This week, we've been wondering about the things your family says that might get weird looks from those outside your family. As listener Mark Westergaard stated on Facebook, it's "familect."
Here's what we heard
Bill from Afton shared an acronym that his grandfather would say. "ODTAA...one damn ting after anudder."
Mary from Cass Lake shared that her family says, "Leave us went," instead of "let's go."
Adam from Chisholm texted, "In our family, if anything disappeared or someone got rid of something, it has been 'wished into the cornfield,'" explaining that the line came from an episode of The Twilight Zone called "It's a Good Life."
Jodi from Duluth told us about "Sunday school Kool-Aid," which is a very weak drink. She said, "We assumed our churches were saving money and stretching how many people they might be able to serve. This includes coffee too."
Mary from Bemidji texted, "Once at the supper table when my daughter was about 4, we were talking about breeds of dogs. I was listing some different breeds and she piped up with, 'And Buddy's a Trick-or-Triever, right?”' Buddy was a golden retriever.
Many times, family language dates back to a young child's pronunciation or interpretation of a word. KAXE reporter Megan Buffington said her family calls summer sausage "saucy meat," thanks to her oldest cousin. Likewise, KAXE News Director Chelsey Perkins' family refers to lily pads as "paddy lils," because of her uncle, Mike. There was even a family dog named in honor of the term.
Sometimes, it's the mom who can't say a word. Tracey from Pequot Lakes said, "Chamomile...our family will forever call it 'sha-mom-alay!' Mom said it once. That's all it took!"
Other times, your own family's language doesn't make sense to you. KAXE Phenology Coordinator Charlie Mitchell shared, "Everyone but me loves cribbage. As a result, their cribbage games have slowly become incomprehensible. For example, my brother might say, 'I was winning until I got squamped in the last hand. Dad got lucky and was dealt a grim threaper of fives, then he sleazed on by with a French babysitter in the big hand.'"
Listen to a conversation from Wednesday's KAXE Morning Show to hear family language from our own Heather Johnson and Jen Kellen.
Read our Question of the Week post on our Facebook page for more contributions.
What unique phrases or words does your family use? Let us know!
