Fri 18 Aug 2006
Yesterday, Aitch was delivering his usual running commentary (e.g., “The popsicle is red. The popsicle is not purple,” etc.) to which we were giving our usual amount of attention (i.e., minimal). Suddenly I heard him say, “Daddy, it’s hot. It’s wicked hot.”
Husband and I almost fell over laughing. Due to our enthusiastic reception, “wicked” is now a permanent part of Aitch’s vocabulary.
“Wicked” as an adverb (”wicked hot,” “wicked tired”) is a staple of the local teenage argot. Husband and I don’t use it because we weren’t raised here. So at the tender age of three, our son is learning slang on the streets and bringing it home to try out on his astonished parents.
When you adopt from Korea, the adoption agency makes you attend a class to explore issues involved in transracial adoption. But when you move to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, no one makes you attend a class to prepare you for how you, a non-native, will feel about raising a little Chowderhead.
August 18th, 2006 at 7:36 pm
That is hilarious. But I gotta tell you, “Wicked” is not just limited to teenagers. I grew up in the “accent belt” that surrounds Boston, and we said “WICKED AWESOME”, “wicked cool,” “wicked hot,” etc… back in 1977.
And I still say WICKED. It is a tremendous adjective. Unmatched in its ability to provide emphasis but still surpise and provide amusement. Especially in California.
Have a wicked great day!
August 18th, 2006 at 7:37 pm
PS - We didn’t call them Chowderheads. We called them “Mass-holes”.
August 25th, 2006 at 7:14 am
It IS startling to hear your children develop Boston accents. E’s speech therapist is the worst offender! E. wants to go to “Tah-get” to buy a “Dorer the Explorah umbreller” as a result of this indoctrination. C., in contrast, speaks with the British accent of “Thomas.” I expect preschool will change that soon.
BTW, any advice on how to explain to a two year old that the lyrics are, “Thomas and his friends” and not “Thomas Engine’s friends”? It reminds me of a college friend who thought George Harrison’s song, “I got my mind set on you” was “My guppy might sit on you.”