SLANG | LANGUAGE | AGING

You Know You’re Old When You Still Use These Six Terms

I remember as a young girl hearing my parents using words they grew up with in the 1930s and ‘40s that sounded so old-fashioned

Photo by Sudhith Xavier on Unsplash

Now the tables have turned and as a boomer, I get the stink eye or a blank stare when I use these terms.

1. Xerox Machine-Yes, Zerox did and still does make copier machines, but they no longer ride the coat tails of the consumer. Unless you have stock in Zerox there is no reason to call a generic copy machine by its early maker’s name.
2. Tin Foil- This was how we referred to Aluminum Foil or Reynold’s Wrap. The word Tin is innocuous. Aluminum conjures up dangerous toxins. I still call it tin foil.
3. Mimeograph- Used as a noun or a verb; to mimeograph papers or using the mimeograph (machine). Up until the early 80s, every grade schoolteacher from K to 12 mimeographed almost all class assignments, quizzes and tests. The smell of alcohol wafting off the machine — as well as the paper — was universally loved by both teachers and students.
4. Pocketbook- I think I am the only human that refers to my handbag as a ‘pocketbook’. I try to remember to use the word handbag or purse, but I…