they don't make them like they used to
they don't make them like they used to
Products these days are made in a cheaper, poorer, or less reliable way than they used to be in the past. "Make them" is often spoken and written colloquially as "make 'em." The car my grandfather used to drive was like a tank, but these modern ones crumple if you breathe on them too strongly. They don't make 'em like they used to. I miss the visceral practical effects of horror and sci-fi films from the 80s—they just don't make them like they used to.
See also: like, make, used
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
They don't make them like they used to.
Cliché Goods are not as well made now as they were in the past. (Often used as a catchphrase. Them is often 'em.) Look at this flimsy door! They don't make 'em like they used to. Why don't cars last longer? They just don't make 'em like they used to.
See also: like, make, used
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
- enough said
- off form
- household
- household name
- a household name
- a household name/word
- have known better days
- have seen/known better days
- cast-iron
- can take (something) to the bank