Horrible Eggs, Friendo

You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it. I’m Grant Barrett.

And I’m Martha Barnette. And we heard from a couple of listeners this week about eggs.

Lisa Burkini in Virginia Beach says that when her daughter Zoe was about three, she really loved all kinds of foods, but she especially liked hard-boiled eggs. And so when little Zoe would ask her mom to make them, she would ask for horrible eggs. Horrible eggs instead of hard-boiled eggs.

Yes.

Mommy. Can I have some horrible eggs? And, of course, Lisa’s family still calls them horrible eggs.

Of course. You know.

And we also heard from Kristen in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. She says that her mother is from Cuba, and in Cuban Spanish, if you make a sucking sound with your teeth to express disapproval or disagreement, you’re freando un huevo. You’re frying an egg.

Yep, exactly, because it sounds like frying an egg. So freando un huevo or frear alguien huevos. You’re frying somebody eggs by making that sound.

Yeah, it’s also known in some of those English-speaking Caribbean countries as chupping.

Chupping.

Yeah, chupping. You’re sucking your teeth to express disapproval. It’s used throughout the Caribbean.

Oh, that’s very good. I love it. It would be excellent if you called us, 877-929-9673.

I heard that. It was EX. I’m just telling you. 877-929-9673. Words at waywordradio.org.