Shake for the Sheik

So when I was younger… which by all accounts could literally mean yesterday, or an hour ago for that matter.  So when I was 22-ish I had certain words in my vocabulary that just didn’t fit – but I liked to pepper the occasional phrase when it seemed appropriate.  Chances were though, that I did not know the proper pronunciation, even though I knew what the word meant in context… AND knew what the proper pronunciation meant.  Not following me?

I was out at a concert, kind of a company party with a live band.  The band hadn’t started yet and there were a bunch of people at the stage, listening to the music being piped in.  My new bride was there with me and we were being social talking to lots of different people – something I tend not to do these days.  A few slightly older ladies were there and we struck up a conversation, about what I do not recall, but it came time for a response of some kind from me, and I decided to season my reply with a word I’d been saving.

“Oh yeah” I began, “that’s how it’s done these days, its totally chick.”  I continued with our little volley with the ladies’ full grinning faces and attention.  “Chick, huh?”  I smiled back, realizing my money-shot of a word was a hit, “Yeah!”

It was later in the weekend I learned – from my bride, that the word was chic, pronounced “sheek”.  We debated whether she was correct or not for only a few seconds before I realized I had made a complete boob of myself.  But that wasn’t the first time, or the last that things had gone awry… pronounced in Douglish: “Aww-Ree”.  Yeah, I used awry incorrectly for about ten years before she let the cat out of the bag and asked what the hell I meant “Aww-ree?  You mean awry?”  Followed by the deafening and demasculating laughter that only a spouse can conjure.

I don’t recall why I started writing this now… I had a point at the beginning but I have lost it… hmmm.  Nope – can’t think of it.  Dammit.  This just adds to the je na sais qua of it all.  Enjoy.

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