Slang & Idioms : Intaxication!

I love this term intaxication, though unfortunately in France, I don’t ever feel intaxicated! 

This is a play on the word, “intoxication,” which is the state of being intoxicated or drunk! Intoxication is also the high excitement of mind due to extreme happiness or enthusiasm. Hopefully, you all find your spouses or partners intoxicating!!

Funny Video: Esurance TV Commercial – $522 Bucks (and other slang terms for money!)

Here’s another TV commercial I saw airing on American television while I’m home this Christmas.

Unlike the French, Americans like to talk about money so it’s no surprise we have a lot of slang and idiomatic terms for it!

http://www.esurance.com/Welcome/home/home/ErinsWorld.aspx

• THE SAVER: 522 bucks (= dollars. Derived from the word ‘buckskin.’ In colonial America, the English wanted fur and they traded goods with the Native Americans for buckskin.) -- that's what people save, on average, when they call me to switch to Esurance.
• FIRST GIRL: If they switch to Esurance online, they could save 522 clams (= dollars. Native Americans on the west coast of North America strung clamshells [des coquilles de palourde] into strings of money).
• THE SAVER: I could save 'em 522 smackers. (= dollars. Sometimes said ‘smackeroo.’ Dates back to the beginning of the 20th century and comes from the notion of something being ‘smacked’ into the palm of the hand; the sound made as the dollar is slapped into the hand.)
• FIRST GIRL:You talkin' dough? (= money. Bread is a necessity of life and we earn money to be able to buy it. Dough, pronounced ‘doh,’ is what bread is before it is baked. A breadwinner is the individual who earns the money to support a family.)
• THE SAVER: Bread. (see above note)
• FIRST GIRL: Benjamins? (= $100 banknote. Benjamin Franklin is on the $100 bill. Sometimes called in street talk as a ‘Benji’)
• THE SAVER: Scratch (= money. Dates to beginning of the 20th century though its origins are unknown. Probably from the term ‘to scratch/scrape a living’ which means to earn just enough money to live). Greenbacks (= dollar. Since the Civil War, the back of US banknotes were printed in green ink). Moolah (= money. The origins are a mystery. Some say it comes from the Fijian language others say it comes from the French word ‘le moulin’ since mills were a primary source of wealth.) . Cheddar. (= money. This is a street term for money used often in African-American slang and rap music. I’m guessing that cheddar cheese probably was at some point in history an expensive item to buy and came to represent wealth or riches.) Simoleons. (= dollar. US slang term that is probably a blend of the 18th century British six pence coin called a ‘simon’ and the French gold ‘Napoleon’ coins.) Don't try to out-save me.

• SECOND GIRL: He’s the Saver.
• FIRST GIRL: (SAID WITH FRUSTRATION) I know he’s the Saver.
• VOICEOVER : You could save 522 bucks. See for yourself at Esurance. Technology when you want it. People when you don’t.
   

Funny Video : Progressive Insurance TV Commercial –Revised Language

This funny TV commercial is currently on American television at the moment. Most of the expressions the man is using are common!! Watch and see if you understand. The video uses what is known as Reduplicated or Ricochet Words which are word combinations and sounds designed to intensify their force. The transcript with explanations follows the video.

http://www.progressive.com/commercials/language.aspx

• FLO: Hi.
• MAN: I’m looking to save on insurance… don’t want to deal with a lot of flibbity flab (sometimes said as ‘flippity flam’ = used to describe something you don’t understand, such as someone speaking a foreign language) or mumbo jumbo (=a confusing or meaningless subject).
• FLO: (NODS AT WHAT HE IS SAYING) Sounds like you need to ‘Name Your Price.’
• MAN: No gobbledy gook (= containing a lot of jargon or very complicated language making it difficult to understand or incomprehensible)…
• FLO: Never.
• MAN: Do I still get all the dagnabbit (= expresses frustration, sometimes used instead of ‘dammit’.It is derived from the expression ‘God damn it’ which is considered rude language.) coverage I need?
• FLO: Sure, we give you a quote and you can adjust your price up and down to find something that works for you.
• MAN: This thing is okie McSmokie skittly doo (= very good, very cool. Probably derived from the expression ‘okidokey’ which means ‘ok.’).
• FLO: Great…I think.
• MAN: Diggedy (= no doubt).
• FLO: Oh! Still not sure.
• VOICE OVER: The ‘Name Your Price’ tool. Only from Progressive. Call or click today.

Slang & Idioms : It’s a bunch of nonsense!

My family and I were watching Disney’s Christmas Carol from last year that was recently released on DVD. In the movie, Ebenezer Scrooge says that Christmas is balderdash. My father made a comment wondering what the origin of that word was. So, I set out last night to look it up and was inspired by the various ways we say “nonsense” in English.

