Author Archives: Ava Oliver

How’s tricks?

Age: 19

Text: How’s tricks?

Context: My informant learned this question from his dad. Growing up, instead of asking him how he was, his dad would ask him “How’s tricks?” He claims this question can be used anytime in a casual setting as a replacement for the question “How are you?” He equated asking this question to asking a close friend or family member “What’s up?” My informant has only ever been asked this by his dad, and on several occasions when he has tried to ask his friends “How’s tricks?” they had not heard the question before and did not understand what he was asking. He admitted that he does not know the origin of the question or what the word ‘tricks’ refers to. 

Analysis: After doing some quick research, there seems to be a general understanding that ‘tricks’ in this question refers to card tricks or magic. “How’s tricks?”, therefore, seems to be a shortened version of asking a magician or card game player “How are your tricks going?” As this question has evolved to be used in a daily manner separate from card games or magic, it has taken on the more general meaning “How’s it going?” The informal nature of this question suggests that it can be used to set a more casual tone in a conversation than asking “How are you?” might establish. 

Up the apples and pears

Age: 19

Text: Up the apples and pears

Context: My informant explained that growing up, her grandmother used to refer to the stairs as the “apples and pears.” For example, her grandmother might have said “Alright, I’m going to go up the apples and pears.” My informant explained that her grandmother learned this from her mother who was born in London. She also clarified that her grandmother usually only used this phrasing around their family as most people, especially in the United States, would not understand what she meant. 

Analysis: Cockney is a rhyming slang primarily used by individuals from the East End of London who have historically made up the working class of the city. “Apples and pears” is one of many terms in this slang where Cockney individuals replace a word with a phrase that rhymes with it. This slang has historically been used amongst Cockney individuals to create a sense of community and social solidarity. This slang has also likely been used as resistance towards authority as non-Cockney individuals have a difficult time understanding what they are saying when the slang is being used. 

Finer than a frog hair split four ways

Age: 19

Text: Finer than a frog hair split four ways

Context: My informant said she heard this saying in rural Texas. She had asked a stranger how they were doing to which they responded “Honey, I’m finer than a frog hair split four ways.” She remembers the person being very upbeat and happy, and they seemed to be having a great day. My informant is from Austin, TX, and claims that she has never heard this saying other than this one time. 

Analysis: I am from Texas myself and have noticed that many Southerners, especially people from the rural south, use many sayings that add emphasis to their speech and attempt to capture the extent to which they mean what they are saying through exaggeration. Not only was this person fine, but they were finer than a frog hair split four ways. My initial reaction to hearing this saying was wondering “Do frogs even have hair?” A quick Google search has confirmed that frogs do not have hair. The comparison of how fine someone is to something so physically fine that it doesn’t even exist is a humorous, nonsensical way of suggesting that the person must be doing extremely fine. This saying exaggerates this even further by splitting the nonexistent thing into four different parts.

It’s raining to beat the band

Age: 19

Text: It’s raining to beat the band

Context: My informant, who is from the Midwest, explained that whenever it is raining very hard outside, her family always says “It’s raining to beat the band.” She also said that “to beat the band” can be used to describe anything that is being done to an extreme extent. 

Analysis: When a band is performing, it often grasps the attention of everyone around since bands are loud and both visually and audibly entertaining. If something “is beating the band,” it is being done so greatly that it is visually and/or audibly overpowering the band. This hyperbolic expression compares an occurrence to a band to capture the extent to which something is being done. If the rain is beating the band, for example, it must be raining so hard that it is loud and/or visually shocking.

Having a yarn

Age: 19

Text: Have a yarn

Context: My informant explained that whenever she calls her grandmother or has the opportunity to sit and talk with her, her grandmother refers to it as “having a yarn.” My informant said that her grandmother is from Australia, and she has also heard other Australians refer to talking as having a yarn. She also clarified that a yarn is specifically a casual, informal conversation that might be had between close friends or family, similar to a chat. 

Analysis: Historically, individuals with jobs that involve completing tedious and stationary tasks such as weaving or spinning yarn have chatted throughout the day to make a potentially boring task more exciting. The saying “having a yarn” refers to the use of casual chatter and is modernly used by many Australians to refer to laid-back conversation with the sole purpose of keeping each other company and staying entertained to help pass the time. This saying highlights the contrast between formal conversation with a central purpose of communication and informal conversation that is used to build community, be social, and strengthen connections.