View Full Version : Word play. How do you say ? in your home...
OK everybody, lets have a little fun!!! :) I'm talking, word play. i.e. (How people say things, like, words, in your home/life). I love the subtle variations (differences) people use when naming or referring to things, like "fridge" or "refrigerator". Here are a few of mine.
Fridge instead of refrigerator.
Coffee instead of java.
Pants instead of slacks.
Pop instead of soda.
Dishcloth instead of dish rag.
How about you? What are yours?
Hmmm...don't know if we have any currently. But when I was growing up my parents used to refer to milk as "moo juice" when they were pouring us a glass to drink.
Thought of one...we refer to our dogs as "dummies" as in, "Dummies, want to go outside?" They enthusiastically race to the door in response, so apparently they recognize that it is a term of endearment.
Thought of one...we refer to our dogs as "dummies" as in, "Dummies, want to go outside?" They enthusiastically race to the door in response, so apparently they recognize that it is a term of endearment.
Our dog, Bandit, has about 50 different names or combinations thereof. I'm guessing he keys off of the inflection and subject rather than the names... but he does respond each time ;)
I say "cup measure" instead of measuring cup. I think my mom said it that way.
We refer to our birds' food as "curcur" because that's what our bird Pablo calls it.
Any dinner with pasta is called "noodly bizness."
Any gooey casserole with rice is called "goo."
We use the Russian word for "clean," which is "cheesty."
bag instead of sack
pop instead of soda
couch instead of any of the other words
gaunchies instead of gautchies or gotch
Any dinner with pasta is called "noodly bizness."
I am so going to steal this - that is hilarious!!!
early morning
7-13-11, 9:44pm
we say bag, pop, couch, fridge, kleenex (for any disposable tissue), dishrag, washrag. We abound with whatyamacallits, whatzits, and thingamajigs. And nobody has boobs, they have gibbles. I have NO IDEA why, but our entire extended family on my mom's side says it. Anything stirred into a skillet with eggs is glop. Annoying people are twignaps. And when we don't really care one way or another (as in, do you care if we go to the movies tomorrow?) we say "may as well, can't dance!"
I used to hoover when I was growing up in England, but now I only vacuum.
I still mash or brew the tea sometimes, although I usually just let it steep.
And I still refer to any cringe-worthy fashion, architecture or social mis-step as naff, although I've been told by people outside my hometown that I'm misusing the word.
Sometimes one of my staff gets proper mardy: I should really tell her she's just being whiny and childish.
I still think of fish and chips even when eating chips and salsa.
I wash my face with a facecloth but DH always uses a washcloth.
I use washing up liquid, but he uses dish detergent.
I put out the rubbish, but he puts out the trash.
I load up the boot, but he loads up the trunk.
And many, many more . . . . :)
Mangano's Gold
7-13-11, 10:33pm
People call soda "pop"? hehe. That is funny. Sounds like a 1950's commercial to me.
In my household we call the vacuum a "zzzz" (for Canadians, that doesn't sound like "zeta zeta zeta", but more like a bumblebee). When my oldest child was a baby/toddler he referred to it as "zzzz", and even as he began to fully talk he would still call it the "zzzzzz", so now I call it a "zzzzzz".
I used to hoover when I was growing up in England, but now I only vacuum.
I still mash or brew the tea sometimes, although I usually just let it steep.
And I still refer to any cringe-worthy fashion, architecture or social mis-step as naff, although I've been told by people outside my hometown that I'm misusing the word.
Sometimes one of my staff gets proper mardy: I should really tell her she's just being whiny and childish.
I still think of fish and chips even when eating chips and salsa.
I wash my face with a facecloth but DH always uses a washcloth.
I use washing up liquid, but he uses dish detergent.
I put out the rubbish, but he puts out the trash.
I load up the boot, but he loads up the trunk.
And many, many more . . . . :)
Two I recently heard were 'pants' for saying something is really bad. And Whingeing for someone who is whining.
There are some words that are supposed to be "American" and others that are British, but apparently I don't know the difference on some: I say tap or faucet, either one. I say, sofa, couch. Basement/cellar, sack/bag, soda/pop, cupboard/shelf, frosting/icing, railway/railroad, Fall/autumn, curse/swear/cuss. Just some. Apparently there are some that are embarrassing blunders also.
WorldFoodie
7-14-11, 12:38am
Interesting BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/14130942?SThisFB article on this today. Wrenches and spanners, who knew?
Not really quite the same but funny. I really had no idea that the "R" was so hard to imitate for UK folks. Tom Felton seems to do ok with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_fxMCsRAMc
I have no idea how I'd sound trying to pull off an English accent. It would sound English to me, and would probably be laughable!!:laff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp9ma-DaB3M
LOVE those videos, Tiam! Very cute.