We have several ways of expressing the idea that something, such as talk or writing, is a bunch of nonsense. Here are a few:

• It’s balderdash! – This is a very old term of an unknown origin that dates back to the late 16th century and originally meant a mix of liquors. By the end of the 17th century, it meant a senseless mix of words.
• That’s bunk! – This expression’s origins are founded in American history. The word is actually short for Buncombe County in North Carolina which was represented in Congress in 1820 by Felix Walter. At the time, the question of slavery was deeply dividing the nation and the Congress was debating whether or not to admit Missouri in the Union as a slave or free state. After a lot of debates and just before the final vote, Representative Walker gave his opinion on the matter. Unfortunately, he gave a really, really bad speech “for Buncombe.” The term immediately became a joke in Washington referring to any nonsensical speech. Eventually, the term entered common speech.
• What a bunch of drivel! – To drivel means to have saliva dripping from the mouth. For hundreds of years, a drivel meant an idiot or very stupid person such as those who walked around with an empty look on their face and their mouths open with saliva drooling from their mouths. This meaning is obsolete today. From here though, the association was made to nonsense or lack of intelligence.
• What poppycock! – I was a bit shocked at the origin of this word since I’ve heard this one through the years. This word is derived from two Dutch words and literally means soft or mushy shit!! In Dutch, pappekak is quite vulgar! I’m sure most English speakers who use this term have no idea what they are really saying.
• That’s a load of rubbish! – Rubbish is a typical British word for the things you throw away. In the expression above, it refers to any untruth or nonsense. In American English, ‘rubbish’ would be replaced with ‘garbage.’

Cartoon : Stuff It!

Political cartoon by Drew Sheneman of The Star-Ledger in New Jersey.

“Stuff it!” is a vulgar response given in extreme anger, frustration or disgust. It is presumably short  for “stuff it up you’re a___!”

Cartoon : It’s Black (and Blue) Friday & “Don’t Touch My Junk”

 

Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. On this day many U.S. retailers open very early, often at 5 a.m., and offer promotional sales to kick off the shopping season. Because Thanksgiving always falls on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States, the day after occurs between the 23rd and the 29th of November.

The day's name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Use of the term began by 1966 and began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975. Later an alternative explanation began to be offered: that "Black Friday" indicates the period during which retailers are turning a profit, or "in the black." (Wikipedia)

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Political cartoon by Dave Granlund of Massachusetts and published on 25 November 2010.

If you are black and blue, you are covered in bruises due to injury from being hit, falling, etc…

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Political cartoon by Joe Heller of The Green Bay Press-Gazette in Wisconsin and published on 25 November 2010.

The Christmas shopping season has officially begun and millions of Americans find themselves fighting the throngs of people wanting to get those great after Thanksgiving sales. The principal shopper in the cartoon just happens to get the last item on sale but other shoppers also want it and are fighting him for it! He states that just the other day he was worried about strangers touching his junk at the airport. Now they have his hands on him everywhere!!

You’ve probably seen the word ‘junk’ in expressions such as junk food or junk mail however this word has another pop culture meaning that has become more popularized due to current security measures at airports. Junk is an American slang term for your genital organs that seems to have gotten its start in pop songs though I’m unsure of its origins.** It refers more specifically to male genitals but has crossed over to indicate the female’s as well. Use this term with great caution because it may be considered quite vulgar by some speakers!

“Don’t touch my junk” was made popular in the press by a traveller at the airport who didn’t want the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) agent touching his genital area during a pat-down. This is the act of passing the hands over the clothed body of someone else in order to detect concealed contraband such as weapons, drugs, etc.. These pat-downs have become very invasive with agents actually touching the genitals of passengers, the breasts of women, placing hands in underwear and in some cases, strip searching travellers including small children! Justifiably, many Americans are very angry with these new measures and view them as actions of a police state. This provoked one airline passenger to warn the TSA agent, “Don’t touch my junk!”

**If any of my blog followers know the origins of the term ‘junk’ in referring to the sexual genitals, please share them by leaving a comment!!

Idioms & Slang : Health

This is that time of year with the change in weather when we are often under the weather. Once when I was really, really sick I looked at myself in the mirror. I was pale and had shadows under eyes; I looked like death warmed over. I went to doctor who gave me a couple of days off work so I could recharge my batteries. I was on the road to recovery for a few days. The medicine the doctor prescribed did the work and soon I felt as right as rain and as fit as a fiddle.

Idioms & Slang (Video) : Going Dutch

If we go Dutch, it means that everyone pays for their own meal, drinks, entertainment, etc. when they go somewhere together. This can also be called a Dutch date or a Dutch treat.

