We embarrassed our daughter mightily when she started high school because we’d always jokingly pronounced “skeleton” as “skellington” at home. Only our daughter didn’t realise it was a joke until she used it in class and her teacher and school friends started laughing. I’ve also been known to refer to the “wishdosher” (for “dishwasher”) but maybe that’s just old age.
Has your daughter forgiven you? And there is something so phonetically perfect about wishdosher. When my son's father was a child, he called an apple "schwapp" and a motorcycle a "gobe" because of the sounds they made. We used them as adults with our son sometimes.
A new song is now winding its way into my brain: "Geepers Creepers, where did you get those leepers?" I suppose it could also be : "Geepers Leepers, where did you get those...sleepers????" Clearly I'm out of my depth. But I live that word, "leepers. "
I'd love to have a t-shirt with that final quote. wondering and wandering are my 2 favorite pastimes.
in our family, when my children were young, I began calling local places and products by other names, as they grew up they used the same names and were often surprised to see that other people called them other things. (their real names) ours were quite juvenile, but fun. Big Boy Restaurant was Pig Boy, Kroger's grocery store was Kroacker's, those caramel apple wraps we called Crapples, etc. you get the general feel. I still cannot call them by their real names.
And why should you call them by their real names? They became more real once you rechristened them. The trick is not to say them to folks who have no idea what you're talking about I guess.
And yes, here's to wondering and wandering. Get that t-shirt. It will be great.
Ooo cha cha -- this was fun to read? Did I use it in the right context? I love these. I should have written down more of ours. I'll start a notebook/dictionary with what I remember and what new ones spring up, maybe.
My birth family was famous for puns and wordplay. Everything was "bass-ackwards" never the right way around. I was a teenager before I learned Laguna Beach was not named Labeena Gooch. My brothers called me Jeffiner, then that got shortened to Jeff. My husband and I have a million phrases that no one else would understand but they'd take forever to explain, like your Sal Mineo. One is that we sometimes refer to our dog (Ready) by the name of Cliff, because of a play from 35 years ago where someone asked if a kitten was named Cliff becausethey'd known another kitten named Cliff and we thought it was hysterical.
Are you still "Jeff" to your brothers? And it's both wonderful and weird the way the language forms from moments that are impossible to explain to folks who weren't "there."
We embarrassed our daughter mightily when she started high school because we’d always jokingly pronounced “skeleton” as “skellington” at home. Only our daughter didn’t realise it was a joke until she used it in class and her teacher and school friends started laughing. I’ve also been known to refer to the “wishdosher” (for “dishwasher”) but maybe that’s just old age.
Has your daughter forgiven you? And there is something so phonetically perfect about wishdosher. When my son's father was a child, he called an apple "schwapp" and a motorcycle a "gobe" because of the sounds they made. We used them as adults with our son sometimes.
My daughter says “nast light” instead of “last night” and I wasn’t going to correct her but now I know it has to be before high school.
Ha! Yes, definitely before high school.
My mom always called the bed sheets and blankets “bed clothes”. I still remember the baffled look my wife gave me the first time I said it to her.
Oh my goodness, I love familects so much! The “nuclear toaster” tweet has me cackling.
My family’s words are similar--mispronunciations from children that have stuck. “Leepers” for slippers immediately comes to mind.
A new song is now winding its way into my brain: "Geepers Creepers, where did you get those leepers?" I suppose it could also be : "Geepers Leepers, where did you get those...sleepers????" Clearly I'm out of my depth. But I live that word, "leepers. "
That's actually perfect because one of my grandpa's favorite exclamations is "Jeepers!"
I'd love to have a t-shirt with that final quote. wondering and wandering are my 2 favorite pastimes.
in our family, when my children were young, I began calling local places and products by other names, as they grew up they used the same names and were often surprised to see that other people called them other things. (their real names) ours were quite juvenile, but fun. Big Boy Restaurant was Pig Boy, Kroger's grocery store was Kroacker's, those caramel apple wraps we called Crapples, etc. you get the general feel. I still cannot call them by their real names.
And why should you call them by their real names? They became more real once you rechristened them. The trick is not to say them to folks who have no idea what you're talking about I guess.
And yes, here's to wondering and wandering. Get that t-shirt. It will be great.
Ha! This is fantastic! In our familect is:
Kouts - mispronounced word “couch”; you go to sleep “in kouts”
“Take a tub” - soak in the bathtub
“Ooo cha cha…” - expresses being impressed by something
There are a bunch more I’ll try compiling to keep those bits of family history alive.
Ooo cha cha -- this was fun to read? Did I use it in the right context? I love these. I should have written down more of ours. I'll start a notebook/dictionary with what I remember and what new ones spring up, maybe.
Yes, that’s an okay usage. The context is mostly for being impressed by art, food, or fashion.
A family dictionary sounds great! Would be nice to get contributor signatures too.
My birth family was famous for puns and wordplay. Everything was "bass-ackwards" never the right way around. I was a teenager before I learned Laguna Beach was not named Labeena Gooch. My brothers called me Jeffiner, then that got shortened to Jeff. My husband and I have a million phrases that no one else would understand but they'd take forever to explain, like your Sal Mineo. One is that we sometimes refer to our dog (Ready) by the name of Cliff, because of a play from 35 years ago where someone asked if a kitten was named Cliff becausethey'd known another kitten named Cliff and we thought it was hysterical.
Are you still "Jeff" to your brothers? And it's both wonderful and weird the way the language forms from moments that are impossible to explain to folks who weren't "there."
I am only Jeff for a laugh now and then. Or Jeffskinburger!