Karen in Memphis, Tennessee, says that when she looks disheveled or otherwise unfashionable, her Canadian mother says that she looks like a rig and a half. In Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and Labrador, Canada, the word rig means “an eccentric, odd, or humorous person or character,” and goes back to England and Scotland, where related terms mean “to play a prank,” “to mock,” “to make a fool of,” or “to behave riotously.” For a closer look at the language of that part of Canada, delve into The Dictionary of Cape Breton English by William Davey and Richard MacKinnon. (Bookshop|Amazon) This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “A Rig and a Half”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hey, this is Karen Mulford calling from Memphis, Tennessee.
Hey, Karen. Welcome.
Hi, Karen.
Hi. So I’m calling about a phrase that my mom uses, typically in reference to my appearance, and that phrase is rig and a half.
Rig and a half?
What do you look like?
That’s it. Typically, it means I’m maybe wearing mismatched socks, or maybe my pants are too short, or like I’m wearing a dinosaur onesie to keep warm, you know, that kind of stuff.
Okay, you look like me. I get it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Dinosaur onesie.
She’ll say, oh, you suck a rig and a half.
A rig and a half. Very fashionable.
Is that rig like R-I-G, like a rig and a half?
Yep, I believe so.
Wow. So your mom says this. What about your mom? Where is she from? Who is she?
She is Canadian. She’s from Timmins, Ontario. And she said it’s a phrase that she, you know, heard as a kid. And it was a common phrase to her, but I’ve never heard it. I’ve never heard anyone else use it. None of my Canadian relatives know about it.
So, yeah, she says it’s just you use it when, like, maybe someone has, like, a disheveled appearance, like dirt on their face or their hair is messy. But I always took it to be about my outfit because I always wore silly outfits. A rig and a half.
So what part of Ontario?
Timmins.
I would have guessed that she was from one of the maritime provinces, Karen.
Yeah. And the reason I would have guessed that is because in Cape Breton and Nova Scotia and Labrador, they have a word rig, which means an eccentric, odd, or humorous person or character.
Oh, that sounds like me. I think that’s what she was talking about. I think she was calling you an odd person and a half. Not just one odd person, but a whole 50% more. 1.5.
Yeah. And this is a word that goes back to the old world, to England and Scotland, as a matter of fact. And it goes back to words meaning to play a prank or to mock or to make a fool of or to play a trick on. An older expression is to run the rig, which is to run riot or to behave recklessly. And so there’s lots of older expressions. It goes well back into the 1700s. But it lasted, you know, the heritage of the English as they settled in the New World. This word just happens when it lasted there.
Is she Canadian? Canadian? Where are her parents from?
Her parents are from the same place, but I think her great-grandparents were from Scotland. A lot of our family’s from Scotland. So maybe that’s where it came from. And now it’s in Memphis.
Yeah, I know, spreading it around the world. Anyway, I wanted to tell you about the book where I found an entry for this. It’s not the only book, but there’s a fantastic book called The Dictionary of Cape Breton English by William Davey and Richard McKinnon. Really wonderful. It just kind of sets up the history and the people of this place and really tells you a lot about who they are and where they’re from. It’s wonderful.
Wow, that’s so cool.
Yeah, so Karen, I’m delighted to hear from a kindred spirit, fashionably speaking.
Yes, that’s what eccentrics have to keep together, right?
That’s right. Thanks so much, you guys. I really appreciate you.
Yeah, sure. No problem.
Thank you, Karen.
Thanks.
Bye.
Bye-bye.
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