I just came from voting at our rural volunteer fire department. Election volunteers were so genial, especially the little old lady who handed me my ballot and ink pen, and instructed me to make sure that I fill in the little ovaries completely. A check mark, or an X won't do, she advised.I chuckled to myself and proceeded to the booth to do my duty. I was almost distracted by her telling voters behind me in line to fill in their little ovaries. No one corrected her, no one advised her that they were ovals.David, my nephew, had brought me to vote. I asked him when we left if he filled in his ovaries. He chuckled. He hadn't even noticed what the woman had said.It's a common phenomenon around here, especially with the older folks. Not only can ovals be called ovaries, hysterectomy is often called hysterectum, hiatal hernia is known as high hernia, and kerosene is kerasan. If they can't remember the actual word, any variation will do. And, rarely does anyone bother to correct them.Well, I guess it's not really that important. At least the voting ballot seemed right. Unless I'm so immune to local vernacular that I wouldn't even notice!
5 comments:
how cute!
I think I would like living in the South for this very reason. Even tho they speak the same language as I do, it seems much more colorful with all of the sayings and 'variations'. =)
Angie,
I love it because it is so familiar to me. But back home it's called a high hernie. We also have old timer's disease. Maybe soon we'll have to get together and give all these folks a lesson in the "right way to talk".
Bonita
It's a hoot! Today my mother-in-law was telling my husband a recipe for dried tomatoes. One of the seasonings, she said, was parsnis. I asked her did she mean parsley or parsnips. You know, she says, the little green things they put on a plate to make it look pretty. I informed her that was parsley.
Just another day in Stanly County, North Carolina.
That is just WAY too funny sister!! I'm dying over here!
Reminds me of the time when we were laboring in South Carolina and a family that were dealing with had a very ill elderly mother. The daughter soberly told my husband that her mother had suffered seven "scrokes," and there were times we were given directions to go "scrait down the screet!" lol
LOL How about going to K-mark or sitting at the dest? My my niece used to say those. Thank God, she's in college now.
Reminds of the story a 911 dispatcher told me. She received an emergency call about a man that was seriously injured and was laying at a street corner (it's been awhile, so I don't remember the cause). The male caller starts with, "I need a bambulance at the corner of Secum and" whatever the other street name was. (I don't remember.) The operator was having difficulty understanding the man, so he repeated his directions again. After several frustrating tries, the caller said, "Never mind, I'll just drag him over to Third."
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