Thursday, February 16, 2006

A Phrase by any other Phrase....

Every family has it’s own little language. You know, a child mispronounces a word and eventually the mispronunciation actually becomes the way everyone says that particular word. Or maybe there is a phrase or a history behind a phrase that only people in the family know what it actually means.

I sometimes find myself using these phrases or words in normal conversation with people that are not in my family. People that I barley know. Sometimes I catch myself before actually using the “family” specific lingo, other times I do not, and I get a weird look, and then I find myself explaining why I said what I said.

Here is some of my family’s (or maybe it is just me) vocabulary.

Sa-dert.= A yummy treat after dinner.

K-MartS= A store. I don’t know where the “S” came from. I do not use this one but it is used in my family.

Terlet = Toilet

Bed Clothes = Sheets, linens, Blankets. I remember the first time I used the term “bed clothes” to Lauren, she looked at me like I had three heads.

Eck-specially= Especially. I always pronounce this with the ECK sound at the begining. I know there is no “C” in between the "E" and the "S". I know it is not pronounced that way but for some reason that is how I say it. Lauren always make fun of me for this.

BleeBing = Bleeding.

Now the next two are things that I cannot help myself but say whenever the either myself or someone else says one of the words.

If someone says “Sweet Potato”, I always have to say “Sweet potato, Sweet potato.” I do not know where this came from or why I say it or why I even say “Sweet potato” twice. “sweet potato, sweet potato.” See I even have to type it twice.

The other phrase is from the movie “Revenge of the Nerds”. Anytime someone says the word “PIE” The word that come out of my mouth on reflex is “Sank-you.” You have to see the movie to know what I am talking about.

What are your family specific words?

Go visit Lawn Whisperer.

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cha-Mote- The remote control

Zuitcase - suitcase

I have totally used these in public and people have given me the look. I have stopped explaining. As far as the continuation goes, when one of my kids ask for more of something, I immediately put on the worst British accent and say "Please Sir may I have some more" from Oliver. I can't explain why but it happens every time.

Lois Lane said...

Terlet and Bed Clothes are part of our lingidy. And so are...
The Jewels = Jewel (grocery store said wrong by my dad)
Congo = Kevin (said by one of the nephews)
Lolly = Dolly (mom called me dolly and I said, "Me no lolly me Lois." I guess I have some Indian in me.)
Sodo = Soda
Eninnens = M&Ms (my daughter)
Holy moses there are so many. I don't know why they stick but we have lots too.
Lois Lane

Katie said...

Instead of remote control, I say "clicker". Is that a Pennsylvania thing? Because people here in Texas are like "WTF is a clicker?"

"Wal-Marts" and "Kmarts" and "Targets" was totally the thing to say back home in PA. There was this store called Ames and people would even say Ameses. It is unneccessary to give possession to the store. But people do it.

In my house, the big term to use is "GEEZ LOUISE!" The 4 year old even uses it! Or "For cryin' out loud!"

I have heard people use "expecially" - very common mispronunciation.

Like anonymous, my family has a habit of speaking in British accents. A lot. We are weird.

Random and Odd said...

Sqweet- Let's go Eat.

Anka-bur- Hamburger

Rofst Beast- Roast Beef

Those are just from my famarie (family).

There are about 2 trillion with Shaun and the girls.

Odd Mix said...

BeeBo = Armpit (It started with my little sister, maybe related to ElBo)

Hangerbur = Hamburger

Pappy = Pacifier

DayRed = Ready

My family has been notorious for the deliberate mutilations of words since my grandfather. There are too many to count. Horsepistol=hospital, Cementary=cemetary, Soldier=shoulder, BooIck=Buick, etc...

islandarts said...

We call Ketchup 'dip' because my daughter spent the first two years of her life dipping small pieces of hotdog into it. she is just about four and we all still call it 'Dip'.
my in-laws dog is named 'Molly' and my daughter called her 'Mongy' for about a week. We still call her mongy and my daughter thinks we are all nuts.

c said...

Pannycakes = Pancakes (started by husband's grandmother)

Sam'chez (hard 'z' sound) = Sandwiches

Neminems = M&Ms (my daughter couldn't say M&Ms when she was a toddler)

Renember = Remember (from my son; he still says it wrong!)

Worchestershistershire = Worcestershire

P'sketti = Spaghetti (my FIL said it wrong his entire life)

Meegs said...

Why do all the entries in Dad vs. Dad say they are by William?

Anonymous said...

