Words to erase from your vocabulary

While you may think I am crass and ballsy, there are certain words that offend even MY sensibilities. For you naysayers, try saying them in front of me. The results won't be pretty. Expanding one's vocabulary should be an ongoing, daily process. Learning is something that doesn't end with your graduation day, but rather continues throughout a lifetime. This means, you shouldn't be limited in the way you express yourself, and ought to be able to describe something or someone with great vibrancy and detail. Of course, I'm not expecting you to turn a phrase quite the way I can, but I do expect certain words to stop being used and overused.

1. Gay: This one is on the top of my list for a reason. I loathe people who use this word to describe something lame, stupid, useless, ugly, hideous, foolish or silly. Not one of the gay people I know fit those adjectives and I will be goddamned if you think it's appropriate to use that word in a derogatory fashion. Years ago, gay meant happy and jolly. If that's what you mean, then by all means, say it with gusto! But if you are trying to put someone or something down, dig deep and come up with another way to describe them. Using gay in a negative way makes YOU a jackass.

2. Retarded: A close second, this word is just as offensive. Why do you think I say "fucktarded" instead? If you want to call someone uncool, absurd, dull, irrational, or careless, then do it. When you call them retarded, do you realize what you are saying? Retarded refers to someone who is mentally, developmentally, and functionally delayed. Is that really what you mean? If it is, and it is true, there's no need to say it out loud. They are already living a life filled with challenges that shouldn't include dealing with a fucking buffoon like you. Plus, it makes you look like your IQ is less than stellar. Didn't think of that, did you?

3. Fat:  Unless you are referring to my cat, this word should never erupt from your drooling lips. Using this word only emphasizes your own insecurities and poor body image. Are you perfect? Is there not one ounce of cellulite, blubber, or pudge on your body? Should that be the case, be happy and appreciate what you have without looking to judge others. Nine times out of ten, the rudeness spews from the mouth of someone, shall we say, less than slim? Maybe you think the person doesn't know how much they weigh, or perhaps you aren't certain they have mirrors. Guess what, ass hat? We are all aware of each and every roll, bump, and fluffy area. Know what else? Some of us rock those curves like a fucking boss. Others may be somewhere along their weight loss journey. A few may be depressed or have an actual medical condition. Keep your opinions to yourself.  Mine are the only ones that need be public.

4. Bitch: You say it like it's a bad thing. Let's begin with the basic definition of bitch, which is a female dog. Is she really a canine? If not, then consider what it is that offends you about her. Did she speak her mind? Has she put you in your place? I'm not seeing an issue yet. Was she being petty or catty? Then for fuck's sake call her that! The word bitch today means so much more and should be considered an empowering word rather than saying that being a woman is inherently bad. Bitches get things done. They are strong and powerful and don't take shit from the likes of you. Maybe that's why it has negative undertones for you. Check your own low self-esteem and deal with it. Should a woman be a real piece of work, by all means, call her a cunt. I'll understand you and the meaning will be clear. Save bitch for women you admire.

5. Nerd: Personally, I think nerds rule. Having been called this throughout my academic career by people who needed my help or wanted to cheat off my tests, I can say that the term never offended me.  Just because I was smart and didn't smoke behind the dumpsters with the rest of the losers, I was nerdy. Nerds are highly intelligent and have interests other than chasing tail, drinking till they puke, getting into trouble, and acting like an ass clown. Funny how when your computer is on the fritz or you need help with all of your technological toys, you ask a "nerd" for help. Maybe you should have focused more on your school work instead of looking up skirts and you'd be able to fix that problem yourself. When you can't write an essay or answer a simple question on a job application, and you come to me, this nerd helps you look smarter. Like I tell my daughter, today's nerd is tomorrow's successful adult. People only mock what they can never be. Sorry you're dumb as a box of rocks. I'd much rather be an intellectual badass any day.

This is only the beginning of your road to not being a total douche bag. I didn't want to overload your minimal intellectual capacity. Use these words carefully and with great caution. They can suit the situation when used appropriately, or they can irritate the living fuck out of those around you who know better. Think before you speak...or one day you'll lose that ability altogether. I use intellect and the typed word to help you. Someone may just decide the easiest way to shut you up is with a punch in the throat. Do you have a preference?  I know I do. Are you friggin kidding me right now???

