More linguistic questions

[chicken]

So I thought of another typical word my mother loved to use a lot -- skedaddle. I now realize that not everyone has heard this word, and some people laugh at me when I say it.

The other thing I like about it is that it goes nicely with that word made so famous by Oz in BtVS, namely, "mosey". (For a fascinating article about the contradictory meanings of this, see the "Slow down faster" section of this article.)

Mosey! Skedaddle!

I just love words.

So do other people use "skedaddle"?

And what about vamoose? That was another of her favorites.

Comments

[viciouswishes.livejournal.com]

I have heard of all those words. But only personally will use mosey or vamoose. Apparently, I talk like someone much older than me. ;) Though I have been told that sometimes people don't know what I'm talking about because I use old words or big words and sometimes people don't understand me because I'm all fan-speak.

[chicken-cem.livejournal.com]

You definitely come across as linguistically advanced. ;-)

The fan-speak can certainly be a bit of a problem. If I joke with someone, "well, you're all bad moody" they sometimes don't get it at all. :-( :-(

[kernelm.livejournal.com]

Definitely know all three, not sure I ever use them though.

But I really like to use the word 'lollygag'. :)

[chicken-cem.livejournal.com]

Aha! Yes, that is another related word! And also one that my parents had at one time used quite frequently! How could I have forgotten it? Too! Many! Exclamation! Points! Bang bang!!

[superplin.livejournal.com]

All familiar, but I don't really use any of them, except maybe "mosey."

One from my parents that I do use is "sweetie patootie." Heh. Also, I claim responsibility for "sweetie patootie" usage among a select group of Italians.

The fanspeak thing can be a problem for me, too. Once, at a conference my school holds every year, during the Q&A after someone's presentation I used the term "Mary Sue." Several people asked me for clarification, while the only other person who knew what it meant (and where it was from) snickered.

Oh, and I discovered in a panel presentation that the term "sockpuppet" (as in fake identity) is not universally known even to the Internet-savvy. Who knew?

[chicken-cem.livejournal.com]

Is 'sweetie patootie' the same as 'cutie patootie'?

I've had that problem with 'Mary Sue' and 'sock puppet' as well. I am also surprised that 'sock puppet' isn't more univerally understood.

[spinthemoon.livejournal.com]

We use mosey and skedaddle here. Not so much with the vamoose. One of my personal faves that I don't hear much outside my family is hunker.

[chicken-cem.livejournal.com]

Do you mean as in "hunker down"? We use that, too.

[medelle.livejournal.com]

I actually rotate "mosey", "skeedaddle", "vamoose" and "lollygag" on

[medelle.livejournal.com]

Grrr - hit send too soon.

Was trying to say "... on quite a regular basis."

[chicken-cem.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you use all of these!!

[kaydee23.livejournal.com]

I use skedaddle, mosey, and vamoose. I guess I'm old-fashioned. I like those words.

[chicken-cem.livejournal.com]

Don't they have a certain ring to them?

[kaydee23.livejournal.com]

They certainly do! Do you know fustigate? That's a good one. I love that one. Let's skedaddle is sometimes the only way you can say, "Let's get going now." Vamoose and mosey are just brilliant.

I loved it when Oz used mosey. He also had the degrees of parties. A gathering, a shindig, and a hooten nanny? I don't even know how two spell that last one. I think a hooten nanny would be the craziest.

[chicken-cem.livejournal.com]

I don't know fustigate. Seems brutal!

Hootenanny is one word. :-)

[kaydee23.livejournal.com]

Hee. I had no idea if I was even approximating the spelling. I just tried to spell in phonetically. Hee. Such a fun word.

If I'm remembering correctly, fustigate means to gripe, complain, or fuss about something. I never use it, but I think it's a fun funny word.

[kaydee23.livejournal.com]

I always had older people tell me, "Katie bar the door," and laugh hysterically. I never knew what it meant. I still don't, but I don't hear it anymore. Thank goodness. That used to drive me nuts.

[chicken-cem.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, I'm not sure what that means without context -- what was the context?

[kaydee23.livejournal.com]

Idon't know! Old people would say that to me in elementary school. There never seemed a context. Then, they'd just cackle hysterically. I'm sure I could google it, but I'm too lazy. Also, when I google, I get sucked into other things and waste too much time.

[chicken-cem.livejournal.com]

Me too -- one google search leads to another, which leads to a weird tangent, which leads to strange Wikipedia articles, which lead to other things ...

Rabbit says hi!!