We know that's a train car in the first panel. I wonder if that will always be so obvious. We still have "old" in the vernacular to mean a form of endearment or possession. That's using the old bean. Has nothing to do with the actual meaning, which would confuse the non-native speaker.
I'm sure the dislike of public speaking hasn't abated, but with the decline of social clubs, there's not as much of it. Men need not fear the testimony at the banquet.
