15 Phrases From The Past Kids Today Won’t Understand
source: Alamy
In just a few decades, technology has advanced tremendously, making the world we live in today almost unrecognizable compared to the past. As a result, many phrases and sayings that were once commonplace have fallen out of use or become obsolete, particularly those related to outdated technologies. Children today may struggle to understand what their parents or grandparents mean when they use certain phrases from the past. In this article, we will explore 15 such phrases that kids today may not understand, shedding light on how technological advancements have impacted our daily lives and the way we communicate.
“Hang up the phone” – In the past, phones used to be physically connected to walls or desks and required a person to end a call by placing the receiver on the cradle.
“Rewind the cassette”
Before CDs and digital music, people used to listen to music on cassette tapes, which had to be rewound manually to hear a song again.
“Be kind, please rewind”
A phrase that was commonly seen on the VHS tapes people used to rent from video stores, reminding them to rewind the tape before returning it.
“Don’t touch that dial”
Referring to the channel selection knob on old televisions, which required physical manipulation to change channels.
“Roll down the window”
In older cars, windows had to be physically rolled down using a crank or handle, as opposed to the automatic power windows of today.
“Wait for the beep”
Before texting and voicemail, people left messages for each other on answering machines, which signaled the end of a message with a beep.
“Film is cheap”
A phrase used in the days of film photography, when it was expensive to develop and print pictures, so photographers would often take many shots of the same subject to ensure they got a good one.
“You’ve got mail”
A phrase made famous by AOL’s email notification system, which announced the arrival of new emails in a user’s inbox.
“Don’t touch the thermostat”
In the past, thermostats were manual and required physical adjustment to regulate the temperature in a home or building.
“Did you check the TV Guide?”
A reference to the printed TV listings that used to be the primary source of information for what shows were on and when.
“Don’t forget to feed the Tamagotchi”
A popular virtual pet toy from the 1990s that required constant attention to keep it alive and happy.
“I need to wind my watch”
In the past, watches were often mechanical and required winding to keep them running.
“I have to go to the library to look that up”
Before the internet, people had to physically visit libraries to access information that was not readily available.
“Call me collect”
In the past, when people didn’t have enough money to pay for a long-distance call, they would ask the person on the other end to accept a collect call, with the recipient agreeing to pay the charges.
“I need to buy a new Walkman”
The Sony Walkman was a popular portable cassette player in the 1980s and 1990s that was eventually replaced by newer technology.