However, this is commonly practiced amongst non-intimate friends, but can be considered stingy if it is a romantic date or even at a business lunch.

The origins of the expression are a bit cloudy. One school of thought says that it probably came from a Dutch tradition where in the Netherlands it wasn’t uncommon to pay separately when going out as a group.

It is also possible that the expression came about in England during the Anglo-Dutch wars to promote negative Dutch stereotypes. An other example of the latter is Dutch courage, also called liquid courage, because it requires large amounts of alcohol to obtain courage!

Idioms & Slang : Immaculate Congestion

Slide your cursor over the words in bold for their meaning.

I was reminded of this funny term while crawling home in congested traffic around Strasbourg that another American friend of mine had shared with me and I had never heard before.

Have you ever been in stop-and-go traffic moving at a snail’s pace and then all of a sudden you’re driving normally at full speed but there wasn’t an accident, a stalled car, construction work nor any other evident reason for causing the back-up? We call this immaculate congestion! It’s a play on words of an immaculate conception.

Check out my related post from 19 November 2008 : Idioms & Slang : Rubbernecking

Cartoon : Selling Snake Oil

Political cartoon by Steve Breen of The San Diego Union-Tribune published on on 21 October 2010.

In next week elections, Californians will be voting on a proposition to legalize marijuana use for recreational purposes in the state. According to recent polls, most voters in California favor the proposition.

The cartoonist is critical of the proposition and mocks the arguments being used to support the proposition. He believes that supporters are simply selling snake oil. The term refers to any product or thing that is questionable, exaggerated, or useless but the salesman is trying to make you believe it is good.

Pot is the slang or street term for marijuana.

Idioms & Slang: ‘Hand over fist’

This common idiomatic expression means ‘quickly and continuously’ and is often used in talking about money. For example:

“What a busy day. We took in money hand over fist. They were buying things hand over fist.

“In the current economic crises, many companies are losing money hand over fist.”

This expression is probably naval in origin referring to the movement one makes when pulling rope. Originally it meant slow progress, as when two ships were pulled together by ropes but today it has come to mean with great speed.

Your fist is your hand with the fingers closed tightly.

Interesting Sites : BBC Learning English – Keep Your English Up to Date

Here’s a new site from BBC Learning English which will inform you off all the new words idioms and slang that have entered the English language.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/uptodate/

 

Funny Video : Geico Commercial – Drill Sergeant as Therapist

to switch to	-	to change from one thing to another
a drill sergeant / a drill instructor	-	someone in the army responsible for training soldiers to march and other basic military exercises Learn more at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drill_sergeant
to chug on over (slang)	-	to go
mamby-pamby (slang)	-	cowardly
a jackwagon	-	an insult probably invented for this television advertisement to avoid saying “jackass,” an insulting term for a stupid person.
a crybaby (slang)	-	a person such as a child who frequently cries, like a baby

Idioms and Slang : Gobsmacked and Flabbergasted

 

 

Gobsmacked is a British slang term meaning to be extremely surprised, like the gentleman in the picture. This informal slang term is derived from the words "gob" and "smack."

A gob is also an informal British slang word from Irish or Scottish Gaelic meaning "mouth." If you smack someone, you hit them. The image is almost exactly like the French expression "une claque dans la gueule."

Another common idiomatic expression with the same meaning employed in both British and American English is flabbergasted. The origins of this word are less certain. It has been around since the 1700's.

The first part of flabbergasted probaly comes from the word "flabby" or "flap" which means shaking uncontrollably like a bowl of jelly. If you say someone is getting flabby, we are saying that they are getting a little fat around the waist and their stomach is no longer firm.

The second half of the word probably comes from an obsolete verb "gast" from Middle English which means "to scare" or "to frighten. If we go back farther in English language history, this word also has its roots in the Old English word "gǣstan".

There is another modern English word that finds its roots in this Old English word. Can you guess what it is? If you saw one, you would be flabbergasted and gobsmacked!! The answer is a ghost (un fantôme)!

 

Here are a few example sentences using today’s vocabulary:

 

He was gobsmacked at how much weight he had gained.

He was flabbergasted at how much weight he had gained.

Cartoon : Calvin and Hobbes - "Get-Rid-Of-Slimy-Girls" Club

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson published 01 July 2010 on Go Comics

 

to get rid of  - to make someone go away because they are annoying, unpleasant, or not wanted
gross - extremely unpleasant. This word is used mainly by young people.
slimy - covered with a thick wet unpleasant substance
redundant - not needed
gunk - any soft sticky or dirty substance

Cartoon : Karl Rove Book Reading

Political cartoon by Jeff Darcy of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer published on 15 March 2010.

