All us on the board need to pitch in to help JanH (page 2)

It's only as serious as the reader makes it, Wendy. Verbal give and take is entertaining if the giver is sufficiently prepared to take, and goes at it with the right perspective. The fundamental principle of Aikido works as well in verbal sparring as in physical: use your opponent's energy and momentum against him. Someone with an inflated ego or with self-esteem issues would be advised not to engage, however. Those are some of his opponent's best resources.

COMF

Francois

Pig dogs? Wait just a chicken-pluckin' minute. Are you perchance referring to the Bull-headed, mote-loving, Jehovah's Witness Pig-dog?

That is a copyrighted phrase, my friend. And now you owe me $1.98. Please send a check to General Writing & Productions, Inc. Savannah, GA.

waiting

merkins?

Hell, jelly, down south, we call 'em "murkins."

Gotta get that slang in there for red-neck accuracy.

Btw, being a typical southern murkin, I thought JanH was a mighty intelligent woman for the longest time.

Go figure.

murkin waiting (not known for intelligence - but enjoyed your sense of humor and sparring capability.)

Abaddon

Hey, as a 'merkin' is a wig to replace pubic hair, I reckon it's a pretty good insult. He's calling American's pubic-wigs!!

Errr... did you KNOW what it meant Jelly??

Mommie Dark

Bad'n, if you weren't already taken Mommie would HAVE to ravish you for actually knowing that fabulous definition!! Pubitrivia, what an aphrodisiac...

Snuggling this new insult in the boudoir cupboard with her fancy merkins and naughty toys,
Mommie
(snickering wildly at the angel boy)

Sassenach

Where I come from we say "merkins" too

No wait, now that I think about it, we actually say "mur-a-kins", with the emphasis on the mur.

"Are those my white knee socks, Jan?"--Marcia Brady

rutht

Dear Jelly,

I wouldn't be too concerned about someone who comes from a country whose only claim to fame is the Vikings.

eyes_opened

Can't we all just get along! <sob>

Oh the humanity!

patio34

Jan H,

We are not composing business letters here and most Americans are very good grammarians (please don't ask me to prove it!).

As far as pronunciation goes, 'mericans' does sound familiar in some parts of the U.S. But in a nation this large, as in the UK, there are many accents and dialects.

It sounds as if "merkins" comes from the president, Lyndon Johnson, who was known for starting his address, "My fellow Americans..." He hailed from Texas and had quite a drawl, so it may have sounded like 'mericans.'

A Brit at my work has poked fun at my pronunciation of words like 'quarter' as quarder and 'daughter' as daughder, which I was forced to admit was true in the SW US.

By the way, is 'mercans' meant as a slur?

TTFN,
Patio

All us on the board need to pitch in to help JanH

mommy