Of course we know that big sandwiches are called lots of different things. I can trace my life history with them. I started out eating "grinders" in Connecticut, but then moved to Westchester NY where I started eating "wedges" but on trips to PA, I chose instead to eat "hoagies." But now I'm in New Jersey, where I've been eating "subs" for 25 years.
Miss Cellane
7-14-11, 10:16am
My parents had their own vocabulary, which their kids did not use.
Ice box=refrigerator
dungarees=jeans
Then there were terms all the family used.
Tonic=bubbly carbonated beverage that the rest of the world calls soda or pop
Bubbler=drinking fountain
Flipper=pancake turner
Hot dish thing=pot holder
Barrel=the outside trash can
Basket=the inside wastepaper basket
Garbage=food waste to be thrown out/put on compost pile
Trash=all non-food waste to be thrown out. Also called rubbish on occasion.
You guys are great!!! I mean truly great! I'm compiling a list of nifty words I'd like to officially adopt courtesy of you guys! Funny stuff! I don't have any funny ones to share.
A few more I thought of.
Garbage instead of trash.
Bathroom instead of toilet.
Soother instead of pacifier.
Toilet training instead of potty training.
Rubber pants instead of plastic pants.
Safety pins instead of diaper pins.
Two more I thought of...
Toilet paper instead of bathroom tissue.
Panties instead of underwear.
What I call pants, my British MIL calls trousers. What she calls pants, I call underwear.
We bribe my 2-year old to use the potty with "yum-yums," which is how she says "M&Ms".
LOVE those videos, Tiam! Very cute.
Of course we know that big sandwiches are called lots of different things. I can trace my life history with them. I started out eating "grinders" in Connecticut, but then moved to Westchester NY where I started eating "wedges" but on trips to PA, I chose instead to eat "hoagies." But now I'm in New Jersey, where I've been eating "subs" for 25 years.
I don't know what I call them....mostly submarines, but I know Grinder, and Hoagies and sometimes PoBoys.
I just had someone ask me what difference between a pizza and a pizza pie were. She was most disapointed to find that there is no difference.
My husband plays violin, which he usually refers to as his fiddle. When he performs with his bands, sometimes people will ask him what's the difference between a violin and a fiddle. When he says there's no difference, some people will actually argue with him about it!
I love threads like these! Make me feel good topics that brighten my day they are! I cherish and love everyone's stories and funny little family words and personal sayings. Thanks you guys. http://th149.photobucket.com/albums/s49/MarianneStockholm/Smileys/th_happy.gif
My husband plays violin, which he usually refers to as his fiddle. When he performs with his bands, sometimes people will ask him what's the difference between a violin and a fiddle. When he says there's no difference, some people will actually argue with him about it!
Reminds me of a joke... what's the difference between a fiddle and a violin? About $5000
Benhyr. MML! (Make me laugh). :laff:
Freezer instead of deep freeze.
Just when I thought I was fresh out of ideas, another popped into my head!
Chocolate bar instead of candy bar.
Supper is one I can think of. I've never really used the word "Supper". Well, sometimes, but it's almost sarcastic or joking when I do. It's Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. But I know some areas say dinner for lunch and supper for dinner.
I sometimes say icebox instead of freezer.
Hi Tiam. LOL! In our house it's always been supper! (Even from the time I was a kid). "Come on everybody, supper"! :laff:
Couch instead of sofa.
crunchycon
7-15-11, 5:55am
My mom says "catsup." All of her kids say "ketchup." She was born in PA; is it a Pennsylvania thing?
I was born in the midwest and said "pop;" when I married a guy from New York, I started saying "soda." I still say "soda;" that's the only thing I kept from my first marriage.:~)
Miss Cellane
7-15-11, 7:54am
My family had a complicated dinner/supper naming system.
Dinner was the largest meal of the day. Eaten at night Monday through Saturday. Eaten at noonish on Sunday.
Then there was breakfast, which was always called breakfast. The other meal changed names depending on when you ate it. If it was around noon, it was lunch. If it was in the evening, it was supper.
I remember asking Mom about this when I was about seven and I can remember her explaining it to me, because I had just realized that the name of the noon meal changed on Sundays and I was very puzzled by that.
The "catsup" saying is a hoot! :) Never heard the likes of it before.
When we were growing up, mom seldom used the term "spanking". Instead, mom referred to spankings as "lickens"! Must be an old-fashioned thing.
IshbelRobertson
7-15-11, 11:33am
Baffies, the Scottish word for slippers. Got the kids some funny looks when we were in foreign climes when told "Go and find your baffies" !
catherine
7-15-11, 11:55am
Baffies, the Scottish word for slippers. Got the kids some funny looks when we were in foreign climes when told "Go and find your baffies" !
