Category Archives: folk metaphor

Texan Proverbs/Sayings

Nationality: Irish, American
Age: 24
Occupation: Student, Freelance writer
Residence: Dallas, TX and Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/10/15
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

The informant says she grew up in Texas, and naturally picked up some Texan proverbs during her years there from neighbors, friends’ families, and teachers. However, she finds that they don’t always translate well to others.

Take, for example, the saying “They tried to hang him, but the rope broke.” It’s a saying that means someone has been incredibly lucky, but the informant recalls saying that to a new friend at college and getting a weird response. “I said this to her while we were talking about one of our friends who forgot to study for an exam, only to have the exam pushed back a week that same day. My friend looked at me, kinda horrified, and asked if we really still hung people in Texas. I had to laugh because I didn’t know how else to respond.”

Interestingly enough, this is one of a handful of colorful Texan sayings that were published in Anne Dingus’ 1994 article about Texan speech in Texas Monthly. The article was published in the magazine itself a day after it ran online. Here is a link to the online article: http://www.texasmonthly.com/content/more-colorful-texas-sayings%E2%80%A6/page/0/1

Another saying that the informant recalls using with frequent confusion is “There’s more than one way to skin a cat,” which essentially advises people that if you can’t accomplish something one way, then you should try doing it a different way because it might be successful. “My friends had practically the same response to this proverb that they did to the one about the hanged guy being lucky,” she said. “It took me the longest time to convince them that Texan proverbs are very… metaphorical in the most colorful way possible.”

Ethiopian Food Serving

Nationality: Ethiopian
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: California
Performance Date: 04/21/15
Primary Language: English
Language: Amharic

The informant is a good friend from one of my clubs. We had met up for lunch and she shared many of her Ethiopian traditions and customs with me, as well as some superstitions of her people.

In Ethiopia, everyone at the dinner table eats the food from one dish, and no one has their own individual plate. The communal plate is very large, and an assortment of foods are served on it for everyone to share. Large pots of each type of food are made separately, and small portions are added to the communal plate at a time, since it’s not good to save leftovers that have been on the plate and touched. The saying is “it tastes like hands.” Therefore, leftovers are foods still in the pot that have yet to be touched, while the food on the communal plate is expected to be finished in that sitting.

ethiopian-food-1

The lesson is not overload the plate with food, since it can’t be eaten the next day because it will taste like the hands that touched it. Ethiopians eat their food with their hands instead of utensils, so the saying comes from this custom.

Background & Analysis

The informant is a student here at USC as well, and although her mother is from Ethiopia, she was born and raised here in California. However, she often goes back to Ethiopia with her mom to visit friends and family.

The meal serving tradition in Ethiopia is so different from what I’m used to here in America. We are accustomed to getting our own dish with a serving size of our own choice. Eating without utensils is also often seen as  mannerless behavior, unless the food is something such as chicken or corn on the cob. The Ethiopian dinner style is similar to the traditional Hawaiian way of eating, especially the eating with your hands part. The foods are in their own bowls, and the bowls are passed around to everyone present, who each in turn take one bite and pass the food along to the next person. This will continue until everyone is full or the food is gone. The sharing of food in such intimate ways in both cultures, definitely brings people together.

“Buckets”

Nationality: Mexican-American
Age: 15
Occupation: Student
Residence: Glendale, CA
Performance Date: 4/3/15
Primary Language: English

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>.

“Wear It !” Baseball Slang

Nationality: Mexican-American
Age: 15
Occupation: Student
Residence: Glendale, CA
Performance Date: 4/3/15
Primary Language: English

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.

 

 

Dime

Nationality: Mexican-American
Age: 20
Occupation: California Gas Company
Residence: Atwater Village, CA
Performance Date: 4/20/15
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

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. 

Transcript : 

Me: So what do you mean by Dime. Are you talking about money?

Informant: Not necessaruly. It can mean different things depending on how it’s used.

Me: Give me some examples.

Informant: Alright so in basketball if you throw a nice ass pass without looking to where the ball is headed that leads to a score you can call that a “dime” instead of an assist.

Me: I see I see. So you can say someone like Chris Paul or Stephen Curry dishes out a ton of dimes

Informant: Exactly.

Me: where did you first hear dime used in basektball terms?

Imformant: I can’t remember exactly but I hear it said a lot while playing and watching games on T.V.

Me: Alright. Well what else can it mean?

Informant: Well if you’re talking about a beautiful girl you can call her a dime which means she is a ten out of ten.

Me: (laughs) That’s interesting. Where’d you pick that up?

Informant: The term is big in Hip-Hop culture. And I would always hear my uncle say it and when I was younger and I would copy everything he did.

Analysis: 

I think the use of dime to describe a beautiful girl is clever with a dime being worth ten cents hence the idea ten out of ten. In the context of basketball, it hints to the idea of dropping a dime because people tend to drop change a lot without knowing or seeing. Obviously a player knows when they intend to pass but it has to do with not looking towards the direction the ball is going. It is a way of being finese and slick on the basketball court. Dropping something (a dime) and making it look EASY!