Originally Posted by
FBinNY
Anyway, NCRs had a little bell that rang whenever you opened the draw, which is the genesis of the phrase "to ring up the sale" I sometimes wonder how many generations it'll take before that phrase disappears and is replaced with something more current. I doubt "I'll chirp up the sale" make it.
It will never disappear but people won't (and most already don't) know its origin. We still use many phrases that we know what they mean but few have any idea where they came from:
"Lock, stock and barrel"
"Three sheets to the wind"
"A flash in the pan"
"Being put through the wringer"
And of somewhat more recent vintage:
"Dial a phone"
"You sound like a broken record"
There are lots more.