Ishbel, what about
Press=closet
uxters=armpits
Greet=cry
Cry=call (as in, "what do you cry your son?")
Miss Cellane. Your moms meal naming system would have turned me loopy! :) I'm actually laughing right now typing because it almost has the qualities behind it to be turned into a comedy sketch! Even now I'm trying to decipher and think about what you said and it has my head spinning round and round! :laff:
Ishbel. I've always had such a love for Britishisms!
Catherine. I just know I'd be lost if I were to take a trip to the UK! Would be a riot although! :) Getting all the words confused and all.
My family and I have made up words for lots of things:
Schmoo is any kind of casserole, ie tuna schmoo
Our Dachsund is referred to as the weiner. We like to go for weiner walks.
Ice house is the convenience store (South Texas term)
My old Volvo is the blob-o.
Private parts are pudenda. Boys have tally-wackers.
Fridge, ketchup, hot sauce (for salsa)
And on and on.
IshbelRobertson
7-15-11, 5:33pm
Ishbel, what about
Press=closet
uxters=armpits
Greet=cry
Cry=call (as in, "what do you cry your son?")
Yes, but they aren't specific to our home!
By the way, it's Oxters!
Others: stank (a drain in the gutters)
Peevers/hopscotch
Redd/tidy or make - as in 'redd up the bed' or 'redd the kitchen'.
Gloaming/twillight
And more, many more Lallans words than I care to list!
IshbelRobertson
7-15-11, 5:34pm
Mrs-M. Mine are Scottish expressions, which are totally different and separate to those of England/Wales and Norn Ireland!
early morning
7-15-11, 6:11pm
Wardrobes. we never had closets. And around here, when I was much younger, green peppers were always referred to as "mangoes". We always ate breakfast, dinner, and supper. Lunch was suspect, most likely consumed by wealthy ladies with too much time on their hands. But it was ok to eat at the lunch counter - as long as you had dinner. >8)
BTW - does anyone else think "binkie" for pacifier is kinda silly? My kid's "binkies" were blankets!
***
Ishbel, I love gloaming. I use it a lot, it's such a descriptive term! Mom's brother used to sing a song about "In the gloaming", I wish I could remember it. Any my very German paternal grandma used to redd up things all the time. Of course Mum's family was Scots and Irish, so perhaps there was more crossover of language than one supposes.
IshbelRobertson
7-15-11, 6:13pm
We call 'pacifiers' dummies in the UK!
Binkies? Wasn't that one of Bertie Woosters chums?
We call 'pacifiers' dummies in the UK!
Ishbel, are you sure you're not leaving something out with the "dummies?" My MIL used to call them "dummy t*ts"
IshbelRobertson
7-15-11, 6:27pm
Not an East coast description, Catherine!
EarlyM 'Roaming in the gloaming, on the bonnie banks of clyde, roaming in the gloaming, wi' a lassie by my side'... I wonder if your family was remembering a very old song by Sir Harry Lauder (not someone that most Scots nowadays would feel is representative of Scotland and the Scots - but then, he was around at the beginning of the 1900s, so I think we can forgive him!) Here's a youtube link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_dgBH5-A50
Not an East coast description, Catherine!
Well, MIL was from Shotts, halfway between East and West, but she was more Glaswegian, I think! (Harry Lauder--know MANY of his songs.)
IshbelRobertson
7-16-11, 9:18am
I have friends who used to play for the Shotts pipe band! And yes, I always think of them as being more Weegie than Edinburgh!
early morning
7-16-11, 9:56am
Thanks for the link, Ishbel! That's the song - brought tears to my eyes! My uncle's been dead for 40+ years but Mum's been talking about him of late, so he's in my thoughts quite a bit.
Gosh you guys, I'm lost as to where to start! So much content here.
Pinkytoe. I'm thinking about you and all the others here who have all the funny sayings and made up words right now and saying to myself quietly, "why don't we as a family have any funny made up words like that"!
Ishbel. It really does get complicated in the sense of which expressions are which.
Early Morning. Binkie has always sounded a little silly/funny/odd to me, but then again my SIL calls soothers- "nummies", diapers- "diapies" (outside of adult conversation), and baby bottles- "ba-ba's", so I've gotten real used to hearing funny/odd names for certain baby things.
Ishbel. The name "dummies" I have heard of before, yet it has always struck me as being a little odd/funny. Like Early Morning and "binkie", I find the name "dummies" silly. :) How about you, are there any of our names for things that make you laugh or smile or say to yourself- "that's silly"?
Catherine. At first, when I read your post and seen "dummy-tits", I was sure I heard of it before, but after thinking about it I think I'm thinking of "teats". Could you MIL have called them "dummy-teats"?
