A worker in Montgomery, Alabama, doctor’s office reports that when the office is extremely busy, she and her colleagues will say “We’re slammin‘” or “We’re slammed.” It’s a common expression in the restaurant business. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Slammed Meaning Busy”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi, Martha. Hi, Grant. This is Mary Bell Scott from Montgomery, Alabama.
Hi, Mary Bell. Welcome to the show.
Hey, Mary Bell. Welcome.
What do we do for you?
Well, at work, when we are really busy, we will tell people that we are slamming.
Or that if we’re just covered up with work, that we are slammed.
Where do you work?
I work at a doctor’s office in Montgomery, a Montgomery Cardiovascular Associate.
I do stress tests there.
Okay.
And if we get really busy, then slamming gets a whole new syllable.
It’s slamming.
Slamming.
Let me ask you, is this when customers come in without an appointment
And you kind of have all this unexpected business?
No, not necessarily.
People get there and everything is supposed to be nice and smooth,
And sometimes there are little hitches and things have backed up.
And actually, I’ve heard that expression and used it myself for decades.
-huh.
Did you ever work in food service?
No.
No.
I never did.
Because all the people who have worked in food service, they probably know this.
-huh.
Oh, do they?
Yeah.
Being slammed is really common in the restaurant business or the catering business.
And I’m wondering, too, if you use slam as an adverb to say, like, we’re slam full.
Yes.
Yeah, because that’s kind of a southernism to say we’re slam full.
I eat so much food, I’m slam full.
As an emphatic.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I’m thinking that those might be connected, slam full and slamming.
But I think the food service connection is also strong, right?
Oh, I’ve heard lots of people in food service.
It means in the weeds to be slammed.
Yeah.
Is there anything specific that attached that to food service?
No.
Are they talking like doors slamming between the kitchen and the serving area?
No.
I think it has to do with the really basic meaning of to slam, which means to hit hard.
So if a lot of customers show up all at once, you feel like you’ve been hit hard.
Like two buses pull up in the parking lot and you’re like, oh, put the burgers on.
Fixing to get slammed.
Fixing to get slammed.
You are fixing to get slammed.
Getting hit hard.
Wow.
Well, Maribel, thank you so much for sharing that language with us.
I know you’ve got a bunch more, so you’re going to have to call us again sometime and share some more, all right?
I will do it.
All right.
Take care.
Bye-bye.
Thank you guys so much.
Sure thing.
Bye.
Bye-bye.
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