Different Meanings for Words

[Onyx_TKD]

Have we already covered "dummy"?

Here in the United States, a dummy is a mannequin. (It's also slang for "dumb person.")

In the UK, I am led to understand that's what a pacifier is called.

That one has me shaking my head because I cannot for the life of me draw a logical line from "mannequin" to "pacifier."

I can see two ways of getting to that usage, although I don't know if either of them is correct.

My first guess is that both forms of "dummy" are derived from "dumb," using the meaning "mute" (rather than "dumb" meaning "stupid").
* What's a mannequin? It's a model of a person, that doesn't move or speak--it's literally "dumb."
* What does a pacifier do? It makes the baby more content, and (hopefully) gets the unhappy baby to stop crying--to become quiet or "dumb."

Alternatively, you can work from the definition of "dummy" as "an imitation, copy, or likeness of something used as a substitute" (from Merriam-Webster online):
* A mannequin is a "dummy" because it's a likeness of a person, used as a substitute for a human model.
* A pacifier is a "dummy" because it's a likeness of a n*pple, used as a substitute for a baby to suck on outside of mealtimes.

[gramma dishes]

I think the word dummy means a substitute.

A dummy in a store window is a substitute for a real person modeling an outfit.
A dummy in a baby's mouth is a substitute for a real, milk producing nipple.
A dummy person is a substitute for a person with normal intelligence and comprehension abilities.  Or has the IQ of the store window type dummy.

No?   

[baglady]

Probably nitpicky of me, but I tend to think of "dummy" as meaning fake rather than substitute. Mannequin or ventriloquist's dummy = fake person. Pacifier = fake n!pple. In my newspaper days, the piece of paper we diagrammed a page layout on for the compositors was called a dummy. Fake page.

These usages may or may not be derived from "dumb" as in mute. But "dummy" for a slow or ignorant person is definitely derived from "dumb" as in stupid; it's a simple diminutive similar to "fatty" or "sicko." And jokes can be made based on the different meanings. As I recall, "The Beverly Hillbillies" made lots of jokes at Jethro's expense based on alternate meanings of "dummy" and "dumbbell."

[bigozzy]

I think the word dummy means a substitute.

A dummy in a store window is a substitute for a real person modeling an outfit.
A dummy in a baby's mouth is a substitute for a real, milk producing nipple.
A dummy person is a substitute for a person with normal intelligence and comprehension abilities.  Or has the IQ of the store window type dummy.

No?   

That is my understanding as well.

A 'dummy run' means a practice or trial run here as well.

[Thipu1]

I don't think we've discussed 'bomb'.

In the US something that bombs is a total failure, like the film Ishtar.
In the UK, something that 'goes over like a bomb' is a resounding success.

[Slartibartfast]

I don't think we've discussed 'bomb'.

In the US something that bombs is a total failure, like the film Ishtar.
In the UK, something that 'goes over like a bomb' is a resounding success.

Although in the US, "You're the bomb" means the speaker thinks you're really cool, hip, with-it, etc.  So it can be both ways 

[Thipu1]

I don't think we've discussed 'bomb'.

In the US something that bombs is a total failure, like the film Ishtar.
In the UK, something that 'goes over like a bomb' is a resounding success.

Although in the US, "You're the bomb" means the speaker thinks you're really cool, hip, with-it, etc.  So it can be both ways 

Very true and interesting.  'You're the bomb' is quite recent.  It's along the lines of, 'All that and a bag of chips'.

[Gwywnnydd]

  It's along the lines of, 'All that and a bag of chips'.

A friend of mine was informed, by her 3YO daughter, that "No Mama, CHOCOLATE chips. I'm all that and a bag of *chocolate* chips..."

I done fell over, I was laughing so hard.

[baglady]

  It's along the lines of, 'All that and a bag of chips'.

A friend of mine was informed, by her 3YO daughter, that "No Mama, CHOCOLATE chips. I'm all that and a bag of *chocolate* chips..."

I done fell over, I was laughing so hard.

That needs to be crossposted to "Kids Say the Funniest Things."

BTW, do Brits say "all that and a packet of crisps"?

[bigozzy]

  It's along the lines of, 'All that and a bag of chips'.

A friend of mine was informed, by her 3YO daughter, that "No Mama, CHOCOLATE chips. I'm all that and a bag of *chocolate* chips..."

I done fell over, I was laughing so hard.

That needs to be crossposted to "Kids Say the Funniest Things."

BTW, do Brits say "all that and a packet of crisps"?

No, but we do say something is totally 'pants' in a negative sense. Pants as in underwear.

[AfleetAlex]

Our family has a word that, not only do I have no idea how to spell it, but I have no idea where it came from. We say "jewalkerjawed."  It is used in this context: "My socks are all jewalkerjawed" when, for example, the heel has worked its way to the top of your foot. It usually refers to clothing but not exclusively, and usually to mean something is off-kilter or needs to be straightened. As I said, I'm not even sure how to spell it, I'm just guessing based on pronunciation.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? I'm dying of curiosity to figure out where we got it. I'm from Michigan in the US with family from Scotland, Czechoslovakia (Bohemia at the time), England, Germany and various connections through Canada I haven't figured out yet (including some Native Americans).

[squeakers]

Our family has a word that, not only do I have no idea how to spell it, but I have no idea where it came from. We say "jewalkerjawed."  It is used in this context: "My socks are all jewalkerjawed" when, for example, the heel has worked its way to the top of your foot. It usually refers to clothing but not exclusively, and usually to mean something is off-kilter or needs to be straightened. As I said, I'm not even sure how to spell it, I'm just guessing based on pronunciation.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? I'm dying of curiosity to figure out where we got it. I'm from Michigan in the US with family from Scotland, Czechoslovakia (Bohemia at the time), England, Germany and various connections through Canada I haven't figured out yet (including some Native Americans).

This was a fun one to track down.  The "je" part stumped me so I dropped it off (figuring it was a corrupted pronunciation that could be "che" or "chu" or "dj" etc.) and found this article http://www.mvgazette.com/article.php?20022 which references "walkerjawed".

From there I also found this http://www.word-detective.com/2010/12/18/whopperjawed/ "whopperjawed" and tons of other variants.

[Sunbeem]

That's not so much that there is a UK version, it's that they are different species. Turtles have flippers and live in the sea. Tortoises have feet and live on land. But yeah, lots of people muddle them up.

In the midwest (USA) people just call them turtles.  Because as far as I know, we don't have any with just the flippers.  Those would be "Sea turtles" to me.  All the turtles I've seen around here (painted turtles, snapping turtles, and others) have feet with webbed toes and spend most of their time in the water.  I always thought a tortoise was the thing with no swimming capability at all, such as the ones that live in the desert.

[Slartibartfast]

Turtles live in and around the water and are built for swimming (flatter feet, flatter shell).  They are also omnivores - they eat mostly plant matter and fish (depending on the species).

Tortoises live on land, often in arid regions, and have rounder feet and a thicker shell.  They're herbivores and only eat grasses and plant matter.

Strangely enough, the site I double-checked this on mentioned that turtles only live in Asia and America, while tortoises live both of those places plus Africa.  Does this mean there are no native turtles/tortoises in Europe?

[RingTailedLemur]

Hmmm I guess I was fooled by people who just didn't know what a tortoise was then.

Yes, there are European tortoises - I just Googled "European tortoise" and got loads of hits.  They will presumably only live in Southern Europe though, it gets too cold further north.