Who do you think you are, part 2

I'm still waiting for an intelligent answer. I guess that makes me the stupid one. There is no smart reply to that question because no matter what you say, you'll sound like a ass bag. Feeling entitled to behave however the hell you'd like is part of who you are, like a giant oozing sore. Fear not, I am here to heal that sore and turn you into someone I don't loathe. Doesn't that sound great? While that may sound like something that will only benefit me, and usually that is my M.O., this will make you more appealing to the rest of the world as well. Don't thank me now, there's plenty of time for that.

6. Cover your mouth: Another basic courtesy you should have been taught decades ago, yet haven't seemed to master as yet. We've gone over this before. Sneezing and coughing travel at such high speeds across long distances that you'd think it would be obvious to you WHY you absolutely have to cover your goddamn mouth when it happens. Yet, I'm still being hit by your projectile viral shrapnel. If you aren't someone that I regularly kiss on the mouth, consider it a given that I don't wish to share your cooties. I'd love to have you do what we call the "Preschool cough" by covering your mouth with your arm and keeping your hand germ-free, but I'd be thrilled even if you used your hand. Keep your mucous to yourself.

7. Don't use corporate-speak outside the office: There's nothing more frustrating than trying to carry on a conversation with someone who thinks they are still at work. There are no "action items" at my house. I have shit I need to get done, but nothing that requires action. Most people I know don't "bankroll" their shopping, they pay for it. The only "face time" I use is the one on my iPhone. Never will you hear me saying that I'd like to have some face time with you. I'll ask to hang out with you instead, if that's ok. And if I'm "getting into bed" take me literally. That will never mean I'm developing a close relationship with someone...ever. Don't ask me what the "takeaway" was from something I just heard. That sounds like what you do with Chinese food. Oh, and I'll talk to you, not "interface" with you because I am not a computer or piece of technology and those are the only things that should be interfacing with anything.

8. Don't touch me: Should the urge strike you to reach out and make physical contact with me, stop yourself before I do. Lately, I've noticed that people are more inclined to put their digits on what I'd consider total strangers. Why the hell would you do this? Why the need to feel someone's shirt fabric? Especially if you are a slapper, and you know what I mean. Punctuating each exciting phrase or point of proof with a hearty whack on the upper arm or back, you are the worst of the lot. Hitting is a no-no, weren't you taught this? This does not apply to people I consider friends. Touching is something reserved for people you feel a certain closeness to, not everyone on the fucking planet. For the record, I don't feel close to you.

9. Wash your hands after you use the toilet: You didn't think this was an issue, did you? Tell the truth...when you are in a public bathroom, do you wash your hands after doing your business? Fucking liar! I'm watching you. I see you leave the stall after pissing a river and ripping a mighty fart. Next on your list, checking your hair and makeup. After fluffing your hair and reapplying your lipstick, you stroll out like you're actually done!  What the fuck?!?!? How can you leave the shitter and enter the world with pissy hands? Or God forbid, shitty fingers. Are you planning on touching anything or anyone in the near future? No doubt you are a toucher, too. This is a task learned in conjunction with potty training, so you've known about it for many decades. Take this note as a bitch-slap to remind you to scrub your filthy hands.

10. Don't correct me unless you are certain you are right: This is a pet peeve of mine. Being of above-average intelligence, I usually know of which I speak. This is not to say I don't have a brain fart or two every fucking day, but that's perimenopause, not stupidity. There are times I dumb down what I am saying to cater to a certain audience...it's a valid reason. If you are too fucktarded to figure it out, that's your issue, not mine. Don't jump in to "fix" what I've said, it's not wrong.  I've specifically altered it to suit the situation. Beyond that and occasional senior moments, my words are carefully chosen and if I choose to speak about a topic, I already know about it. I am the first to admit when I don't know something and will tell you immediately. I will also look it up later so that the lack of knowledge doesn't eat away at me. Don't engage me in a battle of wits, you'll always be unarmed.

