'Retro Talk': Cultural References Mystify Young

NPR Talk of the Nation, March 10, 2009

When Ralph Keyes heard Neal Conan and a guest joking about a reference to Captain Kirk and whether anyone understood it anymore, he emailed TOTN.

Keyes wrote a book called I Love It When You Talk Retro. He knows what's behind all kinds of "retroterms," from cootie to scuttlebutt. When we use these terms, it's with the assumption that everyone understands. However, that's not always true.

Cootie, for example, is a word for lice that originated as soldier slang in World War I. Keyes takes a look at the stories behind the allusions that have — so far — stood the test of time.