Sunday, April 29, 2012

A Child By Any Other Name . . .


Most of us have heard children referred to as "kids". I once had a teacher tell me to stop that because "kids" are baby goats!  Young'uns is another fairly common term.  I have also heard "lil' shaver". BUT, have any of you ever heard children referred to as "suck eggs"?  I remember my grandpa telling me that I was just a little suck egg when I was a little girl.  I also remember him referring to other children the same way.
Me back when I was just a lil' suck egg
What names have you heard for children?  Have you ever heard "suck egg"?

Copyright 2012--All Rights Reserved--The Wheel & Distaff by Kimberly Burnette-Dean. 

7 comments:

  1. My husband just got home and started adding to my list:
    "whippersnappers"
    "rascals"

    Another couple that I thought of:
    "anklebiter"
    "aquirt"

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  2. I was checking out sone books to a mother and her son, perhaps six. I asked the tyke, 'And what does Mommy call you?" He answered, "Little S--t."

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  3. I remember my grandmother and some other older Franklin County relatives calling children "chaps."

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  4. Haha! Never heard of Suck Egg...there's something that just seems wrong about that. My Grandpa used to call my little sister a picklepus...I guess that's a little weird too. My husband does call our son Squirt.

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    Replies
    1. My Grandpa Burnette had some very interesting sayings! Calling children "suck eggs" is another good example!

      Interestingly enough, after I made this post, I looked at the Merriam Webster Dictionary online and this is the definition for suck- egg:
      1. a young, foolish, or contemptible person
      2. an animal (as a weasel or cuckoo) that sucks eggs

      So, with definition in mind, yes, children are young and they can certainly be foolish!

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  5. We were just on vacation at Myrtle Beach and we ate at a restaurant called "Creek Ratz" which the menu explained is another name for children. Especially the ones that go out and play in the creeks and get all muddy and dirty!

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