Learning these rules may take time and retraining your brain to think like a decent and gracious human being. I'll allow for a week's worth of digesting and incorporation. After that, all bets are off. Get your shit together and think of someone other than yourself for a change. Stop being the irritating ass hat you've always been and make a change for the better. Be someone I don't want to shank. I've done all I can, it's your turn...see, I know how to take turns. One day, will you? We all know the answer to that. Are you friggin kidding me right now???

Who do you think you are?

I'm waiting...who the fuck do you think you are? Unless you are the President or the Pope, don't expect me to roll out the red carpet every time your stank ass feet hit the floor. I'm not your mother, I don't HAVE to do anything for you that I don't want to do. We're all adults here, we are fully aware of what common courtesy looks like and what the basic rules for living among other human beings are...so why am I constantly faced with people who behave like they haven't passed Preschool? I thought it was simple, I thought you could manage, but I was wrong yet again.  Giving you credit where it clearly wasn't due. Since your preschool teacher failed to help you learn grace and courtesy, allow me to step in many years too late.

1. Take turns: You aren't the most important person on the planet. Nobody has had the balls to tell you before now, so I feel that was necessary. If I arrived before you, then it's MY turn. Pushing ahead, wiggling your way in front of me, or cutting me off will not work. You may get behind me, where your ass belongs, or, I will loudly point out the proper protocol to you and shame you into the correct behavior. Although, if you push me, I will probably push you back much harder and with much more malice. Take heed.

2. Move left to right: This is the United States of America, and we do things left to right. We read, write, order things from biggest to smallest, and move along a buffet line in that direction ONLY. If I am at Sweet Tomatoes and have queued up to someone's left, rest assured, I am headed to the right. Many of you think it's perfectly normal to fuck this up by sidling up next to my someone's right and attempting to push your shit in front of me. Know this, I'm faster, stronger, and louder than you and I'm not afraid to muscle my way in the correct, socially acceptable direction while yelling at you for doing it wrong. I did it last night, and I will do it again and again because I'm sure the people I'm referring to won't see this because I'm going to assume anyone that rude probably can't read.

3. No cutting!: We've all screamed it while lining up for recess. But, years later, you are ALL doing it. Why?  Is your cow's milk more important than my almond milk? Will your ice cream melt before mine if you have to wait behind me? Are your perishables more delicate? When queuing up at the ticket window line, do you consider the fact that everyone there is attempting to accomplish the same thing...purchasing entrance to the theater? And, by extension of that, if we are all going to the same place...does it matter who gets there first? The movie won't start earlier just because you've arrived. The dude in the projection room doesn't know you and certainly doesn't give a flying fuck. Get over yourself, dickweed.

4. Apologize for bumping me: That's right, an apology is required when you ghetto slam into someone you are walking past. Being elbowed, slammed, or shoved are among none of my favorite sensations. Even knocking my purse askew or God-forbid, off of my shoulder is a crime against nature in my book. I don't carry a fucking backpack, it doesn't stick out that goddamn far. If there is enough room, and usually there is, take a wide berth around me. I have no qualms asking you which of us you feel is too fat for you to pass without touching me. And I certainly don't have any issue at all elbowing you back, as hard as I possibly can. So, should you neglect to follow the wide berth rule and accidentally, because I KNOW you aren't doing it on purpose because that would make you a giant ass wad, just say, "I'm sorry," and move along.  It's three syllables, most 2 1/2 year olds can manage that phrase with ease.

These are just a few of the rules necessary for living among the rest of us peacefully. Take your time, read, understand, and memorize them.  Be ready to apply them the next time we come into contact. As I've said, my fuse is short when it comes to these things, I will lose my shit if you break one of the rules in my presence. Manners aren't an option. Grow the fuck up and be respectful, I don't want to have to beat into you what your mother failed to teach you. Are you friggin kidding me right now???

I ain't saying she's a gold digger...

There is no sugar-coating it. Some women are trash...cheap, classless, whorish, trash who will do anything to live a certain lifestyle. Yet, they will claim they're in love. For the 23rd time. If love means bed hopping in search of the guy with the fattest wallet, then sure you are, honey. Some of these bitches even get married multiple times while on their quest for the next best thing. As if marriage legitimizes their behavior. What it does is offer her the opportunity to split everything equally with the guy she's leaving for the next one. Sets her up nicely in case the next one doesn't work out quite as she planned. I didn't say she wasn't shrewd, I just said she was trashy.

