Out-of-date Idiom?

[cw5523729]

I guess the fact that I'd use that phrase without giving it a second thought says how old I am

 

[MrPixel]

Is it from baseball, or from airplanes?

We all sort of know what "on the fly" means. I was unable to find any etymology on the idiom, but I suspect it could have originally been in reference to a bird of prey capturing lunch while in flight.

@PennyThompson , "waterboarding" certainly worked in the context, so thank you for that. Young person in this case is a jr. college student in conversation with relative adults (late 20's), so she's not going to be using a bunch of peer-slang.

That's either late GenX or Millennial. I can't keep these things straight. Think it's Millennial though? Not that it matters.

Millennial. Here you go:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Generation_timeline_simple.svg

 

[cw5523729]

We all sort of know what "on the fly" means. I was unable to find any etymology on the idiom, but I suspect it could have originally been in reference to a bird of prey capturing lunch while in flight.

@PennyThompson , "waterboarding" certainly worked in the context, so thank you for that. Young person in this case is a jr. college student in conversation with relative adults (late 20's), so she's not going to be using a bunch of peer-slang.



Millennial. Here you go:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Generation_timeline_simple.svg

I've always thought those arbitrary designations were somewhat silly. How do you argue that someone born in 81 has more in common with someone born in 1995 vs 1979?

 

[MrPixel]

I've always thought those arbitrary designations were somewhat silly. How do you argue that someone born in 81 has more in common with someone born in 1995 vs 1979?

It seems to me to be related more to world events and large swings in formative life experiences. F'rinstance, Boomers and Gen X are separated by the turbulence of the mid-60s. The defining movement of the 1980s, broadly speaking, was the insinuation of large (and larger) corporations into daily experiences. The late-'90s was the dot-com bubble, and the subsequent democratization of the Internet. The '10s was the takeover of our lives by tech - particularly social media and smartphones.

There are dividing lines, some fuzzy, some not-so-fuzzy.

 

[SamanthaBehgs]

Just asked a Gen Z family member - they have no clue what it meant and thought it might mean to burn someone (and give third degree burns)...

 

[cw5523729]

Just asked a Gen Z family member - they have no clue what it meant and thought it might mean to burn someone (and give third degree burns)...

BRB, gotta go change the tennis balls on my walker now

 

[Statius]

BRB, gotta go change the tennis balls on my walker now

 

[Meekly_Anna]

Hark, gentle friends! Give ear unto my words!
Ye ask of the swiftness of change betwixt our English tongue. Know this truth, that English doth run as a coursing river, whilst German doth stand more firm, like a sturdy stone tower.
Thus, though all human language doth change, it is seen that our English doth fly upon the wings of innovation and foreign influence, whilst German doth travel at a steadier, more measured pace.
Ye have heard how our English is a fluttering butterfly, ever changing its painted wings, whilst the German is a steadfast oak, rooted deep in the earth. Now, bethink ye of the poor scribbler—the author who doth toil and sweat to put down his words upon the page!
Therefore, I declare this bold and necessary truth for all who aspire to everlasting literary glory:
Let every aspiring English author, who desires his great work to be read and understood without confusion for five centuries hence, do forthwith cast off his pen and switch to the German tongue!
Verily, save yourselves the shame!
Embrace the sturdy structure!
Flee the fleeting English fashion, and find fame in Frankfurt!

 

[PennyThompson]

Hark, gentle friends! Give ear unto my words!
Ye ask of the swiftness of change betwixt our English tongue. Know this truth, that English doth run as a coursing river, whilst German doth stand more firm, like a sturdy stone tower.
Thus, though all human language doth change, it is seen that our English doth fly upon the wings of innovation and foreign influence, whilst German doth travel at a steadier, more measured pace.
Ye have heard how our English is a fluttering butterfly, ever changing its painted wings, whilst the German is a steadfast oak, rooted deep in the earth. Now, bethink ye of the poor scribbler—the author who doth toil and sweat to put down his words upon the page!
Therefore, I declare this bold and necessary truth for all who aspire to everlasting literary glory:
Let every aspiring English author, who desires his great work to be read and understood without confusion for five centuries hence, do forthwith cast off his pen and switch to the German tongue!
Verily, save yourselves the shame!
Embrace the sturdy structure!
Flee the fleeting English fashion, and find fame in Frankfurt!

"ChatGPT, write a short missive in an 18th century writing style, encouraging English writers to adopt the German language in order to avoid the scourge of idioms and linguistic drift."