IshbelRobertson
7-16-11, 5:47pm
No - Catherine is right - it's dummy TITS (on the West coast).
Think about it: you stick a dummy in a babies mouth and they are dumb! Makes a lot of sense to me!
Ishbel. ROTFLMAO! I just needed to use a little imagination, which, I seem to be lacking today! :laff:
Pacifiers for babies...nuks, binkies, ninnies, plug.
Oh I love it Tiam! I love the "ninnies" name! Going to call my SIL up in the morning and share that one with her.
Just thought of a buzz word I use in my home. When one of my younger ones does something silly or funny, I'll call them a "stinker"! Have done so since they were tots.
I love resurrecting old threads! Particularly when I remember or happen across a little something to add.
Elastic-band instead of rubber-band.
Pancakes instead of flapjacks.
IshbelRobertson
12-18-11, 5:52am
What the English call 'Scotch pancakes', WE call drop scones! By the way, scone is pronounced as in gone not in stone...
Stookie for a plaster-cast for a broken limb
In Edinburgh when I was younger, and bread could only be bought in a baker's shop, not a supermarket we used to buy a 'half loaf' - I think because it was half of the batch loaf when it was put into tins for baking. Not heard often nowadays, though.
Potatoes were bought by the 'forpit' - think that was a half stone, ie 8 lb! Now they are mostly bought in large plastic bags, unless you buy from a farmers' market.
Sleekit for sly
Ishbel. What I would give to be able to settle in with a family (in the UK) for a few months, and learn as many new words as possible. Thank you for mentioning all of these.
Funny story to share related to scones. I had dropped in to our finest bakery in town one early morning, and a man, just ahead of me, asked if they had any "cheese sconces"! It was all I could do to contain myself, because every time I replayed the mans words in my head (cheese sconces), a mental picture of wall sconces made out of cheese (LMAO) would swirl around inside my brain! I laughed about that one for the remainder of the day.
fidgiegirl
12-18-11, 9:25pm
Oh Tiam, LOL on the vids. "The greatest of American shows . . . JAG." Ha ha ha :)
My mom is from Mississippi, and I remember that shopping carts were known as buggies in our family, when I was growing up. I thought it was weird that other people referred to them as carts, LOL. I also remember that she seemed to always cook with pork cracklins and put bacon grease in just about everything. I didn't know what a cracklin really was until I got to be about 30.
AnneM. My mom calls shopping carts, buggies, yet I call them carts. Pork cracklins? I'm in my late 40's and have not a clue what a pork cracklin is.
jennipurrr
12-19-11, 10:35am
I'm from Alabama and call a shopping cart a buggy but I think pork cracklins are yucky. That's like a pork rind right? Everybody seems to eat those things when they are doing low carb. I just can't do the weird pork parts...I am sure its all mental but every time i eat one I think, I am eating skin!
Much to my Mother's chagrin (she is originally from FL, born to yankee transplants) I also say "tote" instead of carry or take.
In my family you didn't go to the movies, you went to the show. We drank pop, not soda. And we ate supper at night too.
My favorite Britishisms are trash cans are dust bins. You don't get off the train, you alight from the train. You don't get fired from a job, you are made redundant instead. You don't lose you license, you get struck off. To me the British have nicer way of saying things.
IshbelRobertson
12-19-11, 12:08pm
There is a difference between being made redundant (specific requirements and you get a government minimum lump sum for that) and being fired in the UK - we would normally say 'I got the sack' rather than 'fired'!
You get struck off from professions such as nursing or medicine or law - but you lose your licence if you accumulate 'points' on your driving licence!
herbgeek
12-19-11, 12:13pm
My husband's family calls shopping carts buggies, and the main room in the house is the paaaa-laaaaa (parlor in a Boston accent). I always thought both of those terms were Southern, but his family has never left Massachusetts.
Reading everyone's posts Re: "buggies" (shopping carts), makes me want to start calling them buggies! LOL!
Jennipurrr. I say "carry" or "take", but when I'm referring to a handbag (carry-on), I tend to call it a "tote".
Charity. We always said "go to the show" as kids. Some Britishisms really throw me, like "dust bin" instead of "trash can". I see a "dust bin" as a "dust pan", rather than a garbage receptacle. It's like, how in the world did they come up with dust bin! LMAO!
Ishbel. Keep 'em coming!
Herbgeek. The eccentric side of me (if I resided in a grand home) would steer towards calling the main room of the house, the great hall, or great room. I love that name. The reference conjures up such nostalgia and elegant grandeur.
