An old STD phone booth
Photo by Anu Anniah

Member-only story

An Old Innocent STD Booth

Six Word Photo Story Challenge: Freestyle

--

When STD was subscriber trunk dialing

Languages keep shape-shifting based on need. With each generation, the English language is changing so rapidly that it is hard to keep pace. Innocent words of yesterday take on a new meaning in today’s world.

Let’s not even get started on the zillions of acronyms and what they mean under various circumstances. For example, until a couple of decades ago, STD and STD code was something related to the domain of landline or rotary dial phones. To call another city, we had to add the city’s STD code before dialing the phone number. We used the word STD without fear of being misunderstood.

Today, if I say STD or STD code, I am met with strange glances and embarrassed tittering.

I found this derelict phone booth at a wayside hotel on a highway in Karnataka — a memory of the old times.

It was funny to read the text. The management ‘ate Not Responible for Jungs.’ Did they eat or respo‘nible’ someone? And what is Jungs? I guess we will never know!

--

--

Six Word Photo Story Challenge
Six Word Photo Story Challenge

Published in Six Word Photo Story Challenge

Monthly six word story writing challenges inspired by photos taken by yourself

Anu Anniah
Anu Anniah

Written by Anu Anniah

Writer. Published author. Technical writer. Poet. Sit-down comedian. Collector of friends. Greedy for laughter.

Responses (13)