Common Expressions Younger Kids Won't Fully Understand

It's sad to think our kids won't truly understand why we dial or hang up a phone, why cashiers ring up our purchases or why we roll up our windows without doing some homework.

Which means either these expressions are due for an update or those who remember are going to have to teach our young about those days of long ago when we had to manually turn a window crank handle to open a window.

(Image Link)

And if you really want to relate to the youth of today you can discuss the origin of the expressions "going on line" and "posting to a message board":

13. WHY DO WE SAY "ON LINE" FOR COMPUTER THINGS?

In the early days of computing, when one machine needed to communicate with another, they had to be attached with a physical cord or "line." Processes that could be completed without this communication were "off line."

10. WHY DO WE CALL IT A MESSAGE "BOARD"?

Before the internet, when people wanted to make an announcement or share information they would put it on a piece of paper and attach it to a board mounted in a public location where many people would see it.

See 15 Common Expressions Younger Generations Won't Understand at Mental Floss


Newest 2
Newest 2 Comments

Some of these are just idiotic, some are just wrong. And, by the way, "dialing" made a certain number of clicks, not how much time the "dial" rotated.
Author is plain ignant.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
The "on line" example is a bit more complicated. It had several meanings, including "interactive"; the two styles of computer use were "online" or "batch"/"offline". Batch processing is cheaper because online processing requires that updates occur quickly. For example, http://www.dtic.mil/get-tr-doc/pdf?AD=AD0645438 says "The online condition was the normal mode of operation for the SDC Time-Sharing System; the offline condition was a simulated closed-shop with a two-hour turn-around time." In this case, "by requiring the programmer to submit a work request to a member of the experimental staff to have his program operated."

That use of "online" is still present in phrases like "Online Transaction Processing" (OLTP), where "workloads are characterized by small, interactive transactions that generally require sub-second response times", or in "online algorithm", which is "one that can process its input piece-by-piece in a serial fashion ... without having the entire input available from the start."
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Login to comment.
Email This Post to a Friend
"Common Expressions Younger Kids Won't Fully Understand"

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More