Mrs. M,
Cracklins are the skin with a little bit of meat attached. My mom served them plus bacon grease with just about everything. I am lucky to still be alive. ;)
IshbelRobertson
12-20-11, 4:14am
Pork crackling is the best bit of a joint of roasted pork, but only when ALL the fat is trimmed off! We used to have fights at our dining table about who had more crackling on their plate...!
Thanks for the explanation, AnneM and Ishbel. Well-done pork is sooo yummy! Do you eat the skin and all?
IshbelRobertson
12-20-11, 8:42am
Only the bits that have been rendered 'crackly' by scoring into a diamond pattern and salting well before roasting. I sometimes remove the well-browned crackling from the leg roast and then lay on a dish in the oven with the fat removed so it goes even crispier. The salt just aids in drying the rubbery skin to ensure crispiness, it is mostly removed in the cooking process! Oh and it has to be fresh cooked crackling - not those awful 'pork scratchings' that you seen in English pubs!
One more to add courtesy of Sweetana3!
As a kid, mom referred to "snowpants" as "waterproof pants".
Ishbel. It must be my love of well-done pork, but cracklins sound delicious! If ever I visit the UK, you can be rest-assured I'll be ordering me up a plate of cracklins!
Hmmm
Thought of one...we refer to our dogs as "dummies" as in, "Dummies, want to go outside?" They enthusiastically race to the door in response, so apparently they recognize that it is a term of endearment.
I've been known to say "stinky, ugly, stupid you want out?"
When you have a little tiny bit of snow what do you call it????? Most people call it "a dusting" but we always called it "a skiff of snow".
My family always rotated between Americanisms and Scottish-isms. I've been with my Scottish partner for a while now and he's taught me some more that my mother never used!
een - eye
bunnet - hat
plook - pimple
doofer - "thingamajig"
breeks - trousers
crabbit - cranky/in a bad mood
When you have a little tiny bit of snow what do you call it????? Most people call it "a dusting" but we always called it "a skiff of snow".Yes, that's what we call it, too, Float On, a "skiff".
Mira. LOL! Loving all of the "isms"! "Breeks" and "doofer", what a hoot!
Yes, that's what we call it, too, Float On, a "skiff".
Well, WOO HOO!!! I'm not alone! I always get a strange look when I say "skiff".
You are not alone, Float On! :)
Thanks for the explanation, AnneM and Ishbel. Well-done pork is sooo yummy! Do you eat the skin and all?
I haven't eaten them in years, as I sort of overdosed as a child. My husband, on the other hand, is addicted to chicharróns. He grew up in Mexico, and can't get enough of them.
HappyHiker
12-20-11, 7:20pm
We say "naughty bits" for private body areas--I glommed onto the term from a friend from Wales and adopted it...it makes me smile.
AnneM. You're really doing a number on me in relation to all these new food names you're springing on me! :laff:
I've never heard of chicharróns before.
HappyHiker. I like it, too. :)
What about the water heater - hot water tank
and the license plate for your vehicle - We always called it the car tag.
I'm also in the wash rag (face cloth, wash cloth), dish rag (everything was called a rag, I guess) group. Pop, frig, coochie for private parts, whiz or whittle for urinating... Gads, these are hilarious, what a fun game!
Great names, Marianne! ROTFLMAO!
I/we say "hot water tank" instead of water heater.
A few other notables to mention:
Washer instead of washing machine. (Home-talk).
My mom, who's old-school, says "wash-line" instead of clothesline.
She also refers to cloth diapers as "diapers", and disposables are "Pampers".
I grew up in PA. We called creeks "cricks".
Also, when referring to several people, we'd say "Yins".....which is short for "You-ins".......which means "you guys".
When I was young, my mother would refer to starting your period as "Falling off the roof". As in........I fell off the roof today. haha
When DS was small, he'd refer to his bottle of milk as "gunky gung"..........so that's what we called it.
Binkie was for their blanket.
DS, when he was angry, he'd say "Oh Dinge-it!!" So we started saying it too, whenever something upset us.
dado potato
12-22-11, 7:40pm
Fridge-later. Whatever ya put in it, ya take out later!
AnneM. You're really doing a number on me in relation to all these new food names you're springing on me! :laff:
I've never heard of chicharróns before.
HappyHiker. I like it, too. :)
Yes, and another thing he loves from Mexico is cajeta. It's sweetened condensed goat's milk. He eats it straight from the bottle.
CathyA. Those are great! "Gunky-gung" is priceless! Sometimes I think to myself, "where do kids come up with these things"...
Dado potato. If you're anything like my husband, you do the evening snack thing, raiding the fridge for this and that, in order to put together a bite. I call it closet eating, because seldom will DH actually make his way into the living room with what he's made, he'll just quietly sit in the kitchen (by himself) and digest his reward.
