There are so many phrases from our youth that just seemed to vanish in the mist.
Phrases That Have Faded Away
Wearing Your Sunday Best
As children, many of us remember polishing our shoes on Saturday night so they would be shiny on Sunday morning. We wore suits and ties and dresses and flowery hats to church. Why? Because Dad said we were to show respect to God by looking our best when we visited his house. Dad probably didn’t believe that Our Father was so superficial that He cared what we wore. It just seemed like the right thing to do.
Somewhere along the way, someone decided that fancy clothes intimidated poor people out of coming to worship. That evolved (should the word “evolve” be used when talking about Baptists?) into the belief that dressing down was, somehow, holier than dressing up. In some churches, the more one looks like a hobo, the more likely he is to be asked to deliver the sermon. And, yes, in these churches, it is always a “He.”
To simplify, there is a pretty good chance that the poor aren’t showing up for some other reason. Of course, in extreme cases, The Father, Son and especially the Holy Ghost are probably not there, anyway.
I Don’t Know
Nobody ever likes sounding dumb or ignorant. Experience shows that this fact becomes even more true when the person in question is actually dumb or ignorant. In an effort to keep people at bay regarding what you know (or don’t know) one trick is to watch “Fox News” or CNN “News” and then, when a subject comes up one can simply regurgitate what was heard on ones propaganda source of choice and give the impression that one knows stuff.
It’s amazing how well it works. The key is to know the eye roll trick. If someone questions your belching of factoids, just ask them where they got their information and, when they answer, roll your eyes and say something like, “Oh, that explains why you are ignorant.” A rough translation is , “My propaganda source is better than yours.” It’s the same logic as the, “My Dad can beat up your Dad,” debate tactic that we all remember from the playground when we were kids.
Bobby… Phone for you!
If you are past a certain age, you probably remember parents yelling to you that someone was on the phone. After all, your family probably only had one phone and the “You have a call” call was usually accompanied by the admonishment not to tie up the line. If you were a boy and had a sister, you definitely got that warning.
This was a time when the dinner table was for eating and talking (when allowed) and the only thing in which to bury your face was your plate. Also, if the phone rang at mealtime, it just rang. It was family time and anyone worth talking to knew not to call while dinner was on the table. It was a little thing called courtesy, but that’s a subject for another time.
These are just a few dinosaur phrases. You can surely come up with more. Try it with friends. Who knows, an actual conversation could break out.
