Home » PSA: The Word ‘Flick’ Is Dangerous In All-Caps: Cold Start

PSA: The Word ‘Flick’ Is Dangerous In All-Caps: Cold Start

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I feel like I’ve talked a lot about typography this week but it’s an important thing, and if you don’t believe me, then just look up there at that old 1949 Hillman Minx ad. Sure, a light-touch gearshift is a great thing! If it works with the mere action of a fingertip, that’s fantastic, so why not tout it? Why not come up with an alliterative name that conveys the very idea of this easy finger-actuation! With word that implies a cavalier, easy finger motion – flick! Finger-Flick! It’s perfect, right? Well, maybe. Until you write it in all caps, in which case I think even the Pope himself is just going to read that as FINGER FUCK and giggle, into his vestments.

Here’s the full page:

Vidframe Min Top
Vidframe Min Bottom

Cs Minx Ad

That Opticurve windshield sounds kinda hot, too.

The Minx was a funny dowdy little car; this look was new for 1949 and was fairly up-to-date with enclosed-fender pontoon styling – in fact, it’s a Raymond Loewy design! These were popular little economy cars, and made all of 37 hp from their 1265cc engines, so I don’t think you’d have trouble seeing one because of them whizzing by too fast.

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But did no one look at this ad from, like five feet away? Did these places not routinely pull in like a dozen 13 year-old boys to review things and see what made them giggle? Is that not a common practice in the industry? It should be.

Because if there’s a human alive who doesn’t look at this ad and stifle a giggle at Finger-Fuck Gearshift, I haven’t met them. And maybe I don’t want to.

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Old Hippie
Old Hippie
1 year ago

I had the pleasure of visiting Fiji some years back. In November, the Christmas decorations hit the stores–of which there are several on every block of every town, and quite a few in between. Fiji speaks BBC English, among other languages, so what we’d call “Christmas lights” are “Flicking lights”.

Keeping a straight face while walking down a street lined with signs announcing that “WE HAVE YOUR FUCKING LIGHTS!” and “FUCKING LIGHTS ARE HERE!” wasn’t easy.

Of course, trying to keep a straight face in a country where everyone sounds like a Monty Python player wasn’t that easy, either.

Andy Individual
Andy Individual
1 year ago
Reply to  Old Hippie

I think it was supposed to be fuckering lights.

Old Hippie
Old Hippie
1 year ago

Nope. For reasons beyond my ken, it’s Flicking Lights. I have a picture somewhere….

Double Wide Harvey Park
Double Wide Harvey Park
1 year ago

You’re thinking of Fuckering Heights, the romantic novel by Kate Bush.

Not Sure
Not Sure
1 year ago
Reply to  Old Hippie

Brilliant story. And now for something completely different…

Old Hippie
Old Hippie
1 year ago
Reply to  Not Sure

I was actually asked by a vendor “What, you don;t want to ‘aggle?” That really capped off the Monty Python feel.

If you ever have the chance, BTW, visit Fiji. Beautiful islands, wonderful people–even if they do sound like MPPs.

Christopher Pohle
Christopher Pohle
1 year ago
Reply to  Old Hippie

Oh man I love the South Pacific islands. Fiji was my most recent, but I spent a significant amount of time in French Polynesia, Cook Islands, and Tonga as a kid. Probably my favorite part of the world

Ron
Ron
1 year ago

When I was a kid, I always giggled at the end credits of “Barney Miller” who had a producer named Theodore Flicker. They used an all-caps handwritten font, and yep. Same thing.

Mark Tucker
Mark Tucker
1 year ago

So what I’m seeing is that this car can’t get you all the way home. It always stops at third base.

DriveSheSaid
DriveSheSaid
1 year ago

The solution is proper KERNING! USE IT!

Ron
Ron
1 year ago
Reply to  DriveSheSaid

Keming!

Grey alien in a beige sedan
Grey alien in a beige sedan
1 year ago
Reply to  Ron

This guy gets it!

Jesus Chrysler drives a Dodge
Jesus Chrysler drives a Dodge
1 year ago
Reply to  DriveSheSaid

Favorite poorly kerned sign: note taped to a credit card terminal at the supermarket checkout (the kind with a wired stylus for a digitized signature): PENIS BROKEN. USE FINGER.

Not Sure
Not Sure
1 year ago

“Massage The rapist”?

Someone should burn that business to the ground.

