Each generation has its own vocabulary and expressions that are special just to them. As language evolves, lots of these sayings become pretty confusing to other generations because they have no idea of the context around them. Here are 25 sayings that some boomers use that are likely to confuse other generations.
Changing Channels
Boomers grew up in a time when TVs were huge boxes and radios were furniture pieces. So, don’t be surprised if you hear them say, “Don’t touch that dial,” because it was a normal warning to avoid changing the channel. Nowadays, touchscreens and remotes have made the idea of a physical dial pretty much ancient history.
Tiny Measurements
“Knee-high to a grasshopper” is a boomer phrase that they’d use to talk about someone being really young or saying that something’s really small. Today, though, it sounds downright confusing, especially to anyone in the city who doesn’t see grasshoppers all that often. It’s definitely a weird one.
When Music Skipped
Saying that someone “sounds like a broken record” could be pretty strange for someone who’s only ever used digital music. It’s a saying that comes from the days when vinyls were the norm, as they’d skip and repeat endlessly if they were scratched. But let’s be real, most of us are more familiar with a glitchy YouTube video than a damaged record.
Solving Problems
It sounds a little morbid, but saying “there’s more than one way to skin a cat” just means you’re telling someone they can solve a problem in a number of different ways. Since people today care a lot more about animal welfare, they might be a little confused about this saying. It might even make them cringe because it’s so graphic.
Self-Help Suggestion
To “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” sounds pretty impossible, but that was the whole point. The phrase was meant to describe someone doing something completely unexpected. Nowadays, the meaning has changed to mean that someone is responsible for their own success. Most people probably don’t even know what a bootstrap is today.
Completely Useless
“That dog won’t hunt” is a typical Southern phrase that means that a plan or idea just isn’t going to work. Unless you’re familiar with hunting culture, this metaphor might be lost on you. After all, it sounds like you’re offering your opinion on a dog’s hunting ability rather than talking about how possible something is.
Old-School Generosity
Of course, we still have change today, but “keep the change” is a saying that was a lot more popular in the past. It’s from a time when cash was king because it didn’t really have any rival. But in today’s increasingly digital world, this saying can end up lost in translation and confuse many younger people who don’t tend to use cash.
Late Nights Before Netflix
Hearing someone say they’re “burning the midnight oil” is enough to make you think about old-school oil lamps and late-night work. It’s a saying that essential means someone’s working late into the night, but it’s a little odd to the generations that are used to bingeing a Netflix series at night instead. Plus, remote work means they can work at whatever time of day they want.
Perfect Fits
“Fits like a glove” is a saying that changes meaning depending on the culture of the time. Originally, this saying meant that something fits perfectly for another person, but not so much anymore. Thanks to the rise of casual and oversized fashion of today, it might not be such a good thing if something fits so well.
A Strange Rule
“Rule of thumb” sounds like it involves actual body parts, but thankfully, there’s no evidence to back this up. It’s really just about giving people general guidelines on what to do in a certain situation. It could be confusing to other generations because they don’t understand where it comes from.
Caught in the Act
“Caught red-handed” originally described a situation where someone literally had blood on their hands from a crime, so you knew that they were guilty. Of course, it’s a phrase that we still use when we catch someone doing something wrong. But younger generations may not understand this and they might think it sounds way too old-fashioned.
Confidential Conversations
“Off the record” is a phrase that came from journalism, and it meant that certain information should stay between the speaker and the listener. But with the explosion of social media and how private and public discussions have become closely related, lots of young people don’t understand the idea of keeping things private. They’d rather share everything they can.
Being Patient
Boomers understood how to be patient better than any other generation, and “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch” is a great example of this. It means you should be careful about making plans based on what you think could happen, as these could go wrong. But for younger people who grew up in a world of instant gratification, the idea of waiting for satisfaction is quite confusing.
Slow Down
Similarly, telling someone to “hold your horses” is a boomer’s way of telling them to “slow down” or “wait a minute.” It comes from a time when people actually used horses as everyday transportation, so they’d literally hold them by pulling on the reins to slow them down. Unfortunately, with everything being so instant today, waiting seems outdated.
Facing the Pain
To “bite the bullet” means to tough it out through a difficult situation without whining. It comes from a time when doctors had no painkillers for surgeries, so patients literally bit a bullet to cope with the pain. Nowadays, using this saying might confuse some younger people because we’ve got better ways to manage pain.
No Use Crying
Telling someone not to “cry over spilt milk” means you’re telling them not to sweat the small stuff, and it’s meant to encourage them to move past any minor setbacks. But in a world where even the smallest things seem to have huge effects, telling someone not to have any regrets is pretty hard. It also comes across as a little insensitive.
Too Much Snooping
“Curiosity killed the cat” is meant to be a warning that being too nosy can lead to trouble. This idea is at odds with the world today, as we’re always encouraging other people to be curious about the world around them. After all, we’ve got the world’s knowledge at our fingertips, so why wouldn’t we want to be more curious about it?
Definitely Dead
Boomers might use “dead as a doornail” to describe something that’s completely unusable or finished. The term refers to nails that people hammered in so they couldn’t be reused, so they were “dead.” But without this understanding of the phrase’s history, younger people might just be confused about the whole thing.
Sudden Anger
If someone “flies off the handle,” it means they’ve suddenly lost their cool, like an axe handle coming off during a swing. It sounds pretty straightforward, right? But not for younger generations, as they might not recognize how an old tool breaking could be like someone suddenly becoming very angry.
All In
Boomers know a thing or two about “going the whole nine yards,” as they’ve put in plenty of effort throughout their lives. It’s unclear where the saying came from, although some people think it could’ve come from the length of World War 2 ammo belts. Either way, some younger people might just feel confused about what kind of yardstick you’re using.
Life Before
You know you’re either in for a good story or a good complaint when boomers start a sentence with “back in my day.” It’s a sign that they’re going to talk about how things were tougher or just different before, but younger listeners might find it a little annoying. The world has changed so much that the comparisons don’t hit the way they’re meant to.
Utterly Strange
“Mad as a Hatter” comes from a time when hat makers used mercury, which can cause some serious brain damage and cause people to act rather strangely. It’s pretty fitting that we use it to describe someone completely odd. But these days, younger people might find it a little insensitive and disrespectful towards people with mental health issues.
The Whole Thing
“The whole kit and caboodle” means everything or the entire collection of items, and it comes from old military speak. Your “kit” was your gear, and “caboodle” was an old word for a group or collection. While it sounds fun, anyone who’s not familiar with this kind of language might be pretty confused.
In the Front
Boomers talk about “riding shotgun” to mean they’re going to sit in the front passenger seat of a car. This one’s a pretty old saying because it comes from the Old West days when someone would literally sit next to the driver with a shotgun for protection. Although many still use it today, lots of younger people might not know the reason behind it.
Moving Forward
Lastly, we have “full steam ahead,” which we used to show that you’re moving forward with all the effort and enthusiasm you can put into this activity. It comes from a time when steam engine operators had to use full steam power to move as fast as they could. In today’s world of electric and hybrid engines, this comparison to steam power can seem a bit outdated.
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