During dinner with Dad last night, the subject of my
Mother’s peculiar phrases came up once again. I wrote a blog some time ago
about some of her favorite formulations like “John Brown”, “draw back a nub”,
and “I swannee.” But I have a few more today, and one of them I would like the
readers help in determining its origin.
My Mom often used the phrase, “getting up in the
pictures.” It referred to one of us usually, since according to Mom, Dunnevants
were always doing it. The best I can tell, to “get up in the pictures” meant to
become hysterically overdramatic. Perhaps “pictures” was her term for movies,
and to get up in the pictures referred to becoming like actors in a movie,
being all dramatic.
“Yes Paula, we ARE having liver and onions for
dinner, and if you don’t like it, don’t eat it, but don’t even think about
getting up in the pictures with me!”
The thing is, none of us have ever heard anyone else
use the term. We asked Dad if before he met Mom had he ever heard the
expression. He said, “no.” A google search reveals nothing. Could this be an
original expression made up by my mother? If any of you out there have used
this phrase or heard it used elsewhere, please let me know.
Another favorite phrase of Mom’s was, “duck dying
fit.” Again, keeping with the theme of hysterical drama, it referred to someone
losing their composure, or throwing a temper tantrum.
“I swannee! They will spend any amount of money on a
barbeque in the fellowship hall, but you ask those worthless deacons to approve
a thousand more dollars for Lottie Moon and they have a duck dying fit!”
Its odd how many of Mom’s formulations had to do
with people in various stages of dramatic meltdowns. Perhaps this gives you
some idea of what life was like growing up in the Dunnevant home.
Mom also constantly used the term, “fixin-to.”(
please…drop that annoying G) It meant “preparing to”, or “getting ready to.”
Whenever she referred to her home in Buckingham, she would say, “Momanemms”
“I’m fixin-to start packing so we can head over to
Momanemms for supper.”
For years I thought that the Dixon farm was named “Momanemms.”
Although Mom only had a high school education, and
despite her colorful country vocabulary, I don’t want to leave the impression
that she lacked intelligence. Nothing could be further from the truth. Mom was
extremely well-read and had an insatiable appetite for knowledge about the
world. She was an amazing story teller and entirely self taught know-it-all. I
would give any amount of money to hear just one more.
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