DAILY DIRT: Can you dig it? I hope so, that would be fab. If not, call the fuzz

July 23, 2023 | By Steve Eighinger, MRN Minister of Culture and Doctor of Love

Daily Dirt for Saturday, July 22, 2023

For the record, I used to regularly say, “Do me a solid” … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 673 of The Daily Dirt.

1. For each generation, there are slang terms that help define that period of time.

But often, many of those familiar phrases slowly disappear over the years, replaced by new terminology.

Here are a few older gems that are rarely — if ever — used these days, but are deserving of a comeback. See if you agree:

— “Can you dig it?”:Nobody was ever asking you to grab a shovel and dig a hole. “Digging” something once meant you understood what was being said. This phrase definitely needs a comeback.
— “The fuzz”:Yes, people in the 1960s had a whole lot of slang for the police. Still, why policemen were called “the fuzz” during the 1960s is anybody’s guess. Could it be the military style crew cuts that cops preferred during that decade? Possibly, but we may never know. But I distinctively remember hearing from friends at different times, “Cheese it! Here comes the fuzz!” (“Cheese it” alone could be another discussion. I never understood why exactly that meant “let’s get out of here.”)
— “Heavy”:It never had anything to do with somebody’s weight. This kind of “heavy” was all about emotional depth — something that weighs heavily on your soul. Many times back in the day this response was heard during a conversation: “Yeah, man … that’s heavy.”
— “Bread”: This was always one of my favorites. It meant money. Cash. Dinero. The green stuff.
— “Fab”: Obviously, short for “fabulous”. It was also the preferred adjective for everyone’s favorite British invasion band, the Beatles. They weren’t the Amazing Four or the Astonishing Four, they were the Fab Four.
— “Catch you on the flip side”: The other side of today is tomorrow, so to catch you on the flip side means to see you again tomorrow. Maybe it’s just me, but I still occasionally hear this. Maybe I need to hang out with some new friends …
— “Do me a solid”:A solid is a favor because, um… favors aren’t liquid? When you do someone a solid, you’re helping them out in a big way.
— “Cool beans”:You’re not ordering a side dish at a barbecue place. Rather, it’s an expression of approval. (Hmm … the more I think about it, maybe’s it’s just as well if this phrase never regains life.)
— “Chrome dome”: Yep, this one reappears every so often, but at one time it was a major part of our daily language. Long before a bald head was considered a sexy choice rather than a follicle challenge, “Chrome dome” was meant to imply that your head was a shiny, metallic structure in which a symphony orchestra might perform. Not exactly a compliment.
— “Keep on keepin’ on”: At one time, this phrase was considered so-o-o-o deep. Perhaps this one is best represented by Bob Dylan in his ’70s-era hit “Tangled Up in Blue,” when he sang, “The only thing I knew how to do/Was to keep on keepin’ on.”
— “Bad”:Good always — and still — means good, but bad once meant REALLY good.
— “Talk to the hand”: Remember when this meant whatever the other person was trying to tell you had been rejected. You were no longer interested in conversing with them. If they wanted to continue anyway, well, they are welcome to direct their grievances toward your open palm.