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Gettin' Down With My Bad Self |
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© 2002-2008 Carole Moore |
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Daughter, giving me one of those sideways looks that says she thinks I'm sucking down too much cooking sherry: "What's that supposed to mean?" Me: "It means you did a great job. Right on. It's an expression. Surely you've heard someone say, "Right on or keep on truckin' or get down with your bad self." Daughter, voice projecting barely concealed mirth: "Get down with your bad self? Oh, come on, Mom. Nobody talks like that!!!!" Me: "We did back in the 70s. It's what you say when someone has done something really, really good. You know. Like when they've been disco-dancing and they do something smooth on the dance floor." Daughter: "Mom, there is no such thing as doing something really good when you're disco-dancing. And that saying is so lame." Lame, huh? The next thing you know she'll be telling me kids don't call anyone a "jive turkey" anymore. Or say, "Dy-no-mite" when they think something's boss? I can't imagine not knowing what "outta sight" means. Or not understanding when someone wants you to boogie down. I explained these all-important terms to my daughter, who found each more amusing than the previous one. I showed her how to apply the terms "foxy lady" and "far out" and "head trip." I explained the various subtle nuances of having to "book" or "mellow out." She was still unimpressed. "I can't believe your generation really said something as dumb as 'groovy,' Mom," she said. I was offended. "You just don't understand what it really means. Groovy means cool." She snorted. "OK, Miss Smarty Pants, what does your brilliant generation say when they think something's cool? Huh? Well? I'm waiting." "Let me get this straight – when old people like you think something is cool you say: Dy-no-mite or outta site, am I correct?" "We're not old. But, yes, that's what we used to say. It was a way of expressing ourselves. Do you have a better way of saying that something is really cool?" She shrugged. "I guess not. We just say 'cool.'" I knew I shouldn't have asked – but I guess you could say the devil made me do it. |
