Author Archives: Lore15

“Wear It !” Baseball Slang

Background:

The informant is my younger brother. He was born in Pasadena, California and was raised in Silver Lake, California. He is currently a sophomore at Providence high school in Burbank where he receives an academic scholarship. He enjoys participating in sports and hanging out with his friends in his spare time. 

Informant:

When I started playing baseball I picked up a whole new language that relates to the game. Especially since I started playing high school ball. It has its own slang. There are a bunch of sayings. You know…shit like, “roll it up”, “turn two”, “good eye”, “going yard”, “squeeze” and the list goes on.  Anyways, the weakest thing you can do in a game is move out of the way from a pitch that is going to hit you. I mean unless that shit is coming at your head then you’d be stupid not to move. But if you get hit by a pitch while up at bat it’s a free base meaning we have a chance at scoring. If you move out the way its selfish cuz you’re more worried about a silly ass bruise than scoring to win. Guys gotta be willing to make that sacrifice for the team. So Ultimately, if you move out the way… you’re a selfish pussy whos afraid to get hit(laughs). For the guys that do take the hit, we yell “wear it” meaning like wear that shit be proud and don’t be a wuss. Wear the hit with pride cuz you just took a hit to put us in the position to score. As for those that don’t take the hit we still yell “wear it!” as a command if a pitch comes at them again. I first heard it my freshmen year from my coach at practice. We were having batting practice and I moved out of the way from a pitch that was coming at me. He yelled at me saying, “This ain’t little league no more! You better turn your shoulder and wear it! If you move out of the way in a game I’ll have a nice spot for you on the bench.” I remember thinking “what the fuck? I don’t want to get hit” But one of my friends who was older explained to me why as I just told you and said that’s just how it is in high school and college ball.

Analysis :

This metaphor is quite hilarious in my opinion. It is amazing how even something like a sport can have its own language and culture. I’ll say this though, I believe that it is a language that can be best understood by those who partake in the sport. “Wear it” can be a form of cheering on your teammates and encouraging them after taking a hit and also can be a command for those who are scared to take a hit. If you don’t take the hit it may come with some unkind remarks from teammates and coaches alike.

 

 

“Buckets”

Background:

The informant is my younger brother. He was born in Pasadena, California and was raised in Silver Lake, California. He is currently a sophomore at Providence high school in Burbank where he receives an academic scholarship. He enjoys participating in sports and hanging out with his friends in his spare time.

Transcript:

Me: Okay so explain “Buckets” to me what exactly does it mean?

Informant: Alright so in Basketball there is a lot of trash talking. Whether you’re bagging on someone for how much they suck or if you’re hyping yourself up cuz you know you’re just that good. Basketball deals a lot with confidence and being mentally strong. So “Buckets” is a way of stating that you just scored, you’re gonna score, or that you’re just flat out good at scoring, It all depends on how you use it

Me: Can you give me some examples on how it is used?

Informant: Yea….”Buckets!” is usually said after scoring as a reminder to your defender that they can’t guard you. “I’m about to get buckets” is said before scoring as a way of getting inside your opponents head showing them you’re pretty damn confident you can score on them. And”I get buckets” is said when you know you can score at will. Basically like saying you’re the shit.

Me: When did you first pick this up?

Informant: When I started playing pickup at the park and gym with my friends. When you play pickup at a park or gym you hear endless amounts of shit talking. I heard it and ever since then I’ve started using it.

Analysis:

It is a very clever metaphor in my opinion, and a very witty way of talking trash. I just wonder why it is “buckets” and not “baskets”?  It is interesting to see simple terms come to life in sports language. In 2012, the term was used in a Pepsi Max commercial. The person using the term was NBA rookie of the year Kyrie Irving.

Annotation: 

Uncle Drew Part 1 Pepsi Max/Pepsi. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DnKOc6FISU>.

BAE

Background:

The informant is my younger brother. He was born in Pasadena, California and was raised in Silver Lake, California. He is currently a sophomore at Providence high school in Burbank where he receives an academic scholarship. He enjoys participating in sports and hanging out with his friends in his spare time.

