That was like picking fly poop out of pepper with boxing gloves on.
That was like picking fly poop out of pepper with boxing gloves on.
Grew up Pennsylvania Dutch, and inherited a strange linguistic mix of 18th century low German and English. Even 4th and 5th generation immigrants spoke English with a heavy German Accent. Sometimes folks spoke in English, but with the typical German word order? which resulted in "Throw the horse over the fence, some hay" Throw pop down the steps his shoes. Make me a sandwich. People often mixed in German words or slang when they spoke English, particularly where the German word fit the situation better. We moved about 80 miles from where I grew up and some words were totally new to me. I remember being fidgety in my seat at my desk and the teacher looked at me and said "Quit your "rutchin". We turn statements in to questions by adding "aint" at the end. for instance "He didn't go yet, aint?" or just making it a statement for the other person to agree with. "Nice out, ain,t" We refer to fatty gristly meat as "speck" food. Speck is German for bacon. Sometimes we combine German suffixes to words with English, for instance, "Outen the lights" meaning turn the lights off. Then we have some regional doozies. For instance, "dippy eggs" are sunny side up. Pot pie is a bizarre thick stew similar to chicken and dumplings and has no crust. The dumplings though are huge thick noodles probably 2 inches x 2 inches. We say, "Your full of baloney" to some one who is stretching the truth. When a child misbehaves and we want to scare him into behaving, we would say "the elfderdritchen will get you" When a child fell and ran to grandma for comfort, Granny would rub the affected area and recite a short poem in PA Dutch. "Heilig Heilig Hinkle Drecht, (something I do not recall) und alles recht." Some say it was a folk spell or incantation. I found out Heilig is Holy, Hinkle is Chicken and Drecht is ,,, well... " manure" We have towns named Intercourse, Blue Ball, Virginville, Yoe, Lucky, Paradise, Spry, A famous local landmark 30 years ago was the "O Yes" Hotel in Ono, Pennsylvania (it burned down) Another, still allegedly haunted is the Moonshine Church. A real church with a congregation that is still in existence. 150 years ago, six brothers who attended services there, took out an insurance policy on a guy and then killed him to collect the policy. They were all tried and IIRC, hung together on the same day. (google Blue Eyed Six) Most of the PA Dutch influence on speech in the area had disappeared, but once in a while, I hear a word crop up. Just last week, I heard a man about 30 years old refer to a cow pie as "stinkaschmutz" One of those combined English German words that folks still sometimes use. Schmutz is German for dirt, but to the PA Dutch it means something greasy or slimy. You can understand the English prefix Stink
"A self eating watermellon."
(There are several interpretations, the simplest being a thing/organization/process that serves no purpose.)
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
Loved the PA dutch tale Perry!
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
"If you can't run with the big dogs stay on the porch"
Supposedly PA Dutch: "Too soon ault, too late schmart."
Mike Null
St. Louis Laser, Inc.
Trotec Speedy 300, 80 watt
Gravograph IS400
Woodworking shop CLTT and Laser Sublimation
Dye Sublimation
CorelDraw X5, X7
If a blind man can't see it from the street it's close enough.
I've heard the unflattering "What a waste of good food."
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I have no idea how "local" some of these are, and what locale - I'm a transplant.
I'll have to ask my Lovely Bride - she was born 'n raised in these here parts.
She has told me "You don't know beans." Can't be wrong there.
"He couldn't hit the side of the barn from 10 feet", same as "can't shoot for beans"
My mother told us "You weren't born in a barn", in other words, close the door.
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out."
"Don't let him git yer goat" or pull your leg either.
"Let sleeping dogs lie", surely universal.
"Hold your horses" and of course "so hungry I could eat a horse."
Lighten up, "Don't get your knickers all in a wad."
"He chased her and chased her and chased her 'til finally she caught him."
"I'm so poor I can't even pay attention."
"If I had your kind of money I'd burn mine."
"A day late and a dollar short."
And what I always told my kids "I'd rather be a whole lot early than a little bit late." Especially when going to the airport.
JKJ
Kissin' wears out, Cookin' don't
Singer/songwriter John Prine put some in a song called It's a Big Ole Goofy World. Google it, too funny!
My dad used that all the time."A day late and a dollar short."
Mike Null
St. Louis Laser, Inc.
Trotec Speedy 300, 80 watt
Gravograph IS400
Woodworking shop CLTT and Laser Sublimation
Dye Sublimation
CorelDraw X5, X7
So glad I started this thread. All of these are great. A few comments:
Well done, sir- well done.
Now you speak my language, but we say "mashed up", which is common here any time anything is wrecked. The "ed" at the end is optional- he boat all mash up.
A few others:
Only two sailors have never run aground- one never left port, and the other was an atrocious liar.
Shake out a reef, but keep her off the reef
Holy @#$* you stupid @#$%& I said get the @#$% jib in!!!!!! (very often heard when I was sailing with "Screaming Jack", from whom I learned a lot about sailing, and even more about cussing.)
You may know this, but "Ship High In Transit" used to be labeled on manure because it was very flammable. They would abbreviate it- you can figure out the rest.
"Shake a leg" came from when sailors used to sneak girls on board. In the morning, the captain would ask them to "shake out a leg" to show if it was a man or woman in the bunk.
"He who would go to sea for pleasure would go to hell to pass the time." (I disagree with this one, but it's funny)
"A man can pretend to be a lot of things, but he can only pretend to be a sailor on the way to the boat." (I've also heard it said "... until he leaves the harbor.")
Don't run with the big dogs if you can't pee in the tall grass.
Two I mad up while working in machine shops, toolrooms,, "It ain't going in the space shuttle", and. "We have the technology".
While traveling across the country at 19 years of age, I went into a McDonalds in a small town in either Tennessee or West Virginia. I ordered a hamburger with French fries, and the young woman behind the counter said to me in a very heavy, hillbilly type accent," Y'All wunt dem spuds in a sack". I looked at her and replied Huh?. with a dumfounded face. My travelling friend just stood there and laughed at me.
Heard in TX Panhandle (Amarillo area) at my friend's parent's ranch:
Well I'll be dipped in sh*t!
Surprised.
Colbeer
Cold beer. eg: "I was going to get me a colbeer and then Ma went and got in the way of my program."
Well that just chaps / burns my ass
This irritates me.
Let her coast for a while
Something you've stopped doing eg: "I used to drink me a case of beer a week. Then I figured I'd just let her coast for a while"
Snatch you bald-headed
Busted! eg: "Ma's gonna snatch you bald-headed if she catches you with that colbeer"