If something’s right on the tee na na, it’s just perfect. This phrase from New Orleans has popped up in myriad songs from the region. One interview with the musician Dr. John suggests that tee na na refers to the rear end, or tuchis. Martha speculates that tee na na may have to do with the phrase to a tee. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Tee Na Na”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi, this is Dorothy Baker from Dallas, Texas.
Welcome, Dorothy.
Hi, Dorothy. Welcome to the program.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
What would you like to talk with us about?
Well, when I was growing up, my grandfather lived with us. I grew up in New Orleans, and he was also from New Orleans. And he used to use an expression, write on the T-na-na. And I have asked many people if they’d ever heard anyone else use that expression. My parents used it a little bit, but my grandfather used it a lot. And I understood it to mean exactly right. It was exactly perfect. It was right on the T-na-na. But I have no idea about the derivation. No one that I know has ever heard it before, I mean, since.
And Dorothy, have you heard it in any other context besides your grandfather?
No, I haven’t. Nobody else. Only meaning it was exactly correct. That was right on the Tinana.
Was he a musician?
No.
No?
Did he like to listen to jazz or old ragtime or anything like that?
I don’t think so. Even some of the Zydeco or anything like that?
No, although, as I say, he did grow up in New Orleans. So I had a little bit of an idea that it might have some French derivation or maybe Cajun. I don’t know. It’s possible.
The reason I asked about music, and it’s fantastic that there’s a New Orleans connection here, because there have been a number of songs over the last hundred years sung by musicians who are either from New Orleans or heavily associated with it, who have songs with T-na-na as part of the chorus or the title of the song.
Oh!
Yeah, and it goes back as far as 1910. There was a song called the T-na-na Indian Rag, and in 1912 there was a song called T-na-na from New Orleans, and in 1940 there was a song that Jelly Roll Morton did called Mama’s Got a Baby Named T-na-na.
Well, I’d never heard of those. That’s great. It’s possible that it’s just a name. I say that, though, but there was an interview a few years ago on NPR. The host was Gwen Tompkins, and she interviewed Dr. John. Do you know him and his music?
I know. The name sounds familiar to me, but I don’t know it well.
Well, he’s a pianist. He’s from New Orleans, I believe, right, Martha?
I think so, yeah. And she asked him specifically about the kind of language that he uses. A lot of it is this hyper-stylized Cajun French, and she specifically said, what exactly is T-na-na? And he replied and said, well, T-na-na is when you talk about a funky butt. That is the butt, B-U-T-T. That thing you shake it and don’t break it. That’s kind of what the T-na-na is. And so it’s possible that your grandfather was saying right on the tuchus or right on the patootie.
Oh, well, that’s very interesting.
That surprises me, too.
Oh, really?
Was he not that kind of fellow?
Not particularly. He was rather a serious type to me anyway, you know, to a child. I was very respectful of him, and we, you know, we weren’t buddies. That’s the only time that I’ve ever seen that reference, though, connecting it with…
Yeah, it’s possible that Dr. John has made that meaning himself, right?
Yeah, I can’t help thinking about the expression to a T, you know, exactly.
Oh, yes. Huh. I don’t know if there’s any connection whatsoever. Because it sounds similar and it means the same thing. It means right on the nose or exactly right.
Yeah, right on the T-na-na. I love it. Do you use it yourself, Dorothy?
Yes, I do every now and then. I do.
And do you get funny looks?
Yes. People say, what do you mean? Sometimes it’s nice to have a bit of language that other people don’t quite understand.
Yes, it’s fun. I like that too. If you ever get a chance to talk to some of your relatives who might have known your grandfather better, see if any of this stuff that we’ve brought up about music and old-time jazz from New Orleans rings a bell with them, and maybe they know a little bit about what he liked to listen to or liked to do in his off time.
Yeah, I certainly will. Thanks so much.
Our pleasure, Dori. Thanks for giving us a call.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
If you have a question about language, we’ll try to give you an answer that’s right on the T-na-na.
I am officially adopting that into my vocabulary grant, right on the T-na-na.
Isn’t that great?
You bet you’re patootie.
Yeah, yeah. Call us, 877-929-9673, or email us. The address is words@waywordradio.org.
