Thanksgiving Week: Wednesday
1 day ago
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Family Words
I listened to a rebroadcast of a Radio West show today called "Inventing Words." The guest was Paul Dickson who wrote a book called Family Words: The Dictionary for People Who Don't Know a Frone from a Brinkle. Basically, this guy collects made-up words, and he put them all in a book. Some of them are quite good. For example: niblings - nieces and nephews. It is a parallel word to "siblings." It really makes a lot of sense. Another lady calls her ex-husband her was-band. But the point is, everyone has words that they use in their family that no one else uses. Clark has had to teach me what a "bink" is (usually you get a bink in your neck, although you can get them elsewhere). I know the Andersons often accuse the mischievous of being "scampy," which I always thought was a real word, but Clark tells me it isn't. So what are your family words?
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8 comments:
i can't really think of any other than "choopie" for pacifier. if i think of any others i'll let you know. btw...good post.
"Choopie" for pacifier immediately made me think of the word "chupar" which in both Spanish and Portuguese means "to suck".
Don't forget that a bink is also a pacifier. And what do you do with a bink? You bink it.
What a versatile made-up word!
I think that all of my siblings know what "sockage" is about. "What's will all the sockage on the floor?"
Our biggest family word is "putzer."
Adam might correct the spelling, I've never had to write it before. "Quit being such a putzer." Our kids hate it when we say that, but it is soooo appropriate soooo often with them.
I don't know if this counts as a family word, but we like to say "bacon" with a short "a" sound. Also repeating the first syllable, not unlike a sheep, in fact. For full effect, pronounce the final syllable with a question in your voice, as if you're not quite sure what word you just said.
"Baa...baa...baa-con?
I know the origin of that one, Adam, but refuse to elaborate.
Suzanne, I thank you for your discretion.
Melissa, since you know the meaning of discretion, you can have a donut.
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