“All het up”is a phrase one doesn’t hear too often these days. You might hear your friends and family have occasional exchanges, where old-fashioned expressions get tossed into the mix and teasing ensues. Casual conversations often come to a halt because young and old alike have stopped further conversation after blurting out unfamiliar words or phrases. Some of them may have been out of circulation for decades and others are brand new.
This could be the best time to bring out the old tried and true “Here today, gone tomorrow.” What was popular yesterday (possibly even a decade ago) usually is resurrected suddenly.
Reading the historical accounts of life in the earliest days of Rio Blanco County can offer a few language lessons that remain relevant. If the Days Gone By column had not continued to appear from the newspaper archives, some of those old sayings would be sure to disappear. Last week’s editorial column speaks to that well. Outrageous Outrage addressed yet another form of digital danger threatening our collective mental health.
“The rest of us are left “all het up”with nowhere to go: an angry mob with pitchforks and torches, and no real monster in sight. “
The editor of the Rio Blanco Herald Times must be “in cahoots” with me these days, as my regular weekly contribution and her Editor’s Column sometimes touch on the same issues. Occasionally someone will ask if we planned to have these columns appear during the same edition. Could anyone really believe that childish method of checking with friends before making an important decision (at the middle school age, usually) when they want to dress exactly alike is being employed?
So many of us have gotten used to “getting a bee in our bonnets” or another silly saying, that we blurt out words that seem more aggressive that the situation actually requires. What started out out to be light, friendly discussion deteriorates quickly. Heeding the highway’s warnings to “watch for rocks” helps prevent accidents, maybe we need to heed the invisible warning signs: Watch for words.
By DOLLY VISCARDI
Special to the Herald Times
