Posting Frenzy

Clearly I'm trying to make up for lost time. I'm also procrastinating mightily.

Always a tradeoff, isn't there? I'm also listening to Steely Dan's Aja over and over. This, unlike procrastination, is a curious development.

Anywho, enough about my personal afflictions. What really brought me back here this early morning was that I was sitting here procrastinating, and my brain alit upon a phrase that my grandparents used all the time, to denote something that hasn't happened in a very long time (wow, something just popped into my head that neither of them would have EVER, by the grace of their rosaries, said in my presence, or at ALL. I want to go wash my brain out with soap.) Anyway, this phrase was, "since Hector was a pup." Like, "tomatoes haven't been on sale down to the Food Shopper's since Hector was a pup," or "We haven't seen Jim fall down at the K of C dance since Hector was a pup." Of course, the latter would more correctly be stated as, "We haven't seen Jim sit up sober, etc., etc.," but I'm trying to be kind in the haze of memory. Clearly.

So yeah, cause I loved my grandparents (my grandma is still alive, by the way, but has spotty memory, and I don't want to overburden her synapses with my random requests, especially at 1 a.m.), and revere their quirks, especially those related to linguistics and occasionally giving me money, I needed to know this. So I went to Word Detective. And while I was browsing around, I found something a little more interesting than the answer to my question. I found poor Charles here, the only person likely in recorded history who has ever been made sick by his concern over the proper usage of the word "gurney". Herewith (don't you love "herewith"? I love it, but not as much as I love "posthaste". ; )) :

" I wanna be sedated. (title theirs, I believe, or maybe I just hope.)

Dear Word Detective: I'm just sick over a word which is used regularly on TV shows like "ER" and "Chicago Hope." I have been trying to find the correct spelling and origin of the word "gurney," which is the modern-day stretcher on wheels for transporting the sick or injured. I have not found the word in several unabridged dictionaries. Perhaps they were too old. My guess is that the device is named after its inventor. Can you tell me anything about this word? -- Patiently, Charles M. Nunzio, via the internet."

He was made sick over this. Can you believe? I guess I should shut up, because I'm known to get a little tweaky over forgetting my coupons at home and things of that marginally upsetting nature. Anyway, they told Charles to get a new dictionary, that "gurney" was in most normal ones, and his was broken. And, I presume, all was right with the world.

Wasn't that interesting?

Sorry.

Now, concerning my own personal quest to learn about Hector and his puppyhood, Word Detective wasn't so swell. I Googled my ass back to these dudes, who not only were reviewed as a combination of Sonic Youth and Smashing Pumpkins (what?) but are curiously described by one of their online "friends" as "taco sweet," which for some reason gives me a pain in my head to read. I can't imagine why they didn't hit it big after gigging with luminaries such as "Sinister Dane, KINGOFTHEHILL, White Trash, Hot Pink Turtle, Fold Zandura, Shelter, Otto's Revenge, Headtrip Window, and many others." (How is the sarcasm gene inherited, because that just really, really flowed. It just happened. I can't help it. Guys, if you're reading this, I so don't mean any of this. I'm just riffing. It's just how I, clearly, roll.)

Ahem, anyway...so THEN I Googled myself back (to the sounds of "PEEEEEEEEEEG, it will come BACK to YOU," I might add. SWEET. And why do Becker and Fagen give a shit about the Crimson Tide? I'm just not sure.) some wack prose poetry about Hector which didn't work for me at all, and then, finally, the only really cogent discussion of this that I've read, which still doesn't ring very true to me.

I mean, I'm sure it DOES have something to do with Hector, son of Priam, and of Hecuba, who was unfortunately turned into a dog, but what does that have to do with him being a pup? Or a pupPY? And why would my little Catholic grandparents know about such pagan goings on, anyway? You think they taught mythology at St. Patrick's? THINK AGAIN!!!!

I'm gonna call my grandma in the morning, and I'm gonna ask her, and she's gonna say, "Hell, I don't know. When are you bringing my mint cookies?"

At least someone has her priorities in order.

Comments

[Heirrant]

I think, if we go by the Hecuba-dog bit, that the argument could be made that Hector was NEVER a pup, since Hecuba was turned into a dog long after Hector fell at Troy and she was borne away as a slave to Odysseus. But looking all this up and trying to find references ate up more than an hour. I bet if we looked it up in the full OED, there might be a first instance documented. It sounds very ante-bellum South to me. Language addiction sucks...LOL.

[laurie]

No shit! A hostess at a Boston restaurant didn't understand me when I said, "Can you pitch this out for me?" when I asked her to get rid of my newspaper. She looked at me quizzically and said,
"Excuse me?" and I said, "Umm, throw it away?" Done. Anyway, Erica, you are too damned smart. And I'm all late for April writing month. KICK MY ASS! PLEASE! I'm so overloaded. Love you! : ) Laurie