All momisms (245+)

And their definitions (where known…)

[Insert the blank] life

Good morning. Post-adolescent life!

[Insert the blank] lives

Someone is following their usual pattern. *burp!* Fermenter-mom lives!

A "to-do"

A party. Mom: They are really having a to-do up there. Me: That is so going on the list.

A bad "cattitude"

Improper orneriness with respect to the cat.

A bug in his/her ear about something

A bunch of hooie

Nonsense or bullshit

A far cry from [insert the blank]

A long distance away

A hair past a freckle

I don't have a watch on

A month of Sundays

A regular gulley-washer

A powerful rainstorm

Abscond with

To take

Academic medicine

Medical research

According to conventional wisdom...

After my own heart

A preferred style. Phoebe was a feline after my own heart.

After someone about something

To nag

Airdishconer

Air conditioner Mommentary: Among mom’s favorite kidisms

Albatross around one's neck

A heavy burden, an irritating obligation

All right, let's mush

Let's go Mommentary: I think my dad made that one up, since I never heard anyone else say it.

Amscrez-vous

Pig French for scram

As sure as God made little green apples

Certainly

Asking for it

To fail to prevent or be partially responsible for something unpleasant happening

At the drop of a hat

Without delay or good reason

Ay gavalt

Mom's Yiddish streak: expresses annoyance

Baby doll

Refers to her daughter

Back in a mo

I'll be back in a moment

Bass-ackwards

Inverse of ass-backwards

Bearding any goats

Bedtime for Bonzos

Bedtime for you. Mommentary: This was the title of a Ronald Reagan movie. I don't think I'd want to include it in a list of momisms, no matter how much or little I might have ever said those words

Believe you me

Believe me

Bend someone's ear

Speak to someone at great length

Bent out of shape

Infuriated, annoyed. She was all bent out of shape after hearing the president's speech.

Bickering

Fighting, arguing

Bless your pointy little head

A condescending phrase used to patronize someone for being foolish or not very bright. You failed the exam because you thought the sun was a planet? Aw, bless your pointy little head.

Bonkers

Crazy

Bouncing Off the Walls

Hyperactive

Bumbershoot

Umbrella

Busybox

An object someone likes to play or tinker with. My son is playing with his new busybox, the piano

Butter-side-up

By any stretch of the imagination

By George

An exclamation used to express astonishment, approval, etc.

By Jove

Exclamation

Can't beat it with a stick!

Capice

Mother's favorite Sicilian mafia reference, meaning 'Do you understand?'

Cat, stop tenderizing me!

Stop poking me

Chew someone out

To criticize

Chowhound

Big eater. She's being a real chow hound--I think she might be in a growth spurt!

Chup chup! (to the cat, pronounced "choop")

An encouragement to move or hurry

Clobber

To strike heavily

Come hell or high water

Whatever it takes

Coming down with something (i.e. a cold)

Contracting an illness. I think you're coming down with something / I think you might be coming down with a cold

Conked out

Asleep, zonked. He sure is conked out!

Cool it

Stop that

Cross (with someone)

Angry and annoyed, snappish. She was quite cross and corrected me: 'it's woo-wee-sa!'

Crotchety

Grumpy or irritable

Daft

Definition unknown, despite multiple dictionary consultations. Your friend is quite daft.

Death warmed over

Morbid or in extreme ill-health. He came in looking like death warmed over; I think he's coming down with something.

Dim recollection

A vague or distant memory. I had a dim recollection that you’d taken off with that meemer.

Ding-a-ling

Fool

Dingbat

Idiot

Dinky

Little

Disaster waiting to happen

A risky plan or situation

Doll

A dear or a hottie. Jordan's a doll

Don't go away mad, just go away.

Imperative: leave

Doozie

Something large or excellent. Doozie is a doozie, I'd say.

Down the hatch

Swallowed. Ok, down the hatch with this pill!

Down-side-up

Upside down

Downright nippy

Irritable, hostile, or aggressive

"

Dubious (people)

. She seems pretty dubious, in my view

"

Ducks in a row

In order, prepared

Dune buggy

Eat my hat (as in, if such and such takes place, I'll eat my hat. My dad used to say that.)

Be quite upset. If George the Younger gets elected, I'll eat my hat. Mommentary: My dad used to say that.

Egad

Egg-shaped

Fewidgewator

Refridgerator Mommentary: Among mom’s favorite kidisms

Figment of my imagination

Imaginary

Finicky

Synonym: picky, overly selective

For the birds!

Not good. This oatmeal is for the birds. Mommentary: A momism from a surprising source: dad

Full of beans

Silly

Gadzooks

Geegaw

George the Lesser

George W. Bush

George the Younger

Refers to George W. Bush

Get boosted or launched (e.g. in the morning)

Get up

Give it the old college try

To attempt something difficult

Going at a good clip

Moving quickly

Go over like a lead balloon

Something did not go over well at all, not be well received, be unpopular, even resented. When I offered to share some of my hot sauce, it went over like a lead balloon.

Good enough for government work

Goodness Gracious

Exclamation: surprise

Grass

Marijuana Mommentary: I think that's a common euphemism among people in my age group, but I might be unusual in still using the word while others have moved on.

