"

LOL love reading these. My dear hubby being from Hazard Ky. had a lot of cute words. One I always thought was cute he would say he was gonna Hunker Down. guess it meant he was going to lay down or sit down. I Never really knew for sure. LOL

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by marcellelewis 16 Jan 2012

I have heard that one a lot years ago. I always thought it to mean to stay put in one place like if there was a snow storm the family would 'hunker down' inside until the storm passed. It was also used when someone did not want to go along with what others wanted to do and that person would 'hunker down' and not go along with the crowd while trying to get them to change their minds. Someone else may have a better definition for it. Marcelle

by marcellelewis 16 Jan 2012

others wanted to do and that person would 'hunker down' and not go along with the crowd while trying to get them to change their minds. Someone else may have a better definition for it. Marcelle

by bevintex 16 Jan 2012

I thought it meant stay put. If a blizzard was coming you would gather what you needed,food,water,firewood, etc and hunker down until it was over.

by gramsbear 16 Jan 2012

In my childhood "Hunker Down" was meant as like sitting on your heels, like when you pull weeds in a garden, etc. We hunker down to get them, Babies hunker down when they are learning to walk,they almost sit on the floor with their knees bent up, their chin on their knees! Hugs, Judy

by gramsbear 16 Jan 2012

chins on their knees! Hugs, Judy. Wish I knew what our word limit was now. Hahaha!

by justonlyme 16 Jan 2012

For us, hunker down was the term used in getting situated for a long stay, such as when a storm is coming or not going anywhere for a long spell.

About 44 yrs. ago my friend from PA keep calling our kids plastic pants "gum pants" & rubber bands "gum bands." Do they still call them that in Pa? Oh, no one uses cloth diapers anymore so no need for "rubber/plastic/gum pants!" Here in the South we sometimes call a paper bag a poke. I am always making up things to express my displeasure, surprise, etc as I've always told our kids & grands that any idiot can use 4 letter words, gotta be smart to use something else. Good Granny's goose grease is one the grandkids love. My daugher says when they come home from a week with us, they always bring home some "new" saying!!

My grandmother used to make up her own words and the one that comes to mind and I still use it is "Kagmaggy" - meaning scruffy. Having never written the word before it looks most peculiar. LOL

The french next door say some funny things like paper toilet (toilet paper) and shut the light on instead of turn the light on,and going to the bathroom my friend says ""I gotta make a Pee""lol hugs Carolyn

2 comments

by marcellelewis 16 Jan 2012

I use to hear 'take a leak'.

by justonlyme 16 Jan 2012

My mother came from a very quiet and shy family. They called it "visiting Mrs. Jones". In fact, she still does. :)

I used to manage a gas service station, and some older persond called the car trunk the "Trundle" I had never heard that before. Also, in PA, the ditch at the side of the road is called just that, Ditch! Here in tx it is called a Barr Ditch!!! Never can figure out where the Barr comes from! Hahaha!

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by greysewist 15 Jan 2012

Hadn't heard that one but the US and Aus do spell kerb/curb differently. I've noticed 'curb' appearing here a bit lately.

by greysewist 15 Jan 2012

And while I'm at it, 'gas' is what we put into bottles for the BBQ. We put 'petrol' in our cars usually, unless they run on LPG, then it's 'gas' -just to confuse things. Language is interesting!

I heard about "A hole in the wall" this is what a guy told us once, he was from London -England. We call it a Autobank (Were you draw money) here in South Africa. Hugs Marie

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by fannyfurkin 15 Jan 2012

We call it an automatic teller here in Australia, or ATM for short, but it is frequently referred to as a hole in the wall. Sound sort of flippant to just go get some money out of a hole in the wall.

by justonlyme 16 Jan 2012

In the USA, it is just called a cash machine. At least in my area.

by read180 17 Jan 2012

A whole in the wall in when I grew up was a small little place to eat.
Cindy B.

by marcellelewis 17 Jan 2012

Cindy, I also knew of some 'hole in the wall' eating places when I was younger. Marcelle

These are new to me but hubby has heard of them. Too cute

How about pigeon hole for glove compartment?? Maybe they aren't even called that now

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by asterixsew 15 Jan 2012

To me a pigeon hole is a small open box where there are many together and each person has one for their post. Oh dear dont think I have put this too well

by airyfairy 16 Jan 2012

I understand exactly what you mean.

These are all new to me. But I love to learn new things.

When I was very young I can remember the gas pedal being called the foot-feed. I had forgotten about that. Haven't ever heard of the others you mentioned.

Marcelle