Always well-groomed because, well, you never know when an unsuspecting sucker with a ton of cash is going to happen along during the course of her day, this hoebag gets her hair and nails done more frequently than all her friends combined. It's crucial to be as attractive as possible at all times...just in case. Of course, I'm not saying you ladies shouldn't look nice and practice good grooming once you are firmly in a relationship.  Quite the opposite. Never let yourself go to hell once you feel settled, it's like telling your mate they aren't worth the effort anymore. But, I'm also telling you that the gold digger will go to great lengths to keep herself marketable, not just attractive to her mate. Note the difference. If you are on the prowl, you need something to snare your prey...and it sure isn't your lovely personality or what you have to bring to the table.

Why did I mention what the money-grubbing skank has to bring to the table you ask? Well, perhaps it's because she has absolutely nothing to bring to the table. Years of faking it with countless different men, molding herself to suit the man du jour, creating new personas, adopting new "interests" and "likes" to seem appealing to today's man meat, this chick wouldn't know real if it smacked her in the heavily shellacked face. What could she possibly bring to the table? She's merely a conglomerate of all the men she's been with before you...a mixture of all of their hobbies and favorite foods. Until she meets you, then she becomes the female version of you. Which, at first, can be a draw for some men. Who wouldn't want a woman who will bait her own hook and drink moonshine with them? That's only if YOU do, too. 

Sometimes the relationships overlap while she decides which checkbook fits into her current life plan. In reality, and heed my warning, she may still have the taste of his schvantz in her mouth when she kisses you! Everyone knows you don't leave a job until you have a new one, and the same applies here for this broad. You never want to go without...money, a roof over your head, regular mustache rides, fun trips, and randomly presented baubles. So, she plans ahead before making her grand exit. Scoping out the next Sugar Daddy all the while telling you how much she loooooooves you and how you are the best thing that has ever happened to her. Let me fill in those blanks for you. She loooooooves your money and all it buys for her. You are the best thing that has ever happened to her SO FAR. Just took the shiny right off her ass, didn't I? Pointing out flaws in others, only part of my charm.

Have you ever noticed how this skeezer's taste's begin to change with each new bank account...I mean boyfriend/husband? Dependent upon the size of his assets, she will change her needs and desires accordingly. The woman who once shopped at JCPenney is suddenly frequenting such places as Nordstrom and Betsey Johnson. No longer satisfied with a burger on a Saturday night, this one exchanges fellatio for filet mignon. Vacationing in Palm Springs for a week in the beginning of summer or a weekend in the wine country?  Not anymore. She wants to holiday in style, and you had better be ready to fork over that Gold Card and sign your name on the line, my friend. No less will be tolerated. What I'd like to point out here is that no blow job on Earth is worth the amount she will suck out of your savings. And I don't even have a penis!

This has been a cautionary tale for all the men out there, who may be going through a midlife crisis, wanting to scratch that itch, contemplating a relationship with this bitch.  Don't bother. If you want to pay for sex, hire an escort, spend way less money, and avoid having to wake up with the smell of someone else's trouser snake on her breath. I'm only looking out for your best interests. Men fall fast and they fall hard.  Led by their little "head" and making snap decisions regarding a mate, they simply don't see her coming. Her methods are time-worn and long-perfected. Your weakness is her open door. Those of you in lackluster marriages beware. You are her favorite target. Offering a sympathetic shoulder to lean on, a seemingly unending amount of patience for listening to your marital woes, and lower and lower necklines on her blouses every time you see her. Another woman could spot her from a mile away while reading a magazine. Poor, poor stupid men. Any show of concern and interest from a member of the opposite sex and they are putty in her hands.

What have we learned today? Open your fucking eyes, ass clown! Disguised as genuine interest in you and all things about you, lurks the cold, cold heart of the gold digger. This broad likes to ride the gravy train with her legs wide open. If you are lucky enough to have disposable income and don't mind losing wads of it for a little horizontal mambo, have at it. The rest of you poor schmucks, run far and run fast. Nothing is worth your dignity. Are you friggin kidding me right now???