AnneM. Cajeta, sounds delicious! Just the thought of sweetened milk is enough to make me crave the likes of a milkshake right now! Or a tall glass of soy-milk. Mmmm...
This is an example of a mental mis-step, rather than an actual lexical alternative. The other day I was in a rehearsal in my accompanist's choir room, and we were preparing to do a a recording of him and me playing/singing together. It was near the end of the session and I was getting thirsty. He said "if you're thirsty, there's a watering machine at the back of the room!" He meant drinking fountain, of course, but "watering machine" made it sound so agro-industrial we both burst into laughter! They don't call mass auditions "cattle calls" for nothing!
Clapping hands and laughing! That's great, Selah. :) Stories such as yours combined with all the others has made this such an enjoyable thread.
rosarugosa
12-24-11, 7:58am
A couple that are unique to our household are "monec" and "napkin number." Monec was the brand name of the earliest ATM machines, and we somehow decided to turn it into a verb, so monec means to withdraw money from the ATM. I also look at the budget Friday mornings while we are having coffee and determine how much cash we need for the week. I would always write the amount on a napkin, and DH started calling it the "napkin number." So the napkin number is the amount he needs to monec for the week.
As far as New England regionalisms go, I still say tonic for soft drinks, but I've noticed that not many others use this anymore. I blame TV for the homongenization of our regional voices. Many of us say "packy" for package store (liquor store). And we have no use at all for pronouncing R's that come after vowels! (I've been told that I have a very strong New England accent, and it's true that sometimes people from elsewhere cannot understand me when I say certain words).
IshbelRobertson
12-24-11, 8:58am
Try having a Scots accent, rosarugosa! If American TV isn't bastardising it, aka the strange man on The Simpsons, it's mangling it as in Scotty from StarTrek!
And yet, there are Scots appearing on US TV and most people wouldn't know it - for instance, Kevin McKidd who is on a medical series. Oh yes, if you want to talk accents.... Foreigners assume all Scots have the same accent. It ain't SO... In fact, one of my staff used to say she could tell whether the person came from the 'Soo' side - Southside of Edinburgh or the New Town!
Rosarugosa. I am officially adopting your "monec" saying! I love it already!
Originally posted by Ishbel.
Foreigners assume all Scots have the same accent. It ain't SO... In fact, one of my staff used to say she could tell whether the person came from the 'Soo' side - Southside of Edinburgh or the New Town! Most interesting. We have neighbours who are Italian (strong Italian), and a number of years ago while visiting family in Italy, they mentioned that true Italians (from Italy) instantly recognized that they weren't from Italy, just by their accent.
Zapper = stapler
Flippie Puller = stapler remover
The girls = the two household dogs
Jaws = vaccum cleaner
Spit bath = cleaning up at the sink with a wash cloth
IshbelRobertson
12-27-11, 2:01pm
Zapper - the TV/DVD/cable remote
Zuzz - to mix in a food processor
Ms M - those 'Strong Italians' obviously weren't!
You have so many interesting words for things, Nella!
You too, Ishbel! Re: our Italian neighbours, the Mrs said to me that it is the subtleties (certain words/phrases) that true native Italians (born/raised/living in Italy) pick up on, that allows them to distinguish between native Italians, and foreign Italians.
I was just thinking of, "top and tail" (baby related). I love that saying! Never used it in my home though...
And yet another. My SIL usually says, "I need to pick up some smokes, instead of cigarettes".
Just HAD to add this one, seeing how it just happened! In our house the word "hungry" is seldom used. Instead, the word is "starving"!
IshbelRobertson
12-28-11, 5:33pm
So... your large family are fond of hyperbole, MrsM?
Not intentionally, Ishbel, at least to the best of my knowledge. I think it's just how it sifts out (certain things).
IshbelRobertson
12-28-11, 6:22pm
We have words which are specific to Scotland
Dreich - that kind of wet, fine rain with clouds
A sea haar - a mist from the Firth of Forth, fine, with rain in it (rain is a theme in Scottish weather!)
Foreign words (and saying) never fail to fascinate me. As strange as it may sound, I sometimes feel as though I've lived a life around such meaning and history.
We have one fond word in our family's vocabulary, courtesy of my grown nephew who was 3 at the time. It was summer, and he asked his mom if he could have more of that "turnaround corn", meaning corn on the cob. We still call it that.
That is so cute, Herbgeek! Kids have the best saying for things don't they. My favourite is when they are learning to talk, and everything has it's own unique name. :)
Bump!
