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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

What Is Hip? Tell Me, Tell Me, if You Think You Know

I see myself as a pretty hip chick.

For cryin’ out loud, look at all the evidence I have!: Creedence Clearwater 8-tracks, embroidered bell bottoms, one of those big combs sticking out of my back pocket…

That’s all still cool, right? Am I right?

I’m hip, baby; and what you’re cookin’?

I’m smellin’ it.

But I worry – not that my cats aren’t getting enough tartar control in their “crunchy seafood medley” diet or that my canned foods have fallen out of alphabetical order. No. I’m worried that I’m not keeping up with the slang like I used to. Sometimes, perhaps during a bout of casual eavesdropping on the bus, I overhear people speaking English and yet I have no idea what they are saying. They’re speaking in a code they’re not sharing, and I want in.

As has been noted in the past, I’m a lover of words: multi-syllabic words, words with heft and girth, words borrowed from previous generations. I love ‘em.

And that’s why I’ve arranged for lessons.

Why not? I figure The Boy can always use a couple extra bucks, and who better to bring me up to speed on what the Cool Kids are saying these days than my smart-aleck of a boy?

I’m really excited about this.

He’s already assigned me my first word.

“Give me a good one,” I say, whipping out a notebook and writing the date carefully in the left-hand corner. Smiling, he gives me the word. I just know this is going to work out well. I mean, I’ve even spelled it correctly, right off the bat: “cheevil”.

The Boy assures me that if I slip this word into casual conversation it’ll be noticeably cool.

But what’s it mean? I ask him.

You don’t need a meaning, he says. That’s what makes it such a great word – it covers everything.

You guys, I’m so excited. Things over here are going to be totally cheevil! 

35 comments:

Silliyak said...

That was a Tower of Power ful words there luv. I can dig it.

joeh said...

cheevil: n. slang. An out of touch older woman
"That woman is actually a total cheevil"

Pearl said...

silly, I knew ya could! (bump-de-bump-de-bump!)

joeh, Hey now!!! :-)

Simply Suthern said...

I'm down with learning new words and slang but but by the time I've grasped them they are out of date as my Members Only jacket. I

Patricia said...

You googled it, yes?

Pearl said...

Simply, yeah, but you still look GOOD in that Members Only jacket, right?!

Patricia, um, no. You don't have anything ugly to report, do you? :-)

Christian at Point Counter-Point Point Point said...

After reading this I had a meeting at work so I told everyone my current project should be cheevil in the next few weeks. Everyone just looked at me with awe (I'm assuming) and then moved on. This is great!

Pearl said...

Christian, I just had someone on FB tell me that "cheevil" has been described as "cheesy evil". :-) I hope that describes your project, because that would be awesome.

Anonymous said...

I wish things were 'cheevil' over at my house.

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

HA! Great post. Dontcha just love those one-size-fits-all words? Spending a year in the jungles of Vietnam made my husband's language skills take a serious nose dive. For months, he used the word "kadiv" as a substitute for all the words he couldn't remember. It was funny... and a teensy bit sad.

Geo. said...

So it means any evil involving cheese?

Pearl said...

Delores, I suspect that things are ALWAYS cheevil at your house. And that's using the word in the best possible light.

Susan, sounds like Mary's John, who refers to anyone whose name he can't remember as "Fuzzy".

Geo., yes. :-)

Connie said...

RUN! Run away, Pearl! It's a trap! :D

jenny_o said...

It clearly has something to do with being cheeky and evil, if an offspring is giving it up voluntarily to a parental figure.

I just checked on urban dictionary and it "has not been defined yet". So I say, fair game! You oughta submit your own definition.

And now I have to go wash my eyes with lye after accidentally reading something else on that site.

Craver Vii said...

There is a teflon layer between me and hiposity. And I am not square either, because then I'd have potential for cool. I'm slightly rounded, and happily so. Huey Lewis would never sing that it's hip to be typical as forty-something suburbanites go. Nay, I shun popular lingo and when I find occasion to use it, I enunciate in such a way that I put a cultural distance between the then and the now.

I almost forgot what I was going to say... Oh, I posted pictures of my cats, if you're interested.

And now, after having read this post of yours, I'm going to wash my mouth out with soap.

goatman said...

Boy howdy Bubba! Everhoo does this gets a hard quarter and a clap on the back . . . I mean.

Anonymous said...

What?????????????????

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Well firstly, are you MAD wummin? That's like me asking the auto driver what 'saleh' means... it ain't a girl's name, I know that much.

Couldn't help myself - if you haven't found it yourself already, this appears to be The Source...

Language. Giver of much cheesy evil! &*> xx

Bill Lisleman said...

"my canned foods have fallen out of alphabetical order" now that would be crisis or maybe a cheevil? Oh wait is this noun, verb, adjective? Damn rap it follows no grammar rules.

Watson said...

Words without meaning...OMG Pearl, you'll be qualified to run for political office!

Indigo Roth said...

Hey Pearl! I am totally down with the kids. The use of that very phrase proves it, surely? I am unafraid of "flop", "POS", "sick" and the ubiquitous "pwned". Tho you and I shall always have "groovy" <3 Indigo x

Notes From ABroad said...

I have to remember words in English these days, do you think someone thinks I am hip when I say, what is the word for .... ?
I will start making up silly words I think ... yeah, that's the ticket !

Inspector Clouseau said...

What is hip? Seemingly done without effort, and not too ostentatious. A little cutting edge, ahead of a trend....

Slick said...

Imagine my surprise when "fo' shizzle" fell out of my mouth. My daughter was rendered speechless. BONUS SCORE!

Sioux Roslawski said...

Pearl--Aren't you worried that The Boy might just be making up words, so you look silly when you throw them out during a conversation?

I would be wary...

HermanTurnip said...

Does your Creedence Clearwater fade out in the middle, the way an eight track's s'posed to? (sorry, couldn't help borrow from The Rugburns....and to think it's been years since I heard their music.)

Marti said...

Well, now I know what i am! Ferschizzle! :-)

Jackie said...

I LOVE the way you think...and write.
Made my evening to be here.
I'm worried about my pantry now...thinking I need to alphabetize my stuff.
Love your work...
Really!

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

Ok I have no idea what 'cheevil' means but it does sound like a cool word.........I use to be cool......in my dreams but now my dreams are just weird so no longer cool just weird

River said...

I don't think cheevil has made it downunder yet, by the time it does, it will be hopelessly out of date already, so I won't bother with it.

Suldog said...

What a great word! It describes so much of my life prior to meeting MY WIFE!

the walking man said...

I knew this was what you needed when masterbathe was the first word listed.

Linda O'Connell said...

My cheevil knee has been acting up. I know quite a few cheevil people. Ohhh, I am going to have so much fun with this word when I pop into school today and great that cheevil group of campers.

Anonymous said...

Cheevil is what my cat is. Smug and arrogant with a touch of madness. x

Diane Stringam Tolley said...

Heehee! Suddenly I'm remembering the scene in Better Off Dead when the Dad is attempting to have a talk with his teenage son. He had a handbook. I want a handbook!