The Full List
All 377 momisms in alphabetical order (in chronological order of identification here).
Click to see mommentary, definitions (where known...) and examples. If unavailable, contribute one.
Simulate conversation with our mother by hearing a
To take.
The cat absconded with my sock in her mouth.
Momism ID #110
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), identified April 1, 2010.
Medical research.
I used to work in academic medicine.
Mommentary: Momism of the Year 2016.
Momism ID #200
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), identified March 10, 2016.
I think this is right but if I’m wrong it isn’t my fault.
According to conventional wisdom, you’ll get a cold if you go to sleep with wet hair.
Momism ID #91
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), identified September 2, 2009.
A preferred style.
Phoebe was a feline after my own heart.
Momism ID #218
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), identified August 31, 2019.
No.
Ah no no no no, you’re not leaving this bathroom with my comb.
Mommentary: Our only momism with an audio guide.
Momism ID #371
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), identified May 3, 2024.
A heavy burden, an irritating obligation.
Momism ID #82
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), identified April 17, 2009.
Pig French for scram.
Momism ID #28
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), identified January 29, 2009.
Anything you want.
Pick out anything you might wish from the grocery store.
Momism ID #367
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), identified February 26, 2024.
To fail to prevent or be partially responsible for something unpleasant happening.
Momism ID #46
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), identified February 7, 2009.
To fail to prevent or be partially responsible for something unpleasant happening.
Momism ID #358
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), identified December 9, 2023.
At your core, it is a fundamental part of your personality.
You’re a researcher at heart.
Momism ID #344
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), identified March 21, 2023.
Doing a habitual or characteristic action.
I’m at it again with the hot sauce!
Momism ID #341
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), identified December 30, 2022.
Mom’s Yiddish streak: expresses annoyance.
Momism ID #79
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), identified April 17, 2009.
Refers to her daughter.
Mommentary: Other nicknames include: milk-face, straight-A baby, Imelda-beth, queenie, tootsie, Tootsa-beth, and the Boo Hoo Baby.
Momism ID #123
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), identified November 9, 2010.
I’ll be back in a moment.
Momism ID #174
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), identified November 18, 2012.
Improper orneriness with respect to the cat.
Mommentary: I got this one from blue-eyes as well. I think the cat was playing in her water bowl and spilled it over one time too many.
Momism ID #11
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), identified January 28, 2009.
Inverse of ass-backwards.
Momism ID #133
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), identified January 31, 2011.
Definition unknown. Contribute one.
Momism ID #118
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), identified September 9, 2010.
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.
Momism ID #53
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), identified February 11, 2009.
Speak to someone at great length.
Mommentary: Mother-identified momism.
Momism ID #170
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), identified July 11, 2012.
Infuriated, annoyed.
She was all bent out of shape after hearing the president’s speech.
Momism ID #64
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), identified February 28, 2009.
A safe bet.
If I could eat hot sauce, you can bet your rotting apples that I would.
Momism ID #374
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), identified May 19, 2024.
Fighting, arguing.
Momism ID #167
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), identified June 26, 2012.
Scatterbrained, making thoughtless mistakes, idiotic.
There are a lot of bird-brained drivers on the road today–be careful or they’ll be scraping you off the roadway.
Momism ID #360
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), identified December 19, 2023.
Bizarre.
Your brother’s bizarro mattress.
Momism ID #363
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), identified December 28, 2023.
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.
Momism ID #117
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), identified August 26, 2010.
Tired.
After that day-long walk with my daughter, I was feeling pretty blitzed.
Momism ID #287
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), identified July 6, 2021.
Refers to her sonnnn.
Blue-eyed wonder.
Mommentary: I used to look in the mirror with my brown eyes and wonder where his blue eyes came from.
Momism ID #12
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), identified January 28, 2009.
At great length.
Cussing a blue streak, or does he still talk a blue streak?
Mommentary: Some people see him and walk the other way if they want to get anything done in the next hour.
Momism ID #311
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), identified March 4, 2022.
This revelation is astounding or otherwise is a lot to take in.
Why anyone would want to stay inside on a beautiful day like this I’ll never understand, it boggles the mind!
Mommentary: Other people don’t say mind boggling? Huh-what is this world coming to?! (Other people do say “mind-boggling” but say much less often “Boggles the mind!”).
