A proverb a calculus BC teacher used to say was “up a creek without a buck to buy a paddle”. Students called these proverbs “Lanzi-isms, because the professor’s last name is Lanzi-Sheaman. If one says “Lanzi-ism” to anyone who took Calc BC at the high school (in San Diego), they would know it’s one of the strange proverbs she used.
Informant from San Diego that took the Calc class
People in Boston, particularly those with a strong Boston Accent will say “Wicked Pissah”, which is Wicked Pisser but the Boston Accent doesn’t really pronounce the “r’s” so it becomes Pisa. Basically it just means that something is really awesome. You can say it about a person or a thing. It’s also somewhat of a joke at this point because it’s a cliche Boston Accent thing to say. So it’s ironic to say but also not ironic in another sense.
Informant is from Boston.
In Korea, young Koreans in their tweens and 20s tend to abbreviate long words like Iced Americano and Starbucks to “Ah ah” and “Supuck.” Those who do this tend to do so to show that they are young and keeping with the trends. Therefore, it is easy to tell who is trendy and in touch with Korean culture through the way they speak. Usually nouns are shortened.
This phenomenon reminds me of similar things in popular culture in the U.S. as well. For example, a self proclaimed fan of Five Nights At Freddy’s or Identity V would be called out if they didn’t know what the abbreviated forms of the names were: FNAF and IDV respectively. In this way, dialect is able to draw a hard line between those within and outside of groups in the know.
“No Crowmouthing yourself” means to not say things like car crash, suicide, cardiac arrest, especially in correlation to anyone in the family. “Joking things like “I’m going to die” is definitely going to get me scolded by my grandparents even in a joking way, and they’d call that “crow mouthing.” big nono, not safe, and they’d give a whole lecture about how to be better in a well being since… they had it rough in their life,” reports my informant. Her parents and grandparents lived through many different wars, and thus they believe that dangerous things like swimming in the river, riding a roller coaster, or speaking of things related to death put your wellbeing at risk. In China, this proverb is used quite often and is a big theme in Chinese culture. Younger people tend to say it to themselves to scold themselves.
An example of this proverb being used genuinely goes as follows:
Person 1: “Oh god, I have a flight this afternoon, I hope the plane won’t crash haha.”
Person 2: “Stop! Do not crowmouth yourself, saying plane crash is such a bad thing.”
However, later this proverb has evolved into a dark joke, akin to saying “Haha imma kill myself.” An example of it being used in this way goes as follows:
Person 1: “I’m going to die because of this assignment”
Person 2: “Haha, crow mouthing yourself, huh?”
As my informant says, “it’s a bit morbid but silly funny.” She believes because society has become more safe, “the past concerns of war, hunger, limits and so on don’t exist in this modern time in China,” and thus a proverb that may have held great weight in the past doesn’t scare the youth today.
I find it interesting how proverbs can change from being held with great meaning to being used in a sarcastic joke. Perhaps a combination of a change in environment, like my informant said, and the fact that proverbs are typically widespread and are a collective knowledge have a hand in this evolution of the ways certain proverbs are used now.
My informant had first heard this proverb in middle school, when a kid was sad and the teacher made a silly face. The environment got more lighthearted and the teacher used it as an example of how the proverb, “laughter is the best medicine,” works in action. They have noticed that it still works to this day, as they have found that usually when you try to make people laugh in an appropriate situation, the mood gets better. They notice laughter works too when they are feeling down.
Typically they use this proverb in friend settings when things seem sad. While the lesson in the proverb holds true, saying the proverb can also work, if said in a joking manner.
My informant still believes in the proverb because they have seen it happen in real time and because it has happened to them. Their personal experience enforced their belief in the proverb.
In comparison to some other proverbs said to children, like “don’t put all of your eggs in one basket” and “actions speak louder than words”, “laughter is the best medicine” is surprisingly positive. This may be due to a more peaceful upbringing than in times of war. My informant told me that this proverb may have originated from the bible verse Proverbs 17:22 “A merry heart does good, like medicine.” The more modern version may have been simplified to be understood easier by children.