Recalling Childhood Names: Tales of "Water-on-Both-Sides" and "Raindrop Island"

[zoobyshoe]

When I was a little kid, my sisters and I used to come up with our own terminology and names for all kinds of things.
"Water-on-both-sides" comes to mind. This was a place where a rural road cut through a swamp. At one point there was clear, running water on both sides of the road because of a big steel pipe beneath the road that allowed for it to flow from one side to the other. Anyone hearing us say "Let's go walk by water-on-both-sides would have had no idea what we were talking about.

Likewise, if they heard us say "Let's go make tuna fish." They would have assumed they did know what we were talking about, and would have been wrong. This actually referred to a pointless time-killer we did when bored, which was to mash rotten twigs up with a stone. The result looked like tuna fish.

"Raindrop Island" wasn't an island in a lake or pond. Our rural driveway was in the shape of a cul-de-sac, and raindrop island was the raindrop shaped patch of grass with a big pine tree growing in it in the middle of the turnaround. The tree had a thick rope hanging off it, and at one point there used to be a tire hanging from the rope. I don't remember what happened to the tire, but I used to grab onto the rope and pretend it was tied around the snout of a tyranoaurus and wrestle it back and forth. (I got the idea from seeing a guy lasso a dinosaur in a movie.)

Do you remember any random/strange/funny names you had for stuff when you were a kid?

 

[JamesU]

I can think of funny mispronunciations when I was little

 

[brewnog]

We seemed to have a few weird ones at the dinner table.

Bungy meant pudding, or dessert. I have absolutely no idea why.

Cat Food was Corned Beef Hash. I think I thought it smelt and looked like cat food when my mum was making it. I loved that stuff. I have no idea why, the smell of actual cat food makes me retch. In hindsight, I got quite a bit of concern from friends' mums when I told them that my own mum fed me cat food.

For some reason which has been lost in the depths of time, any type of fish was known as sausages. Actual sausages were also known as sausages.

Looking back, it's a wonder how I managed to develop into the well-adjusted, mature, responsible individual that I am.

 

[zoobyshoe]

For some reason which has been lost in the depths of time, any type of fish was known as sausages. Actual sausages were also known as sausages.

You don't expect me to believe this one, do you?

 

[Moonbear]

Looking back, it's a wonder how I managed to develop into the well-adjusted, mature, responsible individual that I am.

Are you sure you have?

I can't think of any off-hand. I'm sure there were, just none that are popping forward to be recalled at the moment. I do remember everyone talking about my aunt as a child telling the neighbors she was having rag water soup. I don't quite remember the origin of that, something about having a rag on the end of the water pipe to filter out rust or some such thing (this was back in the 30s, so rust in the pipes was the least of the worries).

 

[Huckleberry]

My younger brother used to make up words for things when he was learning to speak. My dad would sometimes take us out riding our bikes with my brother in the baby seat on the back. Sometimes when my brother wanted to go riding he would say "tida." Since it was a word he understood that is what we started calling it. "Go for a ride on the tida?"

 

[JamesU]

My younger brother used to make up words for things when he was learning to speak. My dad would sometimes take us out riding our bikes with my brother in the baby seat on the back. Sometimes when my brother wanted to go riding he would say "tida." Since it was a word he understood that is what we started calling it. "Go for a ride on the tida?"

:rofl: tidatree :rofl:

 

[Evo]

Brewnog, my kids and I love canned corned beef hash (Mary Kitchen is the only good brand) and we call it "who hash" (from The Grinch), steak is called snake. Lasagna is basagna. One day my oldest wanted me to make chicken soup with noodles, but I only had lasagna noodles, so I broke them up and it became her favorite "basagna noodle soup". Eggs are "anhogs" and sausages are snausages (yes, the dog food people stole it from me). So for breakfast you can have an "anhog & snausage hamlet".

My youngest sister called dogs "who-whos" (the sound when they bark). The people down the street had a black doberman that always barked and I would scare the cr@p out of her by telling her "the big black who-who in the sky is coming to get you" in a really scary voice, of course (she could hear it but not see it, so I told her it was in the sky). Yeah, I was a wonderful older sister.

