Tag Archives: #folksaying

A Collection of Baseball “Chirps:” Doors! and By You!

Text: “Doors!” and “By You!”

Context: “Doors” is used when a player is really late swinging at the ball. When he whiffs, the opposing team chirps “doors!” because the wind created from his missed swing metaphorically blows the doors open.

“By You” is also used whenever someone swings really late. After he misses, everybody screams it, letting the batter know that the ball went straight by him. It also sounds like the word “bayou,” making it snappier to say since it is almost like a double entendre.

Analysis: These sayings all fall under a subcategory of sports lingo colloquially known as “chirps.” These chirps are meant to be yelled at the opposing players to heckle them about their poor performance. As is explained above, “Doors” and “By You” are explicitly meant to poke fun at a batter who swings and misses spectacularly. They are meant to annoy the player at bat and ruin his focus. Also, they happen to be very funny and create a tighter team culture through humor.

While the sayings may seem somewhat childish, they are actually a vital part of baseball culture and competition. Baseball presents a unique type of stress compared to other team sports. Every at-bat is a duel between pitcher and batter, a game of strategy and mental fortitude where breaking either side’s concentration can secure a big hit for the offense or a strikeout for the defense. While pitchers and batters are locked in this duel, it falls to the players on the bench to tip the scales. Consequently, the players waiting in the dugout use these chirps to try and rattle the batter, helping out their pitcher. So, while they may just seem like mean-spirited jabs at another player’s poor performance, they actually represent a cornerstone of baseball culture that much of the non-playing public fails to see.

Make it a Great Day

Nationality: American
Occupation: Student, Construction Science
Residence: College Station, Texas
Language: English

Informant: “Every single day at school, our principal would do morning announcements before school started. We’d pray, say the pledge, and sometimes students would be on it, anywho, he would always end with ‘Make it a great day…’ then he would pause ‘or not, the choice is yours.’ He would always say that. We would always laugh about it and make fun of it, but it’s true: it really is your choice. Whether something goes good or bad, it’s how you choose to respond to it that determines the outcome. So, even though we would laugh at it, I can appreciate it now. Another one was “take the hit”. Man, if you think you’re gonna fail a test, don’t try and cheat and make up for the lack of effort; just take the hit. Basically, he’s saying it’s not worth it to try to get out of responsibilities. It’s also not good to get let off when you don’t put in the effort, and I think that point applies to college and work. I can’t go BS some numbers in my construction job. That could cost someone their life. I gotta do it right. So, taking the hit would be showing up late for me. But I would never do something half-minded and do a bad job.

Context:

The informant went to a Christian school where the principal would use this catchphrase at the end of the morning announcements. He and his friends often mocked the phrase and thought it was silly, but later in his life, he now sees the value in it and what the principal was trying to impart. The phrase “take the hit” was also repeated a lot at that school, especially when a teacher or the principal thought you were being suspicious and were likely to do something wrong, like cheat on an assignment, copy a friend’s homework, etc. They would often tell you this and then not do anything to stop you or punish you for whatever they thought you were going to do. Basically, giving you a chance to make the right choice.

Analysis:

I also went to this school, and I think it is pretty clear what the principal was trying to get us to consider. He wants us to be responsible people and understand that taking the easy way out eventually comes back to bite you. Additionally, he wants us to understand that it is completely within our power to control how we react to adversity. Something bad can happen to you, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a bad day. Of course, we would take this to the extreme with jokes like: Student 1: oh man, my dog died. Student 2: The choice is yours. However, as the informant points out, most of us understood that the message was good and have since sought to apply it to our lives, even if we mocked it back then.

“Cuando Cuelgo Los Tenis”

Age: 20
Occupation: University Student
Language: Spanish

Informant Information:

Age: 20

Date of Performance: 2/15/2025

Language: English

Nationality: American

Occupation: University Student

Primary Language: Spanish

Residence: Los Angeles, California

Text: “Cuando cuelgo los tenis”

Translation: “When I hang my shoes”

Figurative Meaning: “When I die”

Context:

Whenever the informant’s mother was upset or disappointed with the informant’s behavior, she would use the Spanish phrase “Cuando cuelgo los tenis” (“When I hang my shoes”). The phrase was used hypothetically, implying that the mother’s death could be a consequence of the child’s actions.

Analysis:

This phrase is commonly used by parents in Mexican Spanish to evoke guilt or a sense of responsibility in their children. When a parent is upset or disappointed, they may use this expression to suggest that their child’s behavior is distressing enough to contribute to their eventual passing. This type of statement reflects a universal theme in parenting, where guilt is employed as a tool to encourage compliance and reinforce family values. While the threat of death is not meant to be taken literally, it emphasizes the importance of respect, familial bonds, and the physical and emotional impact of one’s actions on their loved ones.

Rock Climbing Safety

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Text:

“Dude on rock?”

“Rock on dude.”

Context:

The informant, TG, is originally from San Jose and grew up rock climbing at summer camp as a teenager. He explained that rock climbers must go through a safety procedure before they begin climbing. After all of the gear is properly equipped, the climber has a verbal exchange with person belaying them (this person controls the rope slack and tension to ensure the climber does not fall) that typically goes like this:

Climber: “On belay?”

Belayer: “Belay on.”

Climber: “Climbing.”

Belayer: “Climb on.”

[Climber begins climbing.]

TG said that this exchange is important because it signals that both people are ready and actively engaged to ensure proper safety. “Dude on rock?” / “Rock on dude” is a playful variation of this, and would take place immediately after “On belay?” / “Belay on.”

Analysis:

Rock climbing is an activity that comes with the inherent risk of serious injury. TG suggested that fun riffs on these safety procedures help the climbers to feel more casual and relaxed. The phrase is also a play on words, with rock’s double meanings as a solid mineral and as a music genre. Furthermore, TG grew up in close proximity to San Francisco, which was notable for its psychedelic rock and hippie culture during the 1960’s and 1970’s — hence the influence of the phrase “Rock on!”

“Better to have gone out trying”

Age: 20

Participant first heard this phrase during their first year of college. They found it particularly useful during this time to reflect on their own past choices from childhood, and their regrets of not trying things. They have stated that “Better to have gone out trying” is “like trying something and failing at it is better than not trying at all.”. They continue to use it to step out of their comfort zone, like trying new things or meeting new people.

Analysis: The participant has summed up the meaning of this phrase pretty well. “Better to have gone out trying” is a phrase I think useful to people experiencing a transition in life or before making a huge decision. This is a motivational saying, looking to convince someone to “just go for it!”, as it’s better to try than regret it later.