misery memoir
n.— «Last monday, the mother of Constance Briscoe lost the libel action she had brought against her daughter for the publication of Ugly, Briscoe’s memoir of her upbringing of neglect and abuse. The case was both astonishing and tragic. We are fascinated, in part, by what have come to be called “misery memoirs” because they seem to offer a spectacle that is against nature—surely mothers and fathers love their children.» —“Erica Wagner on how memoirs prove our lives are not lives alone” by Erica Wagner Times (London, United Kingdom) Dec. 4, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Aubrey in Waco, Texas, says her mother used to warn the kids against contracting honkus of the bonkus, a fanciful name for a contagious disease. This colloquial term probably comes from the words bonk and konk, meaning “to hit” or...
Lucy in Louisa, Virginia, recalls that if her mother was exasperated when the kids were misbehaving, she’d announce I’m going to put you both in a wet paper bag and see who falls out first! This is part of a complete episode.
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