31 December 2023

jalopy

It is not a word I hear used as much today as back in the 20th century, but “jalopy” is an informal term used to describe an old, run-down car. 

The origin of jalopy is unconfirmed, but the earliest written use that has been found was in 1924. It is possible that the longshoremen in New Orleans referred to the scrapped autos destined for scrapyards in Xalapa, Mexico. Xalapa is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and is alternative spelled as pronounced as Jalapa as with the letter J as in English.

This term emerged in American slang during the 1920s and has since been used to describe worn-down automobiles.

Today, a car that is often old and damaged and is in a barely functional state might be referred to as a jalopy, beater, clunker, hooptie, old banger (UK), but the most commonly as just a junk car


This 1961 Rambler American convertible would qualify as a jalopy.

03 November 2023

Walk of Life


What is the meaning and origin of the idiom "from all walks of life"?  When people talk about walk(s) of life, they are referring to different types of jobs and different levels of society. "The club has members from all walks of life."

The phrase "people from all walks of life" is often used informally to convey that a group of people consists of individuals from diverse backgrounds and occupations. It can also bring to mind the idea that people from all socioeconomic classes and ways of living are represented

OED's earliest evidence for "walk of life" is from 1733, in the writing of Eustace Budgell.

But why is it a "walk" of life? I found no explanation. My guess would be that each life is a journey and walking is one, especially in the 1700s, way of moving through the day and your life. 


24 October 2023

Collective Soul


Collective Soul - 2016 in Camden, New Jersey  Link

Collective Soul is an American rock band that consists of the brothers Ed (lead vocalist) and Dean Roland (rhythm guitarist), Will Turpin (bassist), Johnny Rabb (drummer), and Jesse Triplett (lead guitarist). Formed in 1992, the original lineup consisted of the Roland brothers, Turpin, guitarist Ross Childress, and drummer Shane Evans. 

In 1993, Roland's song "Shine" from the Rising Storm label release of Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid became an underground hit and created a new band lineup.

Ed Roland was reading Ayn Rand's novel The Fountainhead and came across the phrase "collective soul." In the novel, "collective soul" is a threat to the main character's sense of individualism. Roland has said that the choice was not in support of "Ayn Rand, objectivism, egoism, or anything...we just dug the name."