So I was doing my show the other day and I said "Don't Touch That Dial" during one of my breaks on the air.  After I shut the microphone off I thought to myself, "Why are you still saying that, cars don't even have dials anymore".  Cars haven't had digital tuners for years, but we still say "Don't Touch That Dial" or even "Stay Tuned", when again people haven't had to PHYSICALLY tune a radio in decades.

Seems old habits die hard cause it made me start to think of other sayings that have become outdated due to technological advancements.  Here are just a few that I could come up with.

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"Hang Up The Phone"

1960s style antique black telephone isolated on white
supertramp
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1960s style antique black telephone isolated on white

1960s style antique black telephone isolated on white

Seriously, I haven't had a phone that required me to physically hang up when ending a call since 2003.  That said I don't think "press the end button" is gonna take off any time soon.

"Hit The Hay"

Farmers Report Increase In Hay Theft As Prices Soar
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Farmers Report Increase In Hay Theft As Prices Soar

STAFFORD, UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 23: Bales of hay sit in field waiting to be harvested on August 23, 2010 in Stafford, United Kingdom. Farmers are reporting an increase in rural theft of hay after the price increased by up to 40% due to the cold winter leading farmers to use up more reserve stock than usual. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

I don't know about you, but I never slept in a barn (though my dad did ask me if I was born in a barn plenty of times after leaving the door open).  If you ever wondered why that saying exsisted, it wasn't cause we slept in barns.  It was from when we used hay for beds even in the house.  You'd "hit" the hay to get bugs out.  Fun times!

"Roll Down The Window"

Hand crank, non-electric, manual car window in a dove grey color an old vehicle.
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Hand crank, non-electric, manual car window in a dove grey color an old vehicle.

Hand crank, non-electric, manual car window in a dove grey color an old vehicle.

I'm sure some of you out there have had a car, or a parent that had a car, that had windows that you had to actually hand crank, or "roll" to get the windows open.  It might surprise you though that this technology has actually been around for over 80 years.  The first car with powered windows was a Packard Custom Super Eight in 1941.

"Get On Your Soap Box"

Soapbox
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Soapbox

1944: A woman standing on a soapbox speaking into a microphone. (Photo by Express/Express/Getty Images)

While today we use this when someone voices their opinion, usually with some force behind it.  It originates from when people would actually stand on the soap boxes used to transfer the good from the manufacturer to the stores.  It helped you stand out in the crowd and elevate you above them.

"Here's A Quarter, Call Someone Who Cares" & "Dropping The Dime"

A public Payphone
A public Payphone
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Payphone

This one I think actually is from Billings.

I'm including both these in one, as they both come from the time of payphones.  I can't even begin to count how many times I used "1-800-COLLECT" on a payphone to call my parents while in college.

Payphones used to be everywhere, but with the popularity of cell phones, they slowly died off.  New York City retired the last public pay phone in May of 2022.  That's not to say there aren't still payphones you can use, and even call.  Check out this directory if you'd like to see.

"Cha-Ching"

Old vintage cash register
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attachment-Old vintage cash register

Old vintage cash register isolated on white background with Clipping Path

Here is another saying that was already outdated by the time I was born.  Cash registers back in the day used to actually make a "Cha-Ching" sound when a sale was made.  So we still use it as a term for making money.

"Floppy Disk"

Floppy disks isolated on white background
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Floppy disks isolated on white background

Floppy disks isolated on white background


OK, so this one isn't a saying we use everyday, but if you use a windows computer and save a document, you see it all the time.  That little icon you click to save your file is an old 3.5" floppy disk.  I'm old enough to remember the old 8" floppy disks.  Those were truly floppy as they flopped if you waved them around.  We used to laugh that the 3.5" ones, which were hard, were still referred to as floppy.

Are there any sayings that you find odd that we still use?  Sound off on our social media sites and let us know what ones you find outdated.

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