Just remembered this thread and decided to resurrect it! Such a fun thread it was. Would love to hear from all our newcomers Re:, AND... anyone else who may have missed it!
decemberlov
3-11-13, 1:36pm
We have one fond word in our family's vocabulary, courtesy of my grown nephew who was 3 at the time. It was summer, and he asked his mom if he could have more of that "turnaround corn", meaning corn on the cob. We still call it that.
so cute!! lol I love it...all due to the kids when they were little we have: dippy eggs (over easy) zucchini bathing suits (bikini) and panicky beds (canopy beds) and salad brownies (croutons).:laff:
Tussiemussies
3-11-13, 2:39pm
My family is from the coal region in NW PA and they have a whole website dedicated by alphabet as to what they call coal-speak. It's so funny to read them, I think some it is wearing off now that there is cable TV.
One thing I say from there is when I am going to tidy up the house, I say I'm going to straighten up the house.
Lots of fun, Decemberlov and Tussie!
Kids wording of things has got to be THE funniest of all!
I often use the term, "smarten-up". As in, "I'm going to smarten-up this place today"! :)
Gardenarian
3-11-13, 4:11pm
I grew up in a pretty big family, and often as not when you got up for a minute (from the table, campfire, swing set) someone would take your place...UNLESS you touched your chair or place and called "Tablebacks!" I have never heard of anyone else using this, and it is a mystery to me how it started. We'd always honor it though - if you said tablebacks, the space was yours.
IshbelRobertson
3-11-13, 4:14pm
On the east coast of Scotland, it was always 'i'm going for the messages' when you were going shopping. My family still use it, although many now use the English 'I'm going shopping'.
decemberlov
3-11-13, 4:32pm
I grew up in a pretty big family, and often as not when you got up for a minute (from the table, campfire, swing set) someone would take your place...UNLESS you touched your chair or place and called "Tablebacks!" I have never heard of anyone else using this, and it is a mystery to me how it started. We'd always honor it though - if you said tablebacks, the space was yours.
Tussie this reminds me of yelling "shotgun" the first to yell it gets the front seat of the car.
One of the frequent guests on "A Prairie Home Companion", Howard Mohr, wrote a book called, "How to Speak Minnesotan." I thought it was just a very funny book -- until I moved here and discovered Howard was dead on.
Until I moved here, I never heard anyone end a sentence with a dangling "with", as in "I would have bought it, but I forgot to bring my checkbook with." People from elsewhere are still canting their ears to hear that last (pro)noun, but, alas, it is not to be. I have since heard this construction on broadcast TV shows, though, so ... ??
I've discovered the surest way to identify a Minnesotan is to ask him or her to complete the name of the children's game "Duck, Duck, ...". 99.5% of the free world will answer "Goose". :) Minnesotans will answer "Gray Duck". I have never heard "Gray Duck" anywhere else after 30 years of asking local people. "Gray Duck" does not even seem to extend to the Wisconsin border. Weird. Or, as Minnesotans say, "That's different."
Then there's "sack" instead of "bag", "pop" ("soda"), "tabs" for license-registration stickers, and the very localized "bubbler" for water fountain. Interestingly, my Boston-area XW also said "bubbler" (well, for her it was "bubluh").
Figuring out those regional differences actually is a little pasttime of mine. Despite the fun I poke at it, I do find it both curious and refreshing that we don't all have the same vocabulary.
Tussiemussies
3-11-13, 5:12pm
Hi Steve,
My husband and his family all do the with one. Like you said. -- I'll bring with.
They aren't from that region at all but his Mom was full Noreigien (sp) so maybe that has something to do with it?
rosarugosa
3-11-13, 8:10pm
Hey Steve,
Yes watah bubblahs - we have those in Boston!
Life_is_Simple
3-11-13, 8:29pm
So you moved to Minnesota, then?
Steve, I grew up in Minnesota. I still start and end a lot of sentences with So-Then. ;) When I go to the store and get 1-2 items, I'll say "I don't need a sack." The clerk gives me a funny look. Uffda!
I have that book you mention. A previous friend said "You talk just like that, L.I.S."
My Gramma used to bring jello-with-marshmallows dessert for every holiday "dinner," the noon meal.
SteveinMN
3-11-13, 10:51pm
So you moved to Minnesota, then?
Steve, I grew up in Minnesota. I still start and end a lot of sentences with So-Then. ;) When I go to the store and get 1-2 items, I'll say "I don't need a sack." The clerk gives me a funny look. Uffda!
Yup. Moved here in 1984, so I've lived here longer than anywhere else. I actually worked hard to get rid of my Noo Yawk accent; it didn't sound so great out here and I got tired of being marked as "not from around here". :~)
I don't hear "so-then" very often anymore. Actually, there are a number of verbal constructions I don't hear so much in younger Minnesotans. The "Oh for..." construction is one. That's when someone sees a piece of Tupperware (or something) they really like: "Oh for useful!" That little bow glued to your baby daughter with Vaseline? "Oh for cute!" And so on. When I hear "Oh for..." these days, I can pretty much count on the speaker being a Minnesota native over 50. A shame, really.