Last edited 1 year ago by Not Sure
Jesus Chrysler drives a Dodge
Jesus Chrysler drives a Dodge
1 year ago

Is that traffic cop demonstrating how to FINGER FLICK?

OverlandingSprinter
OverlandingSprinter
1 year ago

If one believes the FLICKS in all caps was an intentional double entendre, which I do, the rest of the ad copy contains other naughty references. I envision it was a boring day at the ad agency Biggles & Broadstreet, and the copywriters wanted to see how far they could go before being called out for their randy references.

3WiperB
3WiperB
1 year ago

Many years ago, a previous priest at our church did a nice movie night thing for parents and kids to come watch a movie in the fellowship center. He came up with a logo with a bold, all caps, block letter font and called it “FRIDAY FLICKS WITH FATHER“. It looked fine when it was large, but sometimes they shrunk it down in the church bulletin, making it look really, really bad. I think quite a few people noticed it, but no-one really brought it up and it ran that way for years. Years! And now I’m probably going to hell for mentioning it and for previously laughing to myself every time I saw it.

Col Lingus
Col Lingus
1 year ago

Should have tried Finger Shag shifter?

Dale Mitchell
Dale Mitchell
1 year ago

You should always wear your optigrab glasses when driving with an opticurve windshield.
(the innovation that earned Steve Martin’s character his first fortune in ‘The Jerk’)

MAX FRESH OFF
MAX FRESH OFF
1 year ago
Reply to  Dale Mitchell

Just like the tie rods on a ’72 Buick!

Rusty S Trusty
Rusty S Trusty
1 year ago

Buy one of these and you’ll finger FLICK all the way to the top…gear.

Doug
Doug
1 year ago

this, and the comments.. best yet

Not Sure
Not Sure
1 year ago

I have to believe someone did that intentionally.
It’s like naming a restaurant “Phở Q”.
Somebody noticed it and giggled before not putting a stop to it.

Last edited 1 year ago by Not Sure
Knowonelse
Knowonelse
1 year ago
Reply to  Not Sure

We have a restaurant near here named, “Phở King”. And of course they advertise Phở King Good food! And it meets the advertising.

Not Sure
Not Sure
1 year ago
Reply to  Knowonelse

There’s a “Phở Kim” and a “Phở Quỳnhin” where I live.

Last edited 1 year ago by Not Sure
Andrew Wyman
Andrew Wyman
1 year ago
Reply to  Knowonelse

We have a Phở King as well. It’s not my favorite Phở, but it is passable. They definitely enjoy the advertising from it.

Grey alien in a beige sedan
Grey alien in a beige sedan
1 year ago
Reply to  Knowonelse

Just like how I buy my furniture at Sofa King… Their prices are Sofa King low!

Andy Individual
Andy Individual
1 year ago
Reply to  Knowonelse

We has a Phở King nearby for a while too. There’s a long standing place in town called the King’s Noodle. I think it only exists to bring out the adolescent in me.

Josh Ashby
Josh Ashby
1 year ago
Reply to  Knowonelse

Keene NH?

Knowonelse
Knowonelse
1 year ago
Reply to  Josh Ashby

Auburn California

David Smith
David Smith
1 year ago
Reply to  Not Sure

There’s a bar down the road from me called “Dick’s Halfway Inn”.

Cayde-6
Cayde-6
1 year ago
Reply to  Not Sure

You mean like that furniture shop called Sofa King, and their slogan, “Our Prices Are Sofa King Low!”?

Cheap Bastard
Cheap Bastard
1 year ago

I read it as “finger flick gearshift ” and thought its perfect for tailgaters.

Loren
Loren
1 year ago

In eighth grade I was actually suspended from my absurd religious school for writing FLICK in my all-caps comic-strip style in a poem about what a mean girl did with her boogers. Somehow they figured that “pick” and “f*ck” would have made sense in a rhyme. I had never used the F word in my life but would spitefully make it a regular habit after that. F*CK F*CK F*CK lol.

Col Lingus
Col Lingus
1 year ago
Reply to  Loren

I got in trouble for telling my teacher to suck a rock! I think she had a hearing disability.

Citrus
Citrus
1 year ago

It is very apropos that this is an ad for a Minx.

Andy Individual
Andy Individual
1 year ago
Reply to  Citrus

If Ford hadn’t trademarked Cougar…

Stacks
Stacks
1 year ago

Never verified it personally, but I always heard that the word FLICK was banned by the old comics code for exactly this reason.