Meegs, that is because I do not know how to do it yet.

Bill, can you explain what 'Walking the Dog' is in your family?

Christine said...

My parents both say kmarts and walmarts. I always thought that was odd.

Anonymous said...

Hanmaker - hamburger
Pay-Paste - toothpaste
Frog-wee - Froggy
Willz - "I want to hear The Wiggles NOW!"
Popeye - pacifier
"chocolate un chuck un good pra punge mm chocolate milk" - Something about chocolate milk...nobody really know except Sarah.

ToadyJoe said...

Fuh-fies = French Fries
Scrambie Eggs - it's a Jim Carrey / Cable Guy thing, of course, but we are physically incapable of pronouncing it any other way, even in public.
Keppie = ketchup

And, yeah - what ABOUT walking the dog? ;)

Unknown said...

aboo = balloon...the kid's first word, he said it wrong for so long we gave up correcting him...now he says it right and we still say it wrong

baba = bottle

Zipzap = remote control...this came from my dad

Anonymous said...

Mazagine = Magazine
Cattlebook = Catalog
Lip chap = Chap Stick
Barella = Umbrella
Gwa-fin or Caf-O-Win = Catherine

We also have phrases:
- Ooh, that scawes my eyes!
- But, sowwy!

These were all coined by the kids. But we adults have some too. J.P. and I say "sparga" instead of asparagus. I also know people who write "ghoti" on the grocery list when they need to buy fish:

-enouGH = F sound
-wOmen = short I sound
-moTIon = SH sound

Susie said...

Maybe you say sweet potato twice because of the hot potato song?

Buppy = Uppy = Lift me up

Appy = apple

AnywayS instead of just anyway

Eggy bacon - eggs and bacon (I started this when I was little)

Anonymous said...

I have a headache = no

I'm reading my book = no

i'm tired = no

do we have to?= no

no=no

The Q said...

Moochie = a baby's pacifier

fa-ji-tas = fajitas (but the "j" is pronounched like a "j" instead of an "h")

nunu = girly bits

gofenbrow = umbrella (comes from the Hubs inability to say "Golf" but owning a "Golf Umbrella"...when he said it the first time, I had to ask him what a "gofenbrow" was)

Unknown said...

Zert - dessert
Sa-pointed - disappointed
Boo - blue
Geen - green
Lello - yellow
BeBe - blanket
Lock - sock
Dees - please
Fra-fries - french fries
Dee Do - thank you
Lo-lo - phone (like "hello")
"Out for dinner" = Culvers, as in "are we going to "Out For Dinner", Daddy?

I could go on... :)

Unknown said...

Oh! And spaghettios are "gobby-goos"

Ok. I'm done.

Rhonda said...

I think Susie may be on to something with the "hot potato" song because when I read your post, I read "sweet potato, sweet potato" in a sing-song way--just like the song.

There is a town near Austin named Pflugerville, but the P is silent. We pronounce the P though. P-flugerville. And any word that starts with an f, we put a P in front of it. Example: p-fuck, p-fun, p-family.

Melanie said...

Most of these are from my nephews:

meap - meat
buppon - button
I hold you - hold me

We have a couple of silly sayings that would make sense typed. I love carrying on the funny things they say!

t_cole said...

sheshup - catsup
bibbage - Garbage
windowshipers - windshield wipers

Lori said...

My southwest Philly family has produced the following gems:

Ack-a-me -- the Acme, a supermarket in the Philly area.

icining - that sweet stuff that covers a cake

pixture - what you take with a camera

lieberry - the place you go to borrow books

Mondee, Tuesdee, Wensdee, Thursdee, Fridee, Saturdee, Sundee -- the days of the week

wooder - H20

"Jeet?" - "Did you eat?"
"No, joo?" "No, did you?"

Lori said...

Oh, yeah. Totally forgot about this one.

My husband is from upstate NY. The first time he took me home to meet his friends and family, a bunch of us were heading out to dinner.

I said, "We need to stop and tap MAC."

They looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language.

Of course, they had no idea that ATMs in this area are called "MAC Machines," so I had to explain that we needed to stop and withdraw money from the cash machine.

Sheesh!

Sue said...

fuss = fart

ca-tached instead of attached

I love when kids misprounounce words and they become the family standard!

Kari said...

Ian uses bed clothes too.
My family uses
Twirl-let - Toilet
Di-nag-yall-ly - Diagnally
Earth-quick - Earthquake
Each another - Each other
Emma-knees - enemy's
Chi-cargo - Chicago
War-shing-ton - Washington
Kmarts, Walmarts, Targets...I hate all of these, but my family uses them.

