seeler
Unusual words and phrases
Posted on: 02/03/2012 10:34
Sometimes they are regionalisms, sometimes there are archaic, sometimes they are new, but we've never heard them before. Pilgrim sometimes uses a phrase from Australia. I've used a few myself.
Last year I stumped a few people when I mentioned something about 'banking the fire'. I got all sorts of wild guess about what I meant - like put the coals in an envelop in the night deposit slot at the bank.
My daughter (in her 40s) recently asked me what 'the back forty' meant.
Let's try to have some fun with this. I'll post a word or phrase, you try to come up with an explanation. I'll come back on and confirm, and its your turn. (If you don't know the meaning, give us a laugh with your interpretation) And for this thread - no using a search engine. OK?
I'll start with an example:
"draw a bath"
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seeler
I remember using this phrase
Posted on: 02/03/2012 10:37
I remember using this phrase and a teenager giggling as she passed me a pencil and paper to 'draw a bath'. It means turn on the taps and fill the tub for a bath and probably came from the time when you had to lower a bucket into a well and draw (pull) it up filled with water to heat for your bath.
Ok, my turn: 'pull a hank'
SG
(You said to offer
Posted on: 02/03/2012 11:41
(You said to offer interpretation if you don't know) Is this like pulling a hankie? (like a spelling bee I will use it in a sentence)
"I pulled a hank 'cause you was lookin' verklempt"
ninjafaery
"Pull a hank" I'm guessing
Posted on: 02/03/2012 17:17
"Pull a hank"
I'm guessing that refers to pulling the strand of yarn from the ball to begin a project.
gecko46
Does it have anything to do
Posted on: 02/03/2012 11:52
Does it have anything to do with Hank Williams? I seem to recall that phrase but can't remember what it means.
SG
Maybe it is another famous
Posted on: 02/03/2012 13:42
Maybe it is another famous Hank....
Hank Aaron, Hank McCoy (The Beast in X-Men), Hank Snow.... maybe Hank from King of the Hill
Asking
Hi Seeler, At first,
Posted on: 02/03/2012 15:30
Hi Seeler,
At first, the expression "pull a hank" didn't ring any bells for me. But I suspect that ninjafaery may be on the right track and her suggestion triggered vestiges of old memories. I don't know what the dictionary definition is (no search engine used!) but I'm guessing it means a substantial strand of a substance or material as in "I'll pull out a hank of your hair" .
Asking
GordW
I hear "pull a hank" and I
Posted on: 02/03/2012 16:35
I hear "pull a hank" and I think of Corner Gas. In which case it is not a compliment
Beloved
I think it has something to
Posted on: 02/03/2012 16:36
I think it has something to do with Hank Snow . . . tell us seeler!
seeler
Several of you on the right
Posted on: 02/03/2012 16:55
Several of you on the right track. Beloved wins this one and has the privilege of posting the next word or phrase and picking the winner.
Remember Hank Snow and the Drifting Cowboys.
If you are chatting with a group of friends and someone says that he guesses he'll 'pull a hank' you better say 'good-by' because he is about to 'pull a Hank Snow and drift' off home or wherever.
seeler
New game, all the rules
Posted on: 02/04/2012 15:39
New game, all the rules haven't been worked out yet. Perhaps we need a change. Anyone who makes a guess can then enter their word (only condition is to come back sometime and let us know if anyone got the answer).
So my new word is:
dooryard
Give it a try and then suggest your word or phrase.
ninjafaery
Not sure what it means, but I
Posted on: 02/04/2012 23:42
Not sure what it means, but I seem to remember a lovely poem titled " when Roses Last at The Dooryard bloomed. It sounds like a kitchen garden handily nearby.
ninjafaery
Sorry - that was " lilacs"
Posted on: 02/04/2012 23:48
Sorry - that was " lilacs" blooming at the dooryard, not roses. By Walt Whitman
ninjafaery
"In the door-yard fronting an
Posted on: 02/04/2012 23:51
"In the door-yard fronting an old farm-house, near the white-wash’d palings,
Stands the lilac bush, tall-growing, with heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
With many a pointed blossom, rising, delicate, with the perfume strong I love,
With every leaf a miracle......and from this bush in the door-yard, 15
With delicate-color’d blossoms, and heart-shaped leaves of rich green,
A sprig, with its flower, I break."