Momism ID #290
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), identified July 16, 2021.
Her eldest sonnnn.
Mommentary: Considering his English heritage, I couldn’t believe huh-what a tan he could get!
Momism ID #281
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), identified May 11, 2021.
Definition unknown. Contribute one.
We’ll try to put a bug in his ear about that.
Momism ID #74
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), identified April 14, 2009.
Umbrella.
Momism ID #148
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), identified September 27, 2011.
An object someone likes to play or tinker with.
My sonnnn is playing with his new busybox, the piano.
Momism ID #129
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), identified December 22, 2010.
A bad thing happened but it could have been worse!
The dog ran away but we got him home before mom found out, so we’re butter-side up.
Momism ID #135
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), identified January 31, 2011.
Definition unknown. Contribute one.
Momism ID #185
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), identified July 14, 2013.
An exclamation used to express astonishment, approval, etc.
Momism ID #29
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), identified January 29, 2009.
(Exclamation).
Momism ID #42
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), identified February 7, 2009.
Stop that.
If you don’t can it with the noise, there’ll be consequences.
Momism ID #292
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), identified September 1, 2021.
(Exclamation). Indicates something cannot be beat, is top-notch.
Momism ID #145
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), identified May 9, 2011.
Mother’s favorite Sicilian mafia reference, meaning “Do you understand?”
Give your sister half of that sandwich, capisce?
Momism ID #32
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), identified January 29, 2009.
Someone proud of their accomplishments.
After Baby Doll beat that kid in three moves at chess, she looked like the cat that ate the canary.
Momism ID #249
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), identified September 2, 2020.
Anything fascinating to a cat such as birds outside a window.
The fish tank is cat TV as far as she’s concerned.
Momism ID #297
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), identified September 22, 2021.
To prevent crumbs, mom asked her children to eat with their chin over a plate/trash can/sink.
Mommentary: Also known as chin over the trash can and chin over a plate.
Momism ID #277
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), identified April 18, 2021.
To do slowly.
I’m chipping away at my taxes.
Mommentary: Other people say this but not nearly as often as our mother. Other variants of this include “chisel away at”
Momism ID #315
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), identified March 5, 2022.
Big eater.
She’s being a real chow hound — I think she might be in a growth spurt!
Momism ID #222
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), identified December 23, 2019.
An encouragement to move or hurry.
Chup, chup! You cat.
Mommentary: Pronounced choop.
Momism ID #146
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), identified May 15, 2011.
Starting to break down.
Tuesday I was starting to circle the drain. By Wednesday I was down it.
Mommentary: Other people don’t say that? Kids: no!
Momism ID #314
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), identified March 4, 2022.
To strike heavily.
Momism ID #194
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), identified December 28, 2014.
To provide information, answers.
Your coworker just clued me in. I want a medium-sized container of ricotta.
Mommentary: I just said that a couple of weeks ago at the grocery store. I had searched high and low for ricotta cheese and couldn’t find it. A worker in the deli explained the container system. Then I told a second worker that the first had just clued me in. At the time I wondered if he knew “clued in” since maybe his first language isn’t English, but all went well. Momism didn’t occur to me…
Momism ID #330
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), identified June 2, 2022.
Exclamation. Mother desires coffee.
Momism ID #349
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), identified August 2, 2023.
Whatever it takes.
Momism ID #48
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), identified February 8, 2009.
Motivated someone to act a particular way.
Dunno huh-what’s come over me but I’m on a packing binge.
Momism ID #337
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), identified November 10, 2022.
To fall asleep.
After all that cooing, that baby conked right out!
Momism ID #220
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), identified December 20, 2019.
Punishment.
If you don’t pipe down, there’ll be consequences.
Momism ID #293
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), identified September 1, 2021.
All good, ok.
Now that the squirrels have decided to leave my tomatoes alone, things are copacetic in the yard.
Momism ID #33
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), identified January 29, 2009.
Extremely kind.
Momism ID #348
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), identified August 2, 2023.
Exclamation, variant of crap.
Crapola, my weather station fell off the salad plate.
Momism ID #264
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), identified December 28, 2020.
Angry and annoyed, snappish.