Great zot

Exclamation

Grungy

Dirty, grimey

Hair raising experience

A scary experience

Hare brained (scheme)

Foolish scheme

Head of steam

Health adventure

An annoying and/or scary health saga.

Heavenly days

Exclamation

Heavens to Betsy

Exclamation

Hell in a hand-basket

High-tail it

To flee or leave quickly

Hold your horses

Imperative: calm down or be patient

Honorable horrors

Exclamation

Hooie ballooie

Nonsense or bullshit

Hoot, as in "What a hoot!" and "I don't give a hoot!"

1.) Hilarious. 2) Don't care at all.

Hot Diggity!

Exclamation

Huh-what

Mother's odd aspirated h on question words that only began when she 'discovered she does it' in linguistics grad school.. But son, huh-why is huh-what a momism? Huh-where did you get that idea and huh-when? Huh-who's idea is this?

Hunkey Dorey

All is well

I have a yen for

Hankering

I wish this dang thing would stop taking pictures of my pocket. (*click* I wish it would quit taking pictures of the inside of my pocket, to be exact.)

Mom's technological frustration at the camera in her pocket

I'm gonna go "turn into a pumpkin"

Go to sleep

I'm gonna hang up my shingle (ex. and become a babysitter)

I'm not getting any younger

I'm getting older

If you ... , your name is "dog" ("Your name is mud" for the cat)

Your name is mud (cat version)

If you ask me

In my opinion. Your friend seems a little dubious, if you ask me.

In cahoots (with)

In my view

In my opinion. Your friend seems a little daft, in my view

In your hot little hands

In your hands. What channel shall I change to, now that I have the remote in my hot little hands?

Is dragging his/her anchor

Moving slowly

Is that goat cheese? Ewe! (mom dislikes goat cheese)

Eye-rolling pun Mommentary: Mom dislikes goat cheese

It takes 10-attaboys to make up for 1-aw-shit. (honorary grand-momism)

It's easier to prevent mistakes than to clean them up Mommentary: Honorary grand-momism

It's been known to happen

Jimminy Cricket!

A mild exclamation of surprise, emotion, or awe.

Ka-broken

Broken. My tea-kettle is ka-broken

Keel over

Fall as in fainting

Keep your eyes peeled

Be on the lookout

Keep your shirt on

Imperative: calm down or be patient

Kerfuffle

A conflict

Kiddely (and kididely)

Kids

Killer baby

Usually refers to her daughter

Knickers in a knot

Upset

Let's get this show on the road

Let's go. Don't get cross with me!

Lickety-split

Right away

Like a dose of salts

To consume something quickly. Mom: We'd better buy kefir. You go through it like a dose of salts. *pause* Mom: You'd better go put that on the list.

"

Like a gemstone in a rock tumbler

Shaken but not stirred. On that flight we were shaken around like a gemstone in a rock tumbler Mommentary: Mom just made it up but it was good. N.B. mom gets motion sickness easily

"

Like gangbusters

With great speed, intensity, vigour, impact, or success.. Don't worry, at restaurants, I tip like gangbusters.

Lord love a duck

Exclamation

Lovey

Refers to her daughter

Madder than a wet hen

I assume this means one is quite angry

Made quick work of (e.g. that sandwich!)

To consume or use up quickly

Major-league pain in the butt

A major pain. A certain Quaker is a mixed blessing, sometimes pleasant and sometimes a major-league pain in the butt. Mommentary: I guess other people don’t say that, come to think of it. I think I got that from my mom.

Make yourself scarce.

Imperative: leave

Making a ruckus

Making a lot of noise

Meemer

Vacuum cleaner (baby talk)

Mid-section

Waist

More power to you, (son!)

The usual definition is that one approves of what someone is doing and hopes it will be successful. However, in mom's case, there is also a skepticism that the scheme will be successful.

My brain went whiffle

Synonym: I had a senior moment

Neck of the woods

Area, neighbourhood

Nick of time

Just in time

No Muss, No Fuss

Simple, easy

No spring chicken.

Old

Noggin

Head

Not in Great Shape

Not feeling well, not in good condition

Not to be too much of a linguist

Mother is definitely too much of a linguist. Not to be too much of a linguist but what a diphtong!

Nothing left of *me-or someone* but a grease spot.

Oldie but a goodie

A classic

On a jag

On the horn

On the phone

Ornery

Grumpy or irritable

Out of Commission

Out of this world

Excellent

Oy vey

Mom's Yiddish streak: expresses annoyance

Pain in the neck

Irritating

Perfunctory

Persnickety

Picky

Piece of work

Adjective meaning someone is unusually unpleasant, difficult, or behaves particularly badly.. You're a piece of work, lovey.

Pipe down

Quiet down

Pitching a fit

Become extremely upset or angry in a loud and uncontrolled way, having a tantrum, making a scene

Poke around (i.e. the Chalet)

Synonym: to look around. I'm going to go poke around the Chalet.

Pole-axed

Exhausted

Polish it off

Eat all of a dish

Put a lid on it!

