Wednesday, October 1, 2008

So...I get to thinking about things...

...you know, like while I'm driving and such. Or walking. Or working..you know, those times where you should be thinking about what you're really doing...

Oh, but don't think I'm a bad driver...or walker...or worker - I'm not.

It's just that I can't seem to shut my thinking off about things I know I don't know about.....you know??

OK, like today. Had another really rude driver in my sights. He almost ran over a pedestrian ( Brandi, my daughter, Ella's Mommy, used to call them "pestrodians" hahaha)

Anyway...I gave him the "naughty" finger. NO..not that one..I would NEVER!!

You know...the one where it looks like you're peeling a carrot? The one your Mom probably used on you accompanied by a big 'ol frown??

Yeah, that one.

So I got to thinking, "where the heck did that come from? "


I mean, it's almost universal, right?

So, I looked it up. And I found it! Can you imagine? Yep, found it. Here's what it said:

"Shame on you"

This gesture involves pointing at a person with the index finger of one hand while rubbing the pointed finger with the index finger of the opposite hand. The rubbing motion is directed toward the intended recipient and is repeated at least twice. It is used to imply that the targeted person should feel shame.

OK -so it doesn't really say how or why it started but interesting just the same.

While there, I also found this information about the "I love you" sign that Mr. B and I use wherever we see each other at a distance or are at a place where shouting "I LOVE YOU" across the crowded room is really not apprpriate...like in the mall..or at the movies...or in church.

Anyway, I didn't know:

Made using a combination of the letters 'I', 'L', and 'Y' from American Sign Language. It is made by extending the thumb, index finger, and little finger while the middle and ring finger touch the palm. Ironically, this is the symbol used to curse someone in Italian culture.

Good thing I'm Irish, huh?

I can totally see it now - the i, l and y. Huh...the things you find out accidentaly.

Well, anyway, he (the rude driver) really didn't seem to be intimidated by my "shame on you" or the wrinkled, disapproving brow.

Maybe he was in shock. Or disbelief. Or thinking "Why is she peeling carrots at me?"


Oh well. I tried to be civic minded. Maybe they could use me in the debates...or in congress..whaddaya think??

-me

4 comments:

Charmingdesigns said...

Ummm, I'll have to think on that one...here's one you could check out for me...when a kid yells. Dibbies on the front seat...what does dibbies really mean? lol I knew you needed something else to think about.lol. Laurie

Betty said...

Okay, so I want to know how you did the 'finger thing' and still kept at least one hand on the steering wheel...oh, you are probably one of those drivers who can do several things at once...teehee. Love the internet...it has about every piece of information a person could want, eh? Enjoyed what you found and shared.

April said...

I do that ALL the time! I love being able to google anything to find out the answer. Just this morning, I was reading a report on a bank in Indonesia where they were talking about "allegations of graft". I could tell from the context of the report what they were referring to but I had never heard the term used that way before so it peaked my curiosity so when I got to work, I googled it. Turns out, means something different in different countries. For my use, #6 was the appropriate definition. I thought it was interesting so here is what it said:
Graft may refer to:

1. Grafting, where the tissues of one plant are affixed to the tissues of another
2. Medical grafting, a surgical procedure to transplant tissue without a blood supply
3. Skin grafting, a type of organ transplant procedure involving skin
4. Graft (Netherlands), a village in the municipality of Graft-De Rijp
5. Photografting
6. In politics of some countries, graft is a form of political corruption whereby someone profits personally from the public budget.

7. In some parts of the world, for example in the United Kingdom, graft means hard work (as a noun) or to work hard (as a verb). Thus in British dialect, a grafter is someone who works hard. This is the more commonly understood meaning in the UK, and is mutually exclusive with the American concept. The modern UK slang term for political corruption is sleaze.

The origins of this word are still unproven, but a likely source is the act of digging, considered a low or menial type of work. In American slang of the mid-1800s, graft was used to mean work. By the late 1800s, the meaning drifted to refer to illegal work. The root word is graaf, the imperative form of Dutch word for digging


April

Anonymous said...

OHH..I have never heard of that one (carrot peeling) I'll be using it from now on though!

Wanna see what I've been up to ??

 I always wanted a dollhouse. My dad was a carpenter and was asked by one of his wealthy customers to make a dollhouse for their daughter. I...