Familyspeak - Humorous Words and Sayings

Everyone has their own little goofy words or sayings that have become common place in their family. Here are some favorites from my family and friends.

A giant staring mood occurs when you are deep in thought and then all of a sudden you realize that you are staring at the same object for way too long, but you can’t stop.

I learned this phrase from my friend Bill after he had just experienced a giant staring mood and wanted me to know about it.

This was my nephew’s pronunciation of the word “bananas” when he was little.

My sister and her husband still use the term, usually when my sister tells my nephew that he is “driving her bootus.”

The noise that a person makes while clearing the throat or hocking up a loogey (blob of snot).

My friend Bill’s sister made up this term. When they were little kids, his sister would say, “Bill, Dad’s kathwooming again! Ewwww!”

My twin 5-year old granddaughters are always pestering their mom to take them to the bowling store. Usually this occurs as they are driving past the bowling alley. She has no idea why they keep asking as they have never been bowling before.

An involuntary muscle contraction like a shiver or shudder that starts between the shoulder blades and travels up the neck, usually accompanied by a verbal outburst such as “waahuh,” while shaking the head back and forth as if to shake it out of your body. It can occur at anytime the body is at rest.

After learning this term from my friend Bill, whenever it happens to me or it happens to him, we just look at each other and say, “quaz,” and then go right back to what we were doing before the quaz.

My Dad used to make breakfast for us kids on Saturday or Sunday morning. He would always ask us, “Who wants dunky eggs?” We were always up for dunky eggs.

This technique of egg cooking is also known as Sunny-side Up. Dunky eggs are delicious but must be eaten in one particular way--by dunking your toast into the gooey yolk until it’s gone, then you eat the bacon and leave the remaining uneaten piece of toast and the white part of the egg on the plate.

This is what one of your kids will likely shout when you pick them up and carry them under your arm as they are kicking and screaming. It usually occurs as you are dragging them out of a restaurant.

Gobble Wobbles are made with cooked macaroni stewed in a giant pot with canned whole tomatoes, pre-cooked hamburger, onions, and green pepper. This was one of my favorite meals when I was little. My mother used to make it about once a month. Like spaghetti, gobble wobbles were always better as left-overs.

This was my daughter’s pronunciation of the word “popcorn” when she was a toddler.

The term stuck with us ever since. You can imagine the looks we sometimes get when we go to the movie theater and order buttered gopgorn and a Diet Coke.

Whenever someone is doing something that my nephew doesn’t like, something that irritates him or makes him mad, he calls you this name. Examples: If you take away a toy or video game you are a “Big Stealer Head,” or if you accidentally step on his toe, you are a “Big Step on My Toe Head.”

When my daughter was 6 years old, we were waiting for a table at a restaurant. The hostess would summon the people to their tables over a loud speaker. After several groups were called to their tables, my daughter asked me what the girl meant by “potty of five.” We still use this term today (21 years later).

Stoon is another word for stupid.  My nephew had been scolded many times for saying the word “stupid.” After a series of punishments for this unacceptable behavior, he would start to say “stupid,” my sister would give him the look, and thus the word “stoon” was born. 

My sister’s family still uses this word.  My sister has many stoon neighbors. 

I hope you enjoyed these little tidbits. I enjoyed sharing them.