Ian and Jewl say buggy instead of cart, at the store.

The Limey's - relatives from England

Lord! I could go on and on!

Kari said...

Oh yeah...can't leave this one out.

Ha-cha's - Those noodle things that you use in the pool in the summer. Scott calls them Hacha's because that's the noise he makes when he's hitting you with them.

"Scott we're going to go swimming"

"Do we have any Hacha's?"

Anonymous said...

my family uses cha-mote too

computer=puter

there are other but i dont know them

kimmyk said...

My son always called Chik-fil-A

Chick-fill-Ah. So we call it that and everyone corrects me and I'm like I know I know....you just don't get it.

Michele in Michigan said...

Fun post!

Here are some of our "fambly's" words:

my kids:
skamba-deggs= scrambled eggs

oh-nej' (the "j" sounding like the pseudo-French "Tar-jhay") = "orange"

keh-shoop=ketchup

boo'-gahs=asparagus

fring'-kah-lers=sprinklers

mooey-muck=more milk

see-bupp= sleeves up

boon=balloon

pucky=monkey

Hubby & I:
sanity clause=santa clause

fa-JEE-tas= fajitas

fridge-uh-lees= frijoles

TorTILLas= my nickname is Tortilla the Hun due to my first-ever batch that snapped when you tried to fold them lol

ex-caped=escaped

Michelle said...

We have quite a few, but here are some of my favorites...

scalp-os = scallops
directatory = directory
pa = pacifier
brokening = broken
The Princess Store = Disney Store
Hankaburger = hamburger
hams and hots = hamburgers & hot dogs
kep-itch = ketchup
Prince-i = Princesses
Neminems = M&Ms
Fartin Barton = all males named Barton

My family has a huge amount of these due to the fact that I have 4 year old twin girls - they are famous for them!

Kristie said...

nona = soda (i said this as a child apparently)

keckup = ketchup (again me as a kid)

schloder = shoulder (my dad says this, i dunno where it comes from)

sumunabitch = son of a bitch (my grandmother had an accent and always said it that way and so do we)

Re-he-he-ally = really (from a movie, my bf and i do it all the time now)

sto'ore = store (my bf and i are nerds and used to watch Babylon 5 and there was some ad on about a store...)

annarisms - aneurisym (i dont know how to spell it, but my sister anna likes to go off the deep end and flip out every now and then, so when she does, its an "annarism". She doesnt like this phrase so much.)

thats just a few of our weird things we say. :)

ps - snickrsnack- i know ppl who call it a clicker too.

Ern said...

My family calls the "junk drawer" in the kitchen the "everything drawer". My husband corrects me every time I say it. (Why is HIS way right?)

Ern said...

I was just reading over the others. My dad always said "sqweet" for lets go eat (like random and odd)

also:

cukes = cucumbers

Food is always spelled "fude" on shopping lists. (dog fude)

Anonymous said...

Umm, let's see. We don't flush the toilet, we "plush" it. Thank you 2 year old son! There is no such thing as a cut, or a sore, or a boo boo or owie. If you hurt yourself, it's a "bleedin". And a freckle. Who has freckles? In our house they're "miracles".

C said...

There's an old episode of Just Shoot Me that has left a really annoying phrase in our home. Anytime someone says anything about pot pies we have to say, "Chicken pot, chicken pot, chicken pot piiiiiiieeeee!"

I've also watched WAY too much of Friends. Yesterday I was at my visit for the antidepressent study I'm in. I have to see several people during each visit. When my next "stop," Julie came through the door I screeched, "Julie!" By the look on their faces I knew it was inappropriate to follow up with "Isn't that just kick-ya-in-the-crotch-spit-in-your-face-terrific?"

Anonymous said...

Lawn Whisperer,
it's not walking the dog with them, it is feeding the cats!!

Anonymous said...

The only thing that I can think of right now is:

Hut Dog- Hot Dog

Both Casey and I say it that way.

Anonymous said...

from my sisters youth came "hangaburger" for hamburger and "sammidge" for both sandwich and savage (don't ask!).

One I feel infecting me slowly frommy own toddler include
neenup = clean up
foo- fie = butterfly
ockapoos = octopus

I also love how "kiss" sounds like "quiche" and "finished" sound rather obscene, what with "P" replacing "F" and those "I"s sounding like "EE"s ...