Family Dictionary

My husband Herb and I have, over our years together, developed a vocabulary which is somewhat peculiar to our family.  As aptly described by our eldest daughter in her own blog:  "I am sure every family has those words, where you find out in your mid-twenties that when you say to someone, 'you deserve rah rahs,' they have no idea what you mean."   

Many of the words in our family dictionary originate from Herb's playful verbal inventiveness, and precede our partnership.  Some sprang spontaneously from the delight, fatigue, and endless fascination of being parents together.  Some came from our daughters (see "frup").  

Here is a sample:

Dominus Obisbum:  the state in which an animal, usually a dog, lies on its back with back legs hanging in the air in a relaxed state and mimicking the gesture of blessing given by a priest.  The priest's gesture involves both hands in front of the shoulders, elbows bent, forearms nearly vertical and slightly askew from the front view, with palms open and facing forward and slightly toward each other.  The phrase, "Dominus Obisbum" is corrupted from the Latin phrase "Dominus Vobiscum (familiar to Catholics who observed the Latin mass prior to Vatican II, in 1965), meaning "The Lord be with you."  According to Herb, it is important to acknowledge that dominus obisbum is a state of grace, and should not be disturbed; one must avoid the temptation to squeeze the toes, grab a paw, or cause any other annoyance which might disturb the state of dominus obisbum.

Back paws:   Feet.

Vapter paws:   1)  Feet, especially baby feet pudging out of shoes or pant legs;  2)  Cute feet.

Grippers and spreaders:  The state of contraction or relaxation of toes.

Gripper paws:  A state of eager and ready anticipation.  Example:  "I'm ready to ace the GRE; I have gripper paws!"

Push-the-nose:  a technique to unfurrow a furrowed brow; a reminder given to another person to relax his or her face, or to attend to a state of stress or irritation.

Frup (verb):  to vomit, from the phrase "threw up".  i.e. "Mommy, I frupped in my bed."

Cheezy beekoes:  n. (alt: cheezy beeko):  1) A person, usually a child, who elicits an urge to pinch the cheeks in an affectionate manner.   2) The manner by which a person responds to observing a child who is so cute that one cannot sit still; the phrase "cheesy beekoes" is used simultaneously to express affection and to discharge the teasey impulse.

Rah Rahs:  the act of celebrating an accomplishment with a chant or cheer. 


Mayonnaise spreaders:

Earth Shoes, or other such footwear with a rounded toe, resembling a spatula.


Manny toe-paw spreaders:
The reproducible action of squeezing the pad of a dog's foot, resulting in involuntary spread of the toes.
(note: this phrase belongs in the Family Dictionary only for translation purposes, since only Herb uses this phrase, or is compelled to annoy dogs in this way.  When asked whether this phrase applies to cats, he said, "It is inadvisable to attempt this maneuver on a cat.  Besides, who would ever want to do that to a cat?" Also, Herb disputes the assertion that doing Manny Toe-paw spreaders on a dog is "annoying" to them.)


Wall-walker: 
An independent child who is compelled to walk on elevated surfaces rather than along the ground, and whose parents are relegated to serving this compulsion at every opportunity.