Home » Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

A Way with Words, a radio show and podcast about language and linguistics.

Discussion Forum (Archived)

Please consider registering
Guest
Forum Scope


Match



Forum Options



Min search length: 3 characters / Max search length: 84 characters
The forums are currently locked and only available for read only access
sp_TopicIcon
The Secret Language of Families
tyler
41
2009/02/04 - 2:04pm

thanks mark. this has been bothering me for the last 10 minutes quite a bit.

Guest
42
2009/02/12 - 10:55pm

I would love to hear this subject, "The Secret Language of Families," covered on the show again.  I'm sure there are more words to be covered.

For example, I just discovered that at least one of the words I grew up with is, shockingly, listed in Merriam-Webster.  I ate slumgullion at least once a month and I have yet to meet anyone else who enjoyed the experience of all the leftovers from the refrigerator being thrown in a pot and cooked together.  Leftover spaghetti, peas, ham, chili, just clean out the fridge and put it all in the dutch oven.

Another word that continues to confound my many dictionary searches is pronounced PE-sha.  My Mom used it to mean "a woman's privates."  Mom grew up in a multi-ethnic apartment complex so I've searched Italian and Yiddish words for that area of the body to no avail.

Guest
43
2009/03/21 - 6:53pm

Christina Frost said:

I thought instead of using the term indian giver you could use the political term flip flopper. It is almost the same!


I would suggest 'Moccasinner'

Martha Barnette
San Diego, CA
820 Posts
(Offline)
44
2009/03/22 - 10:04pm

Stoppel: Nice!

kierae, yes "family words" is always a good topic. Did your family, btw, have a term for the cardboard tube that's left after a roll of TP is used up?

And Kathi: I somehow missed your earlier Kurwood Dirby story -- I'd have gotten that one, too! Now if someone could just sing me the music they played when the Password players changed seats. That one's been bugging me for years. Whenever I ask about this, people always mistakenly hum the "Final Jeopardy" song instead.

Guest
45
2009/03/23 - 2:10pm

One of my favorite family words came from my grandmother, and it's what we say sometimes instead of "God Bless You." Of course I don't know how to spell it, but phonetically it sounds something like Bougitsmozee. My grandmother is Croatian, but we're not sure if it is Croatian or just something fun she came up with!
Thanks for this show!!!

Martha Barnette
San Diego, CA
820 Posts
(Offline)
46
2009/03/24 - 2:54pm

Thanks for the kind words, brstjohn. Is your grandmother's expression something she'd say after someone sneezed?

Guest
47
2009/04/06 - 5:31pm

Yes, and now we all say it after someone sneezes.

Forum Timezone: UTC -7
Show Stats
Administrators:
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Moderators:
Grant Barrett
Top Posters:
Newest Members:
A Conversation with Dr Astein Osei
Forum Stats:
Groups: 1
Forums: 1
Topics: 3647
Posts: 18912

 

Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 618
Members: 1268
Moderators: 1
Admins: 2
Most Users Ever Online: 1147
Currently Online:
Guest(s) 105
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)

Recent posts