 

[JamesU]

I'm still scared of the big black who-who! don't ever bring them up again!

*looks around nervously ans mumbles worryingly*

 

[Danger]

(I got the idea from seeing a guy lasso a dinosaur in a movie.)

'The Valley of Gwangi'; 1969; James Franciscus/Jim O'Connolly/Gila Golan

Sorry, I got nothin' else for you.

 

[JamesU]

good...job, danger?

 

[Evo]

I'm still scared of the big black who-who! don't ever bring them up again!

*looks around nervously ans mumbles worryingly*

Sorry yomamma, I'm a bad person.

 

[Gale]

you know ramen noodles? well, when we were kids, i don't know who said it first, but we started calling them funny noodles.. cause they were funny looking. All of us kids grew up seriously thinking that's what they were called. I can remember going to a friends house in like middle school or early high school, and we went through the cupboards, and they asked what i wanted and i was like "hmm... how about funny noodles?" and they just stared at me. I had no idea why they wouldn't just pick up the package and start cooking... i was like "the funny noodles... right there! what's wrong... i said funny noodles!" they just stared at me forever until i finally picked up the package and was like "FUNNY NOODLES!" pointing to the package and pointing to the words on it. my friend was like "It says ramen noodles... what're you talking about?" and i was like, "well ya, it says ramen, but that's just the company, they're called funny noodles...it says... erm... here..." and much to my surprise it didn't say funny noodles anywhere... i was so scandalized.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Eggs are "anhogs" and sausages are snausages (yes, the dog food people stole it from me). So for breakfast you can have an "anhog & snausage hamlet".

I love "anhogs." I figured you have some good ones.

Still, though, I can't get over the surprise that awaited any guest who accepted an invitation over to the Brewnog home for sausages. I can see the scene performed by the Monty Python gang:

"Yeah, it's fish. So? So what? We call em sausages. You going to tell me every time you say sausages you expect people to think that's what you mean? You going to tell me you never called an apple a sausage? Your wife? You never said you were going home to the sausage and kids? I said sausages, so what?"

 

[Evo]

I love "anhogs." I figured you have some good ones.

Come on over and I'll cook us up some anhogs.

Yeah, I have a lot of words that I've slaughtered, too embarrasing to list them all. We love lima beans, we call them slimers (the dried white ones, not those gross green ones). We have to be careful not to scare people that come over to eat.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Come on over and I'll cook us up some anhogs.

I'll have a three-anhog hamlet.

We have to be careful not to scare people that come over to eat.

I like slimers green or white. But I would not eat green anhogs and snausages.

 

[zoobyshoe]

...it says... erm... here..." and much to my surprise it didn't say funny noodles anywhere... i was so scandalized.

That story is precious. There's nothing so disorienting as finding out the "obvious" name for something isn't the right name at all. Especially since "funny noodles" is so much more appropriate. You should have said "Yeah FUNNY noodles! What do you think "ramen" means in Chinese?"

 

[JamesU]

you know ramen noodles? well, when we were kids, i don't know who said it first, but we started calling them funny noodles.. cause they were funny looking. All of us kids grew up seriously thinking that's what they were called. I can remember going to a friends house in like middle school or early high school, and we went through the cupboards, and they asked what i wanted and i was like "hmm... how about funny noodles?" and they just stared at me. I had no idea why they wouldn't just pick up the package and start cooking... i was like "the funny noodles... right there! what's wrong... i said funny noodles!" they just stared at me forever until i finally picked up the package and was like "FUNNY NOODLES!" pointing to the package and pointing to the words on it. my friend was like "It says ramen noodles... what're you talking about?" and i was like, "well ya, it says ramen, but that's just the company, they're called funny noodles...it says... erm... here..." and much to my surprise it didn't say funny noodles anywhere... i was so scandalized.

I would laugh if one of my friends came over looking for funny nooodles :uhh: . You must've been pretty embarrased. When did you realize that "funny noodles" was a fake name made up by you?