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I'm not sure what gen I am. I was born in 1989. What does that make me? Oh, I get what a third degree is.

Old, it makes you old.

 

[Meekly_Anna]

"ChatGPT, write a short missive in an 18th century writing style, encouraging English writers to adopt the German language in order to avoid the scourge of idioms and linguistic drift."

I read Shakespeare in original.
I didn't use ChatGPT.
But I admit I had help writing it because being able to understand Shakespeare's English it's not the same as being able to write it fluently.

 

[Baztrachian]

Trivia: This is a rotary light switch from circa 1900. If you turn it one way the light comes on. If you turn it the other way the light goes off.



This is what people are actually referring to when they say they want to "Turn on/off a light".

 

[MillieDynamite]

Quoted!

Millennial. 1981 and later I think but don't quote me

 

[Robin_Starveling]

We all sort of know what "on the fly" means. I was unable to find any etymology on the idiom, but I suspect it could have originally been in reference to a bird of prey capturing lunch while in flight.

Not sure what you searched for exactly, but right-click and search Google gives you an instant Gemini reply:

AI Overview

The phrase "on the fly" comes from the mid-19th century, likely originating in American baseball to describe catching a ball hit into the air before it touches the ground. Its meaning evolved to describe doing something quickly, spontaneously, or without preparation, a usage that also has connections to the literal act of "flying" or an earlier meaning of "on the wing," such as shooting game birds in flight.

 

[TheLobster]

No clue what third degree you’re on about. Was there a murder?

Speaking as a millennial, albeit one born outside of US of A. I’d be curious to see the full context of the phrase; maybe it’s one you can figure out relatively easily.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Oh, I knew that!

Old, it makes you old.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

No clue what third degree you’re on about. Was there a murder?

Speaking as a millennial, albeit one born outside of US of A. I’d be curious to see the full context of the phrase; maybe it’s one you can figure out relatively easily.

We need a good etymology thread.

 

[Baztrachian]

Gems from the past that I have used in my stories:

"Yard ape" = men who work in shipyards circa 1930-1950
"Banana Oil" = the polite way to say bullshit circa 1920-1940
"Gams" = attractive female legs circa 1935-1950
"Anchor Clanker" = sailor circa 1930-1950
"Mugs" = generally refers to rough men circa 1935-1955
"Broads" = women circa 1925-1970
"Sorority" = any gathering of young women circa 1940-1960
"Sawbuck" = US $10
"Darkies" (contextual) = patronizing British term for dark skinned, generally lower caste people in India circa 1890-1980

 

[TheWritingGroup]

That's sort of my concern, since I also picked it up from old movies. I did as @Lumiere_Amie suggested and searched; found nothing close.

My specific usage is referencing harsh parental inquiry as to late-night activities (over 18, of course!)

Have a parent use the expression, as a marker of their age.

Millennial. 1981 and later I think but don't quote me

Sorry, but I had to take the dare and quote you.

--Annie

 

[ChuckWolf]

Could always say, "My parents have really been busting my balls over this thing".

 

[PennyThompson]

Could always say, "My parents have really been busting my balls over this thing".

I mean... it is a fairly untapped market...

 

[MrPixel]

Could always say, "My parents have really been busting my balls over this thing".

I mean... it is a fairly untapped market...

Where's the "pucker!" emoji?

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Gems from the past that I have used in my stories:

"Yard ape" = men who work in shipyards circa 1930-1950
"Banana Oil" = the polite way to say bullshit circa 1920-1940
"Gams" = attractive female legs circa 1935-1950
"Anchor Clanker" = sailor circa 1930-1950
"Mugs" = generally refers to rough men circa 1935-1955
"Broads" = women circa 1925-1970
"Sorority" = any gathering of young women circa 1940-1960
"Sawbuck" = US $10
"Darkies" (contextual) = patronizing British term for dark skinned, generally lower caste people in India circa 1890-1980

Yard ape is still used in the Navy, although probably not as commonly as it was in that era. When a ship is going in for a refit it gets handed over to the Yard Apes.
You also had Deck Apes, as opposed to the crew that worked below deck in the 1930s.

 

[MrPixel]

Not sure what you searched for exactly, but right-click and search Google gives you an instant Gemini reply:

AI Overview

I use neither Google nor AI, so there you have it, and it being both, I have zero faith in the veracity, anyway.

 

[Zootonius]

"I wasn't expecting the Spanish Inquisition!"