Ranwhenparked
Ranwhenparked
1 year ago

So, did some of Rootes Group’s ad people go to work for Disney later, or was it the other way around?

OSpazX
OSpazX
1 year ago

As a “gentleman” in his 50’s, I don’t think they needed 13 year olds to look at the poster. If that poster was created by a man, and back then it was, it doesn’t matter how old he was at the time, he purposefully put “FLICK”.

A. Barth
A. Barth
1 year ago

Ages ago I did a similar double-take with a video store poster for one of Mr. Eastwood’s movies: it said CLINT.

Frankencamry
Frankencamry
1 year ago
Reply to  A. Barth

I wonder if you could rent it at the MEGAFLICKS video store?

Cheap Bastard
Cheap Bastard
1 year ago
Reply to  Frankencamry

Those tapes are in the back.

A. Barth
A. Barth
1 year ago
Reply to  Cheap Bastard

“Everybody’s hugging!” – Ralph Wiggum

Not Sure
Not Sure
1 year ago
Reply to  A. Barth

*in my best Ralph Wiggum voice*

*responding to my mother’s question about what I learned about in school today*

A frican elephant.

Droid
Droid
1 year ago
Reply to  A. Barth

ya, a dozen years ago i left a handwritten note for one of my engineers to come to staff meeting, supplier flew into a rage when she saw my note addressed to CLINT…

Beasy Mist
Beasy Mist
1 year ago
Reply to  A. Barth

Reminds me of this: https://imgur.com/UnV2hmd

El Barto
El Barto
1 year ago
Reply to  A. Barth

I used to work as a video editor at a TV network in NZ and there was a sportscaster named Clint who was a PITA to work with in the edit suite. No surprise that he was known as CLINT around the place…

Cool Dave
Cool Dave
1 year ago

Well they’re not gonna FLICK themselves!

Droid
Droid
1 year ago
Reply to  Cool Dave

they can, if they go to the self-service portal at GOFLICKYOURSELF.com

Larry B
Larry B
1 year ago

Since we’re going down this path… what the hell is the cop signaling??

...getstoneyII
...getstoneyII
1 year ago
Reply to  Larry B

I believe he is demonstrating the difference between stink and pink.

Chris Stevenson
Chris Stevenson
1 year ago
Reply to  Larry B

“Check out my new hand!”

Data
Data
1 year ago
Reply to  Larry B

I pledge allegiance to the flag…

A. Barth
A. Barth
1 year ago
Reply to  Larry B

He’s telling one car [out of frame] to stop while he directs the saucy Minx to go through.

Stacks
Stacks
1 year ago
Reply to  Larry B

Dead ball I think?

Rusty S Trusty
Rusty S Trusty
1 year ago
Reply to  Larry B

He’s in the process of touching the tip of his thumb to the tip of his pointer finger on his left hand to simulate a hole which he will then stick the outstretched finger on his right hand into, obviously.

Mr. Frick
Mr. Frick
1 year ago

Now I want to “FLICK MY BIC”

Canopysaurus
Canopysaurus
1 year ago

SMH, TGIF.

Rafael
Rafael
1 year ago

Not only I’m uncultured enough to giggle at it, now I’m wondering how the hell a Finger Fuck ™ gear shift pattern would work!

Ian MacDonald
Ian MacDonald
1 year ago
Reply to  Rafael

The gear number is selected by using the coresponding number of fingers.

The smaller hole below is for reverse.

Sorry.

IRegertNothing, Esq.
IRegertNothing, Esq.
1 year ago
Reply to  Rafael

I guess it depends on if your car is a boy or a girl.

Maymar
Maymar
1 year ago
Reply to  Rafael
...getstoneyII
...getstoneyII
1 year ago
Reply to  Rafael

You gotta shift it into reverse before going into a different forward gear.

Rad Barchetta
Rad Barchetta
1 year ago
Reply to  Rafael

Well, it’s pretty sloppy and you spend a lot of time hunting for the right spot, I can tell you that.

MaximillianMeen
MaximillianMeen
1 year ago
Reply to  Rafael

Well, if you think of the shifter as the finger, there are videos on the internet that will demonstrate it for you, uhh, or so I have been told.

Rafael
Rafael
1 year ago

Oh, I’ll look into that (for research purposes for a friend)

SageWestyTulsa
SageWestyTulsa
1 year ago

This is quality automotive journalism, Torch. Never change.

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