1950s Euphemisms
Being born in the 1950s and raised in my formative years in the 1960s, I have always been fascinated by euphemisms for bodily functions, especially those relating to babies in diapers and rubber pants.
For example, in our home and that of our neighbors in 1950s/1960s Arizona, we never said the “f-word” when someone passed gas. In our home, in that time and place, “Toot” or “Tooted” was the go-to word. Anything else (except perhaps “fluff”) was considered crude, vulgar, rude, and verboten.
And when it came to euphemisms, my mother was the “queen of polite euphemisms.”
When a baby at our house made that familiar odor in their pants, (either gas or a number 2) my mom would sniff the air, wrinkle her nose, and say, “Goodness gracious. I’m getting a whiff of something. It smells like somebody’s been busy in their britches.”
“Yep, somebody did something in their pants.” She would say upon confirming the source of the odor after a quick, visual inspection of the diaper via a waistband peek.
Oh yes, my mom was a, “pull-back the pants peeker”, and the queen of euphemism.
You do realise you are seriously weird don’t you ? !
Thank you. But seriously, who isn’t? OK, I realize we might be near the same age, but our respective nations and cultures are very, very, different. (Which is why I will never visit the UK.) As a young child from the years 1958 through 1969, I lived in an environment of babies and their mothers, diapers and bodily functions. It made quite an impression on me. Just FYI, if you haven’t noticed yet, I have NEVER said ANYTHING to you, (or about you) that is negative or critical, or could even be construed as “passive aggressive.” It’s just too bad that you have not had the courtesy to treat me the same way. Have a nice day.