She was quite cross and corrected me: ‘it’s woo-wee-sa!’.
Momism ID #62
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), identified February 28, 2009.
Grumpy or irritable.
Momism ID #20
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), identified January 29, 2009.
Consulting the dictionary multiple times has yet to clarify what this means.
That friend of mine can be quite daft.
Momism ID #160
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), identified March 28, 2012.
As the kids would say, “I just can’t even.” Melodramatic way of saying that one cannot handle the shenanigans or problems at hand.
This rainy weather will be the death of me! (i.e. I haven’t been outside in 3 hours, I shall surely perish!).
Momism ID #346
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), identified June 8, 2023.
Morbid or in extreme ill-health.
He came in looking like death warmed over; I think he’s coming down with something.
Momism ID #88
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), identified June 14, 2009.
The instruction manual, such as to a blender.
After reading through the destructions, I decided to press the red button.
Momism ID #328
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), identified May 29, 2022.
A vague or distant memory.
I had a dim recollection that you’d taken off with that meemer.
Momism ID #212
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), identified January 5, 2019.
Dirty.
Your shorts are looking pretty dingy, sonnn.
Mommentary: Mom’s habit of replacing banal words with melodrama.
Momism ID #334
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), identified September 10, 2022.
Little.
If you think this Camry is small, my old Datsun was a dinky car!
Momism ID #34
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), identified January 31, 2009.
To kill or exhaust someone.
That walk with your sister just about did me in.
Momism ID #235
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), identified May 16, 2020.
A dear or a hottie.
Jordan’s a doll.
Momism ID #100
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), identified November 30, 2009.
Imperative: leave.
Momism ID #72
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), identified April 14, 2009.
Gesundheit. This is mom’s response to a sneeze.
Now don’t you start.
Momism ID #265
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), identified February 20, 2021.
Indicates an object is destined for donation.
That old tent is going to donation-land.
Mommentary: Kids: A mythical land where most of our favourite toys suddenly lived.
Momism ID #377
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), identified September 6, 2024.
Something large or excellent.
Doozie is a doozie of a momism, I’d say.
Momism ID #94
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), identified September 28, 2009.
Swallowed.
Ok, down the hatch with this pill!
Momism ID #132
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), identified January 27, 2011.
Irritable, hostile, or aggressive.
Mommentary: Sometimes as “right nippy” or just “nippy”
Momism ID #70
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), identified April 8, 2009.
Upside down.
Momism ID #134
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), identified January 31, 2011.
Moving slowly.
Your brother is really dragging his anchor this morning.
Momism ID #75
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), identified April 14, 2009.
A handle or knob for a drawer.
Your drawer pull has screws coming along it the other side.
Momism ID #353
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), identified August 31, 2023.
Consulting the dictionary multiple times has not clarified what this means.
That’s droll.
Momism ID #67
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), identified February 28, 2009.
One’s way or style.
If I had my druthers, there’d be more hot sauce in this salad.
Momism ID #312
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), identified March 4, 2022.
Doubtful or suspicious.
She seems pretty dubious, in my view.
Momism ID #206
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), identified October 23, 2016.
In order, prepared.
If I want to move, I’d better get my ducks in a row.
Momism ID #136
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), identified February 2, 2011.
Clothing.
She’s got some pretty fine duds.
Mommentary: There used to be laundromats with names such as “Duds and Suds” back in the day.
Momism ID #240
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), identified May 29, 2020.
A small, cute, old car.
I always loved that little dune buggy.
Momism ID #121
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), identified September 22, 2010.
A stern (often unwanted) lecture, unsollicited and voluminous advice.
I got an earful if I ever forgot to feed Milo her supper.
Momism ID #276
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), identified April 9, 2021.
Be quite upset.
If George the Younger gets elected, I’ll eat my hat.
Mommentary: My dad used to say that.
Momism ID #89
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), identified June 14, 2009.
(Exclamation, mild oath).
Momism ID #5
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), identified January 28, 2009.
Shaped like an egg.
You, daughter of mine, are pear-shaped, which incidentally is associated with better cardiovascular benefits than the classic hourglass, whereas I’ve always been egg-shaped.
Momism ID #58
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), identified February 25, 2009.
Definition unknown. Contribute one.
