Thinkers Uppers

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, my name is Sarah Noel, and I’m calling from Indianapolis, Indiana.

Well, hello, Sarah. Welcome to the program.

Thank you. Thanks.

So I have kind of more of a phrase than a word, but we were having Thanksgiving with my in-laws, and my mother-in-law just randomly said to comment on something, well, thinkers uppers, thinkers it. And we all looked at her and had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

And so we probed a little bit, and she said it was a phrase that several of her friends used and her parents had heard her use throughout her childhood. And basically she was saying it meant if you think it up, you do it.

So, for example, you know, I think we should have cake for dinner tonight. And then you would say, well, thinker’s up or thinker’s it. And so we called around to some other family members to see if they had ever heard of that. Nobody seemed to know where it came from, if it was a legitimate phrase.

So I was curious to know if you’ve ever heard of it.

-huh.

And so you said, gee, I wonder if anybody at A Way with Words has ever heard that. And everybody said, thinkers up or thinkers in. And you had to call.

I immediately thought of you guys and thought, well, if anybody’s heard of it, you know, if it’s really legitimate, then surely you have heard of it. What a funny little phrase, though. Thinkers uppers, thinkers it. I love it.

So thinkers uppers is the plural of thinker upper. And that’s the person who thinks something up. So if you think of an idea and then you speak it or then you are the person who’s it, just like a game of tag on the playground.

So if you say, boy, these dishes really need to be done, then you’re it. And you’re the one who’s going to do the dishes. Right. Or all my favorite pants are dirty, then you’re the one doing the laundry, right?

Yeah, well, I have to tell you, I have never, ever, ever heard this phrase or read it anywhere. What about you, Grant?

Really?

No, I haven’t. But the concept is very clear to me. I mean, we never had any kind of institutionalized phrase for that in my family, but definitely operated on the same principle, Sarah.

Definitely. Just the idea that, you know, if you want something done, instead of sitting there bellyaching about it not being done, then just get up off your lard butt and do it, right? It’s a pretty universal family concept, isn’t it?

Yeah.

Exactly. So maybe it just originated in her family, and then it just spread throughout her circle of friends.

It could be.

Well, we say this all the time, Martha, but I think this is one phrase that I’m going to have to introduce into my family’s vocabulary.

Absolutely. Thinkers, uppers, thinkers. I’m glad I could help with that.

Yeah. I haven’t heard of it anywhere else, Sarah, by the way. I don’t think it’s widespread. Like I say, the concept is definitely very clear to me. It’s very well-known, but it sounds like it’s something that belongs to your family. And thank you so much for telling the story.

Sure, sure.

Well, thank you guys so much for taking my call.

Okay.

Take care.

Bye-bye, Sarah.

Okay.

Bye-bye.

Well, if you have a question that’s racking your thinker-upper, call us, 1-877-929-9673, or you can send an email to words@waywordradio.org.