Friday, July 01, 2005

I Demand An Explanation

Here are just a few words I rounded up that remind me of my family and friends. Also, there are many that I use on a daily basis with my friend Vicki. Often, we will use these words and people don't know what they mean, so they ask for an explanation. Here's the best I can offer at this time.

ITALIAN STUFF, EAST COAST LINGO AND FAMILY TERMS. HOPE THEY BRING BACK A MEMORY OR MAKE YOU LAUGH.


Gravy: What other people call spaghetti sauce, we call gravy. Are you making gravy on Sunday?

Terlit: How my paternal Grandfather used to pronounce Toilet.

Earl: How my paternal grandfather would pronounce Oil.

Teet: Teeth. My maternal Grandfather used to say, I have to go wash my teet.

Terdy-Terd Street: How my paternal Grandfather would pronounce Thirty Third Street.

Fruit and Vegetable Guy: In my grandmother's day, he used to come to your block. Now it can be a roadside stand with someone who knows you by name - Vicki has a F&V Guy.

The Avenue: Where I grew up in the Bronx, my grandmother and my mother used to go "up to the Avenue" to shop.

The Square: Again in the Bronx, it's what my Aunt Jennie used to call Westchester Square Road.

Cupina: A Ladle full of something, Do you want another cupina of soup?

Uge: Huge. My Aunt Joya always said this....never pronouncing the "H"

Coolie: Your butt. You have such a cute coolie!

Schlep: To carry or lug around; I’m not going to schlep that all over town. A slacker or bum; He’s such a schlep.

Schmutz: Stuff. You have a little schmutz on your shirt.

Schmata: And old rag or old piece of clothing. If you complimented someone on their dress, instead of saying, This old thing? they would say, This old schmata?

Nosh: A snack. I feel like a little nosh.


Muu-Muu: A big, comfortable housedress.


OLD WORLD TERMS:

Vestibule: A lobby or porch area. I still say vestibule. What am I, 90???

Icebox: My grandparents always called their fridge an "icebox"

Market: Back in the day, it was the grocery store.

Glovebox: The glove compartment of your vehicle.


WORDS USED VERY OFTEN BY VICKI AND I...SOME OF WHICH WE'VE EVEN MADE UP.


Tremendous: When there is nothing bigger. That man is tremendous, The burrito I just ate was tremendous, My ass is tremendous.

OC: Out of Control - used by my friend Vicki and I and said using the only the letters, OC. Man, you were OC at that party last night!


OMM: Oh My My. In print, it is used by typing only the letters, OMM. If you say it, you have to say the whole thing, Oh My My.

The Bunker: Vicki's house. Because you can never get a cell phone signal IN the house.

Rina: A women or girls private area. This is a shortened word. It started out as "Pish-A-Rina" with Vicki and her daughter. It's primarily female, as we don't use it with her son. Now it's used as both a noun, My Rina; a verb, I have to go rina; and a question, Did you go rina yet?

NSR: No Stinky Rina. This is how we express keeping your Rina clean, because no one likes a stinky Rina.

Peep: Affectionate name for a male's private area. It's short for Pee-Pee and usually only used with your partner when you are feeling playful. C'mere, let me see your peep.

Yinty: Sort of means someone who is a knucklehead. It has many variations: You are a yinty, He's such a yinty, That is so yinty. Or you can use variations of the word, What a yintification, That song is so yintified, Hey Yintiola! and just plain old Yint.

Patata: Potato, in Italian. Used to tell someone they are a dork...usually the kids.

Cetriolo: Cucumber, in Italian. Again, used to tell someone they are a dork....and again, usually the kids.

Shot: Meaning there is no hope for you or the situation. Can be applied to anything. You're so shot!, He's shot, That's so shot.

Yack: Anything that is gross, or bad. That pie was yack, You have yack on your sleeve or That movie was yack!

Zip It Up: Vicki uses this all the time with her husband, kids and ME! It just means to shut your mouth.

Daddy Bite: A bite bigger than a kid size bite. When my brother and I were little, my father would always want a bite of whatever we had and when given, he would take a huge bite. From that point forward, we'd always make sure to tell him, Don't take a Daddy Bite!

Love On A Stick: What Vicki's family, passed down from her Dad's Mom, called a vanilla ice cream that is coated with chocolate and comes on a stick. It was her way of showing the kids love when she used to say Do you want a little love on a stick? when offering up this ice cream treat.

Scoop: When Vicki and I were younger, it would describe making out with a guy. Did you scoop on that guy?

Full On: Again, when Vicki and I were younger, it meant you were doing something to the fullest....often used about guys. We were full on.

Dumpster: When you have to go #2. Exclusively Vicki's phrase. Man, I gotta take a dumpster.

No?: Always used in question form, to seek confirmation. We have to start dinner, no? We can't go outside cause it's raining, no?

Fangs: Teeth. Did you brush your fangs?

Crap Shit: This came about because I typed something while chatting with Vicki in response to what she said. I said, That's just crap but added shit after it for some reason. From that point, if you were saying that something sucked or was unjust or something, it was Man, that's just crap shit.

Tourkey: Turkey. This is Vicki's word...and you have to roll the "r" in it. Do you want some tourkey on your sandwich?

I know!! (m): If you are a Friends fan, you will get this. Monica always says it, with the same tone and inflection in her voice every time. When on the computer chatting, we use the (m) to designate that we are saying it just like Monica does.


Well, that's all folks. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go put on my muu-muu, get a little nosh, brush my fangs and go rina before I get on the computer to talk to my yinty friend. I have to tell her all about the crap shit I had to deal with at the post office today so she can confirm that the US Postal Service is just shot. That sounds like a good plan, no?

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