Those who complain about Legos have never stepped on these in the dark…
And how many remember playing these as teenagers??? And did you use ‘body’ English??? 😉
And bonus points if you know what these are!
Nobody Asked Me…
Veritas nos liberabit
Those who complain about Legos have never stepped on these in the dark…
And how many remember playing these as teenagers??? And did you use ‘body’ English??? 😉
And bonus points if you know what these are!
I think they go into pants legs to keep them unwrinkled and make the side creases sharp.
I’ve not stepped on either the mini-caltrops in your photo, nor a Lego, and I would just as soon skip the experience.
mini caltrops- Ha!
🙂
Yes, yes, and yes.
Stepped on Legos in dark – yes, jacks nope. I can only imagine the pain.
Pinball – yes, when body English was applied, store owner was a bit upset about that. I was okay, but my friend was awesome. Always attracted female onlookers, which I took full advantage of.
Did not recognize the bottom photo, you got me there.
I remember “jacks”. A good hand-eye coordination game.
Pinball in the casual bar at Undergraduate Pilot Training consumed many of my quarters. In the 1970’s those games were a staple at Air Force O’Club casual bars.
Yep, slack leg maintainers (for want of a better word).
Pants stretchers. To keep that sharp crease in your trousers. Still have a couple somewhere. And pinball — of course! And I fondly remember the pinball machines at Wold-Chamberlin airport in Minneapolis in the late ’40s — used to play them while waiting for my dad to come in.
The ball wasn’t so bad, but the caltrops, I mean jacks, hurt like the dickens. Almost as bad as goat’s head burrs – in some ways worse… Yes, used ‘body English but had to be careful not to invoke “tilt!” And metal pants stretchers for the bonus round…
Tom, you are the first person outside of family that I’ve heard call them goat-heads. Thats what we called them. Never used burrs, those were stickers.
Now grass burrs…. ye gods. I hate those things. And we have them here by the bushel. Like homing treble hooks. They get in the wash, and suddenly you are jumping up when you sit down on one in the seam of your britches!!!!
I just read your reply, STxAR – and laughed, especially at the reference to washing jeans with sand burrs on them and the painful consequences.
As I think I’ve said before, you and I seem to have travelled some of the same paths in previous years. Got introduced to goat heads wandering around the north and west Texas countryside as a kid in the 50’s and 60’s, along with those big red ants that I think have been pretty much obliterated by the fire ant invasion. Along with, as I Understand it, much of the horny toad population, among other factors.
By the way, in my mind, the only thing worse than sand burrs and goat heads is getting nailed by ‘jumping’ cholla!
Goats-head thorns (AKA Puncturevine) was endemic around San Jose in Cali. I had a bicycle that was a magnet for the beasties, the worst being when I ran over a patch of the thorns.
There was a plastic strip that folks used between the tire and the inner tube. The thorns took that as a challenge. Got a bit creative with my speech when I had to clean up that mess, and replaced the tire, tube and plastic strip…
I suspect the majority of our site visitors are old enough to know about all three of those….and more.
Body English, yes. I hated the machines that tilted too easily.
It took several quarters to learn where the “tilt point” was. The Student Union in college had a particularly “loose” machine. One memorable time I had run-up several free games, unfortunately, I had to go to class and handed over the free games to the lucky guy next in line.
I’ll see your jacks and Lego blocks, and raise you a d4 (four sided die).
I’ve played older pinball games. Neat stuff. Newer ones often incorporate electronics which… can be good or bad.
I didn’t even recognize the third image. 😀
My grandfather wore denim overalls when he worked as a plant electrician at Monsanto in Springfield, MA, and then wore them every day after retirement until he became infirm. My grandmother put those in every pair with light starch on laundry day. He looked sharp and ready for work every morning. Today is actually his birthday, he would be 108. He passed in 2005.
Happy Birthday in Heaven, Papa.
Carpet caltrops were especially good at hiding in shag carpet.
Body english was the only way to go with the older machines. The newer ones shut down if you actually play the game right.
Not a clue.
But two out of three ain’t bad.
“Carpet Caltrops” yikes – According to my older sibs I have memories of while I was VERY young – as early as 6 weeks old in one case and about 4 mo old in another, but we did have DEEP pile shag rugs in the house I grew up in and although we did not play jacks the visiting cousins did, and OWWCH I can remember hitting those things while I was crawling on my forearms. I can also remember my cognitive processes being very visual, using images of objects, people and animals even though I had no words for them.
Yes on all.
If you are wondering if I am old, see if you can make a guess with one little hint. (I flew in P2V’s with VP-10
Not VP-10 it was VP-1
Richard, I too was in P-2’s, in VP-1. Did you transition to P-3’s with us?
I used the stretchers with my Jr ROTC kaki uniforms in high school. Mom (single Mom, working two jobs) said “If you want to do ROTC fine, but YOU do your uniforms.”
No, I left the good old USN in 66 but for a while I did miss the old two turnin two burnin
The only thing I ever saw the stretchers used for was to starch khaki trousers.
I saw a P2V once, at the air park at Cecil Field.
I wonder what happened to it.
I actually got a tour in one at NAS Memphis in ‘74. The Reserve outfit there had them at the time. VP-67 IIRC.
Off topic rant removed.
I played pin-ball when you got five balls for a nickel and the machines were all mechanical – no electronics.
Used to win a bit of money before school on those pinball machines. Those, and the video poker machines (I graduated in 1983). Gambling was, and is, illegal in Tennessee, but this is Robertson County. Not the same as being able to say “THIS IS SPARTA!!1!!” but we don’t much pay attention to what’s legal and what isn’t.
All- LOL, never thought about carpet caltrops, but that’s what those damned things were!!! EMdfl- I started on those, but right as they transitioned to the ‘electronic’ version that went up to a quarter… sigh
I found the pants stretchers my Mom used on my Dad’s work uniforms in the attic after my Dad passed. Those bad boys got donated. I have to wonder if the donations place knew what they were.
The second reminds me of the Who’s Tommy & the Pinball Wizard
None of you guys must have had daughters. Nothing beats a Barbie shoe for foot pain especially the high heels. They are a whole league ahead of Jacks or Legos.
Husband swore up and down the bottom items were NOT Pants-stretchers but Sleeve stretchers. (Guess he never had to mess around with an Army Man’s Trousers… or USAF Man’s slacks for that matter. “Modern Marines” (he joined in ’79) must have had it EASY! PS-Dad was USAF, so was Mom and her Dad was 1stCav/Supply/Other. Me? USAF who followed her grandad’s advice. Sorta. I found a Marine but THEN I got into trouble. Told me I did it backwards. >>evil grin<<
Free- No idea…
Francis- Oh..yeah!
.45- I did, but they also didn’t get Barbies… LOL
Suisan- Snort… There might be a smaller set for sleeves, but those ARE for pants. My mother used them on my jeans for years. You served, thank you!