Have You Been Honeyfuggled?
Do you know what a stone toter is or what a grinder shop sells? We all know, that Americans have many names for many situations or objects, according to the part of the country we live in. An example for the kind of sandwich that includes meats, cheeses, lettuce, tomatoes, etc., served in a long bun, can be called a hero, hoagie, grinder, sub, torpedo, Cuban, etc. In different places people use the words darning needle, ear cutter, eye stitcher, mosquito (or skeeter) hawk, sewing needle, snake doctor, or snake feeder (among other terms) for a dragonfly.
A dictionary is in the works (several volumes already out) by the University of Wisconsin, Madison who has a team putting this together. The Dictionary of American Regional English (better known as DARE) can be very important to such occupations as Doctors, investigators, speakers, actors, writers, etc. DARE can tell you where people might live if their favorite card games are euchre, five hundred, schafskopf, sheepshead, or sixty-three; or where Americans eat apple pandowdy, lutefisk, or rivel; or where people are from if they live in dog trots, railroad flats, salt boxes, or shotgun houses.
The language of our everyday lives is captured in DARE, along with expressions our grandparents used but our children will never know. Based on interviews with thousands of Americans across the country, as well as on newspapers, histories, novels, diaries, letters, government documents, and other written sources, the Dictionary of American Regional English presents our language in its infinite variety.
Four volumes of DARE, including extensive introductory matter and letters A through Sk-, have been published (1985-2002), to the acclaim of scholarly and lay reviewers alike. Volume V, containing the remainder of the alphabet, is presently scheduled for publication in 2010.
A partial example of how the words are explained:
honeyfuggle v
Also honeyfackle, honeyfugle, honeyfogle [Perh var of Engl dial connyfogle v. “To hoodwink, entice by flattery” infl by honey n; cf also EDD gallyfuggle v. “To deceive, take in” and honey v1] somewhat old-fash
1 To swindle or dupe; to intend to cheat or trick; hence vbl n honeyfuggling. Cf bamfoozle 11829 Va. Lit. Museum 30 Dec. 458 (DAE) KY, Honeyfuggle, to quiz, to cozen. 1848 Bartlett Americanisms 179, Honey-fogle, to swindle; to cheat; to lay plans to deceive. 1852 Knickerbocker 40.548 FL, A neighbor . . honey-fackled him in the matter of a heap of logs. 1858 Harper’s New Mth. Mag. 17.270/1, “It’s all honey-fuggling”. . . “What’s honey-fuggling?” “It’s cutting it too fat over the left.” 1931 Hench Coll. cVA, Alderman was no judge of men. He never could tell whether a man was a gentleman or a bounder. Anybody could honeyfogle him.
2 To flatter, sweet-talk; to wheedle; to ballyhoo; hence n honeyfoogler a flatterer.1856 Knickerbocker 48.286 (OEDS), They go cavorting out, honey-fuggling their consciences. etc, etc
So if words are your thing, you might check with your favorite bookstore or online book seller. If the prices knock you out of your chair you might check on the book: "How We Talk: American Regional English Today" - it is a whole lot cheaper!!
posted by Ann at
9:51 AM
8 Comments:
I always learn something from you. I grew up calling sub sandwiches Grinders. I've never heard of honeyfuggled before. I've always been partial to using "bamboozled."
See I always called sub sandwiches "subs". I have noticed people refer to soft drinks as cokes, pop, sodas, etc. Also like I call the last meal of the day supper and a lot call it Dinner. I think the funniest is I say "I'll give you a ride" and I had a person once tell me she says "I'll carry you to town."
See, the supper and dinner thing is funny to me. But some countries have both, where supper is the early meal, like a snack. But then I grew reading stories where kids were sent to bed without supper. Were they awoken for dinner later?
If someone told me they'll carry me to town, i expect a piggy-back ride!
As an ESL teacher, I think I could definately put that book to work. My students always enjoy examples of regional English. Hailing from several different Spanish speaking countries, they are always arguing with each other over their own regional differences in that language. Thanks for the heads up on what sounds like an interesting book.
Being in the military I hear all sorts of things and I've even witnessed a shouting match over what to call the carbonated beverage... known as soda, soda pop, pop or just plain coke.
I've always loved that my southern grandma says raise the winder up or raise the winder down. She's so cute. I won't tell her that the last one makes absolutely no sense at all.
Thanks Granny Ann - You've just expanded my vocab. Grinders. Nice.
All this talk of food I think I will go get a hoagie and soda, but for lunch, not dinner OR supper.
wow. I had no idea that such a dictionary existed. I should have gotten one for our exchange students when they were here, but they had enough problems with "proper" English to learn all the regional jargon.
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