A Kentucky listener and her husband wonder about the proper meaning of the word everloving. Sometimes they hear it used to express frustration, as in, “Why won’t he pass the everloving basketball?”, but other times they hear it used more positively, as in, “I just want to get in my everloving bed and sleep!” Grant answers her everloving question. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Everloving”
Hi, you have A Way with Words.
Hi, Martha. This is Sharon from Louisville.
From Louisville.
Hello, Sharon from Louisville.
Where in Louisville?
Hi, Grant.
What high school did you go to? We always have to ask that, don’t we?
I did not actually grow up in Louisville.
Okay.
I moved here.
You’re an import.
Yes.
Okay, but they’ve taught you how to pronounce the name of the city. That’s good.
They did. They did.
So what’s up, Sharon?
Well, my husband and I were discussing a phrase, the phrase ever-loving or ever-loving, and we’ve both heard it used to express frustration, as in, why wouldn’t he just pass the ever-loving basketball?
But I think that I’ve also heard it used to describe something that gives comfort, as in, I just want to get in my ever-loving bed and sleep.
I can relate to that.
We’re wondering if the second usage is also correct or if the way it’s most often used is the one where there’s the connotation of frustration or anger.
What about both?
That works.
You’ll find that the second one is the older form.
It actually does mean the ever-loving mean I always love my bed.
You’ll find it often refers to someone’s wife, actually, my ever-loving wife, the wife that I always love, have always loved and will always love.
The use that you’re talking about with basketball, though, that’s more kind of euphemistic and kind of an intensifier.
I mean, the same way we might use damned, right?
Okay.
Well, I think there are a lot of people who said they might use it to replace a word if they were in polite company.
It’s just kind of an intensifier, then.
We have a number of different ways that we kind of get a point across of frustration without actually using a crass or crude word.
And I think that requires a delicacy of speech that not everyone has.
But if I’m talking about, I’m so tired, I just want to lie down in my ever-loving bed.
It means you ever love your bed.
You love your bed forever.
No, no, Grant.
No, I think it’s the same idea.
Do you?
It’s just my gosh darn bed.
I think it’s the same idea.
Well, yeah, that’s right.
That’s exactly right.
There are two distinct uses of this.
And I think Martha’s interpretation is a perfectly fair one.
Definitely we’re talking about a heightened sensation here, a heightened feeling, whether that feeling is frustration or love or attraction to a bed because we’re so tired that we must get some ever-loving sleep.
Yeah, yeah.
So, Sharon, have we answered your call? Have we helped?
You have. You have helped. Thank you so much.
All right. Thank you, Sharon. Thanks for calling.
Thank you.
All right. Bye-bye.
Take care of yourself.
Bye-bye.
The number we’d really ever love and like you to dial is everlovin’ 1-8-Everlovin’ 77-Everlovin’ 9-2…
How’s it go? 1-8-7-7? 1-8-7-7-929-9673.