qwerty
I used "dooryard" in a
Posted on: 02/05/2012 01:50
I used "dooryard" in a sentence yesterday. However, I used it as "door yard".
somegalfromcan
I have this vision of a yard
Posted on: 02/05/2012 02:32
I have this vision of a yard where little door seedlings are planted and grown into full sized doors! LOL
Does anyone here know what a baggy winkle is?
seeler
ninji got it - it's a fairly
Posted on: 02/05/2012 07:40
ninji got it - it's a fairly common word in the rural areas of the Maritimes. The back yard can stretch all the way out to the cow pasture or the woodlot but the dooryard is the area around the back door, with the wood shed to one side and the vegetable garden on the other. Many's a time my mother told me and my sisters, go out and play in the dooryard until supper's ready. My sistere used it in Ontario once and her friend thought it was the funniest term ever "Your door has a yard????"
So, I'll leave it open now to see if Ninji or anyone else posts their unusual word.
ninjafaery
Even though "Baggie winkle"
Posted on: 02/05/2012 07:48
Even though "Baggie winkle" sounds a bit naughty, I'm sure it's something very ordinary. A winkle is a shellfish in England - am I close? Hey, I just thought of an old Cockney tune -- "I can't get my winkle out......" Meaning out of the shell ;-)
seeler
I think you are probably
Posted on: 02/05/2012 07:53
I think you are probably right, Ninja. I'm quite sure that winkle is a small shellfish, something like a snail. I can imagine them deepfried, and sold in an individual serving bag - something like fried clams.
gecko46
In Atlantic Canada, I've
Posted on: 02/05/2012 09:55
In Atlantic Canada, I've heard them called winkles or periwinkles. In other times London pubs used to sell winkles and other shellfish in paper bags. Guess it was similar to wrapping fish and chips in newspaper.
MC jae
seeler wrote: ninji got it
Posted on: 02/05/2012 09:56
ninji got it - it's a fairly common word in the rural areas of the Maritimes. The back yard can stretch all the way out to the cow pasture or the woodlot but the dooryard is the area around the back door, with the wood shed to one side and the vegetable garden on the other. Many's a time my mother told me and my sisters, go out and play in the dooryard until supper's ready. My sistere used it in Ontario once and her friend thought it was the funniest term ever "Your door has a yard????"
So, I'll leave it open now to see if Ninji or anyone else posts their unusual word.
It's a word I'd never heard before, and I've spent every summer of my life in northern New Brunswick. Even lived there for a year while at UNB. Strange that.
seeler
I don't think dooryards would
Posted on: 02/05/2012 12:33
I don't think dooryards would be familiar to city folk where the whole backyard (or garden) is postage stamp sized. Perhaps city kids are told to 'go out and play on the patio until I call you'.
seeler
Isn't anybody coming up with
Posted on: 02/05/2012 13:02
Isn't anybody coming up with some more words? Perhaps related to your work - a word or phrase that conveys meaning in your office or job site but might puzzle those on the outside? Or you family history?
Here is another one that puzzled my sil. He ran into an old friend who had lived in one particular area of NB for a long time. They sat down for coffee. Every so often the other guy would ask "Do you mind?"
So: "Do you mind?"
gecko46
"Do you mind?' Is that kind
Posted on: 02/05/2012 16:32
"Do you mind?'
Is that kind of like asking permission to get into the conversation and say something or ask a question?
My dad used this expression, and it was asking "Do you remember?"
MC jae
Here is a word my family has
Posted on: 02/05/2012 15:45
Here is a word my family has long used It's something in nature. The word is barleycoco. Any ideas?
kaythecurler
I've heard 'do you mind' used
Posted on: 02/05/2012 17:14
I've heard 'do you mind' used instead of 'do you remember'. It is probably a regional thing - but I don't know what region
somegalfromcan
Nobody's on the right track
Posted on: 02/05/2012 18:09
Nobody's on the right track with baggy winkle yet, so I'll give a hint - it has something to do with sailing.
