Thenryb Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 11 minutes ago, Sgt_Markoff said: "For cryin' out loud!" (still popular) "For the love of mike!" "In the name of Sam Hill!" (very cryptic origins, this one) Not that you need this link, but I found it interesting with respect to the term "Sam Hill": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Hill_(euphemism) 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Sgt_Markoff Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 Yep. I know'd it. Another one I use: "for criminey's sakes!" 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Thenryb Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 17 minutes ago, Sgt_Markoff said: Yep. I know'd it. Another one I use: "for criminey's sakes!" Or its variant "criminently". I used to hear my mother cry "damnation!" from time to time. I thought she was cursing the country. In any event, I never hear that any more. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Sgt_Markoff Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 "My goodness you scamps...gallivantin' all over creation! I want you to stay close to the house, d'ye hear me? Mind, now!" Link to post Share on other sites
cigarjoe Posted February 15, 2019 Author Share Posted February 15, 2019 Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Breeze Drift Dangle, sister Grab a cloud Nix Drop a dime Jimmied the lock Pin money Play ball Link to post Share on other sites
Sgt_Markoff Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 calling women 'sister' was very common 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Sepiatone Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 "You'll be IN DUTCH!" (what the Dutch had to do with anything escapes me... "I'll Give him WHAT FOR!" ??? Why? ...And.... What's THAT anyway.... Sepiatone 1 Link to post Share on other sites
TikiSoo Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 1 hour ago, Sepiatone said: "I'll Give him WHAT FOR!" That one goes with "I'll give ya something to cry about" Whaaa? (I know what it means now, but not when a kid) One archaic phrase I never hear anymore: "Bartender - another round for the house!" Link to post Share on other sites
Sgt_Markoff Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 that last one is "back up a round!" and yes its still heard today. I'm apt to sport a round myself sometimes, it makes good sense Link to post Share on other sites
Sepiatone Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 23 hours ago, TikiSoo said: That one goes with "I'll give ya something to cry about" Whaaa? (I know what it means now, but not when a kid) One archaic phrase I never hear anymore: "Bartender - another round for the house!" I still on occasion, hear that stupid "something to cry about" thing. Usually said to a tyke who, it always appears, already found something to cry about! Now, my Mother never said that, but HER "go to" line was.... "You'll be sitting SIX INCHES HIGHER!" Was never sure just what she meant by that, but then, something in her TONE and LOOK ON HER FACE seemed to make clear I really didn't wish to find out! Sepiatone Link to post Share on other sites
Fedya Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 "Nertz" was supposedly a thing in the 30s, but the only place I've ever heard it is from Jean Harlow in Dinner at Eight. She also uses "soul mate" in that movie, which really surprises me, since I would have guessed it had a more recent provenance. 3 Link to post Share on other sites
Sgt_Markoff Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Good one. But I seem to recall 'Nertz!' being a riff on 'Nuts!' (which is so awkward-sounding, its beyond me how it ever became popular). Famous though, from the encirclment of Bastogne (or whatever town it was) during the Bulge. Maybe 'Nuts!' back then was how we say 'Balls!' today. We need more of that Bastogne spirit in these troubled times. Say--here's an idea. How about a thread just of British expressions to go along with these American ones? Link to post Share on other sites
cigarjoe Posted February 18, 2019 Author Share Posted February 18, 2019 5 hours ago, Sgt_Markoff said: How about a thread just of British expressions to go along with these American ones? What are you, banned from starting new threads yourself? Link to post Share on other sites
Sgt_Markoff Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Well, my doctor (Mike G., works Mon-Thu days) has given me strict orders to 'take it easy' while I'm medicating during his shift. I can't get excited or knock over glassware, etc. But please, don't let this forestall you from initiating the effort on my behalf. You can even dedicate the thread to my convalescence if you wish. In this one, unusual, singular instance, I will force myself not to mind taking the credit even though someone else will have done all the labor. Link to post Share on other sites
TikiSoo Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 23 hours ago, Sgt_Markoff said: Good one. But I seem to recall 'Nertz!' being a riff on 'Nuts!' (which is so awkward-sounding, its beyond me how it ever became popular). Famous though, from the encirclment of Bastogne (or whatever town it was) during the Bulge. Maybe 'Nuts!' back then was how we say 'Balls!' today. We need more of that Bastogne spirit in these troubled times. Say--here's an idea. How about a thread just of British expressions to go along with these American ones? A-HA! I never thought of Nertz being derivative of nuts! Thanks for that insight. I recall a line used on I Love Lucy, "Nertz to Mertz" in some episode. I always was intrigued by the British expression "Blimey". Apparently, the Brits had common phrases like we'd say "What ya know?" just as a comment in conversation. A British one was "Well, Blind Me With A ___" (knife, spoon, whatever) was a phrase just like that, but Brits can be sloppy talkers just like 'mericans. So it was reduced to just "Blind Me" evolving to "B'limey" And I like NIX, thanks for that one, cigarjoe. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Sgt_Markoff Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 has "am-scray" been listed yet? 'Nix' is definitely a landmark. 'Fins' is similar (meaning, 'no argument here'). Then there's various phrases for money like 'sawbuck', 'flivver' (British?), 'fiver', 'fish', 'C-note'... Link to post Share on other sites
