Everyone should get a chance for some cheap therapy, now that the Wisconsin folk here (“Dem dere guys from down by M’waukee, ain’a?”) have had their turn.
But, hey, I got to tell my “Bubbler” story:
Now, I usually catch myself and use the much-less-efficient, and hoity-toitier, “Drinking Fountain”. But there have been cases where the cheese-curds-and-brats in my arteries have clouded my critical faculties and I’ve said The B Word. And man, does every conversation came to a grinding halt as scores of raised eyebrows swivel towards the interloper.
I’ve seen it happen to a roommate from PA who asked if we should “red up” after the party wound down. Or my wife’s sister from Seattle who referred to a guy as “filthy”, meaning cool.
She also orders a “half-skinny harmless wet with an addshot” (but that might just be a coffee snob thing, like her “Are you really ordering a Why Bother?”, meaning a decaf skim latte).
So it’s your chance to relive those painful moments… like the time a friend visiting from another college said “Oh, oh. I just realized I accidentally blew off my History Prof last night.”
And… silence. We had no idea he wasn’t discussing a creepy extra-credit policy.
I’ve been tempted to order the Why Bother (at The Woods Coffee), since I actually like Splenda and skim milk. It’s just the decaf thing that stops me. (When I go there, I always get a large drip coffee.)
So up Bellingham way they actually have “WHY BOTHER?” on the menu? That’s hilarious. In Seattle, it’s said – dripping with bile (and caffeine)-- of the tourists and yuppies who order “light” drinks.
In the Wisconsonian thread, fiddlesticks said:
(It stood for Take Your Money Everywhere and all the ATMs had the initials, and the appelation)
So my response to that is that after decades in Madison, WI, I do ask where the “TYME machine” is, but every time I do, I’m always hoping someone will reply: “Over past the end of the bar. And if you’re visiting the Saxons, can you bring me back some mead?”
I’ve gotten weird looks for saying ‘possums’ to mean ‘awesome’ (because they rhyme, you see. It started as ‘awesome possum’ and got shortened.)
Also the phrase ‘eating the elephant’ from ‘how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time’. It’s for when you’re diligently plowing through those tasks you don’t want to.
I remember the TYME machines from my days in grad school at Madison! Thanks for the mammaries.
Whenever someone asks how I’m doing, I always say, “Swell.” Very, very, VERY few people recognize the Dirty Harry reference. Most just think I am hopelessly retro…TRM (which I am, by the way)
Whenever I say my phone number, which is basicaly one digit, then three digits in numerical order, than a repeat of the last two digits plus the next numerical digit), I always add “cha cha cha.” Like (201) 123-234 cha cha cha)
Why don’t I have friends that say fun stuff like that (as long as you wouldn’t think I was an idiot for constantly asking you for a reference)?
The “cha cha cha” reminds me of our church (hang in there with me, all will be revealed…).
This is a verrry high church (liturgy, robes, incense, looks like a cathedral) with neo-baroque music. I’m assisting, and standing between the Presiding Minister and our Quite Holy Music Director.
Minister: The Lord Be With You.
Congregation: And also with you.
Minister: Let us pray.
Music Director: Okay.
I’ve yet to, in real life, have anyone smile comprehendingly when I shrug and say, “Maybe it was Utah.” No doubt most everybody here gets the reference.
We named our kitten Fenchurch. There’s only been one person we haven’t had to explain it to.
But just for clarification: we are almost positive she was not conceived in the ticket queue at Fenchurch station. She is a North American kitty after all. We just thought it was a nice name for a dignified little gray tabby.