That Burns My Onions!

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, A Way with Words.

This is Maureen Sullivan.

I’m calling from Unadilla, New York.

Unadilla.

That’s a heck of a name.

What’s on your mind today?

Well, my husband is from the northern part of New York State up near Montreal.

And he came from a kind of French-Canadian family.

You know, grandma and grandpa were Mimi and Pippi.

And he has this expression that I’d never heard before, and I’m still unable to figure out what it means.

And when my husband would get mad, he would say, that burns my onion.

And I thought that was the honest expression I’d ever heard.

It burns his onions?

Yes.

Is it one or more onion?

I don’t know, but I believe it’s singular.

Oh, it burns my onion.

It burns my onion.

Yes yeah do you know anything about it or have any thoughts people have been saying that burns my onions for a while at least since the 1970s and i I don’t know to me it’s kind of this diffusing kind of term I mean it’s it’s funny it makes you think about what that would look like.

And I don’t know I think I think there are a couple of explanations for this term it’s not expression. It’s not that common, but to me, it’s of a piece with all these other expressions that express anger involving just everyday cooking in the kitchen, you know, that steams my clams, or that fries my bacon, or burns my bacon, or frosts my cookies. But it might also be functioning as a euphemism. You know, people sometimes say that burns my biscuits, and biscuits and onions, you know, they might be stand-ins.

They might be euphemisms for similarly shaped body parts.

Your rear end, I guess.

Yeah, your rear end, but also as part of the male genitalia.

Yes, correct.

So there’s lots of verbs for that.

So there’s burns or scorches, my ass or my butt or my guts, and all of those are just kind of just really about this is physically affecting my body.

I’m so angry.

Yeah, yeah.

Or I remember in Kentucky hearing that burns my grits.

Oh, really?

Burns my grits.

And that is a heck of a smell, too.

When you smell burned grits, that is one of the most unpleasant smells.

Yes, it’ll make you angry.

Well, I love your show.

I love it.

I’m devoted to it on Sundays where I live.

We hear it on WSKG.

And, yeah, you guys are great.

And I’ve learned so much from you.

Aw, that’s nice.

Thank you, Marie.

Well, thank you so much, Maureen.

And give our best to your husband.

Thank you.

Take care now.

I will.

You take care.

Bye-bye.

All righty.

Bye-bye.