Do you mind? Out here it means something along the lines of "get lost!" As in: "Do you mind - we're trying to have a private conversation here!"
Barleycoco - sounds like chocolate beer to me!
seeler
Kay is the winner with 'Do
Posted on: 02/05/2012 19:20
Kay is the winner with 'Do you mind".
I think the usual meaning would be asking permission or asking a favour: "do you mind if I sit here?" 'Do you mind watching my kids while I run to the bathroom?'
and I can imagine the tone of voice might mean 'Do you mind if I join in this conversation?' or 'Do you mind giving us some space while we talk?' But in this case it means "Do you recall?" or "Do you remember?" My father was from that part of the province. He started almost every story with "I mind the time ---- I was working in the woods and this big bear ---" or "I mind the time the chimney caught fire ---"
seeler
I'll take a shot at
Posted on: 02/05/2012 19:22
I'll take a shot at barleycoco. Barley might relate to beer. Coco might mean crazy. So I'm guessing that somebody who is barleycoco has been drinking too much beer and is either drunk or hung over.
gecko46
I posted the correct answer
Posted on: 02/05/2012 20:22
I posted the correct answer to "do you mind" before kay and got ignored....
Oh well, guess I'm not very good at this.....but I have a good sense of humour...
kaythecurler
And the winner is Gecko - do
Posted on: 02/05/2012 20:35
And the winner is Gecko - do you mind she answered first.
Elanorgold
Baggie Winkle, sailing...
Posted on: 02/05/2012 20:41
Baggie Winkle, sailing... hmmmm... part of the rigging in a sack? I have eaten Winkles though. They were very sandy. Had 'em on pasta. Fusili! I suspect they wuld have been decent had they been properly de-sanded, which I didn't know to do. Fun to pick my own wild food though!
Never heard dooryard before.
Barleycoco: Some Horlicks or Barleycup hot drink, with cocoa in it.
Mine is: "D'ya ken?"
paradox3
Elanorgold wrote: Mine
Posted on: 02/05/2012 20:45
Mine is: "D'ya ken?"
Do you know?
seeler
gecko46 wrote: I posted the
Posted on: 02/07/2012 09:33
I posted the correct answer to "do you mind" before kay and got ignored....
Oh well, guess I'm not very good at this.....but I have a good sense of humour...
Sorry Gecko. Yes, you posted a correct answer before Kay. Could I offer you a raisin bran muffin, warmed in the microwave to make up for my oversight.
seeler
D'ya ken? Do you
Posted on: 02/05/2012 21:28
D'ya ken?
Do you understand?
And we are still waiting for confirmation of the correct answer to barleycoco and to baggie winkle.
I'll take another shot at baggie winkle. Is it a sail that's just hanging, rather than filled with wind?
MC jae
seeler wrote: I'll take a
Posted on: 02/05/2012 21:58
I'll take a shot at barleycoco. Barley might relate to beer. Coco might mean crazy. So I'm guessing that somebody who is barleycoco has been drinking too much beer and is either drunk or hung over.
While I love that answer, it isn't the one I was looking for.
MC jae
Elanorgold
Posted on: 02/05/2012 22:00
Barleycoco: Some Horlicks or Barleycup hot drink, with cocoa in it.
That's a great answer too, but not the one I wanted.
somegalfromcan
Elanorgold is the closest.
Posted on: 02/05/2012 22:12
Elanorgold is the closest. This is a baggy winkle:
It's used to protect the sails from chafing against the lines (ropes).
My guess for "D'ya ken?" is "do you understand?"
Here's a phrase from Newfoundland that I heard recently which made me laugh: "What's after happening now?" I'll tell you now that it does not mean, "what's happening next?"
MC jae
somegalfromcan
Posted on: 02/05/2012 22:19
Here's a phrase from Newfoundland that I heard recently which made me laugh: "What's after happening now?" I'll tell you now that it does not mean, "what's happening next?"