 

[Moonbear]

you know ramen noodles? well, when we were kids, i don't know who said it first, but we started calling them funny noodles.. cause they were funny looking. All of us kids grew up seriously thinking that's what they were called. I can remember going to a friends house in like middle school or early high school, and we went through the cupboards, and they asked what i wanted and i was like "hmm... how about funny noodles?" and they just stared at me. I had no idea why they wouldn't just pick up the package and start cooking... i was like "the funny noodles... right there! what's wrong... i said funny noodles!" they just stared at me forever until i finally picked up the package and was like "FUNNY NOODLES!" pointing to the package and pointing to the words on it. my friend was like "It says ramen noodles... what're you talking about?" and i was like, "well ya, it says ramen, but that's just the company, they're called funny noodles...it says... erm... here..." and much to my surprise it didn't say funny noodles anywhere... i was so scandalized.

I like that story. Y'know, I'm starting to think that whatever screwy names I had for things growing up, I must've had an experience like that that traumatized me so horribly, it's completely blocked from my memory now. :tongue2: Who knows, I had a hard enough time overcoming all the other wrong things my mom taught me in her effort to give quick answers to get me to shut up that I didn't have time to learn goofy new words. Is it any wonder I was horrible in my geography lessons when one night, the "World News" came on TV, and I asked my mom, "What's the difference between America and the world?" (I was a little kid still.) No answer. "Are they the same thing?" Mom answered, "Yes." :grumpy: I was very embarrassed in school when the difference was pointed out to me. (Then again, I guess some Americans never learn they aren't the same thing. ) There were various other distortions of history that I was taught at home and then very upset at school when I learned my parents were lying to me.

 

[JamesU]

hhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, hhhhhhaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaa!

sorry, but...

this, is america http://www.globe-images.com/north-america/north-america.jpg

This, is the world
http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~klyons/out%20of%20this%20world.jpg

 

[Huckleberry]

That's funny. I thought 'we are the world.'

 

[Moonbear]

hhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, hhhhhhaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaa!

sorry, but...

this, is america
This, is the world

Fortunately I've mostly recovered from all the damage my mother did to me when I was growing up. You'd think she could have just pulled out a globe or map or something and showed the difference. :grumpy: Or maybe it just proves how long the "World" news that's televised here has been focusing mostly on American involvement in other countries that I had to ask in the first place. It was world news and they kept talking about America.

 

[hypatia]

We went to play at a place we called upsaltcreek, cause behind the woods there they stored the salt for winter roads. And then there was the foxhole, just a hole in the middle of a field big enough for 3-4 kids to hide in.

 

[zoobyshoe]

We went to play at a place we called upsaltcreek...

Not without a shovel, I hope.

 

[zoobyshoe]

'The Valley of Gwangi'; 1969; James Franciscus/Jim O'Connolly/Gila Golan

Sorry, I got nothin' else for you.

I just looked this movie up and don't recognise the plot. Isn't there another one where a guy lassos a giant lizard or something? Ray Harryhausen sounds right, though. He did all the best effects back then.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

We had names for favorite places, like "where the heads are buried", or "the doctor's office", and my favorite, "the whip lady's house".

 

[zoobyshoe]

We had names for favorite places, like "where the heads are buried", or "the doctor's office", and my favorite, "the whip lady's house".

Elaboration required.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

We buried fish heads in the vacant lot after fishing trips. A chiropractor had an office at the end of the block. and finally, Evo lived in my neighborhood.

 

[zoobyshoe]

...and finally, Evo lived in my neighborhood.

You had me worried. I was afraid the explanation would be entirely innocent.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

and finally, Evo lived in my neighborhood.

waiting...

waiting...

waiting...

:uhh:

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It's part of an ensemble, boots, whip... The hippo skin trim gives it an exotic touch. The springs pinch, but are great for flexible support. I just don't know how Ivan found out about it.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=188373#post188373

 

[Evo]

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=188373#post188373

Darn, you just can't be too careful of what you say on the internet. :rofl:

Good thing I haven't disclosed anything really personal. :tongue2: