A Way with Lingo
“Road hard and put away wet” is a new phrase I learned from my son – the Asheville potter who loves the Red Sox – when he was in town recently for a wedding. The rain held off until the vows were exchanged and then it came down in buckets, and we headed for the tents, which is where this photo of my husband and me was taken.
My son has a way with lingo. In his world, “flagship” means top notch, “flash kicks” are nice shoes, and “lid” is the way he would say “hat.” But one of the most original new words that my son and his “peeps” (people…as in friends) use is “mashie,” which refers to an Asheville alcoholic panhandler type.
“Why mashie?” I asked him, knowing that his lingo usually had some loose logic. “The first thing the mashie says to you before he goes off on a rant is, ‘Mashie a queshion?’ he explained.
Currently, my son is backpacking in the wild west English countryside, scouting for master potter mentors and such, which makes me want to ask, “Who’s road hard and put away wet now?” ~ Thinking of you, Josh. xomom.
Got any new lingo to share?
Post Note: WVTF public radio will be airing my essay (the well cut version) “Let Me Clue you in,” written about my father as a WWII vet, on Friday May 27th at 6:55 a.m. and then again at 8:55 a.m. – immediately following the civil war series. For regional listeners that’s 89.1 in Roanoke; 89.5 in Lynchburg; 88.5 in Charlottesville; 89.3 & 89.7 in Charlottesville, Waynesboro & Staunton; and 91.9 in Marion, Wytheville, Galax & Abingdon. I’ll be posting the essay in the week following the broadcast.
May 26th, 2005 10:41 am
My husband uses that phrase all the time, much to my chagrin. He thinks that it’s incredibly clever.
I’m still looking over the page that you recommended. I’m starting to appreiciate what you like about the Enneagram system. It has a completely different structure than MBTI.
May 26th, 2005 12:35 pm
Methinks it’s actually “rode hard…”, as in a horse that’s been road hard and long, broken into a lathery sweat and then stabled without being wiped down.
But then again, I could be wrong 🙂
May 26th, 2005 2:10 pm
It probably is “rode hard.” It’s not the first time I have heard something in a completely different off the wall way than how it was meant… as explained in an earlier post “my normal abnormal.”
http://looseleafnotes.com/archives/2005/03/my_normal_abnor.html#comments
May 26th, 2005 5:41 pm
Wonderful news about your essay. I look forward to reading it when you post it.
You and your hubby look great! He looks tall like my hubby, or else you’re a shortie.
My son laughs any time I try to use “cool” lingo around him. He says I just can’t pull it off. He’s right.
May 26th, 2005 5:49 pm
I have an author friend who’s website is delightful. He is one of the nicest people on this earth. He writes historical fiction. This link takes you to “The Front Porch,” which is where he posts articles with tips for writers. I think you may enjoy this:
http://majormitchell.net/page5.html
He’d enjoy hearing from you. He loves to converse about writing, which is his passion. There’s a bond between fellow writers.
May 26th, 2005 6:13 pm
Your son sounds like a fun guy. Hope he is enjoying his trip.
June 2nd, 2005 7:23 am
You can’t imagine how very much I enjoyed this particular post! I’m still grinning. I got the biggest kick out of the “mashie” bit … can’t wait to pass that around at work today. Being a former bartender, I do believe I’ve me my share of mashies. Great, great post!
June 10th, 2009 12:35 pm
the saying is very old, it does relate to horses but also has connotations of sexual activity and the early morning “coyote ugly” stuff. (conversely to “road hard” is “coyote ugly”, waking up next to something after a hard night of drinking and wandering what the h*ll you did..)