# People who shorten words **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 7, 2004, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472 "2004-11-07T06:34:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stately_plump_buck_mulligan)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/21 "2004-11-07T09:30:27Z")
Hand me the fucking keys you cocksucker. And keep the ~s away from my rims, too. On topic, kinda? Can’t stand women who refer to their vaginas as their “pretties.” Shudder. It seems to have totally the opposite effect on me, making me want to fill mine with cement and forget it’s there. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/22 "2004-11-07T09:31:58Z")
Can I call you Malachi? ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/23 "2004-11-07T09:42:58Z")
> [@stately plump buck mulligan](#): > > Can’t stand women who refer to their vaginas as their “pretties.” Shudder. It seems to have totally the opposite effect on me, making me want to fill mine with cement and forget it’s there. Women **do** that? “Would you like to touch my pretty?” “No.” Added to the list of hatred words, I nomiate -“wifey”. It’s a step down from “hubby”, IMNSHO. -" sig nif other". As if significant other wasn’t vapid enough to being with **Ilsa** Who gets to be Kinch? ---
**Author:** ![stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stately_plump_buck_mulligan)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/24 "2004-11-07T09:50:51Z")
**Ilsa** : Dactylicious. Yeah, but it’s most horrible when it’s used in the context of something like “I’ve got to go wash my pretty.” ~throws self off cliffie~ Do MEN say WIFEY? About their WIVES? Astonishing, if so. I’ve heard it used as a term of endearment between female friends. Then it is a little cute, though sometimes grating, but within an actual marriage?abhorrent. sig nif other. If you’re going to be longwinded enough to call them that instead of boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife, you can probably spare the extra two syllables. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/25 "2004-11-07T10:03:03Z")
But my ex used to refer to her (insert off-putting shortcut name for it here) as “she” or “her”. It always freaked me out. It was like their were TWO women in the room, not just one. What’s wrong with calling it an “it”? Too impersonal, I guess? ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/26 "2004-11-07T10:05:12Z")
um… “there”. Not “their” ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/27 "2004-11-07T10:09:08Z")
> [@stately plump buck mulligan](#): > > Yeah, but it’s most horrible when it’s used in the context of something like “I’ve got to go wash my pretty.” Guess it takes all kinds. Still… (do women really talk about going off to wash their vaginas?) “Say Fred, how’s it going?” “Okay Steve, say, I need to go wash my penis, back in a few.” > [@stately plump buck mulligan](#): > > ~throws self off cliffie~ Really? (couldn’t resist) > [@stately plump buck mulligan](#): > > Do MEN say WIFEY? About their WIVES? Astonishing, if so. I’ve heard it used as a term of endearment between female friends. Then it is a little cute, though sometimes grating, but within an actual marriage?abhorrent. Complete with eskimo kisses. And again I am baffled by the habits of the North American Female (you’d think I’d be used to it by now.) How on earth is wifey a term of endearment between female (non lesbian) friends? > [@stately plump buck mulligan](#): > > sig nif other. If you’re going to be longwinded enough to call them that instead of boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife, you can probably spare the extra two syllables. I just hate both phrases, short and long. But as long as you’re going to shorten it, why not choose a better word? (I also think that boyfriend/girlfriend makes it sound like we’re all in gradeschool still.) **I love me, vol. 1** : That has always freaked me out… Personally I think it speaks to the puritanical disconnect that many Americans have with their own sexuality… but hey, I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/28 "2004-11-07T10:28:54Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > How is “belly” baby-talk? What are you thinking that it’s short for? It’s not short for anything, it’s just an annoying word when it’s used instead of saying stomach. “That sandwich gave me a bellyache.” That kind of thing. It annoys me. That’s all. > [@blowero](#): > > Seriously, what’s the mutual admiration society all about? Did I miss something? I was specifically responding to **stately** ’s excellent comeback, including her inspired use of “buttmunch” without going to the hassle of spelling it out. I’m sorry that bothered you. From now on I’ll be more specific when giving kudos to another Doper, just so that you’re in the loop. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/29 "2004-11-07T20:46:16Z")
> [@TeaElle](#): > > It’s not short for anything, it’s just an annoying word when it’s used instead of saying stomach. “That sandwich gave me a bellyache.” That kind of thing. It annoys me. That’s all. Ah, but the belly isn’t the stomach: it’s the abdomen. So it’s fine to talk about “bellache” when you have what a doctor might call “abdominal pain”. Generally when you have that sort of thing, you can be sure that it’s in your stomach, but you know that it’s in that general area. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/30 "2004-11-08T02:07:27Z")
Inser Oblig Shortene Pos Her. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/31 "2004-11-08T02:14:55Z")
It’s _California_, not “Cali.” “Cali” sounds like the name of a kitten, or a young woman. Not a state. I don’t remember any natives calling it “Cali” all the time I’ve lived there (and when I return “home” for visits semi-frequently), but I guess some people do. They need to _stop_. Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/32 "2004-11-08T02:16:06Z")
\*I’m going going, back back, to cali cali. \* ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/33 "2004-11-08T02:20:43Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Ah, but the belly isn’t the stomach: it’s the abdomen. I, too, see no problem with “belly.” Hell, nothing wrong with “tummy,” either. I usually use the two words synonymously, but for some people “belly” and “tummy” are two different things. “Tummy” refers explicitly to the stomach, while “belly” can either indicate the abdomen or the stomach. Some of y’all need to lighten up. Cutesy words are fun, dammit! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/34 "2004-11-08T02:23:19Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > \*I’m going going, back back, to cali cali. \* I don’t care! STOP IT! ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/35 "2004-11-08T02:42:04Z")
Don’t ever go to Australia. They shorten every word that can be shortened. Sometimes you judt want to grab someone by the scruff of the neck and say “Stop it with the babytalk already!” ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/36 "2004-11-08T02:45:01Z")
> [@yosemite](#): > > I don’t care! STOP IT! [but it wasn’t me!](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/notoriousbig/goingbacktocali.html) ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/37 "2004-11-08T02:45:06Z")
> [@Lamar Mundane](#): > > Don’t ever go to Australia. Don’t you mean Oz? ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/38 "2004-11-08T03:09:20Z")
I thought “Vinnie Paz” was a boxer, rather than a rapper. Huh. Maybe he’s a box-wrapper? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/39 "2004-11-08T03:23:56Z")
**Tummy** is how your mouth feels after chewing an antacid tablet. **Belly** is how my ears sound all the time. ---
**Author:** ![vinniepaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@vinniepaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vinniepaz)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472/40 "2004-11-08T03:29:54Z")
Haha, apparently there is a boxer named Vinnie Paz, but the one I’m talking about is the MC half of [Jedi Mind Tricks](http://www.jedi-mind-tricks.com). Those old school heads from late 80s-early 90s Philly may know him as Ikon the Verbal Hologram. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-shorten-words/273472.md?page=3)