6) Scaramouche

Most of us only know it from the Queen song, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” but it means a cowardly person. The term was once a mainstay in the theater to describe an unscrupulous servant character.

Via/ Wiki Commons

7) Curling Papers

To get the perfect curl, before bobby pins or rollers were common, ladies would use curling papers with their curling iron to protect the hair from getting burned. Early curling irons were heated on a stove or over a fire and were exceptionally hot, thus requiring some preventative measures in order to save one’s hair and the paper served to protect a lady’s hair. People back in the 1800s did not have a bevy of paper products at their disposal like we do today and so these papers were a special accoutrement.

Via/ Internet Archive
Via/ Wiki Commons

8) Horsefeathers

You may have seen the 1932 film of the same name featuring the Marx Brothers. The term is a response to an untrue statement since horses don’t have feathers. Horsefeathers first was used in the ’20s and became popular in the ’30.

The phrase is a polite term for a another, less gentile term!

Via/ Wiki Commons

9) White Bucks

If you can remember wearing these shoes then you’ll also remember that the trend for these all white buckskin oxfords faded pretty quickly after around 1960. Saddle shoes were often the more popular choice, but for a time white bucks were the thing to wear!

Via/ eBay

10) Ox-gall

Today it’s likely that only artists will know this one! This compound, traditionally derived from cows, is use today to help watercolors flow nicely onto paper. But, once upon a time the substance was used in a variety of formulations for household and business (like ox-gall soap) since it contains acids and fats.

Via/ Library of Congress
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