Say What ?

Several weeks ago, I said to a grandkid, "Get us each a soda from the ice box." His puzzled look coincided with his befuddled question, "Where's the ice box?" My mistake, I did not say, refrigerator; a throw-back terminology slippage. You readers who recall the 1940's also recall the 'ice box.' The ice box is where we kept today's refrigerator things. The main differences: refrigerator is larger, holds more and keeps 'stuff'' cold because of electricity monitoring inside temperatures. Back-in-the-day, my folk's ice box did not plug into a socket but things were kept cold due to blocks of ice delivered to our home and placed in (what else) the ice box. I remember that window card that all ice box homes placed for outside view: Each side of the four squared card had the amount of ice you wished the ice man to cut at his truck and bring into your house...none / 25lbs / 50lbs / 75 lbs, etc. A hot summer day treat for the neighborhood kids was the ice man using his pick to chip off a piece of ice for us.


The term misunderstanding incident with my grandson caused me to think of some 'other' words that would be foreign to his ears...I did not bore him with the list but I did write a list for my own reflection. Here it goes: (1) running board, (2) coal shoot (3) white bucks   (4) duck-tails (5) curb-finders (6) finder skirts  (7) shyster (8) 'rabbit-ears' (9) stick-shift (10) 'Poodle-skirts' (11) Pea coat (12) 'character-book' (13) car-hop (14) DA (15) pedal pushers.


My thinking on this generational-language-gap spilled into others areas. My grandkids would not know the connection between a television antenna and tin foil nor relate to candy treats named candy necklace, ring pops, baked beans, Big League Chew, lemon heads or jaw breakers.
Next time the little grandkids visit, I believe I'll teach them how to play freeze-tag and Mother May I. Too bad that these days won't permit kids to play outside allowing their parents to tell them, "You can play outside UNTIL the street lights come on...then come inside and get your bath."