Far be it from me to tell you how to live your life, daughter of mine, I just don’t see how you manage without hot sauce in your cupboard!
Mommentary: Blue-eyes: “Far be it from me” is a biblical expression so not a momism. Killer baby: Ok, but has anyone else said it since Jesus?
Momism ID #305
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), identified November 3, 2021.
A long distance away.
Momism ID #191
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), identified April 11, 2014.
Someone is following their usual pattern. Usage: [insert the blank] lives!
*burp* Fermenter-mom lives!
Mommentary: Also known as the stay-puff marshmallow mom.
Momism ID #142
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), identified March 22, 2011.
Get.
Can you fetch me my glasses?
Mommentary: Kids: we’re not dogs, you know. Mom: Nonetheless, you three are very fetching!
Momism ID #284
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), identified June 1, 2021.
Synonym: picky, overly selective.
Momism ID #15
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), identified January 29, 2009.
To kill or exhaust.
That last hill just about finished me off.
Momism ID #236
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), identified May 16, 2020.
When mom attributes an opinion on a topic to having grown up in Florida.
The Floridian in me will never get used to this nippy weather!
Momism ID #245
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), identified July 26, 2020.
I don’t know.
Mom, where’s my blender? “Sonnnn, I haven’t the foggiest”
Momism ID #246
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), identified July 26, 2020.
Persuasion is impossible.
We can’t get beeber out of her hands for love nor money.
Momism ID #47
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), identified February 7, 2009.
(Mild oath).
For Pete’s sake, where’d you get that vintage vacuum cleaner?
Mommentary: Who’s Pete?
Momism ID #368
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), identified February 28, 2024.
Not good.
This oatmeal is for the birds.
Mommentary: A momism from a surprising source: dad.
Momism ID #188
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), identified October 3, 2013.
Try though I might.
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why no one else wants my extra-spicy, ulcer-guaranteed stir fry.
Mommentary: Oh, hmm. I do say that. No one else? Good one!
Momism ID #254
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), identified November 9, 2020.
Fun at all.
No more supersized hearts. Bummer. Facebook is no fun a-tall anymore.
Momism ID #263
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), identified December 26, 2020.
Gadzooks, (mild oath).
Gadzookies, my laptop lives.
Momism ID #6
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), identified January 28, 2009.
Ordinary.
A garden variety stroller.
Momism ID #244
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), identified July 19, 2020.
A tschotske, a bric-a-brac, a decorative item that doesn’t have much real value such as a lawn flamingo.
Mommentary: This definition is from mom.
Momism ID #101
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), identified November 30, 2009.
Mixture.
I used a gemisch of spices.
Momism ID #347
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), identified June 22, 2023.
Refers to 43rd American president George W. Bush.
If George the Lesser gets elected, I’ll eat my hat.
Mommentary: As I remember it, for some time I had been referring to George the 2nd [editor’s note: George the 2nd is also a momism that, for efficiency, we’ve rolled into this one] as George the Younger [an additional momism], but after a phone call with my sister, I began to include the alternative of George the Lesser.
Momism ID #10
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), identified January 28, 2009.
Consulting the dictionary multiple times has not clarified what this means.
I will gather all the documents that are germane.
Momism ID #373
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), identified May 19, 2024.
To nag.
I used to get after him about never adding salt.
Momism ID #172
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), identified July 14, 2012.
Get up, rouse.
Momism ID #202
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), identified April 23, 2016.
Start on, hurry.
It’s February so I’d better get hopping on my taxes.
Momism ID #331
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), identified June 12, 2022.
To open or take.
Who got into the cookies?
Momism ID #168
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), identified July 2, 2012.
Getting ready.
I’ll need to get my act together to come visit Canada this summer.
Momism ID #269
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), identified March 11, 2021.
Doing.
Huh-what are you two getting up to in the cupboard?
Momism ID #273
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), identified April 3, 2021.
Stop that, quit it.
Give it a rest, sonnnn! Your long-suffering mama needs a few winks.
Mommentary: Identified in another momist example.
Momism ID #295
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), identified September 22, 2021.
To attempt something difficult.
Momism ID #208
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), identified April 16, 2018.
Die.
Better buy a new phone before this one gives up the ghost.
