Family expressions

• You're a wart in the toe of progress. (maybe from Uncle Teddy?)
• You bet your sweet bippy. (from Laugh In, also “very interesting, but stupid”)
• eh no, no, Aunt Tilly did it.
• Many hands make light work [Tasie Shaak].
• Hallelujah and a kukamonga. [the Jack Benny show]
• I'll snap a bicep and send you tumbling [before wrestling]
• digging for oil [while wrestling]
• Steely bonds (while wrestling or anytime)
• It’ll put hair on your chest
• Pin-da-da [end of wrestling]
• You’re allllllright.
• Dooo tell
• Let’s get the lead out (when we were slow doing something)
• Let’s get the show on the road
• Now you’re cooking with gas.
• Well, pin a rose
• Rise and shine! (to wake us up)
• Attapoop (to show false sympathy when we’d get a booboo).
• Hooray for Ollie!
• Atta babe!
• Ee-heek-e-doo
• Nancy, no good.
• De pie! (on your feet. Dad got it from someone in Peru).
• Anywho (strange pronunciation of “anyhow”)
• It’s a pleasure doing business with you, sir. (after attending to some paperwork)
• ! -approx- yip it (an exclamation point while reading a letter out loud -- hand motion too)
• Have piece fruit. (from someone in Peru again?)
• You’re a sinner
• Beetlebomb
• Feeling logie
• A veritable dream of a [daughter, etc.]
• For this we had your teeth straightened?
• Leroy (said deep and long)
• Hot Spitooey
• Loverly (rare Mom generated!)
• Mom vocab: chipper, davenport
• You’re/we’re on a roll
• That’s a crying shame
• Oh, my goodness (Adrian!!)
• I’ll try.
• To the moon, Alice (from the honeymooners)
• Say more (Momism)
• Simplicity is more, (OK, it’s a fake strongism. I’ll stop and come back later)
• Who asked you, man? (Dad says I used to say this)

LIMERICKS Two limericks a night instead of saying grace before the meal (no signs, then). Readers have chosen the one they’d like to read ahead of time. If we're lucky silliness ensues. Gen 3 readers might like to add one they've written. Then the last night, we present them with the scrapbook of limericks.

[Sign: 1930: “Baby Bill”]
Four score and seven years ago,
young William was born with ten toes.
In St. Louis, no less
to a woman named Tess.
“Conceived in liberty” -- that means no clothes!

[Sign: 1950] FIX
Young Nancy grew up all around.
Until Paul said we gotta settle down.
His boss said OK
You can have it your way.
So Detroit was the 4th and last town.

[Sign: 1956] FIX
Effulgently, Nan & Bill found affinity
In marriage, the two vowed Fidelity.
They honeymooned in Havana.
Bill went again and again-a.
Though ‘twas against the Rauls of nationality. [TS: I was trying for “Fulgencio”, “Fidel”, and “Raul”, but it’s maybe too much of a stretch. Cuba, second try: He cut cane with his blade at the Venceremos Brigade.]

[Sign: 1959: “Planned Parenthood”]
The foursome bred foursome and foursome.
All perfectly planned, yes, of course’m.
But the next 4 took a Gamble
Not a Proctor, a scramble.
And had 49 offspring and a horse’m.

[Sign: 1968: A photo]
Ah yes, I enjoyed the slide shows.
In Eugene McCarthy we posed.
Mom said point over there.
Our finger followed her stare. [or The house of snowpack and the double piggy back.]
But the best was the bean in Dad’s nose.

[Sign: 1969: “Wrestling]
Any time’s a good time for a wrestle
First we check “steely bonds”, I mean “muscle”.
Then biceps go snap
until someone gets trapped.
Then strong words start a new tussle.

[Sign: 1970: “Holidays”]
‘Twas a jellybean hunt every Easter.
“A fine bird” would be heard every feaster.
The Christmas tree would stay lit
‘Til the thankyou notes were all writ.
So Christmas would last until Easter.

