”I guess God made Boston on a wet Sunday.”
The morning is just so pretty. The sun is bright. The sky is a lovely blue. The air is calm, nothing is moving. The dogs have been out for the longest time. They came in, got their biscuits and went right back outside. They love these mornings and their romps in the yard. They also love their biscuits.
My dance card is filled this week, all uke related. I have my usual practice and lesson and I also have three concerts. We are playing our book Songs Across America with Kansas City, Old Cape Cod, Walking in Memphis and similar songs about places here. We end it with a Patriotic medley.
I live in Massachusetts. People make fun of our accent, the old Harvard Yard bit. When I first got to Ghana, we had a full group sort of assembly where we were told about customs, the different tribes in the various parts of the country and Ghanaian English. I had been asked ahead of time to stand up and say a sentence they had given me. It leaned heavily on my Boston accent. I got laughed at. The speaker, an assistant director, stopped the laughter when he said I would be the first to be understood by Ghanaians. My accent, with remnants of a British accent, mirrored the Ghanaian accent.
I’m going to give you a language lesson in case you visit Massachusetts.
My mother would walk up town. We take the subway to go in town. We drank tonic. My father used to take his shirts to the cleanser. We buy liquor at a packie. My father was a townie. We drink water from a bubbler. We bang a u-ie. The best mornings start at a Dunks. We wore dungarees. We drink frappes. I hosied the front seat. Regular coffee comes with cream and sugar. Cars on the rotary have the right of way. We ate supper every night. My mother carried a pocketbook. We put jimmies on our ice cream cones. My father always said so don’t I. I could care less is also common. Staties hide hoping to catch speeders on the highways. Wicked and very are interchangeable.
I buy subs. Other people buy grinders. I live on The Cape. Here we drive up Cape or down Cape. My brother-in-law wanted to know how far way something was. I told him about twenty minutes. We don’t talk miles here.
You are now well versed in English as it is spoken here. Enjoy your visit. You’ll fit right in.
Explore posts in the same categories: Musings
keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
June 10, 2024 at 9:35 pm
Hi Kat,
Today was mostly cloudy and a humid 86° for a high temperature.
Because the Dallas Mavericks are playing the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals, I thought you might enjoy some texas colloquialisms. Obviously, you are familiar with Y’all, referring to the plural of you. Followed by All Git-Out. “That house is as cheap as all-git out, what’s wrong with it”. Another is Bigger’n Dallas. “That burger is bigger’n Dallas”. Another is Bless your heart. Can be used at the end or the beginning of other clauses. “Bless your heart, you think you’re being so smart right now”. Can’t beat it with a stick to describe a good deal. A Coke is the Texas reference for any soft drink. Come hell or high water. “I’ll get to your wedding, come hell or high water”. There are many others.
My cousin who lives in Boston is planning on a Celtics sweep. However game three is Wednesday and anything can happen.
June 10, 2024 at 10:33 pm
Hi Bob,
Today was a perfect day. It was warm enough, and in the afternoon, we had a breeze. Tonight is cool, at 63°. Tomorrow it will be in the low 70’s. This is ideal weather. I’m sorry you have humidity!
We actually say all get out, close to your all-git out. I’ve never heard of bigger’n Dallas before this. I loved The Big Bang Theory, and Sheldon’s mother, who lived in Texas, artfully used the bless your heart. That was the first time I’d heard of it. Can’t beat it with a stick is a great one.
I’d love a sweep, but that would surprise me. The mags didn’t make it to the finals by losing.