Say What?
I had slipped into my southern rural persona when talking to someone a bit out of that melieu, and when asked what I would like to do about (the farm, my writing, retirement... don't rightly remember what)... I said "If I had my druthers..." And the person I was talking to acted like I'd slipped into speaking Afghani. I'm sorry, maybe not everyone has druthers. Do you?
I was hunting around, interested in the origins of the term (a contraction of 'would rather') when I came across this potentially useful page that I've bookmarked and filled under "Writing Tools" (when the truth of the matter is, I'll go back and play, killing some time clicking through a lot of the neat word origins and other "facts" compiled over the years at alt.usage.english. (This is more or less their FAQ).
Comments
I still say that, Fred. I know I picked it up in Virginia...probably from you!
Posted by: Curt | September 26, 2003 9:31 AM
I have druthers and I'm a Canadian west coast girl, born and bred.
Posted by: Lisa | September 26, 2003 10:13 PM
I come from a farm background but don't recall having anyone use that term as I was growing up. I think that my elder brother picked up druthers while in college. (This memory is probably as reliable as most of my others.)
Posted by: Cop Car | September 26, 2003 11:00 PM
I have no idea what you are talking about! "druthers" doesn't even appear in my "USA Phrasebook".
Posted by: Jenny | September 27, 2003 5:17 AM
I use "druthers" on a fairly regular basis - must have picked it up in Kansas somewhere along the way.
Posted by: bogie | September 27, 2003 5:21 AM
Yes, I have druther's...I picked it up from Gran...she had a colorful vocabulary of homilies to say the least.
This post got me to thinking about the slang I've picked up over the years and what words we use daily. We lived in the Uk and Oz for about ten years and so we've stitched a bit of their slang onto ours. Seems as I grow older I use less and less of the American lexicon of my 60's yute..it seems so contrived now. Dig?
Some common ones that come to mind:
Chocker's - full of something
Take the Kyber - to pass on an offer
Cactus fuctus or cactus in polite company - something is dead or completely fubared.
Codswallop - a lie, boast or inaccurate information
Damp squib - someone who is not thinking or a party pooper, (squib is a small firecracker, a damp squib is one that doesn't go off)
Dog's Breakfast - a mess
Wonky - wobbly, unstable
Spew - run off at the mouth or scatter something indiscrimantely "My purse flew open and spewed it's guts"
Ripsnorter - it's great
Knackered - tired
Sanger -sandwich
Nosy Parker - a nosy person
have a Squiz - to look at
Turn it up! - stop what you're saying, I don't believe a word of it.
Berko - very angry
Bob's your uncle - understanding something you didn't get at first.
drop a clanger - say something inappropriate
hoodwink - to deceive or con.
Buckley's - a slim chance, against all odds, little hope of succeeding - William Buckley was an escaped convict in the 1850's who lived in the bush for 32 years against all odds of survival.
Posted by: feste | September 27, 2003 2:13 PM