As I was making a huge pot of penne pasta for lunch today, I went to get the colander out of the cupboard so that I could drain the water from the pasta, when I oddly remembered the funny memory that I used to call colanders "strainers". That is what my mom called them, and so I grew up calling them strainers.
Then I went to college and my roommates laughed at me because I didn't know the true name of this particular kitchen accessory.
I then started to think about all the funny words my family used while growing up (that I got teased about later in my adult life). Usually substitution words.
Here is a short list:
Footstool. I now know they are called "ottomans".
Blaster. That thing you point at the TV to change the channels, otherwise known as a "remote control".
Air bubbles. You know...instead of toots, or farts (sorry mom).
Parmesian Cheese. It's really Parmasan cheese.
Pick Up. Instead of Truck.
Strainer. Technically it's a colander. But strainer also referred to a dish rack as well.
No. 2. We never said poop. For reals.
Draining Board. Instead of countertops.
Tennis Shoes. Any shoe that wasn't a Sunday dress shoe.
Mush. Cream of Wheat or Oatmeal.
Those are just a few off the top of my head. To this day, I still don't get the "draining board" thing.
5 comments:
Okay, they have been and always will be tennis shoes!! That's all I'm sayin' ;)
I'm having trouble seeing anything "weird" about any of those . . . for starters . . . it is *too* a strainer. It strains one thing out of another. Ergo, a strainer. ;o)
Footstool. Totally. Ikea agrees. I even have one in my living room.
And I like the "air bubbles" one. I'm so totally stealing it.
And lastly, a pickup is a type of truck. Usually a standard sized truck, as opposed to a mini-truck, trailering truck, or hay truck. 'Nuff said.
In our family, we had "all dirt" (like "all wet"). I'll post more when I think of them. ;o)
We call toots "spider barks." Yeah, weird. And my mom who grew up in Midvale, UT, says "semaphore" instead of traffic light or stoplight. Explain that one. :-) Most of yours don't seem that odd to me, maybe because I grew up in the West, too!
Yeah we are a pretty goofy family, I remember all of those "terms" as well. In fact I think I just used a few of them the other day, and thought, "Who says that?" because I don't know anyone else who uses words like those LOL.
Great post! Who knows were some of these came from.
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