Exclamation: to be quiet, shut up

Put that into your equation

Consider that Mommentary: (Lowell-ism)

Put the Kibosh On

To cancel

Put/grow hair on your chest

Rattling around

Awake and moving around the house. I could hear him rattling around long after I turned into a pumpkin.

Recipe for disaster

Something that is likely to result in disaster

Roaring Around

Roll up your pants, it's too late to save your shoes

Roost

To sit, rest. I'm looking for a bench upon which to roost. Mommentary: Seems to me a perch is more temporary.

Rotten in Denmark

Ruffled his feathers

To have irritated or offended someone

Sanford Sharpie

A permanent marker

Scarcer than hen's teeth

Extremely rare, nonexistent

Schlep

Mom's Yiddish streak: it means to carry something heavy or bulky

Schtick

Mom's Yiddish streak: a show or an act

Scream bloody murder

Scream loudly

Sell fwoop = swell foop

A fell swoop

She could talk the leaves off a tree

Someone often speaks at great length Mommentary: That comes from Debbie Hotch, college roommate

Skedaddle

Leave rapidly

Smack dab in the middle

Exactly in the middle

Smart cookie

Noun, an intelligent person

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory

A play on the inverse phrase (snatching victory from the jaws of defeat), this momism means losing something that was nearly won. Mommentary: That phrase was popular with respect to Duke basketball in the days before the present - successful - coach Mike Krzyzewski

Snippy

Snorkel

To nuzzle. Cat, quit snorkeling me!

Snuffocate

Suffocate. Get me out of here before I snuffocate!

Soccer slides

Slip-on sandals

Sonnnn

Son, with extended n sound. Sonnnn, why did you wake me from my nap?

Speak of the devil

The person mom just mentioned has appeared

Splinker

Splinter, baby talk from the middle child

Squabbling

To bicker, argue

Stinker

A contemptible or very unpleasant person or thing.. That little stinker took off with my socks!

Stranger things have happened

String beans

Suffice It To Say

It is enough to say this and no more, as in Suffice it to say that the judge was furious when the invitation was withdrawn.

Sure As God Made Little Green Apples

Certain

Sweet tooth

Love of sugar

Take a long walk off a short dock (mom's mom)

Imperative: leave Mommentary: (mom's mom)

Take off with

To take

Taken with

To like. My daughter was quite taken with 'woo-wee-sa.'

That's droll

Consulting the dictionary multiple times has not clarified this meaning

The linguini listserv

Mother's linguistic's department listserv

The photo hobby

Mother's love of photography

The US mule

The US Mail

The whole shebangdasium

Thee and me

These parts

This area or neighbourhood

They would get along like a house afire

They would get along well

Three eggs in a basket is finer 'en fourteen in the chicken coop! (apocryphal)

A fake momism used to tease mother's strange sayings Mommentary: Apocryphal

Tickled Pink

Very amused

Tougher than boiled owl

Very hard to chew

Trouper

A loyal, dependable worker or participant in an undertaking

Turkey (i.e. road rage)

An inept person

Umpteenth time (Umpteen Times)

Up the wazoo

A lot of something. We have tea up the wazoo!

Went belly-up

Died. After they turned down the heat, all my orchids went belly up.

Went the Way of the Dodo

Went extinct or obsolete

Were you raised in a barn? Kidism: Yes!

What have you gotten into

What have you opened or taken from?. Who got into the cookies?

What-all

Plural of what. I have no clue as to what-all you-all saw.

Whifflebrain

Airhead

White knuckle trip

A terrifying journey

Who-all

Plural of who. Who-all did you go to France with? Mommentary: Referring to the likelihood that the answer to the question has several parts.

Whole kit and kaboodle

Whole shooting match

Mommentary: Because I caught myself saying it the other day, then mom said it today :)

Winks

A brief nap.. I'm going to grab a quick wink.

Within an inch of his/her/their life/lives

Wooze

Kidism for 'lose'. Don’t wooze it.

Woo-wee-sa

Kidism for Louisa Mommentary: My daughter used to be very taken with our neighbor Louisa except she pronounced it Eww-eesa. Mom started imitating her, saying 'eww-wee-sa' but she crossly corrected mother to 'woo-wee-sa'. This same daughter also used to spell Emily’s name 'MOE'

Worrywart

Someone with a tendency to worry habitually, often needlessly.

Ye gods and little catfish, or ye gods and little fishes

Yea high [accompanied by pointing]

Indicates that something is as high as mom is pointing, usually not very high.. That cat went past the wall about yea high with that paintbrush in her mouth.

Yes, cat. no, cat. maybe, cat

Expression of sarcastic subordination to the cat

You have such a good [body part] for [task]. (ex. good eye for composition, Ear, idiosyncrasy)

Mother's preferred momism for describing an extraordinary skill

Your name is mud

You're in trouble

Zonked

Tired. That (sleeping) baby is zonked!

Zories

Japanese-style flip-flops, often made of woven rice straw, sort of like tatamis you can wear on your feet. Mommentary: Zories were a fad back when I was young. I haven't seen them in years.

Zowie

Exclamation

Updated: 2020-01-07