Momism ID #359
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), identified December 18, 2023.
Died.
After they turned down the heat, all my orchids went belly up.
Momism ID #223
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), identified December 24, 2019.
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.
Momism ID #210
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), identified July 12, 2018.
Moving quickly.
Momism ID #157
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), identified February 23, 2012.
Saying, usually at some length.
Huh-what are you going on about, sonnnn?
Momism ID #233
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), identified May 16, 2020.
Definition unknown. Contribute one.
Mommentary: I got that one from my mom. She didn’t have a high opinion of government work, akin to I think R. Reagan’s opinion that the most terrifying words in the English language are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” But in truth I never asked her huh-hat she meant exactly, this is just my best guess. She was very conservative, also worked for the Dade County School Board (government, alas) for many years, so also just a tad hypocritical.
Momism ID #93
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), identified September 28, 2009.
(Exclamation).
Good grief, it’s cold out.
Momism ID #231
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), identified May 10, 2020.
(Exclamation: surprise).
Momism ID #21
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), identified January 29, 2009.
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 huh-while others have moved on.
Momism ID #215
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), identified July 7, 2019.
To snack.
I’ve been doing a lot of grazing since baby doll left.
Mommentary: Mom’s habit of “noshing” (is that a momism too?).
Momism ID #310
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), identified March 3, 2022.
The greatest of its class.
The great potato-eater of the Western world.
Momism ID #369
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), identified February 29, 2024.
(Mild oath).
Great Scot, I’m certainly getting my daily exercise going up and down this chair moving boxes!
Momism ID #333
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), identified July 16, 2022.
(Exclamation).
Momism ID #115
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), identified June 11, 2010.
Eating an impressive amount.
Another piece of chicken? You must be growing.
Momism ID #251
(
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), identified September 5, 2020.
A sudden increase in height, usually related to a sudden increase in hunger.
I could buy you these shoes, but they wouldn’t fit you by your next growth spurt.
Momism ID #252
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), identified September 5, 2020.
Healthy, strong, “in good shape” (the momism, not to indicate athleticism per say).
Well, you [kids] have always been a hale and hearty bunch, it’s no surprise you’re also strong–remember moving me into my new apartment throwing those boxes around like they were filled with air?
Momism ID #324
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), identified May 14, 2022.
Hello.
Allooo-hay sonnnn! That was pig latin for halloooooo.
Mommentary: Momisms in pig latin are even harder to fathom.
Momism ID #243
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), identified July 10, 2020.
Spread the word that one is starting a business.
I’m gonna hang out my shingle and become a babysitter.
Momism ID #104
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), identified January 9, 2010.
With great determination or frustration.
Mommentary: Mother-identified momism.
Momism ID #138
(
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), identified February 10, 2011.
An annoying and/or scary health saga.
Momism ID #165
(
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), identified May 26, 2012.
(Exclamation).
Momism ID #41
(
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), identified February 7, 2009.
(Exclamation).
Momism ID #43
(
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), identified February 7, 2009.
On course for disaster, rapidly deteriorating.
If that daughter of mine walks me up one more hill, this trip is going to hell in a handbasket.
Momism ID #49
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), identified February 8, 2009.
Severe consequences for one’s actions.
If you take one a bite out of my sandwich, there’ll be hell to pay!
Mommentary: Mom’s go-to threat.
Momism ID #298
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), identified September 24, 2021.
Strong, great.
With Herculean effort I put the hash browns in the freezer.
Momism ID #365
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), identified February 17, 2024.
To flee or leave quickly.
Momism ID #151
(
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), identified October 16, 2011.
To rush.
You might want to hippety hop over there to get that last pair of jeans.
Momism ID #318
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), identified March 10, 2022.
Brown boy’s gigantic yawn.
Mommentary: As I remember it, brown boy & blue-eyes have hyperextensible jaw joints, which means you are more at risk for jaw dislocation, so be careful with those hippopotamus yawns!
Momism ID #302
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), identified October 23, 2021.
This suffix indicates a thing will be moved or hauled.
If Alison doesn’t want this lamp, it’s goodwill-ho.
Momism ID #332
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), identified July 16, 2022.
Imperative: calm down or be patient.
Momism ID #60
(
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), identified February 25, 2009.
