Sunday, July 8, 2012

Was That A Mousey Or Do You Need A Dry Guy?

Our family has a secret language.  Or well, at least a list of words that people outside of our family unit wouldn't recognize.  They crept into our everyday vernacular over time and we hardly noticed them.  But recently we've had requests for translation from friends and it came to our attention how many of these words and phrases we use regularly.  Here is a quick dictionary for those of you not in the know.


Mousey: Fart, passing gas, toot.  This was a term used in jb's family, but no one seems to know where it originated.

Dry Guy: Diaper.  From when Leo was a newborn jb would say "Let's get you a dry guy" when she would change his diaper - and now, that's what we all call diapers.

Chupas: Taste with your finger.  Chupa mean suck in spanish - as in sucking a taste off your finger.  It started with jb's coffee and Leo still asks to dip his finger in her coffee for a "chupas".

Dupa/Gutchies:  Bum and underwear.  I think these are Russian/Ukrainian words and I think many families with Slavic roots use them.
 
Jams:  Ipod.  jb would ask Leo if he wanted to listen to some jams, and when he would say yes she would plug in her ipod - so naturally Leo thought that it was called jams.  And now it is.

Dezzerbeds:  Appetizers.  Another relic from jb's youth.  The story goes that a young jb spelled appetizers this way on a grocery list (she insists that it has been exaggerated over the years) and to this day it is tradition for the "kids" to make dezzerbeds each Thanksgiving.

Sprinkle Sprinkle:  Parmesean Cheese (or any condiment that can be sprinkled over food).

Boinking:  Jumping - particularly on the bed.

Wowin:  Anything that elicits a "Wow!" is wowin.  Last week on the 4th when we watched the fireworks Leo pronounced them Wowin!

Zoomin:  Driving.  Toy cars, our actual car, planes, a bike.  It's all zoomin.

Does your family have any unique ways of saying everyday things?  I know I was very grateful that Leo called farts "Mousies" during the first trimester when we would be out in public and some of that delightful pregnancy gas would escape and he would loudly exclaim "Mama made a mousey!"  I could just look as confused as everyone else and quickly leave the scene.

5 comments:

  1. Lindsay Wilhelmli7/09/2012

    Ha, cheese was/is sprinkles here, too. :-)

    Oonas is one that has stuck around here. Oonas = noodles/pasta (or Mr. Oonas = Mr. Noodle from a certain red monster's show).

    Also swima cool = go for a swim/swimming pool.

    I try to use the "right" pronunciation/words so Cady will start eventually, too (since most of ours have evolved from "Cady-speak") but I kind of like our family language!

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  2. Nannan8117/10/2012

    gubs = gloves my niece needed some at around 2 years old and annouced to everyone in the store that she was getting new gubs for the snow

    orts = leftovers this came from my mom's family

    ool = pool friends had a sign that said this is our ool please note there is no p in it please keep it that way. when my niece and nephew were potty training we would tell them remember no pee in the ool and it has stuck

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  3. Carolyn Chernoff7/11/2012

    Perhaps our most unusual creation is LEN LOTIONLY. Len is, of course, who you are when you get lotioned up--so after a shower, Raven will ask, "Len Lotionly?" or we'll say, "Where's Len? Len Lotionly?" and then slather her. Yesterday Raven added to it, calling us Mommy Lotionly and Daddy Lotionly.

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  4. Ha! Love this post. I can't think of any for us, and that makes me sad. I'm sure we have some. Maybe they're so ingrained in me that I don't even realize they're strange anymore...

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  5. Gifty8267/12/2012

    We had a few that we still use! And I love them. People of course look at my strangely when I use them. But who cares?

    Sick = Fix. My son would always say "Sick it Mommy! Sick it!"

    Shiffin or Shiff = Fishing or Fish. My daughter couldn't say fish when she was little. I was so sad when she stopped saying it that way.

    Hook at Dat! = Look at that.

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