In case any of you people on the internets ever end up in Casa Dufair, I think it’s prudent to provide a quick reference guide translating Dufair-ese into English so you can understand what my kids and I are talking about. Please print this out and carry it in your wallet or purse. Even those that can properly pronounce modern English have a few holdovers:
Emma:
rolly-roll = tootsie roll
prencel = pretzel rod
cramera = camera
snamp = stamp
Ian:
Lemo = Nintendo DS
back-a-yard = backyard
dunklings = dumplings (a.k.a. pot stickers)
Alyssa:
Bata = Grandpa
Now, if you forget to bring this cheat sheet, you can always ask for a translation. For example, I was playing a game yesterday at the kitchen table with Ian after dinner. I forget the name of the game. Marbles and rods and you try not to let the marbles drop. Ian pulled a rod and dropped a bunch of marbles in his tray (recall that Ian is 4 years old):
Ian: “Ug”
Me (just for banter’s sake): “What does ‘ug’ mean, Ian?”
Ian (deadpan): “It means shit dad.”
Me (supressing a gasp): “Ian! You’re not supposed to say ’shit’.”
Ian (deadpan, again): “I know dad. That’s why I said ‘ug’.”
Duh.
jessica
| 25-May-07 at 11:34 pm | Permalink
From the mouths of babes………………….!
Kate
| 26-May-07 at 9:17 am | Permalink
That’s fantastic. “Ug.”
thordora
| 26-May-07 at 2:51 pm | Permalink
hey, at least he’s not swearing!
Ros calls stars “how I’s” because os Twinkle Twinkle. It’s the cutest. Almost as cute as when she used to call me “Me-Maw”
Amy
| 26-May-07 at 4:26 pm | Permalink
‘Ug’ hehehe, that is so funny!!
Kat
| 26-May-07 at 5:06 pm | Permalink
They can be so damn smart sometimes. My L is a bit wild at times (ok small understatement) however I hear that she is an angel at school So:
Me: L, I want that kid to come home some days
L: She can’t.
Me: Why?
L: I’m just different at school.
Me: Well why do you have to be wild at home?
L: Mom, I was just born that way.
bine
| 28-May-07 at 11:56 am | Permalink
hahahahah! well, you asked for it!
it’s really lovely, i think.
heidi
| 29-May-07 at 10:07 am | Permalink
OK, when I write LOL, I want you to know I mean literally I am guffawing at Ian here in my office, sounding like a lunatic. You may get me fired. I was trying to blogsurf on the DL but noooooo… lol:)
Sam
| 03-Jun-07 at 7:44 pm | Permalink
My youngest sister is nine and we still use her baby words. Pooh means two things. It can mean nap, as in nappy pooh, and it can mean playground, as in poohground.
French fries: my middle sister used to call them friend friends, the little one calls them foo fies.
Dippy - condiments like ketchup or dressing, but can also be things of that consistency, like applesauce or chocolate pudding
Guys - my youngest sister has always called her stuffed animals her guys.
jase
| 03-Jun-07 at 7:53 pm | Permalink
Sam - good ones! My brother and I used to call our stuffed animals “guys”. What a memory. Haven’t thought about that word in many many years.
Missy
| 04-Jun-07 at 9:03 am | Permalink
Guys–that’s what Steve and Bill always called their action figures. As in “let’s play guys.”
A Few Good Memes :: Ug, Redux
| 14-Jun-07 at 6:49 am | Permalink
[...] What does it mean, dad? Me: It’s kind of like shit, Ian. Ian: Ok, how about “What the ug…” Me: That [...]