Bits & Pieces: Idioms and Funny Words

“Now we’re cooking with gas!”

by Paula Johnson

Have you ever made a remark out of the blue?

   Yep. Like that: “out of the blue.” It’s an idiom – a phrase or expression that has a different meaning than the actual words. The phrase means that something happened unexpectedly or suddenly – not that something dropped from the sky…like Chicken Little.

   A few weeks ago, I was leaving my car at the shop because the front of my car met up with a flying reindeer ahead of the Christmas season. Sarah had come to take me home and looked at the damage. I remarked, “Isn’t that a lovely bunch of coconuts?” The manager chuckled that he hadn’t heard that for a long time.

   Truly, neither had I. I have no idea where that old saying came from in my head.

   It was a popular song in the early 50s, but I was little kid. The song referred to a British game of knocking down coconuts at a fair. A showman would call out about his fine array of coconuts for someone to try and knock down.

   Recently, I have had another old saying stuck in my head – “Now, we’re cooking with gas.” Today, we use the expression to mean that we are doing something effectively and efficiently or that we have achieved something significant.

   Originally it was used to encourage people to use gas stoves. Wood-burning stoves were being replaced in the 30s and 40s with electric and gas stoves. The natural gas industry used that slogan to entice buyers to purchase gas stoves rather than electric.

   As the story goes, Deke Houlgate, employee of the American Gas Association, gave the saying to writers for Bob Hope to use in comedy routines.

   Karie Dussel dropped by and shared a word search she had done with all kinds of “olden” words that can make us laugh. 

How many can you match?

Some of them may seem like splitting hairs. So, “go softly into that dark night” and be gentle on yourself.

   There is nothing worse than a furnace that goes kerflooey during a cold snap. (g). When I was a little girl and took ballet, I hated wearing those froufrou outfits (i). We have a hunter who has named one of his dogs “Lulu” and it seems to fit (h). 

   To me the epitome of a Bigwig is Mr. Monopoly (j). Grandma would walk into a room of exploding laughter and ask,” What’s all the brouhaha?” (f). If you are a fan of the movie/play Chicago then you know razzmatazz is “e.” 

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   Lollygag is certainly a teacher’s word – “Quit your lollygagging and get in line!” (a). Ever come home with a beauty of a black eye – “How did you get that doozie?” (c).

   Not Jack Lord’s tagline of “Book ‘em, Danno!” Rather, Jack Webb’s logical retort, “That a bunch of bunkum.” (b). Paul Drake might tell Perry Mason that a witness is a rinky-dink crook (d). 

   Maybe these will trigger a few more from your childhood or ones to play on your grandkids.

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