Traffic boners are on the way out!, October 2, 1939
8mon 18d ago by lemmy.world/u/GraniteM in vintageads@sh.itjust.works
From LIFE Magazine
I read everything in that pic and I still have no idea wtf they are talking about.
They’re mad that people are bad drivers
Same
Boner used to be used as "accident"
More generally, “blunder” or “mistake.”
There are a lot of old comics that used “boner” in this way. See Joker’s boner as a classic hilarious example.
A local radio station has a morning show segment called "boner of the day," which presents three idiots and the hosts pick one (or maybe a caller, I forget) to "win". They're usually people from the news (like Florida man) doing something incredibly dumb or messing up hard.
They're trying to get you to put a Shell Gasoline sticker on your car under the guise of "promoting responsible driving."
It seemed like the gist was:
Everyone please do your part to keep traffic moving so everyone can stay in the highest gear for optimum fuel efficiency. But when you must inevitably stop, a Shell station is here for you to top off your gas tank. And hey, put a Shell sticker on your car to give us free advertising.
Boners are out. Swell.
Heh... he said boner
Boners out for Har—
It’s really a shame none of these boners have gotten better
In high school I used to wake up to this morning show that had a Boner of the Day segment, and I love it whenever I spot the old-fashioned use of the word "boner" now.
I also recently set my alarm clock back to that radio station for nostalgia. They're all still there, still doing the Boner of the Day.
"Saaaaay... what's the BIG IDEA?"
Boners, pal. Traffic boners.
traffic-snarling boners pulled by screwdrivers
Spoiler alert: People still get boners while driving, especially on bumpy roads.