Pbenjay's Blog

I bought a lemon.

Today a friend of  mine called and mentioned that she had an errand to do first and then she would go to the (1) Beauty Parlor.  Now when is the last time you heard someone say they were going to the beauty parlor?  When exactly did the beauty parlor turn into the hairdresser’s?

Then tonight we were around some ladies that were indulging in a lot of wine and my husband said, “Yeah, well she was (2)three sheets to the wind.   Every generation has had their own slang and lingo.  I think it was more likely my parent’s generation that referred to being drunk or (2b)tipsy as three sheets to the wind.  My generation got smashed or plastered (now there’s  a visual) (and another phrase that needs explaining).  Generation X and Y get pounded, hammered or wrecked.  The origin of  the phrase three sheets to the wind is based in nautical terminology as you might have guessed.  I was wrong because I thought the sheets referred to the sails.  In fact, sheets are the chains or ropes that are attached to the corners of the sails.  If the ropes are loose then the sails flap in the wind, causing the boat to lurch about like a drunken sailor.

There was a time when a woman with a “reputation” was known to have (3)round heels!  I’ll bet you have already figured this one out-if someone was wearing shoes with round heels, then the slightest push would tip them over onto their back and you get the picture from there.

And  (4)trollops,  those loose women of the last generation. NOT to be confused with Trolls.

(5) Party Lines: Can you imagine trying to explain to your 30 something children that when you were little, not only did you NOT have a cell phone, you didn’t even have a house phone with a private line.  So funny to even write it because I’m sure they don’t consider their house phone lines as private since they have never known anything else.  Prior to WWII multiple lines or party lines were the norm for telephone subscribers.  You shared a telephone line with 2 or 3 other households and each home had their own “ring”.

Bonus phrase: The car is a lemon – that term has been around since 1950’s when used to describe defective automobiles.  Lemons, those cute little yellow citrus fruits used so often to impart a slight tartness to a dish, to make refreshing lemonade in the summer and to make that glass of water in a restaurant a bit more appealing.  How did it ever get to be associated with bad quality and poor workmanship?  I read that it probably came about because lemons leave a sour taste in your mouth and so does a purchase that turns out to be a, a lemon!