Queens/Italian English: Lesson #3, the final chapter

Two down, one to go!  Are you feeling more like a native NY'er yet? Well, you shouldn't! You weren't before and you will never be one, so wipe that shit right out of your head. I never said this would make you as amazing and friggin cool as I am, I just told you that you'd be better able to communicate with me and others like me. That dose of reality dispensed, let's forge ahead to your final lesson.

21. Scutch (or scutch a gotz): Someone who is a royal pain in the ass. From the Italian, scocciare, meaning to annoy, this word is yet another bastardized version of the original and used by both Queens and Brooklyn Italians alike. Since most Queens Italians have their American origin in Brooklyn, this is no surprise. This can be used by friends and family, and may perhaps be heard yelled like, "Joey, why do you gotta be such a fucking scutch a gotz all the goddamn time? Just answer the friggin question!"

22. Goof: Used as a noun or verb, dependent upon the situation. As a noun, it means a good time. For example, "That was a great party!  We had such a goof with all the cousins, hanging out, shooting the shit."  Conversely, as a verb, it means to tease or joke around. As in, "Aw, come on, I was only goofin' on ya!"  Even a person can BE a goof. "I love Frankie, he's such a fuckin' goof!" And that's a good thing, by the way.

23. Cugine: Pronounced COO-ZHEEN, it comes from the Italian cugino, meaning cousin. It is used to describe a guy from the neighborhood who looks like he went to Christ the King Regional High School in the 80's, blown back hair, wife beater, Sergio Tacchini track suit, multiple gold chains adorned with a crucifix, a cornuto, and Playboy Bunny, white slip on Keds, driving an IROC-Z.  This bozo isn't usually very bright and punctuates his sentences by grabbing his crotch.

24. Earl: not to be confused with the Duke of..or the nobility equivalent of a Count. The second or third generations may not use this term, but everyone had their version of my Grandma Rose, who had oddball pronunciations of any word that had the sound OY in it. This word was actually OIL, as in the stuff you fry chicken cutlets in or the viscous liquid you add into your car when it gets low. So, when Grandma Rose told me we had to go to Finast because we were "out of Earl, and I can't make-a tha meat-a-balls with no Earl."  She wasn't implying that meatballs couldn't be made without the presence of royalty. It was merely a hint to take her up the Avenue to buy a giant can of Filipo Berio olive oil.

25. Yooze or yooze guys: The plural of "you" is often heard bandied about in Queens and Brooklyn. While I am aware that it really isn't a word, it certainly suited many a situation while I was growing up. Even New Englanders use the word yooze, while the more emphatic yooze guys is reserved for residents of New York, specifically Queens and Brooklyn. Our best man at our wedding even kept it real by using yooze guys to refer to Kevin and me in his toast to the bride and groom.  Touching, I know.

26. Madone or Madone-a-mia:  Oh my God, but not really, because it's a bastardized version of Madonna, or the Blessed Mary Mother of Jesus. Every mother and grandmother used this term when we exasperated them, which was quite often since we actually left the house and played outside without benefit of a cell phone to be in contact with us every ten minutes. When we missed curfew as we often lost track of time in those days, running and playing outside, our moms or grandmas would sigh loudly, clasping the front of their blouses near their heart, and exclaim, "Madone-a-mia, you want to give me a heart attack, or what?"

27. Mulignan: Pronounced MOOL-EE-YAN, and derived from melanzana, which is an eggplant, this was our version of the derogatory name for Black people. Why, I have no fucking idea, I've never seen a plum-colored human being.  Some used the abbreviated version of this word, moolie. I suppose it was like a term of endearment when you added "ie" to it. Cugines hanging out in Howard Beach would often be heard capping on the non-whites, "Hey, Vinny, you see that fuckin' moolie driving through here like who the fuck he is? I oughta kick his fuckin' ass."  I never said cugines were classy.

28. Stunad: another word for moron. From the Italian, stonato, we decided it was easier to leave off the trailing vowel and clip it for quick insults.

29. Gumad or Goumare: This was a term used to mean a man's mistress who was like his second wife. His regular piece on the side, who received gifts AS good or better than his wife. Better because he wanted to ensure she didn't open her big fucking mouth about their affair. Pronounced GOO-MOD or GOO-MAR, it comes from the Italian cumare/comare, meaning second mother or godmother. This bitch was nobody's second mother.