LsDoorMat Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Not to take this thread off in a whole unpleasant direction, but this one always gets a cringe reaction out of me when I hear it.And I hear it in tons of films of all kinds made in the 30s and 40s. When somebody does something unexpectedly generous you will sometimes hear the recipient of that generosity say: "That sure is w**te of you." (As in race). I am starring out two of the letters because it makes me cringe to even write it. It doesn't make me cringe as in "mix two egg whites with...". But in this context it does make me cringe. I don't even know what that phrase is supposed to imply. I can't tell you the most recent movie I heard it in, but I would say I can't remember a 50's film where the term was used. Link to post Share on other sites
Sgt_Markoff Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 You can easily find that one in Clint Eastwood's "The Enforcer" (#3 in the 'Dirty Harry' series). But, Clint deploys it with deliberate irony rather than straight-faced. The flip side of this cringe-worthiness however....is an anecdote a buddy told me, about how he was in a convenience store looking for a loaf of Wonder and when he asked the counter oaf where the white bread was located; he got told off. Link to post Share on other sites
TikiSoo Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 1 hour ago, calvinnme said: I am starring out two of the letters because it makes me cringe to even write it. I'm with you Calvin. I hate it. In all honesty though, I thought the saying was based on the guy wearing the white HAT over the guy wearing the black HAT. Like spy vs spy or cowboys. Now before we go way off the rails on the meaning behind that, let me just say one of those colors is known as "all light" meaning Godliness, correctness while the other color signifies "lack of all light" or the dark, evil side. I often wonder if that is the origin of the idea of racism in the first place? After all, we all is people. We bleed the same. Like women's relative equality in our society, I sure am glad we don't talk or think that way any more. And am-scray is pig latin for SCRAM, as in "make like an egg & scramble" meaning scramble your legs and go. Link to post Share on other sites
LsDoorMat Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 1 minute ago, TikiSoo said: I'm with you Calvin. I hate it. In all honesty though, I thought the saying was based on the guy wearing the white HAT over the guy wearing the black HAT. Like spy vs spy or cowboys. Now before we go way off the rails on the meaning behind that, let me just say one of those colors is known as "all light" meaning Godliness, correctness while the other color signifies "lack of all light" or the dark, evil side. I often wonder if that is the origin of the idea of racism in the first place? After all, we all is people. We bleed the same. Like women's relative equality in our society, I sure am glad we don't talk or think that way any more. And am-scray is pig latin for SCRAM, as in "make like an egg & scramble" meaning scramble your legs and go. I never thought of the white hat/ black hat business in westerns. I'm like you in believing that the origin of the white hat for the good guy and black hat for the villain in westerns was probably not racist. Link to post Share on other sites
LawrenceA Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 I don't know if anyone's mentioned it yet, but the above discussion reminded me of the phrase "free, white and 21". 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
thomasterryjr Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Hey!!! Don't let any of these archaic expressions from films make you cringe and get uncomfortable. Buck up man!!! Buck up!!! "Buck up" meaning brighten up. Cheer up!!! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Sepiatone Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Oh, HEY! What a "PISTOL"! You sure are a "caution"! I gotta "get on the horn" and tell my sister about this! Or maybe just send her a "wire". Sepiatone 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Fedya Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 6 hours ago, calvinnme said: I can't tell you the most recent movie I heard it in, but I would say I can't remember a 50's film where the term was used. Harry Belafonte uses it ironically in The World, The Flesh, and the Devil (1959). (I didn't realize it, but looked it up because I thought Inger Stevens had used the line about being free, white, and 21 in the movie. IMDb doesn't list that quote.) 1 Link to post Share on other sites
LsDoorMat Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 9 minutes ago, Fedya said: Harry Belafonte uses it ironically in The World, The Flesh, and the Devil (1959). (I didn't realize it, but looked it up because I thought Inger Stevens had used the line about being free, white, and 21 in the movie. IMDb doesn't list that quote.) Wow! Thanks! I've seen that movie - a long time ago - but I'd forgotten he used that expression there! Link to post Share on other sites
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