Tussiemussies, maybe you've got something there with the Norwegian connection! That would make "with" uncommon, but not unheard of.
My Gramma used to bring jello-with-marshmallows dessert for every holiday "dinner," the noon meal.
That would be a "salad" in my (Loon Lake, MN based) extended family. You can toss in a little Cool Whip for special occasions.
Buggy- Shopping Cart
Coke- could be any and all sodas
PE- Gym class
Y'all and All Y'all- well now I am just from Texas. : )
What a hoot this thread is! Love it!
Life_is_Simple
3-12-13, 9:59pm
That would be a "salad" in my (Loon Lake, MN based) extended family. You can toss in a little Cool Whip for special occasions.
That IS a salad. What else would it be called? :laff:
Is that the Loon Lake in northern MN? There is an actual lake called Loon Lake in southern MN.
dado potato
3-13-13, 12:01am
So then, I was riding my bicycle across a rail-trail in Minnesota. I got real hungry. I wheeled into a town and went into a bakery, and right away I asked the waitress, "Do you have cinnamon buns?"
There was a shocked silence.
And she replied, "Sir, we have cinnamon rolls."
And when we don't really care one way or another (as in, do you care if we go to the movies tomorrow?) we say "may as well, can't dance!"
Cute! I may steal this. :)
That IS a salad. What else would it be called? :laff:
When I went to school in Iowa, I learned the taxonomy of gelatin desserts and salads:
- Gelatin by itself was dessert.
- Gelatin with canned fruit in it was dessert.
- Gelatin with vegetables in it was salad (Dairy-Queenesque fillip of mayonnaise on top optional)
- Gelatin with a lettuce leaf underneath it, regardless of any other ingredients, was a salad.
- Gelatin cut into cubes, assembled, and served with non-dairy whipped topping on top (despite being Iowa, we never saw cream) was dessert.
To this Noo Yawker, it was an eye-opener.
Is that the Loon Lake in northern MN? There is an actual lake called Loon Lake in southern MN.
Haven't been up there since I was a kid, but as I recall it was a couple hours north of the Twin Cities.
Jell-O (aka the generic jello) was never desert in my house. It could be a fruit salad (any flavor w/fruit cocktail), regular salad (lime jello w/celery and served on lettuce leaves) or "fluff", a salad made with whatever combination of things you wanted plus a whole tub of Cool Whip. Fluff occasionally had cottage cheese in it, not bad that way, not great. A few ladies at the church would occasionally make one with the mayo topping. That was a rude awakening if you were a kid expecting Cool Whip.
Back in the day, everyone in my neighborhood burned their trash in a cement or cinder block structure located near the alley. The structure was referred to as an ash pit, which seemed like an odd term. Of course this is highly illegal in cities any more and even alley ways are scarce.
Our sleeping wear was "jammies". We drank pop from the fridge. Sofa was always couch. A turntable was a record player and the primative form of a home entertainment center was a stereo, which I still use.
decemberlov
3-13-13, 11:06am
I've noticed with a co-worker of mine that's in his early 20's that the word "true" can be a replacement for almost any word...especially "right (as in correct)" or "okay" but really just whatever. I thought it was just him maybe but I recently heard someone around the same age using it as well. Like:
"do you know which way the lake is?"
"Yes, two blocks down and make a left."
"True."
In that case I guess it replaces "thank you" or "Okay".
I don't know why, but it infuriates me :laff:
Ha, I'm relieved I'm not the only one with multiple names for a pet. Her formal name is Kitty Catticus. Hubby calls her Cat Head, and at some point I started calling her Stinky (because she smells bad). She doesn't often respond to her name, but if she's waiting for some special snacks, I'll call out, STINKY! And her tail goes up because she hears the bag shaking. Probably more a response to the bag than her name...
Our dog, Bandit, has about 50 different names or combinations thereof. I'm guessing he keys off of the inflection and subject rather than the names... but he does respond each time ;)
My parents were from the east coast, but we were born on the west coast. We were always aware that our folks seemed to have the wrong words for things. My dad especially, though maybe his different vocabulary was generational. Phonograph for record player, ice box for freezer, dungarees for jeans. He talked like he was a hundred years old, but he was only in his forties.
Originally posted by Dada Potato.
And she replied, "Sir, we have cinnamon rolls."I'm passive (to a point), but that would have triggered a definite (less than favourable) response from me.
P.S. Love, love, LOVE all these!!! Keep 'em coming everybody!
Any makeshift dinner I cobble together from whatever we happen to have, is "substance." As in "lasagne-like substance," "enchilada-like substance," "pizza-like substance," etc.
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