30. I got your _______right here!!!: Said while grabbing one's crotch, this phrase was mostly used by males but I've heard it from a pissed off female or two in my time. This was used when you had no intention of granting that person's request or thought that what they've said was ridiculous.  As in, "I got your fucking ride to the mall, right here!!! Do I look like a fucking taxi service or what?" When it absolutely was NOT happening in this lifetime...

Now that you are armed with many of the words and phrases used by folks from my old stomping grounds, you should feel confident in your ability to hold an intelligent conversation with any and all of us. Do NOT try to incorporate any of these into YOUR communication, unless you want to sound like a stunod.  We appreciate the effort you've made just learning about how we speak so we don't have to slow down, or God forbid, translate. Remember, this does not make you an honorary New Yorker, you wouldn't last a day there, so just move on, satisfied with your newfound knowledge. Are you friggin kidding me right now???

Lessons #1 and 2 can be found here..Queens/Italian English, A Lesson in Linguistics
and here...Queens/Italian English, Lesson #2

For further clarification:  Italians are Better Than Everyone

Queens/Italian English, lesson #2

My hope is that you've taken the first lesson and committed it to memory. This next lesson will contain more Italian and so will require all of your limited functioning brain cells. Many of you who speak Italian and are NOT from the East Coast will undoubtedly scoff at the bastardized versions of what you know to be genuine Italian. Criticize all you want, like I give a fuck. The difference between us, is that I understand YOU, while you have no idea about what I am saying. Who's the idiot now? Moving forward, let's begin today's lesson with a Queens phrase that is still English so you can get your feet wet.

11. I can't!!!: Seemingly simple to most, but so complex to anyone who hails from my 'hood. It doesn't mean the inability to do something, rather it's an exclamation of being unable to deal with something that is so funny, so ridiculous, so annoying, so stupid, or so anything we choose not to deal with at the moment. "Oh jeez, Vinny, you can really telling a fuckin' joke! Oh, shit, I'm gonna piss my pants! I can't, oh please stop already, I can't!!!"  Can also be paired to create the phrase, I can't no more!  We are not illiterate, but when something is unbearable for whatever reason, this phrase seems to express it better than a litany of verbiage and explanation like you non-NY'ers are fond of using; usually prompting us to beg you to stop the insanity, invoking, "I can't, just stop, I can't!!!"

12. Close the light: Again, I'd like to repeat that we are NOT grammatically challenged.  However, our parents, God bless them, while they tried to sound classier than they probably were, often failed due to their own immersion in the world of broken English while growing up. Being a chronically forgetful person when it comes to turning off the light when I leave a room, I heard Ma, yelling after me multiple times per day, "Close the light, did you remember to close the light??"  Being a wise ass, I'd always ask her exactly how I was going to close a light and what were her techniques. Luckily, she had an amazing sense of humor or I'd have gotten the slipper.  Those of you who grew up in my area, during the 70's and 80's know exactly what I mean.

13. She thinks who the hell she is, that one: Okay, okay, by now you don't believe me and are thinking that none of us made it past 4th grade. I get it. Because WE have odd little colloquialisms that are regionally specific, we are fucking morons. Since, "colder than a witch's tit" is so much more intelligent sounding, and of course, might I just add "hella" to solidify my point. The phrase gracing the #13 position means just what you may imagine it means, that this bitch thinks a bit too highly of herself. Much like those of you who don't hail from the greatest place on Earth.

14.  Your mother's ass: Ever slam your toe with brute force right into the hardest wood furniture you have in the middle of the night? If you did, and you lived in Queens, you've screamed, "Your mother's ass" at the top of your lungs.  It's an expletive and a way to tell someone that they are full of shit. Pure and simple. Should someone be trying to pull the wool over your eyes, nothing calls bullshit better than, "Your mother's ass" does.

15. Agita: Heartburn. Well, that and what someone gives you when they are being a royal pain in your ass. Coming from aceto which is vinegar, we've decided that it is far easier to pronounce our way and conveys many more messages than just naming a condiment. As kids, we all gave our Ma an abundance of agita anytime we talked back or had a smart mouth. Personally, I thought my mouth was always smart, but Ma didn't always appreciate what came out of it.

