A senior citizen is sometimes called a golden ager.

"What was he before he became a Golden Ager?"

The 20th century brought "senior citizen," "golden ager" and "Third Age."

'Golden Ager ... is that what I am?'

The use of the euphemistic "senior citizen" and "golden ager" is a symptom of a great dis-ease with older people that is prevalent in our society.

"Senior citizen" conjures up images of pinochle and rocking chairs, they say, and they don't see that much golden about being a golden ager.

All of it goes about twenty-five bucks for most people, but the state pays half if you're over sixty-five - part of the California Golden Ager programme.'

As a result, we're continually devising names for the old that avoid the O-word itself: "senior citizen" and "seasoned citizen," "golden ager" and "silver fox," "mature American" and "retired person" - not to mention forthrightly negative terms like "geezer" and "biddy."

This gaudy consumption did not bother Lenny in the least; he bought recycled Diamond motor oil from Sonny jackett in the five-gallon economy size, and he always made sure that Sonny deducted ten per cent ... his Golden Ager discount.