Lana in Evansville, Indiana, says all the women in her family affectionately call each other Gert or Gertie. She has discovered that one of her friends also uses the name Gertie as a term of endearment for the women in her own family. Although in this case it seems to function as a generic term, the female equivalent of the names Joe or Mac, for a couple of decades starting in the 1920s, the name Dirty Gertie was slang for “a promiscuous woman,” immortalized in the song “Dirty Gertie from Bizerte,” Bizerte being a town in Tunisia. This is part of a complete episode.
I’m wondering if the term of endearment, “girly” turned into “gertie” somewhere along the line?
My girlfriend in Australia had the same two given names as me. We generally simply called each other “Soos”, but signed notes as S1 (she was older than I) or S2. However after she lived in Georgia, USA for about 5 years in late 1980s, she changed to calling me “Gert”, and has called me that ever since. She could never tell me exactly why, but I didn’t object. It’s been a personal “thing” between us for decades
Knitters are creating temperature blankets, also known as weather blankets, by assigning colors to daily temperatures and stitching them into finished pieces. Makers involved in The Tempestry Project extend the practice by representing the weather...
Nikki in Charlotte, North Carolina, shares the story of a man who casually told passersby You dropped your pocket, prompting them to check for something that wasn’t there in the first place. That silly saying reminds her of playing pool and trying...
Subscribe to the fantastic A Way with Words newsletter!
Your co-hosts Martha and Grant send occasional fun messages with language headlines, event announcements, interesting linguistic tidbits, and new episode links. It’s a great way to stay in touch with what’s happening with the show.
I’m wondering if the term of endearment, “girly” turned into “gertie” somewhere along the line?
My girlfriend in Australia had the same two given names as me. We generally simply called each other “Soos”, but signed notes as S1 (she was older than I) or S2. However after she lived in Georgia, USA for about 5 years in late 1980s, she changed to calling me “Gert”, and has called me that ever since. She could never tell me exactly why, but I didn’t object. It’s been a personal “thing” between us for decades