16. Gavone:  A big fucking doofus who eats like they have two assholes. We all knew someone or were related to someone who ate like one.  We were also warned before eating at someone else's house to NOT eat like one.

17.  MenzzaMenzz: Never wanting to appear like everything was going fantastic, lest risking the ever-feared malocch', it was the response most frequently heard when asked, "How YOU doin'?"  A neighbor asks you how work is going, the answer should always be "menzzamenzz" since you know their son has been looking for work for eight months now, and had to move back in with your neighbor, and God only knows what that bitch would wish on your employment status should you tell the truth about your recent raise and promotion.

18.  Musciad: What you don't want your macaroni to be, or how you feel when you have the flu and don't want to get out of bed. Pronounced MOOSH-AD, the actual word is ammosciati, meaning mushy or wilted. Exactly what your johnson should not be when asked to salute.  "I don't know what's wrong, I just feel musciad today."

19.  Skeeve:  Something or someone who is dirty and disgusting. There was one in every class, usually the nose-picker and farter.  "That fucking kid, he's such a skeeve!" From the Italian, schifo, meaning nausea, disgust, or loathing, this permutation of the word seems to nail it so much more succinctly.

20.  Vafongool: Fuck you, go fuck yourself. Usually accompanied by serious hand and arm gestures, it was something they didn't care if kids heard, but holy shit, we couldn't say it! Pronounced VA-FON-GOOL, it comes from the words vai a fare in or nel culo, meaning "stick it up your ass" and is used to express extreme anger. When Ma was mad at someone on the other end of the phone, she'd cup the mouthpiece to silence it enough to sing "vafongoolaaaaaaa" until she could get a word in edgewise and hopefully end the call.

I'm fairly certain that I've overloaded you yet again. As you practice these words and phrases, keep in mind, they are bastardized Italian and forms of broken English, not the ramblings of the functionally illiterate. Most of my generation of Queens Italians did go to college and beyond, we know how to speak properly when we want to...but we also know how to cut to the chase and say what we mean. Are you friggin kidding me right now???

The prelude...Queens/Italian English, A Lesson in Linguistics
The Conclusion...Queens?Italian English: Lesson #3, the Final Chapter

Further explanation:  Italians are Better Than Everyone

Queens/Italian English, a lesson in linguistics

You can take the girl out of Queens, but you can't take the Queens out of the girl. No truer words have ever been spoken in regard to someone's hometown. My accent may have faded over time, and perhaps I've adopted a few West Coast-isms, as well, but if I'm tired, angry, comfortable, or stepping off the plane at LGA or JFK, rest assured, my vocabulary is still there and comes rushing back in a flood of cultural and regional glory! For those of you familiar with the lingo, enjoy the homage. For those unfamiliar, take notes, it's a beautiful language, filled with nuances, fun words, and interesting inflections.

1. Or What: We like to offer options when asking you a question to make answering easier. You can often hear parents offer this choice to their kids when asking them to clean their rooms, "Are you gonna clean up that shit or what?" And you thought all NY'ers were hard-assed.  Sometimes a wife will scream out to her husband at dinnertime, "Are you gonna get up off your fat ass and come to the table, or what?!?" Offering him an alternative to sitting down for dinner, she is known for her vast amount of consideration.

2. Food Shopping: Not to be confused with going to the mall or buying stamps or cat food, we like to be as specific as possible when announcing our upcoming destination. Heading to Safeway, for you NorCal folks, would be called "going food shopping" because, after all, that IS what you are doing there, why not just say it. Save the sugar coating for someone else, we like to keep it real.

3. What am I, some kind of asshole? Now, when we get into a disagreement or are recounting one for a friend, we find it crucial to pose questions about our opinions, way of handling things, or just to validate our "rightness" about a topic. However, for those of you raised outside of my borough, know this...it is a rhetorical question, please do NOT answer it.

4. Johnny Pump: Any child who lived through a humid as fuck NY summer played with a Johnny Pump. In other words, the fire hydrant was turned on and we splashed around in the water to cool off. This may sound like something out of a 50's R&B tune describing the children of the ghetto, but to us, it was a fun way to incorporate playing with friends and enduring the suffocating humidity. Many boys would be seen frolicking in the water wearing wife-beaters.

