I'm a wind-blown seed in the land of greed, living with a dream gone wrong

[venta]

When the mother had found a particularly good bargain or, say, successfully bought all her Christmas cards in the January sales, she would refer to herself as Meenus McMinnie. I never really knew why. She just did.

Having had a busy week this week, I've only just got round to reading this week's letter from the mother. In it, she describes herself as Mean-As-Muck Minnie.

Oh.

Comments

[ewx.livejournal.com]

Another Zen Hotdog that isn't a joke...

[leathellin.livejournal.com]

"Common and Garden" went through some interesting internal versions as I was growing up. It was always said so quickly.

[bluedevi.livejournal.com]

Yup. For years I thought it was "commoner garden".

[marjory.livejournal.com]

This could be like the phrase 'sodden wet '. For years I thought it was 'sodding wet'.

My Mum's, with my Grandma, was that when something impressed my grandmother re variety and selection, she said that 'they had more than tongue can tell.' Which meant that throughout her childhood my Mum was dimly convinced that there were two proverbial men, possibly brothers, called 'Tunc and Tel' known for having possessed a prodigious array of items.

[sea-of-flame.livejournal.com]

My uncle used to mis-hear tghe relevant bit of the church service as 'The piece of God be always with you', in reference to a seemingly indigestable sliver of communion wafer..

[lathany.livejournal.com]

The name's amusing. Although... why are people (almost) always embarrassed/ashamed/uncomfortable of being careful with money?

(I am too).

[metame.livejournal.com]

Good question... It's one of those obvious things that we (pretty much) all do but feel as though we shouldn't. I'm often surprised with how well we (as a species/community/subset) cope in situations where there's quite a difference in affluence.

[venta.livejournal.com]

A very guessed guess: historically, our society has been very much stratified by your wealth, or at least your appearance thereof. Accordingly, I never wish to admit to being careful with money in case you immediately assume I am of a lower social class than you, and should thus be snubbed rather than conversed with.

(That's a canonical "I" and "you", by the way, not thee and me in particular ;)

[lathany.livejournal.com]

I reckon that sounds very plausible.

[(Anonymous)]

My mum was always mispronouncing things on purpose and then we'd go and do the same in all innocence. And then one time, when I was about six, I asked what a fossil was. Her reply? 'Oh, Daddy's a fossil'.

Cathy

[venta.livejournal.com]

Yes, my parents both fervently deny having made up words so that I'd look stupid when I used them in later life - I leave it to you to decide whether that's the sort of thing they'd do or not.

Also, I remember singing Rule Brittania at junior school and being the only one to sing the last line about the mermaids. I blame my parents for that as well.

[(Anonymous)]

.. and that well-known character in folk song Lady Mondegreen