Informant: 

“Bae” is probably the one word I hear at least once every day at school. Basically, it’s another way of saying “Babe” but by dropping the second B. I don’t know who the hell comes up with this shit, but it’s ridiculous how popular this word has gotten. Some people use it to describe their crush by saying something like, “oh, that’s bae”. I’ve also heard people say it stands for Before Anyone Else. Usually cuz people my age cut off everyone else for their boyfriend or girlfriend. I got homies who go MIA the second they start talking to some chick.

Analysis: 

The word is very common amongst younger age groups. It has had a huge impact on pop culture and has become extremely popular on various social media sites and even in music. Just last year Pharrell Williams released a song titled “Come Get it Bae”. Despite the fact that many think the word is dumb it has had a ton of influence. But like any other trend I think this one will die out over time.

Annotation:

Come Get It Bae. Perf. Pharrell Williams. Youtube. Vevo, 23 July 2014. Web. 3 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfGMj10wOzg>.

 

Placement of your shoes

Background: 

The informant is a good friend of mine who attends California State University, Northridge where she is studying to become an occupational therapist. She is a second generation American citizen who was born and raised in Burbank, California. Her parents came to the United States from Egypt shortly before she was born. She is a Muslim and can read, write, and speak Arabic fluently.

Informant:

When I was growing up and even till this very day my parents constantly nag my sister and I about how we place our shoes when taking them off or where the bottom of our shoes are facing while wearing them. The reasoning for their nagging is that in Arab culture, if shoes are not placed with the bottom facing down it is considered a sign of disrespect. My mom always flips out especially if the bottom of our shoes are facing up towards the ceiling. She says it is disrespectful to God and that it will bring bad luck. My dad’s pet peeve is when the bottom of your shoe is facing towards someone while wearing them. So let’s say that you were sitting with your foot rested on top of your knee, and it just so happened to face him. He would have the biggest fit, most likely storm off dramatically and start screaming in Arabic like a psycho. (laughs) Anyways, the whole idea is that you are showing disrespect to whoever the bottom of the shoe is facing It symbolizes that they are not worth the ground you walk on. Basically saying they are worth nothing. The belief is way more common among the older generation of my family. The young ones could honestly care less (laughs). My cousins and I see how some of our parents react to this and were all like damn dude chill out! It’s an easy way to piss them off.

Analysis:

I find it interesting how the simple placement of one’s shoes can be so drastic. It is interesting to see how superstitious other cultures can be compared to my own and others. In my eyes, the one dealing with God is understandable, but the one about having the bottom of your shoe face somebody from the way you are sitting is a little over the top. Although this whole custom shows how extremely symbolic the Arabic culture is. Furthermore, the culture is also very conservative in some areas, which can explain why they have such a strict custom and belief. From knowing my informant for quite some time, it is apparent that parents stress respect a lot because their children are a reflection of them to their adult peers. If their children were constantly breaking this custom, parents may be embarrassed.

 

Mike Hawk

Background:

The informant is my best friend from middle school. He has a twin sister and is older by a couple minutes. He currently works for the California Gas Company and on the side does voice overs for D.J. drops. 

Informant: 

Alright, so my freshmen year there was this dirty joke going around. There isn’t really a punchline but the joke continues until the person you’re talking to figures it out. So I would start a conversation with someone and say, “hey do you know Mike Hawk?” and people would usually say no. So I’d begin the joke, “yea Mike Hawk that guy is fucking huge. Mike Hawk is the biggest guy you’ll ever see”. So if you say the name Mike Hawk out loud you’ll get the joke and see that it sounds like “My cock”. Anyways I’d continue the joke until the person started putting it together in their head. Reactions usually ranged from “heeeeeeyyyyyyyy! I see what you’re doing!” all the way to “Just stop you’re stupid as fuck” (laughs) It became quite popular. I even witnessed some dumbass do it to a teacher. I can’t lie though it was fucking hilarious. The whole class was dying. When the teacher figured it out though, the kid got sent to the deans office.

Analysis: 

Dirty jokes are often common amongst younger people. I had a good laugh from listening to my friend recall this joke. Although it is quite explicit, I can appreciate the wittiness of the joke and can only imagine the hilarious reactions he received while performing it. That’s another point I want to make as well. In order to execute the joke correctly the individual saying it needs to have a comical attitude. They can’t be monotone or boring.