[Sign: 1970: “Newtown” with arrow]
Newtown is 300 years old.
That’s the reason they chose it, I’m told.
But they went astray to NJ,
‘Til R & J went away.
And with that they returned to the fold.

[Sign: 1973: Racquet and card]
After dinner we’d always retire.
To win badminton or pounce we’d aspire.
With new Word Power gained,
“Oh Hell” was renamed.
to “Oh Underworld Brimstone and Fire”.

[Sign: 1974: “Cape May”]
Once a year we’d drive south to Cape May
where we had our fine cottage to stay.
We’d pile sand in the sun
or we’d shoot holes-in-one.
For a week we’d be queen for a day.

[Sign: 1975: TV]
We had one chip per TV per half hour.
We saw Laugh In, Meathead and others.
But if the 4 of us did see -agree?
(with popcorn and fire), it was free.
Fueled not by chips but Strong Power.

[Sign: 1976 Florida]
Trips to Florida always were sweet.
Grampa always has some little treat.
As the card were passed out
Grampa would call out
“Hey, don’t you think we should have something to eat?”

[Sign: Pictures of Hansel and Wally] FIX
Nana Tess had a small dachshund hound
whose belly would brush on the ground.
The next dog in the family
was a greyhound named Wally
with [a belly nowhere to be found/ his abs 5 feet from the ground]

[Sign: 1977? “Thiokol no good!”]
Every day Nancy’d stand in the street
With a pacifist sign at her feet.
Such gentle persuasion
The CEO she did age ‘im.
‘Til he screamed, “Plowshares, 12 dollars each!”

[Sign: 1978: Goodnigh------- ]
My mama she stay up day and night.
By a heater she kep’ snug and tight.
A trick she did find
that did beat Father Time.
She did sleep and her pen would still write---------.

[Sign: 1980: Yale]
As class rep, Bill raised money for Yale.
He’d hit everyone up without fail.
Except for one gent
who didn’t give a cent.
An Alaskan without phone, without mail!

[Sign: 1982: Summer scrabble]
We’d play Scrabble with a fan and a drink.
In the heat, it was an effort to think.
Mom would try to get by,
But Tom knew “mu”, “ba”, and “xi”.
Yes, those were fine summers I think.

[Sign: 1987: Backpacking]
It all started with a trip to Peru.
What parents do, kids will do too.
So Laura trekked far and wide.
´Til a European she spied.
What Elder does, Younger will too.

[Sign: 1988: “Sunday morning”]
Coffee with cream is a very fine start.
Each of us grabs a Sunday Times part
We sprawl on the sofa
And dream of popovers.
A lazy Sunday is quite a fine art.

[“Sunday morning II”]
On Sunday, we’d get stuck on a clue:
“Plans turned into a horrible stew”.
We’d all be amazed
at Popie’s speed and his “A”s.
Finally someone would shout “It’s ‘snafu’!”

[Sign: 2000] FIX
In fixing books, Mr. Strong had no rival.
[He fixed millions on millions (no fable!) / They’d give him piles of books for revival.]
Publishers all shouted “Stop!
Our sales have dried up.”
So Bill agreed to repair only bibles.

[Sign: 2007: 50th anniversary] FIX
‘Twas the 50th of Mudda and Fadda
So we all met in Peretallada
Wedding vows were re-said
and tears were all shed … (But if 50 was great and 60 first-rate Then 70 will be even bedda).[

[Sign: 2014: Car driving from Princeton to Pennswood]
To Pennswood we’ll jolly well go.

No cleaning gutters, no shoveling snow.
But Bill had to work out.
The obese he’d chew out.
[‘Til all Pennswood ninety pounds were below. / ‘Til all residents had a fine fat ratio.]

[Sign: 2015: “Bocce”] FIX
Bill checked it out and said “This sport is neat!”
But Nan followed and said “Way too effete”.
She added rules and new name
Gladiator Bocce’s her game.
With cross-checking and aiming for feet.