Over a century ago, British social reformer Helen Bosanquet observed that in many families "the very language used takes on a shape of its own which may be hardly intelligible" to those outside the clan:
To the outsider these expressions and turns of thought seem meaningless or silly; and it is for this reason that the family slang or patois, which I believe nearly every family possesses, is so sedulously concealed from the world at large.More recently, dedicated word-hoarder Paul Dickson (see The Language of Baseball) uncovered hundreds of such silly expressions in his book Family Words (Marion Street Press, 2007).
(The Family, Macmillan, 1906)
How silly? Consider these various family phrases for the tube of cardboard inside a roll of toilet paper: daw-daw, taw taw, doot-do, der der, hoo-hoo, and to-do to-do. (Of course the proper term, if you happen to be in my house, is roo-roo.)
For the complete article, go to What Is Family Slang?
Image: Family Words, by Paul Dickson (Marion Street Press, 2007)
Comments
My family say “nonya”. It means it is none of your business.
ghost turds — Styrofoam pellets used in packing.
We use bobule – from discombobulated. It means the smallest possible unit of organization. So when we’re really disorganized, we’re down to our last bobule.
Our family used two unusual terms:
“Mullingar” – as in “she was a big, mullingar woman” – meaning an ungainly looking person. I believe this may be of Irish origin.
“Tricky” – not in the usual sense of being dishonest or cunning, but as in cute or unusual – “that baby is a tricly little thing”.