Color Me Curious
Have you ever stopped to listen to some of the things we say on a daily basis? We say things when we don't even know what they mean. We are verbal followers.
I started thinking about this the other day when one of our euro interns was having a conversation with two of our co-workers and something he said was misheard by the co-workers as "It's like shoes in hell." In reality, he said, "It's like choosing hell", but, we were amused with "shoes in hell" and now we use it in everyday lingo, such as, "Wow. That blows like shoes in hell." Now, let's say that we're out in public and without our knowing, someone hears our comment and then proceeds to "follow" and pass it along to their friends. The next thing you know, I'll be sitting at home watching "Scrubs" and "shoes in hell" will be written into the script.
Parallel to "shoes in hell", I was reading an article regarding some comments that were made by the Buffalo Sabres headcoach (ROCK 'EM SABRES, by the way). He said, "They're a great team. We're really going to have to mind our p's and q's." I read it, read it again, and then said out loud, "What the hell does 'mind your p's and q's' mean?" You hear people say it all the time in a variety of contexts, but, in reality, show me one person who really knows what it means.
Another example (one I am regularly guilty of): "Yah, we just did it for shits and giggles." Wha? I say it all the time. I use in interchangeably with "for the hell of it" or "just because" but I have zero clue what it is and where it came from. If you take it literally, it's rather vile. So why do I say it? I'm being a verbal follower.
The verbal follower theory is just that - my theory. But I'm taking a stand. I will no longer be a verbal follower; if I don't know what it means, then I'm not going to say it. It needs to be done. I will be a leader (I KNOW that "shoes in hell" is going to spread like wild fire and someday someone will be blogging about what the hell it means). So the next time you hear someone say, "The cat's out of the bag" or "she's so loosey goosey" take a stand and say, "What does that mean?" At the very least, it will be amusing to see their reaction.
PS: If anyone finds out what "shits and giggles" means, please let me know. It's a personal favorite of mine.....
I started thinking about this the other day when one of our euro interns was having a conversation with two of our co-workers and something he said was misheard by the co-workers as "It's like shoes in hell." In reality, he said, "It's like choosing hell", but, we were amused with "shoes in hell" and now we use it in everyday lingo, such as, "Wow. That blows like shoes in hell." Now, let's say that we're out in public and without our knowing, someone hears our comment and then proceeds to "follow" and pass it along to their friends. The next thing you know, I'll be sitting at home watching "Scrubs" and "shoes in hell" will be written into the script.
Parallel to "shoes in hell", I was reading an article regarding some comments that were made by the Buffalo Sabres headcoach (ROCK 'EM SABRES, by the way). He said, "They're a great team. We're really going to have to mind our p's and q's." I read it, read it again, and then said out loud, "What the hell does 'mind your p's and q's' mean?" You hear people say it all the time in a variety of contexts, but, in reality, show me one person who really knows what it means.
Another example (one I am regularly guilty of): "Yah, we just did it for shits and giggles." Wha? I say it all the time. I use in interchangeably with "for the hell of it" or "just because" but I have zero clue what it is and where it came from. If you take it literally, it's rather vile. So why do I say it? I'm being a verbal follower.
The verbal follower theory is just that - my theory. But I'm taking a stand. I will no longer be a verbal follower; if I don't know what it means, then I'm not going to say it. It needs to be done. I will be a leader (I KNOW that "shoes in hell" is going to spread like wild fire and someday someone will be blogging about what the hell it means). So the next time you hear someone say, "The cat's out of the bag" or "she's so loosey goosey" take a stand and say, "What does that mean?" At the very least, it will be amusing to see their reaction.
PS: If anyone finds out what "shits and giggles" means, please let me know. It's a personal favorite of mine.....
posted by Rach2LA @ 4:25 PM
1 Comments:
At 9:17 PM,
Anonymous said…
"mind your P's and Q's" had nautical beginnings as a method of keeping books on the waterfront.
In the days of sail when Sailors were paid a pittance (salary), they drank their ale in taverns whose keepers were willing to extend credit until payday. Since many sailors were illiterate, keepers kept a tally of Pints and Quarts consumed by each sailor on a chalkboard behind the bar. Next to each person's name, a mark was made under "P" for pint or "Q" for quart whenever a seaman ordered another draught.
On payday, each seaman was liable for each mark next to his name, so he was forced to "mind his P's and Q's" or he would get into financial trouble. To ensure an accurate count by unscrupulous keepers, Sailors had to keep their wits and remain somewhat sober. Sobriety usually ensured good behavior, hence the meaning of "mind your P's and Q's."
Shits and Giggles (per unbandictionary.com) - life can be full of crap or full of fun or laughter; life is what you make it, so just do it for the hell of it.
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