(Exclamation).
She’s turning 50? Holy smokes!
Momism ID #225
(
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), identified January 20, 2020.
(Exclamation).
Momism ID #40
(
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), identified February 7, 2009.
To walk, implication that it might be a long one.
“Do you want a ride to the library?” “On a temperate day like this? No, I’ll hoof it, thank you very much!”
Momism ID #323
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), identified May 6, 2022.
Nonsense or bullshit.
Huh-what a bunch of hooie.
Mommentary: Mother-identified momism. Variant: a “bunch of hooie”
Momism ID #106
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), identified February 12, 2010.
1.) Hilarious 2) Don’t care at all 3) Worthless.
Because it’s not worth a hoot, I don’t give a hoot, but still, huh-what a hoot!
Momism ID #163
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), identified April 24, 2012.
Hurry up, get moving.
Hop to, you three! We’re going to be late, why are you all in front of the TV?!
Momism ID #308
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), identified January 13, 2022.
Horse manure.
Huh-what I learned in school was a bunch of horse hockey.
Mommentary: Definition: a cleaned up version of bs.
Momism ID #351
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), identified August 31, 2023.
(Exclamation).
Momism ID #8
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), identified January 28, 2009.
Trouble.
If you don’t give that toy back to your brother, you’re gonna be in hot water!
Momism ID #309
(
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), identified February 24, 2022.
Mother’s odd aspirated h on question words that only began when she “discovered she does it” in linguistics grad school.
Huh-why sonnnn, who-all is saying it’s a momism huh-when or huh-where I say huh-what?
Mommentary: PS We think it’s huh-larious.
Momism ID #98
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), identified November 1, 2009.
Fine, all is well.
Momism ID #139
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), identified March 13, 2011.
Said to someone who was extremely ill but is showing recent signs of spunk.
If you’re fighting with your brother, I think you’re gonna live.
Momism ID #307
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), identified January 10, 2022.
Mom’s technological frustration with the camera in her pocket.
Mommentary: I wish it would quit taking pictures of the inside of my pocket, to be exact.
Momism ID #143
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), identified May 2, 2011.
A perfect exemplar.
Now that’s a momism if I ever heard one.
Momism ID #317
(
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), identified March 10, 2022.
In my opinion.
Your friend seems a little dubious, if you ask me.
Momism ID #102
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), identified November 30, 2009.
Dubious, uncertain.
My new phone is a little iffy.
Momism ID #250
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), identified September 2, 2020.
If necessary.
This hot sauce’ll do in a pinch.
Mommentary: A momism partially by virtue of how often mom says it.
Momism ID #322
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), identified March 10, 2022.
Collaborating or conspiring.
Momism ID #153
(
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), identified December 5, 2011.
In my opinion.
Your friend seems a little daft, in my view.
Momism ID #224
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), identified January 7, 2020.
All things considered, at the end of the day,.
In the overall scheme of things, Facebook may still be useful to me, but it’s no fun a-tall!
Mommentary: Other people don’t say that?
Momism ID #262
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), identified December 24, 2020.
In your hands.
Huh-what channel do you want now that I have the remote in my hot little hands?
Momism ID #186
(
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), identified July 14, 2013.
An affirmative answer. Vaguely grumpy.
Indeed, sonnnn.
Mommentary: Momism partially by virtue of how often mom says it.
Momism ID #237
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), identified May 19, 2020.
Someone is curious.
Inquiring moms wish to know.
Mommentary: I didn’t invent that, you know. It’s a variant on “inquiring minds wish to know”
Momism ID #228
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), identified April 19, 2020.
It’s easier to prevent mistakes than to clean them up.
Mommentary: Honorary grand-momism.
Momism ID #127
(
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), identified December 21, 2010.
It’s possible.
Momism ID #189
(
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), identified January 16, 2014.
A mild exclamation of surprise, emotion, or awe.
Momism ID #30
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), identified January 29, 2009.
Almost.
The walk just about did me in.
Momism ID #234
(
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), identified May 16, 2020.
Fall as in fainting.
Momism ID #184
(
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), identified May 1, 2013.
Be on the lookout.
Momism ID #166
(
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), identified June 23, 2012.
Imperative: calm down or be patient.
