- What do you call that long sandwich filled with meats and cheeses?
- How do you refer to a fizzy drink in a can?
- What kind of food has the brand-name Manwich?
Depending upon where you live, you'll answer those questions differently (and if you are in England, you might not even know that last one.) Recently, the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) was completed, after more than 50 years (see here for 100 of their entries, including Adam's house-cat and mulligrubs). It got me thinking about my own family's peculiar words and expressions, both regional and personal, some of which I've chronicled below, a few of which I was shocked to find in the 100 entries. Interestingly, I believe Pop coined many of them and I don't think the Hungry family has made up any new ones. Yet.
- swazu--an unplanned side trip, with connotations of fun, exploration, and freedom
- tump--to turn/dump over (I think this is mainly on the Texas coast)
- "calf-rope"--a cry to cease and desist, like "uncle," in children's games (in DARE!)
- "le ruse to catch meddlers"--temptations
- fixin'--getting ready to
- "a chicken's gonna sit on your lip"--the only response to pouting!
- Yahooti (spelling uncertain)--the house elf/creature that causes mischief like missing socks or misplaced items
- cattywampus--the characteristic of being in disarray (i.e. "the sheets are all cattywampus!")
- epizootus--illness
- nor'ther--thunderstorm heading south
- lagniappe--something extra, in a positive way (also in DARE)
- "Christmas Gift!"--the equivalent of "Merry Christmas" said as a greeting on Christmas morning (also in DARE)
- "love you like a rock"--hard, strong, stable, indestructible, forever
- "alligator gets the baby"--a game a friend of my dad's came up with one summer, kinda like chase (Aunt Banana was "the baby.")
- "slide for life"--a game the same friend came up with one summer, metaphor about taking risks
- "family fun at its finest"--ironic.
- "Phi Beta Papa"--declaration of Pop's intelligence, practicality, or resolution of something challenging
- "nicest time of the day"--dusk; a quiet reflection on the day
- "Bammie's cruise"--a boat ride across the bay, around, and back, best at the "nicest time of the day"
- "FW"--a prostitute of French persuasion, used as an adjective to describe perfume, clothing, decor that is rich, opulent, tawdry
- "That's a baby."--when you don't know what else to say (esp. because of the Golden Rule!)
- "Guess Who?"--the usual way to sign a greeting card to a loved one, started by my paternal granddad
- "Championship!"--like "cool" or "great"; I think this originated with that same friend of my dad's, whose nickname actually was Champ.
-=-=-=-=-
I would say:
- A sub or sometimes a hero. (And I just don't get the use of "grinder" here in CT.)
- A soda (I grew up calling it a Coke, regardless of the flavor.)
- A sloppy joe.
