I thought it would be fun to share some interesting slang words I recently saw on the Word Smarts Website. There are just a few here on the blog, but you can find more on the Word Smarts site, as well as more detailed information about them.
“Wicked” is a word common to the northeast, where you might hear someone say something is “wicked good.” It became popular in the 1960s, often thought to substitute for the word “very,” as in “wicked good.” A more common usage I’ve been familiar with is simply saying something is wicked.
I’ve not heard of this, but people in New England call ice cream sprinkles, “jimmies.” I’ve always called them “candy sprinkles.”
Do you have a special name for them?
A 19th-century adjective used to describe something that’s askew or awry,“Cattywampus” is still widely used among Southerners, and I really like it, along with the phrase “Kiss my Grits.” Of course for that one a person needs to affect the distinct Southern drawl, which is rather impossible to do with words on a computer screen, but if we were to meet in person, I could oblige.
“Yooper,” a play on “U.P.,” an abbreviation for the upper peninsula of Michigan is used when referring to people from there. A person from the lower part of the state may be referred to as a “troll,” not as an insult, but as a reference to the fairy-tale bridge troll trope.
Even though I grew up in Michigan and visit there often, I was never aware of those two terms and never once felt like a “troll.”
** IN THE NEWS **
President Trump dropped his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service to instead “settle” for $1.776 billion (ugh) to be available to people who were targeted by the Biden administration DOJ. That potentially includes Jan. 6 insurrectionists that Trump calls “heros” and “great patriots.”
The current DOJ labeled this an “Anti-Weaponization Fund” with no clarification as to who will get this money or how much. According to the document released by the DOJ, the requirement to apply for some of this money is if someone claims they suffered “weaponization and lawfare.”
Listening to The Daily Podcast this morning that gives a lot of details about this settlement, including the part where the IRS suspended all audits of the Trump family, the word that kept coming to my mind was “duplicity.” In everyday language, duplicity means saying one thing to someone while doing or believing the opposite. A person demonstrating duplicity is intentionally misleading others to serve their own agenda, which is sadly how our president is viewed by many.
If, as suspected, those who were part of the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capital Building are compensated out of this fund, that would be criminal.
What happened that day in January 2020 was something we should not forget, or celebrate, or spin into something it was not. It was an angry mob, led by angry men and women, who believed the claim that the election had been stolen from Trump.
Also this week in election news, Trump continues to wield his power in unseating members of his own party who have had the courage to defy him in some matters. First was the Saturday defeat of Senator Bill Cassidy in Louisiana. President Trump endorsed Julia Letlow, who won the majority of votes and faces a run-off with John Fleming who came in second. Cassidy was targeted because he voted to impeach Trump after the January 6 insurrection.
On Tuesday, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost the primary after Trump endorsed Ed Gallrein. Massie has been openly critical of Trump on Capitol Hill. He pushed for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, opposed the war with Iran, and voted against Trump’s signature tax legislation last year. He lost to Gallrein following the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.
While I don’t agree with the members of the GOP in Congress who don’t want to take a stand against Trump in legislation for fear of their jeopardizing their careers, I do understand. They have a lot to lose, as clearly illustrated in the recent primaries. What’s hard to understand is why the average voter is so willing to bow to the wishes of a president who is certainly more interested in money, power, remaking the White House into a gilded palace, and dominating the world, than the welfare of that average voter.
What do they have to lose?
Or do they mindlessly flock to the voting booth because they’re so brainwashed by the hype that all that campaign money buys that they can’t see through the ruse… the duplicity?
***BOOKISH NEWS ***
I wanted to share some very exciting news with you all. I recently received a Book Excellence Award in the mystery category for Desperate Season, the second book in the Seasons Mystery Series. This award celebrates books that showcase excellence in design, writing, and market appeal.
Sending out thanks to Dany Russell for the great cover design and Eeva at The Book Khaleesi for the interior design and other graphics. Also need to thank my editor Audrey Lintner, for catching all those pesky mistakes I was sure I’d fixed in my own editing. Which just proves how important it is to have outside eyes on a manuscript before publishing.
That’s all for today, folks. Do come back on Friday when I review On The Bayou, a new mystery by Sean Bridges coming the end of this month. Until then, be safe. Be happy. Be kind.
