Trips expressions and use of proverbs

[Alelou]

OK I realize that. But my point is just because T'Pol learned english and was around it for years, how does that mean she'd understand, all of Trip's Florida idioms.

Who said she would? If you think I said that, you misunderstood me.

I have no discernable Southern accent (except on a few words, like "pen"), but my son freaked out when we were down there visiting my parents because I fell back into it. "Stop talking like that!" he said. I didn't even know what he was talking about until he told me.

[Aikiweezie]

I grew up in Cicero, Illinois. Home of Al Capone. Very blue collar. There is a very distinct accent in Cicero and Chicago's SW Side. My father still has that manner of speaking and ocassionally I find myself falling into it. I think it's inevitable. I majored in English Lit and Communications so I can speak "proper English" and I haven't lived there for over 25 years, but it's still in there and sometimes it comes out.

Just watched a couple of more episodes while I was working out and didn't find any more quotes from Trip. I'll keep looking.

[WarpGirl]

If they are coming out more often for Trip, it's not because I'm working hard to put them in there. That's just the way I grew up talking, and I figure he's from the same state I am. (And actually I tend to make him more grammatical than my family, even if we are a bunch of editors and writers -- we have some egregious Southernisms like "the lawn needs mowed" and "my hair needs cut.")

I do enjoy it when I suddenly realize that something he's said may puzzle a Vulcan. Although that happens so often, I actually ignore a lot of it, figuring by now she's been around English long enough to have learned most of it.

As I said I live in a constant state of confusion. I got confused by the last part of this quote.

Who said she would? If you think I said that, you misunderstood me.

I have no discernable Southern accent (except on a few words, like "pen"), but my son freaked out when we were down there visiting my parents because I fell back into it. "Stop talking like that!" he said. I didn't even know what he was talking about until he told me.

I am in NY right now my old accent is back, my Southern friends will be on my back for a while.

[EntAllat]

I started to glance through a few transcripts to see if I could make a quick list of expressions that Tucker used but to be honest, I couldn't really tell if something was particular to southern or even American usage or not because I'm so used to that way of speaking!

For example, in Broken Bow there's:

Fair enough.
Give me a second.
Keep your shirt on Lieutenant.
No kidding.
Grandma taught me never to judge a species by their eating habits. (Which is funny, considering the Kreetasans.)
You know, some people say that you Vulcans do nothing but patronise us, but if they were here now, if they could see how far you're bending over backwards to help me, they'd eat their words.
What in the world?
Could've fooled me.

But I don't know how unusual those would be to anyone else, anywhere else.

Here's a few I've grown up with and hear on a fairly regular basis:
"It's six of one, half dozen of the other."
"You and everybody's dog!"
"Hotter than all hell."
"Now you're just acting like a pendajo(a)." (Spanish for jackass.)
"This isn't my first rodeo." (I.e. this isn't the first time I've done this, jackass.
"Damn, I'm cooking on all four burners today."
"She's two sandwiches short of a picnic."
"The porch light’s on but no one’s home."
"Mom'll tan my hide."
"Who stuck the burr under your saddle?"
"He was X (good looking, nice enough, handy, whatever) but not worth the dynamite it'd take to blow him up." (Okay, only heard this one once from an East Texas lady. Cracked me up.

[Alelou]

LOL. That first list was pretty standard American, I think, but enough to blow a Vulcan's mind if she wasn't used to it.

I think the latter list is more regional (and very entertaining), but I think 'she'll tan my hide' is pretty universal.

Pendejo gets bandied about a lot in OUR house, but generally nobody up here in the frozen North knows what it means unless they're Hispanic.

[Aikiweezie]

LOL. That first list was pretty standard American, I think, but enough to blow a Vulcan's mind if she wasn't used to it.

I think the latter list is more regional (and very entertaining), but I think 'she'll tan my hide' is pretty universal.

Pendejo gets bandied about a lot in OUR house, but generally nobody up here in the frozen North knows what it means unless they're Hispanic.

A common one among my friends and family is "Dupa Yash," which is Polish means "John's Ass." It is used to mean A**Hole or idiot. Example. "That guy is a Dupa Yash."

[Transwarp]

I do enjoy it when I suddenly realize that something he's said may puzzle a Vulcan. Although that happens so often, I actually ignore a lot of it, figuring by now she's been around English long enough to have learned most of it.

Yes, it IS enjoyable, and it's a staple of TnT fanfic.
I've done it myself, but (like Alelou) I don't set out to do it. I just write Trip's dialogue according to how my ear tell's me he would sound, and sometimes something comes out of his mouth that a Vulcan might find perplexing. And (like Aleou), I have my T'Pol becoming more proficient in understanding these expressions over time.

It's probably more noticeable in fanfic then on the show because we make a point of highlighting the reactions of the Vulcans hearing these expressions.

[Aikiweezie]

Just watched "Carbon Creek," and Trip asks T'Pol what happened when Mistral "kicked the bucket."

[WarpGirl]

Did T'Pol "get it?"

[Aikiweezie]

I think so. She didn't say anything. Given what they were talking about she could have figured it out from the context.

[WarpGirl]

[Lady Rainbow]

Here are some that my FIL (who's from the mountains of VA) uses:

He's a little light in the loafers.
It's not worth the price of tea in China.
"fixin' to" do something
says "pin" for both "pin and "pen" and "kin" for both "can" and "kin"
"not the sharpest tack/brightest bulb/brightest crayon in the box"
upend the applecart

[Alelou]

Yeah, pin and pen pronounced exactly the same is a Southernism. I distinctly remember the spelling test in second grade and Mrs. Barko saying, "pen -- as in something you write with" and "pin -- as in something can hold cloth together with" because nobody could have possibly told the difference otherwise.

[panyasan]

Just watched "Carbon Creek," and Trip asks T'Pol what happened when Mistral "kicked the bucket."

I had no idea what it meant. I googled and I found:

kick the bucket
verb
(context, idiom, euphemism) To die
The old horse finally kicked the bucket.
(context, idiom, slang) Of a machine, to break down such that it cannot be repaired.
I think my sewing machine has kicked the bucket.
Translations:
Dutch: het loodje leggen (laying down small piece of lead)

French: crever

German: den Löffel abgeben (give away the spoon)

Italian: crepare

Spanish: estirar la pata ("stretch the leg") or colgar los guayos'' ("hang the football shoes")

[Rigil Kent]

Just watched "Carbon Creek," and Trip asks T'Pol what happened when Mistral "kicked the bucket."

I had no idea what it meant.

Huh. I thought everybody knew about that one, even non-Americans. Sort of like "bought the farm" (which might actually be more of military jargon for getting killed in action that has entered the normal lexicon.) Interesting.