This left-leaning political cartoon is critical of Karl Rove’s newly published book about his role in politics. From this cartoon we can cherry-pick some interesting vocabulary. To cherry-pick means to choose the best things or people out of a group.

The cartoonist blames the deaths of US soldiers on cherry-picked WMD intel that turned out to be bogus. WMD is simply the acronym for weapons of mass destruction and intel is the commonly shortened term for intelligence. If you say that something is bogus, it isn’t real even though it pretends to be real. For example, a lot of pills on the market make the bogus claim that they can help you lose weight.

The Rove character in the cartoon makes the statement that he should have done a better spin job. This is when you try to make a situation appear better or worse than what it really is. In other words, according to the cartoon character, he should have spinned the information differently to make it more believable or appear different than in reality. The so-called experts at spin jobs; such as journalists, spokespeople, politicians and political strategists; are called spin doctors.

“My bad” is an idiomatic, American expression for admitting that you have done something  wrong and you are at fault.

Cartoon : Cover Your Keister

Cartoon by Randy Bish of The Pittsburg Tribune-Review published on 10 March 2010.

This political cartoon concerns a local corruption scandal in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Bill Deweese, a member of this governing body, was questioned by a judge in connection with a corruption trial of a former legislative colleague. During this questioning, Mr. Deweese took the Fifth (can also say plead the Fifth).

This is a common American expression that refers to the Fifth Amendment of the US Bill of Rights which protects against abuse of government authority in a legal procedure. One part of this amendment states that no person shall be compelled to witness against himself. It protects against self-incrimination. During any sort of legal proceedings, if any person feels that the testimony he is about to give could cause him or her personal trouble with the law, he simply has to say “I plead the Fifth” or “I take the Fifth.”

According to the cartoon, Deweese took the Fifth, to cover his keister (sometimes written keester as it is pronounced). Your keister is an American slang term for your buttocks; that part of the body you sit on! The slang term probably dates back to the first part of the 20th century and is believed to come from a Yiddish word for a box or chest. To cover your keister means to take precautions to protect yourself so that you aren’t accused or punished for something.

Other variations of this expression are to cover your butt and to cover your ass. The word “ass” is considered to be impolite by most people so you might hear someone simply say in English “CYA!”

Well, I’m finished writing this blog post so I can now go sit on my keister in front of the television. Bye!

External links:

DeWeese invokes Fifth Amendment rights (9 March article from www.philly.com)

Pleading the Fifth (Wikipedia)

Idioms & Slang : Power-discing

 

Do you power-disc? The new verb to power-disc describes the act of buying a DVD set of your favorite television series and then watching it almost nonstop for days. Power-discing, according to an April 2007 article in The Ottawa Citizen, has become the latest trend sweeping North America.

Idioms & Slang : Turkey

Reposted from last year

This is the month when Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving. As you know, a roast turkey traditionally graces our Thanksgiving tables. In honor of this month, let's look at a some slang and idioms that use the word 'turkey!' You might hear someone called a turkey which isn't a very nice thing to say about someone. If you called someone 'a turkey,' it's because you think that person is an idiot, fool or a moron. A film or a theatrical production might be referred to as a turkey if it turns out that the film or play is a complete failure. In the business world, turkeys are investments or securities that failed to yield the profit expected. They also refer to any failed business deal. A turkey is also a sports term in bowling meaning three consecutive strikes. If you need to speak quite openly and frankly with someone, you would talk turkey. Do you have any annoying addictions such as smoking cigarettes? Well, if one day you decided to stop abruptly without taking one more cigarette, we would say that you went or stopped cold turkey. It's very hard to do for most people!

Interesting Words : Staycation

The global economic turndown has also had its effects on the English language. The crisis may weaken our pocketbooks but it has enriched the English language with some new terminology!

I came across a new word that has come into fashion. It is ‘staycation.’ Is this word just a passing fad or will it eventually find itself in our dictionaries? Well, the word is already found on Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary meaning it is probably destined for a long life!

The fad started in Canada and started to be widely used in the United States as gasoline prices soared a couple of years ago. It has continued in use due to the overall economic situation causing many families to not wander far from home due to the high cost of travel. There is a bunch of things written about staycations in books, travel magazines, newspaper articles, television and a host of other media!

What does staycation mean? The word is the melding of two words ‘stay’ + ‘vacation.’ Staycation refers to a vacation (or holiday for you British English purists!) spent relaxing at home and perhaps visiting the sites in your area in short day trips.

I googled* the word and found tons of sites, even French ones, that use the word. Take a look and google* the word yourself!

 

*to google – This verb is another recent addition to the English language that has become quite popular and widely used. As you can guess, it simply means to research the internet with Google.