From the "Adults Say the Darnedest Things" Dept.

[damont]

I mused about this at church a while back, and it re-occurred to me this morning. A very large fraction of people I know refer to decaffeinated coffee (and sometimes to decaf tea as well) as "unleaded."

This slang usage appears to have come into being in the late 1960s or early 1970s, when unleaded gasoline entered the market as a result of anti-pollution legislation. By the time my child was born it was nearly impossible to find gasoline WITH tetraethyl lead in it. Thus, my generation is the last in the USA to have actually encountered leaded gas. My kid's generation seems to have picked up the usage... but I wonder just how we'll manage to explain the term to the babies of today once they're old enough to ask.

Comments

[page-of-swords.livejournal.com]

Sorry one after you. Last phased out in early 80's.

Talk about octane and valve stem seals.

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

Folks who remember the early 80s are still my generation for the purpose of this post; note the "By the time my child was born" line above.

[dragonazure.livejournal.com]

Just tell them "unleaded" means "not made in China".

[zephyrofgod.livejournal.com]

I talk about high octane, but occasionally, I'll ask for something leaded. (KC did have a few places that carried the tablets and being a bit of an armchair motorhead as a kid, I knew where to get them.)

I don't know we'll be able to explain the term. I can't seem to do that with my students.

[luscious-purple.livejournal.com]

At my church, in addition to "unleaded" for decaf, we often say "high test" to refer to regular caffeinated coffee. Do most people still say "high test" to refer to premium gasoline, or is that another phrase going the way of the typewriter and slide rule?

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

I know lots of folks who still use "high test" for premium, of pretty much all age ranges. That one will probably be around as long as we have premium fuel. And yes, I know lots of folks who use the term for regular caffeinated coffee. (Though not for regular caffeinated soft drinks. In the fizzy beverage world, "high test" appears reserved for Jolt, or anything higher in caffeine than Jolt.)

[cellio]

I figure "unleaded" is safe until sometime after "clockwise" stops conveying meaning...

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

Analog clocks are still sold in the US and Canada, last I checked...

[iestynapmwg.livejournal.com]

I encountered "leaded" gas as recently as the early '90s... My brother and i were sharing one of those '70s boat-like cars and each expected the other to put gas in it. Needless to say, we ran out and had to call AAA one day. The next day smoke started pouring from the back seat while we were driving... The local fire department ripped it out and it turned out that the catalytic converter had overheated and started melting the bottom of the rear seat, The overheating was due to the dodgy gas the rescue truck had used the day before -- it seems catalytic converters can't handle leaded gas!

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

Good frickin' grief!!! We'd known about that problem for at least 20 years by then; catalytic converters were the reason USA automobiles *SWITCHED* to unleaded gas back in the 1970s. (US based manufacturers started with the 1974 model year.) That fire was lawyer bait -- actionable negligence on the part of the rescue truck. I'm glad you all *survived*!