5. Wife-beater: Not to be confused with a piece of shit who lays his hands on his wife in an abusive manner, this is a fashion worn by many little Queens Italian boys and older Italian teenagers and some unfortunate Guido dumb shits in their 20's.  Oh hell, who am I kidding, some of the old men wear them, too. In place of a regular colored, crew neck, short-sleeved t-shirt, this undershirt was worn as an actual shirt.  Sometimes under a track jacket, but in the summer, that was all she wrote. The rest of the country calls them tank tops or undershirts, but tank tops are what girls wear, and undershirts are worn under a dress shirt. How do you NOT know this?

6. Slice or Pie: Nothing to do with a baked item made by your grandma filled with fruit, this refers to pizza. Specifically, a plain cheese Napolitan pizza. Of course, you could also be referring to a Sicilian pizza, but you'd clarify when ordering it. Back in Queens, when you called ahead to order Friday night's dinner during Lent, you could ask for a pie and maybe a white slice. And they'd fucking understand you! Here, God help you if you don't say the word pizza...and don't hold your breath looking for a normal pizzeria offering slices. We didn't have to emphasize NO CHEDDAR, either, because that is a crime against nature and wouldn't have been an option, anyway.

7. Tchotchkes: Most of us were well-versed in enough Yiddish to get by when necessary, and it also allowed us to have a much more colorful vocabulary. Tchotchkes is just another word for knick-knacks and most Queens Italians had these in grotesque amounts covering most surfaces in the hopes of looking decorative. It really only looked like an ass load of clutter, but don't tell anyone.

8. The Avenue: Pronounced AV-EN-OO, not AV-EN-YOU, this refers to only one street to people from Maspeth or Elmhurst, Queens. Grand Avenue was the place to walk, go food shopping, grab a cuppa joe, or meet up with friends. Other cities had their own Avenue, and residents knew exactly what you were talking about, no clarification needed. An example of this usage, "I'm going up The Avenue to go food shopping, you need anything while I'm there, or what?"

9. Ma: We all had/have one. We don't have Moms, Mommas, Mothers, or Mommies. Unless of course you are talking to a family member ABOUT her, then she is Mommy. The echo of the name Ma could be heard in every household which held children. The inflection with which it was said depended on the situation, but the name stayed the same. As important as the name was being able to pepper it throughout the conversation sufficiently lest you forget to whom you were speaking. Such as, "Ma, did you buy the capicolla at Iavarone, Ma? Ma, did you hear me, Ma? Ma, Aunt Dolly called, Ma, she wants you to call her back right away, Ma."  That was the abridged version.

10. The City or The Island: You MUST learn these two locations! Everyone who lives in Queens knows them and will recognize you as an outsider should you call them anything else. The City is Manhattan. When you go into The City, you are going to Manhattan, no other city, nowhere else. Saying Manhattan is like screaming, "Come shove me and give me the wrong directions to the Empire State Building because as you can see, oh so clearly, I am NOT from here!" Similarly, The Island, is Long Island, which is pronounced LAWN-GUY-LAND. This happens to be where people from Queens eventually move when they want to get out of the ghetto and feel all suburban and upper class. That being somewhat related to your learning experience in content.

These are just SOME of the words or phrases you'll need to know when communicating with one of us. Not wanting to overload your inexperienced brain with too much information at once, I'll split this into more than one entry so you'll have time to commit the above to memory. Try not to use any of these in a sentence when speaking to me or one of my fellow Queens natives, or you will make us shoot coffee out of our noses, and force us to ask you if you are some kind of asshole, or what? This is just to help YOU to understand US, not become one of us.  As if you actually could. Are you friggin kidding me right now???


To be continued...Queens/Italian English, a lesson in Linguistics, part 2
and again...Queens/Italian English: Lesson #3, The Final Chapter


To further explain: Italians are Better Than Everyone

How many of you went to Catholic school, too? Some Nuns Are Better Than None...RIGHT!!!

Did you experience this? Surviving Catholic School in the 70s and 80s

And Catholic high school? NY Catholic High School in the 80s