"Back in the day..."
Not sure if our friends across the pond ever use/used this saying but we hear it a lot here in the US. "Back in the day...", I heard some 30 something guy say it not long ago. It made me laugh because, I thought... what could he be reminiscing about that was relevant to the saying, "back in the day." Here in the US, it's meant that things were simpler, no technology, riding in the back of the truck bed, your seat belt was your mom or dad's arm across your chest, playing outside til dark, finding things to explore, sports games with neighborhood kids in some dirt field... To hear someone that has grown up with computers, cell phones, a better car at 16 than their parents drove until they were in their 30's. I'm pretty sure, they don't have a clue what "back in the day" really means.
So, for all you 50+ people here, what does "back in the day" mean to you? Mind you, I'm pushing 70!
Not sure if our friends across the pond ever use/used this saying but we hear it a lot here in the US. "Back in the day...",
Never heard it said on this side of the pond!
Sure, I've heard it though I'd associate it with more likely to be said to the west of the Atlantic than here in the UK. One of many sayings that don't seem to be universally used in international English, although they often are understood well enough. It certainly means to me what you said Andy; no seatbelts, playing outside until dark...... I'd say that I am more likely to hear - 'when I/we were younger/kids, when I was growing up/at school/ starting work...
Another saying - do we look back at former times 'through rose-tinted glasses'?
Back in the Day To me, it conjures up memories of different things depending on who I am talking to and about.
If talking to someone about the little electric cars that parents buy for their children, I would say, back in the day, we would go up and down the alley, finding parts to build a go cart. Cost us nothing but time and ingenuity.
I actually had a Schwin Stingray. Again it was built from parts found in alleys. Back in the day, you would patch a flat on an inter tube.
Nowadays, we talking to people in the A/V world where everything is computerized and people specialize in different aspects of the industry, I say, back in the day, you had to know how to do everything from sound to light to video. Usually the worse thing that would happen is a lamp blowing in the middle of a presentation or someone slide melting. Now, there are so many things that can go wrong to kill a show I wont even mention them. And most guys will just say, Im the lighting guy, I dont do video.
Andy, Im sure you have seen a lot of changes on how ships are run or how firehouses have changed. Not only with procedures but also the acceptance of women on the crews. Did you every think you would see the day, back in the day?
Ah, yes...back in the day! Back in the day, I also had a Schwinn Stingray! No training wheels...I specifically did not want them! Pretty well fit with my Dad's thoughts on the matter, too! The beginnings of learning that choices have consequences, whether good or bad. No video game "reloads" back then! My Dad also told me about baseball cards in the spokes. I never was interested in baseball cards, but found that a piece of a plastic margarine lid worked like a charm! It was easy to cut out with my pocket knife, too...another part of learning by reality "back in the day"!
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