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Word for Word

I grew up in home with a mother who loved words. Knowing the answer, I asked her the other day if she still does daily crossword puzzles. At 93, she replied: “Yes, every day!” I picked up interesting idioms in my youth. I have fond memories of Mom talking on the kitchen phone exclaiming: “And how!” or describe something by saying: ‘it’s six of one or half a dozen of the other.” She called her coffee a “cup of joe.” Referring to her car, she said: “we bought a lemon.”

My daughter who is a writer for a living also loves words. Once on a visit home from college, she remarked that she heard someone use the phrase “Johnny on the spot”. “Mom, I thought I was in your kitchen,” she said.

My husband said his Dad always referred to his money as a fin, a sawbuck and a double sawbuck.

I was watching Fox News a few months ago and did a double take. The smart, lovely blonde captivated me with her interview, especially when she exclaimed: “And how!”

Do you use idiomatic phrases? I’d love to hear them; but keep it clean!

Comments

  1. CarrieJanuary 16, 2009 at 1:58 PM

    My favorite that Grannie uses is: Different strokes for different folks! I use that one a lot these days.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MelanieJanuary 16, 2009 at 9:32 PM

    I always think it's fun to hear the different phrases that we all get so used to saying and hearing. This was a fun post to read.

    ReplyDelete
  3. KayJanuary 18, 2009 at 4:16 PM

    Ditto to Melanie's comment - this was a FUN post! I can still hear my dad say on the way out the door to church "We're goin' down to Judah!" And if you didn't follow up with someone/something responsibly, he would say "You're gonna get a bad name." Who wants THAT? Now my mom, on the other hand, to this day, walks into ANYONE's house and proclaims "Honey, I'm home!"

    ReplyDelete

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