Johanna in Munising, Michigan, has a funny story about a childhood misunderstanding. Guitarists sometimes refer to their instrument as an ax. But at least as early as the 1940s, the slang term ax referred to other instruments, including trombones and saxophones. The name probably derives from the slang term woodshedding, which goes back to the 1920s and suggests the idea of going out to the woodshed to practice in solitude. Other terms for playing an instrument include chopping and shredding. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Guitars as Axes and Woodshedding”
We got an email from Johanna Bogater who lives in Mucening, Michigan and she was writing about a childhood confusion that she had. She said that when she was growing up one of her neighbors was named Eldon and one day she was playing nearby while her parents had a conversation with Eldon.
and At one point, Johanna piped up with a comment. She writes, I addressed him as Eldon. My dad quickly shushed me and said not to call him that. From that point on, I thought the name Eldon was a dirty word. I couldn’t understand why someone would name their child a naughty word.
It was much later that I realized that my dad shushed me because I should have called him Mr. Begley and not referred to him by his first name. And I love that story because it reminds me of that kind of liminal period when you’re a kid and you’re learning words and learning language, but there are a few that are just out of reach. They don’t quite come in the packaging that would tell you exactly when and where.
Yeah. And so all that time she thought Eldon was a dirty word. Oh, you know why? He’s passed away now. But I had an uncle, Bud, whose real name was Eldon, and he did not like being called Eldon. So that’s where I thought you were going with the story.
But he was a rascal and a character, a truck driver, and he would have loved that story you just told. Well, thanks, Johanna. We love getting your stories about language, so send them to words@waywordradio.org or call us, 877-929-9673.
