Following up on our talk about regional terms for a small, raised section of road, such as tickle bump and belly-tickler, Martha shares a passage from The Guardian Angel by Oliver Wendell Holmes, which references another term for that kind of bump. One of his characters calls it a thank-you-ma’am, referring to the fact that one’s head involuntarily nods when going over one. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Thank You, Ma’am, Road Bump”
Remember a few weeks ago we were talking about regional terms for a bump in the road, like tickle bump or belly tickler because you go over it in a car or a carriage or whatever.
And a thank you, ma’am.
Yeah. Well, funny, you should mention thank you, ma’am, because I found a wonderful use of it in a short story by Oliver Wendell Holmes. This older woman is comforting a younger woman, and she says, we all have our troubles. It isn’t everybody that can ride to heaven in a sea spring shea, as my poor husband used to say. And life’s a road that’s got a good many thank you ma’ams to go bumping over, says he.
And, of course, the bump in the road is called a thank you ma’am because you go over it and your head kind of nods.
Yeah.
And you’ve got to cut your hat before it falls off.
Yeah.
And I love that expression, sea spring shea. I had to look that up.
Oh, nice.
A shea is an old word for carriage. You know, it’s related to shea’s lounge. And a sea spring is, you’ve seen these kinds of chairs where it’s just got a curve. But a sea spring shea is a kind of carriage in the old days that was kind of seat. So instead of a coiled spring, it’s a C-shaped spring with the carriage bottom on top and the axle underneath.
That’s what I’m trying to say, a sea spring shea.
Outstanding.