Does it mean "what's going on now?"
seeler
We're still waiting for more
Posted on: 02/07/2012 09:40
We're still waiting for more guesses or a confirmation to a few phrases.
In the meantime here is another word. I grew up less than 30 klm, as a crow flies, from the village where my future husband lived. It was only after a road was cut between the two places that the boys from his village began to come down and check out the girls from mine (and probably vice verse), and I met Seelerman that I first heard him mention 'the bogan' and had to ask what he was talking about. New word to me: bogan
Remember, no looking it up.
Kimmio
Baggie winkle. My first guess
Posted on: 02/07/2012 10:55
Baggie winkle. My first guess is was it's one of those plastic tags for the bag that a loaf of bread comes in...but I see it's been answered!
I read one yesterday, and I thought I would put it here and see if you could help me. You might laugh, because I think this is a common expression. I have heard it before--it was just never used in my family, so I don't know that I ever learned what it meant--or I forgot.
"Soup to nuts"
Elanorgold
I guess mine was too easy.
Posted on: 02/07/2012 13:06
I guess mine was too easy. Yes it means do you know/understand. D'ya ken John Peel with his coat so gay. Also ken is the root of the rune "ken" which means the same.
Elanorgold
For "what's after happening
Posted on: 02/07/2012 13:14
For "what's after happening now" I guess: "what's up with it?/ what about it?"
The Bogan: a monster that lives in the bog? Otherwise short for Toboggan?
That's cute Kimmio, Soup to nuts means everything but the kitchen sink. "I've got everything from soup to nuts in my garage."
Here's one: "tups and gimmers". Anybody know what that is?
somegalfromcan
"What's after happening now"
Posted on: 02/07/2012 14:32
"What's after happening now" actually means "what just happened." For example: "What's after happening now? When I left the room you two kids were getting along so well and now your arguing with one another."
Elanorgold - I also thought that the bogan was short for toboggan.
Tups and gimmers sounds like some sort of British food (like bangers and mash - lol)!
seeler
Is it possible that tups and
Posted on: 02/07/2012 15:05
Is it possible that tups and gimmers has something to do with British currency, like tups being short for two pence? Maybe similar to our 'nickle and dime'.
Sorry Elanor but that isn't my understanding of Bogan.
MC jae
seeler wrote: Is it
Posted on: 02/07/2012 16:41
Is it possible that tups and gimmers has something to do with British currency, like tups being short for two pence? Maybe similar to our 'nickle and dime'.
Sorry Elanor but that isn't my understanding of Bogan.
I'm thinking that the bogan is the head?
MikePaterson
Tups and gimmers is
Posted on: 02/07/2012 17:11
Tups and gimmers is sheep…
In central Scotland, "ken" ius used a bit like "eh" in Canada, ken?... every third or fourth word, ken?, to ask if you're still, like, paying attention, ken?
Y'ken?
Lots of lovely Scots words… "driech" is a useful one, "scunner", "haar", "wean", "clarty"…
SG
Anyone have a guess for
Posted on: 02/07/2012 18:31
Anyone have a guess for "reddin' up"?
seeler
No, Morning Calm, a
Posted on: 02/07/2012 19:20
No, Morning Calm, a bogan isn't a head.
A hint: I was fishing in the bogan.
or We shovelled off the bogan to play hockey.
My guess for Mike's 'wean' would be a small child, a baby that's just been weaned.
For SG 'reddin up' - would that mean tidying up the house. "Company's comin'. I have to reddin up that house."
MC jae
seeler wrote: No,
Posted on: 02/07/2012 19:26
No, Morning Calm, a bogan isn't a head.
A hint: I was fishing in the bogan.
or We shovelled off the bogan to play hockey.
bogan=ice?
carolla
Bogan - bay? big puddle in a
Posted on: 02/07/2012 22:03
Bogan - bay? big puddle in a valley?
How about SKOOKUM??? I first came across it used here by some of our "west-coasters" - it intrigued me & I had to look it up.
One that often catches me off guard - OT -
So I always have to think about who's using the short form to figure it out!