# Did your grandparents (parents?) have weird names for things? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 21, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-grandparents-parents-have-weird-names-for-things/647948 "2013-01-21T21:46:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-grandparents-parents-have-weird-names-for-things/647948/161 "2013-02-02T04:10:22Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > I think my dad called them that too sometimes. He also used “light standard” for lamppost, a grand old Canadianism.\ Hey, I didn’t know that was a Canadianism! My husband and I (from Alberta and Saskatchewan) both know what a light standard is. > [@Tollhouse](#): > > \ “going into town” referred to the weekly long drive into city to do shopping, this was a bit of an event, I remember my grandma having to change into nicer clothes, and powder her face (her term to refer to putting on some makeup).\ My mom used to do that, too, to some extent (putting on better clothes to go shopping). My grandmother’s generation did as yours did - dress up nicer, put on makeup and/or jewellery; my mom’s generation just got a bit tidied up; my generation put on clean clothes and tried not to look too gross, and young adults now go shopping in their pajamas and slippers. The next generation will probably roll in garbage and put on old rags before going shopping. 🙂 > [@hrhomer](#): > > FWIW, “gooch” means “perineum,” or “taint,” if you will. May be of similar etymology. That makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-grandparents-parents-have-weird-names-for-things/647948/162 "2013-02-07T08:52:47Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’m not sure if it’s a western Canadian thing or a Canadian thing, but we call underwear “gotch” or “gitch” (or “gitchies”). While in Canada, I heard the men’s variety called stanfields. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-grandparents-parents-have-weird-names-for-things/647948/163 "2013-02-07T19:42:48Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > [Ague](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ague) possibly? Almost certainly. But I don’t recall if she ever used it for a fever. Wonder if she’d have called tuberculosis “consumption”? ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-grandparents-parents-have-weird-names-for-things/647948/164 "2013-02-07T22:36:36Z")
> [@Clarisse\_McClellan](#): > > Larapin - good tasting I was going to say the correct spelling was [_larrupin’_](http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/larrupin_larruping_larapin_larapen_larepin/), but I see that your version is one of the variants cited. I also wasn’t familiar with the “good-tasting” sense, as I first saw the word as part of Lou Gehrig’s nickname – the Yankee slugger was called “Larrupin’ Lou” because he gave the baseball a “good, sound beating”, as per the original definition. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-grandparents-parents-have-weird-names-for-things/647948/165 "2013-02-07T23:04:55Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > She never got an “auger” in her “goozle”, though - her “goozle” was her esophagus. For me, “goozle” is that ball thingy that hangs down in the back of your throat. I’m only 30 though so I don’t know if that counts as my oldster talk. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-grandparents-parents-have-weird-names-for-things/647948/166 "2013-02-08T01:10:09Z")
One grandfather always referred to margarine as ‘grease’ (he was a dairy farmer and wanted butter) The other loved my grandma’s Apple Crisp but because of the effect it had on him it was always called ‘Apple Grunt’. Other good ones - Vacuum cleaner = Suck Broom Record player = Victrola ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-grandparents-parents-have-weird-names-for-things/647948/167 "2013-02-08T01:51:06Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > While in Canada, I heard the men’s variety called stanfields. I don’t call them that myself, but if someone was talking about their Stanfields, I’d know what they meant. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-grandparents-parents-have-weird-names-for-things/647948/168 "2013-02-08T02:16:39Z")
> [@hrhomer](#): > > I heard it explained by a camp counselor (who may have been completely making shit up) that it made kids go crazy or “bug out” with all the sugar. Your idea has more appeal, however 🙂 We were told it was because of all the bugs that are attracted to it and drown in it. For us, bug juice was only ever red fruit punch. Other flavors & colors were never “bug juice.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-your-grandparents-parents-have-weird-names-for-things/647948.md?page=8)