Momism ID #63
(
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), identified February 28, 2009.
Interjection, used to represent an explosion; a mix of kaboom and kerflooey.
Before my computer goes kerblooie.
Mommentary: Mom identified this momism. Variant: kerpooey.
Momism ID #242
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), identified June 30, 2020.
Kids. Pronounced “KID-duhl-ee” and “ka-DID-uhl-ee”
You kiddlies and your busy boxes — Brown Boy has his piano and now this!
Mommentary: Mareseatoatsanddoeseatoatsandlittlelambseativy, akid’lleativytoo, wouldn’tyou-ooo? I can’t say that I coined kiddlie [sic], but I’ve certainly done my part to perpetrate the word!
Momism ID #180
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), identified January 30, 2013.
Refers to her daughter 90% of the time, the other 10% refers to another killer baby who reminds her of her daughter as a baby.
Momism ID #120
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), identified September 13, 2010.
Get up, rouse.
It’s time to launch your brother.
Momism ID #229
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), identified April 19, 2020.
A lawyer, pronounced literally law-yer, as opposed to loy-yer.
You would make a great, law-yer, sonnnn.
Momism ID #247
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), identified August 11, 2020.
Let’s go.
Enough talking, let’s mush.
Mommentary: I think my dad made that one up, since I never heard anyone else say it.
Momism ID #66
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), identified February 28, 2009.
Wheatpaste.
I can’t eat any more library paste, even if it comes from a librarian. I miss hot sauce!
Mommentary: “Library paste” refers to food that is not just goopy but also completely without flavor, like unadulterated oatmeal.
Momism ID #366
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), identified February 26, 2024.
Right away.
Momism ID #150
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), identified October 16, 2011.
To consume something quickly.
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.
Momism ID #112
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), identified May 18, 2010.
Shaken but not stirred.
On that flight, I was like a gemstone in a rock tumbler.
Mommentary: Mom just made it up but it was good. N.B. mom gets motion sickness easily.
Momism ID #205
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), identified September 27, 2016.
With great speed, intensity, vigour, impact, or success.
I tip like gangbusters at restaurants.
Momism ID #161
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), identified April 24, 2012.
Modified from like father, like son. In the same manner from generation to generation.
You want to be a librarian? Like mother, like daughter.
Momism ID #260
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), identified December 20, 2020.
Mother’s linguistics nerd listserv.
I’m going to post that interesting link on Second Language Acquisition to the linguine listserv.
Mommentary: Momism of the year 2023.
Momism ID #107
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), identified April 1, 2010.
Mom’s self identification.
He saw a little old lady in need of “COFFEE”
Momism ID #350
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), identified August 2, 2023.
Survive, make it, manage the circumstances in question.
I think I can go for a walk today and live to tell about it.
Momism ID #339
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), identified December 23, 2022.
Definition unknown. Contribute one.
My grandfather had a tile factory before the hurricane of 1926 whomped the living stew out of Miami.
Momism ID #320
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), identified March 10, 2022.
Someone who puts up with a lot, implies patience through tribulation.
Give it a rest, sonnnn! Your long-suffering mama needs to conk out and your busy box isn’t helping matters.
Momism ID #296
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), identified September 22, 2021.
(Exclamation).
Momism ID #65
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), identified February 28, 2009.
(Exclamation) Are you crazy?
You planted Rose of Sharon — have you lost your mind?
Momism ID #248
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), identified August 11, 2020.
Refers to her daughter.
Momism ID #196
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), identified May 8, 2015.
We assume that a wet hen is quite angry.
Momism ID #97
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), identified October 11, 2009.
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.
Momism ID #219
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), identified October 28, 2019.
To consume or use up quickly.
Your sister made quick work of that sandwich.
Momism ID #181
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), identified February 27, 2013.
Imperative: leave.
Momism ID #71
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), identified April 14, 2009.
Someone is serious about something, especially something about which it’s laughable to take seriously.
She may just be playing with blocks but she has the killer baby look — she means business!
Mommentary: I think “means business” is a momism only if it’s said in a kind of condescending way. Like, a toddler who’s playing with blocks with a serious expression on their face “means business” in a momism sense but not so much an adult who’s taking something that’s serious seriously.
