A fairy-run cash-for-teeth scheme made perfect sense (the going rate then was 10 cents a tooth). They lost their baby teeth in a time of optimism, prosperity, Disney films, and Tinkerbell. Tooth fairy took flight with the Boomer Generation (born 1943 to 1960), who also gave us hippie, yuppie, psychedelic, and groovy. Characterized as sedate and ready to conform, they became bobby-soxers and wore gray flannel suits, but as kids they coined the common Halloween request, which was a bit more polite than the previous “Shell out!” Trick or treat came from the Silent Generation, born during the Great Depression. “And so to prevent loss of napkins, or perhaps to encourage patriotic frugality,” restaurants started providing doggie bags. People started to smuggle home their restaurant leftovers to give to the family pet. The GI Generation (born 1901 to 1924) fought World War II or stayed home and rationed, scrimped, and saved to help the war effort. Later it became an approving way to describe a person, and anything generally exciting.

According to Metcalf, “until the 20th century, nobody was sexy.” At first the word described risqué content or temptations-like “sexy” magazines, books, or plays-or the feelings they might inspire. They filled the Roaring ’20s with words like flapper, speak-easy, and jazz-and they were also the first to use sexy. They seemed to have lost their way spiritually and, according to their elders, morally. The Lost Generation (born 1883 to 1900) had to contend with World War I as they came of age. That explanation soon became unnecessary. In 1885, a sportswriter was compelled to explain that fan was “base ball slang” for fanatic. Not all new words were so serious: The Missionaries also gave us fan. They gave us sweatshop in their fight for workers’ rights.

During the Civil War, they coined skedaddle as a mocking description of an enemy beating a “hasty and disorganized retreat.” When the Union army was defeated at the Battle of Bull Run, Southerners referred to the retreat as “The Great Skedaddle.” Northerners threw the insult right back: A newspaper report called it “a phrase the Union boys up here apply to the good use the seceshers make of their legs in time of danger.” This made-up word with a silly sound brought a little levity in dark times.īorn around the upheavals of war, the Missionary Generation (born 1860 to 1882) became idealistic, politically active adults. They were “gilded” since they would witness great economic expansion. Eventually everyone forgot where OK came from, and it became an all-purpose staple.Īfter the Transcendentals came the Gilded Generation (born 1822 to 1842). His supporters set up OK clubs, jauntily suggesting he was “oll korrect.” Detractors quickly turned the new word around to criticize Van Buren (he’s “orfully konfused!”) and his predecessor Andrew Jackson (so illiterate he couldn’t spell all correct!). First used by a Boston newspaper editor as an intentionally misspelled, jokey abbreviation of “all correct”-similar to the publishing industry’s term TK to indicate material “to come”-the expression took off during the 1840 re-election campaign of Martin Van Buren, who was also known as Old Kinderhook. They also, writes Metcalf, “bequeathed to the country its greatest and most successful word”: OK. They brought transcendental into the general vocabulary. When the nation was young, members of the Transcendental Generation (born 1792 to 1821) had a spiritual, authority-questioning bent. The expressions that rise to prominence at particular times often reveal surprising things about who we are. But generations can also be characterized by language, as seen in a new book by Allan Metcalf, From Skedaddle to Selfie, out in November from Oxford University Press. We characterize them by cultural shifts in fashion (bell-bottoms!), musical styles (grunge!), and food preferences (kale!). Such filing does not constitute approval by those states.Boomers, Generation X, millennials-every 20 years or so we name a new generation. An offering can only be made by a prospectus filed first with the appropriate state regulatory agencies. The information contained on this website is not inconsistent with our FDD. If you are a resident of or want to locate a franchise in one of these states, we will not offer you a franchise unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your jurisdiction. Currently, the following states regulate the offer and sale of franchises: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. An offer is made only by a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) in those jurisdictions that require it. © 2022 Skedaddle Franchise | All rights reserved | Built by Raintree |įRANCHISE OFFER This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise.

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