Edna-isms, Part Thirty-three

Edna, front row on the left side.

1.  "I don't give two pins."  This meant she didn't care about something.

2.  "Shake a leg" or "Ger a move on."  Two phrases used to get us going.

3. "Nothing's as 'over' as Christmas."  This might be said the afternoon of or the day after Christmas.  There's so much lead-in "hoopla" about Christmas and then when it is over, it is really over.

Edna-isms, Part Thirty-two

1.  Names Mom might call us:  "Poopdeck," or "Stinkenfritz." Names she might call others: "Yaywhos" (which the Internet says originally meant wild individuals who lived in the mountains of Kentucky), "Ruffians" or "Hooligans."  She also called me "Tranquilla."  Maybe she called my sister that; too. I don't know.

Edna, front and center in the dark dress (second row in the front).

2. "A fur piece."  This was used to mean a long distance.

3.  "Good for what I'm/you're good for" or "good for what it is good for."  Mom would use that phrase to mean that something or someone would suffice for a task. To put it in some kind of context, Mom might have an assignment to be in charge of an activity.  Maybe someone would be better fitted but, she'd say, "I'm good for what I'm good for."  In other words, she'd do it and it would suffice--she could do something although it might not be grand.  I find I say this to myself a lot--I'm good for what I'm good for.

Edna-isms, Part Thirty-one

1.  "Gosh a Friday!"  Another all-purpose exclamation.  I think it is commonly used but I could not find any explanation.

2.  "A land office washing."  When Mom used this phrase, it implied laundering probably every article of clothing in the house.  I always assumed it was something her mother or grandmother said.

3. "Yoohoo."  This is something she liked to call out to get our attention, for example, if she were on the front porch calling us in the from the yard.

Edna-isms, Part Thirty

1.  "Off like a shot."  This means making a speedy departure.  "If [X] happened, I'd be off like a shot."

2.  "Long hair music."  Mom was a member of the Fine Arts committee and it brought performers to the area.  There were two other committee members' families with children similar in age to our family and we all had to attend these performances.  One time, we three kids tried to get out of going.  Mom assured us we would like the performance, claiming it was "long hair music."   We interpreted this as rock'n roll so we went only to find out it was an evening of classical music!

3.  "Slap-dash job."  This was a hastily and poorly done job.

Edna-isms, Part Twenty-nine

1.  "Flinkydink."  This was used in place of someone's name, particularly if she couldn't remember the person's name.

2.  "Stink Bomb."  This was used in place of someone's name but in a different way than #1.  One of us kids might throw a tantrum and she might reply to that, "OK, Stink Bomb, are you finished?"

3. "Go, run the house around."  She might tell us to go run around the house, such as after Thanksgiving dinner to make room for dessert, and she'd jokingly say to "run the house around."  Often, instead of saying "house," she'd say, "hoose" which rhymes with noose, goose and moose.