( Midlife crisis: A result of sensing the passing of their own youth and the imminence of their old age.)
I bought a necker knob for the truck today. Also known as a brody knob, Suicide Knob, Granny Knob, or Steering Wheel Spinner. Suicide Knobs were widely popular, especially on the west coast of the US during the 1950s. Their primary use was on Hot Rods. The knob was used to spin the steering wheel, rapidly in one direction or the other, while accelerating, to cause the tire(s) to spin while rapidly whipping the car 180 degrees or half of a "doughnut". Hence the term "lay a brodie". In the 1950s and '60s "Pep Boys" offered a large variety of brodie knobs, with every conceivable theme, from "Candy Apple colored", "Product Logos", to "nude women," and everything in between. Some automobile dealerships used them for advertisements. They were useful when power steering was uncommon.
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