George: You've never heard of Bozo the Clown?
Eric: No!
George: How could you not know who Bozo the Clown is?
Eric: I don't know, I just don't.
George: How can you call yourself a clown and not know who Bozo is?
Eric: Hey, man - what are you hassling me for? This is just a gig, it's not my life. I don't know who Bozo is, what - is he a clown?
George: Is he a clown? What, are you kidding me!?
I want to thank Steve Zodiak for starting the "Phrases with lost meaning" thread. It is an aspect of this more encompassing subject which I have been meaning to start a thread on for a very long time. Thanx for getting the ball rolling, Steve! Please visit his thread here:
http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/42017/Phrases-with-lost-meaning?page=1
Yes, it's very frustrating when things we believe are "Common Knowledge" are no longer embraced ( particularly by the current generation ) and are in danger of completely going by the wayside. It might be a word, a phrase, a custom, an article of clothing, a song, a dance... anything.
When was the last time you heard someone say, "He really blew his top!" No one 'blows their top' anymore... the only thing they seem to do these days is "get pi$$ed off" That's the only expression this generation seems to know. They don't know Angry, Frustrated, Belligerent, Annoyed, Enraged, Impassioned, Incensed or any of a million other words. The only thing they know is "Pi$$ed off". Their vocabulary is sadly lacking.
How about "Holiday for Strings"? This used to be an instrumental theme that was widely known and recognized by everyone. If my memory is correct, I think even Red Skelton once used it as his theme song. Who's ever heard of it today?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVvZ75b0rrI
I could go on and on... but, I want to hear from you. What are some things that irritate you, frustrate you, or make you nearly go mad because you feel they should be "Common Knowledge" but nobody seems to know anything about anymore? Bozo? Who's he? is he a Clown or something?
- GJS
