Last night my husband, who has Parkinson's and shakes badly, asked me to dial a number for him on his cell phone. Dial? I haven't seen a rotary phone in eons. But what else would you say? Punch it in for me. Button it for me. Dunno.

Got me to thinking about other retro words/phrases.

Put through the wringer is one. Bet you haven't used a wringer washer in decades (if ever), but it's a great expression for being in a tight squeeze. After which, you were hung out to dry.

Speaking of squeeze, being tied to your mother's apron strings might be a bit difficult these days, when everyone wears the pants in the family.

How about my dance card is full for being all booked up? And booked up itself another retro expression. Goes right along with pencil someone in for an appointment or date (with the implication that it could be erased and changed).

There are a lot of expressions related to transportation: asleep at the switch from railroading; let's get cranking from the time cars had to be cranked by hand to start (I remember my father cranking while I pulled/pushed the choke); I guess full steam ahead refers to watergoing vessels before the age of diesel; and push the panic button for bailing out of WWII aircraft.

And I still talk about being unable to get out of first gear on those mornings when I'm so tired I'm sleepwalking. Where are the clutch and the gearshift?

Beam me up, Scotty.