ptquilts

What ethnic or even made-up words do you use in your family, that most other people might not know what they mean?

Here are 3 we use - not sure of spelling - I think they are all Italian origin.

agita - means either unspecified stomach upset, or aggravation, as in "stop giving me agita"

Jamoke - a guy, somewhat derogatory, as in "what are those jamokes up to?"

Bundandes - long underwear, as in "it's going to be cold, better put on your bundandes.


I am looking forward to all your responses - I love to learn new words!!

sandyo

We have a lot of them that are made up. One of my kids favorite is "roundabout". Not the kind on the road but the hay bales that are the big round ones, These are big animals and have herds of them when we drive down the road. Another is the big orange barrels for construction. My dad drove for Schnieder trucking so we called them Schnieder eggs (trucks hatch from them) the small skinny ones where Schnieder bitty baby bottles. When we are at the beach and see a floating log it is a ranagator. I could probably go on and on but we had lots of long road trips and got pretty creative.

Jan in VA

Moose du ah-ah? = Need to potty?

Bemo = butt/bottom

powwie = pillow

lapkin = napkin (makes *much* more sense, don't you think?!)

Jan in VA

cjomomma

Alligator and no not the animal but big chunks of tires in the roads.

ptquilts

I have heard that one too

cjomomma

My dads a truck driver. The first time he said that we started looking for alligators in California. Ha!!

MadQuilter

That one actually originates from the German "Must Du A-A?" = Do you have to #2?

Julianna

"Marconi and chez", my son called macaroni and cheese that and my parents would say "It makes the cheese more binding" when something was chosen over another option. My friend says she had "A foot in the flypaper" when she is late and another says "So its yourself then ,is it?" when she sees me. The comes from her living in England. My husband tells me that I "don't have the brains God gave a goose." and another friend says she has a "cement driveway"....which is impossible as cement is an ingredient in concrete and thats like saying you will bake a loaf of flour!

joan_quilts

When my boys were little, I would ask them why they were being pee-pots, which meant naughty.

Jan in VA

Yes. it was from my older daughter's infancy, born in Germany. I do know how it's spelled, but wanted to do it phonetically here. Are you German? There are so many words I've forgotten from those years, it would be lovely to have a translator!

Jan in VA