Fenderbergs

A while back we had a call from someone who was asking for a word for those dirty chunks of ice that build up in your car’s wheel wells during wintry weather.

Boy, that’s alliterative, isn’t it, Grant? Do you remember that?

I do remember that, and we decided that we would call those somebody else’s job.

No.

Not my responsibility, right?

I think you decided that.

But we did talk about several possibilities like snard, which is a combination of snow and hard.

Carsicles.

Carsicles.

Things like that.

And then we asked you to tell us your words for that stuff.

And boy, a lot of you must live where it’s cold because we received an avalanche of responses.

On our discussion forum, some folks suggested chunkers, slush puppies.

And Pete from Saranac, New York, wrote to say that he calls it slung, which is a combination of slush and the past tense of sling because it’s slung up under your car.

Sure, I can see that.

And then Matthew from Madison, Wisconsin, writes that he derives great satisfaction in kicking those chunks off the car.

It’s the same kind of satisfaction I get from vacuuming up dust bunnies.

So my word for the stuff, he goes on, is kickies because I love to kick the chunks.

I love that.

Sort of like squeezing bubble wrap, only colder.

But there was one that I liked even more and you haven’t mentioned it yet.

Fenderbergs.

That was so weird.

We received that suggestion from two different people, from Donna in Wisconsin and Holly in Maine.

They both wrote to tell us they call those things Fenderbergs.

Ooh, super secret psychic sisters.

Do you think so?

Baby.

Come on, Don and Holly, come clean.

Anyway, Fenderbergs.

I like that one, too.

Fenderbergs and Kikis.

Well, we’re still taking your names for what you call that messy ice in the well of your car.

Send it to words@waywordradio.org or leave a message for us at 1-877-929-9673.