Momism ID #259
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), identified December 4, 2020.
A monster of a mother.
Mommentary: Long ago, one of you taught me how to make hearts on Facebook Messenger, ❤ , and at that time I pointed out that you had created a momster. At first I thought to point out that the child in question had created a monster, then realized I could do it one better. I am the guilty party. The rest is history.
Momism ID #327
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A long time (literally, a month of Sundays would be 30 weeks).
I haven’t seen a cassette player in a month of Sundays.
Momism ID #116
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), identified June 13, 2010.
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.
Momism ID #178
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Nicknames for our cat Milo.
The Mouthy One has been fed but is still giving me an earful.
Momism ID #274
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Synonym: I had a senior moment.
Momism ID #198
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(Exclamation).
That’s my idea of a good time.
Mommentary: A momism by virtue of how often mom says it.
Momism ID #336
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), identified October 10, 2022.
Area, neighbourhood.
Momism ID #131
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Someone who is often nervous.
I don’t mean to be a nervous Nellie about my operating system.
Mommentary: Mom identified this momism.
Momism ID #241
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Just in time.
Momism ID #125
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Simple, easy.
Momism ID #23
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), identified January 29, 2009.
Not unimportant, significant.
Typing properly is no small thing.
Momism ID #343
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), identified February 25, 2023.
No luck or success.
Like I tried to get the printer to work but no soap.
Momism ID #354
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Not particularly fulfilling, not a fun lifestyle.
No FreeGeek and no walks by the lake, this is no way to live.
Momism ID #266
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An unintentional roll.
If I tried that at my age, I’d go nose over pinfeathers.
Momism ID #356
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Requires courage, determination or fortitude.
(After watching a man capture an alligator using only a trash can) Life in Florida is not for the faint of heart!
Momism ID #301
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Getting so wise 😉.
Your sister just about did me in with that three-hour walk. I’m not getting any younger, you know.
Momism ID #4
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Not feeling well, not in good condition.
Momism ID #1
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It’s nearing my bedtime; I’m about to turn into a pumpkin.
If you want my help cleaning up, ask now. I’m not long for this world.
Momism ID #253
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Things are improving but not completely better yet.
I know your fever has gone down but you’ve still got quite a cough–you’re not out of the woods yet!
Mommentary: Often talking about getting over a cold but not exclusively.
Momism ID #257
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Mother is definitely too much of a linguist.
Not to be too much of a linguist but huh-what a diphtong!
Momism ID #99
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An extreme experience, as in spontaneous combustion.
Mommentary: Mom added this definition.
Momism ID #54
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A bright or noticeable twinkle.
He had a nuclear-powered twinkle in his eye while making that pun.
Momism ID #355
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To microwave.
Momism ID #362
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Off of one’s posterior; to mobilize.
If I can ever get off my duff, I’ll run the dishwasher.
Momism ID #319
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Highly unusual.
That off-the-wall sense of humor.
Mommentary: An “off the wall sense of humor” is the first example that occurred to me!
Momism ID #342
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A classic.
Momism ID #155
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Opposite of youngster, an elderly person.
An oldster like me can’t go up and down those hills like you kids can.
Momism ID #299
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), identified September 24, 2021.
Definition unknown. Contribute one.
Momism ID #140
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), identified March 13, 2011.
On the phone.
Momism ID #203
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), identified September 24, 2016.
To nag.
So long as you smell, I’m going to be on your case about wearing deodorant.
Momism ID #271
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), identified March 30, 2021.
A business.
That operation over on Devon.
Momism ID #321
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Grumpy or irritable.
Momism ID #22
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Your proposed solution will likely resolve the problem, that should suffice.
I’ll use this sticky tack to keep your cabinet door from banging against the wall. That ought to do the trick.
Momism ID #338
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Not working, out of order.
The internet is out of commission until my router gets fixed.
Momism ID #2
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Out of nowhere, suddenly.
Mommentary: Idiom: a bolt from the blue?
Momism ID #239
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Mom’s Yiddish streak: expresses annoyance.
Momism ID #3
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Irritating.
Mommentary: Momism partially by virtue of how often mom says it.
Momism ID #77
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To reach across a table to get something rather than asking for it to be passed.
Mommentary: Definition right from the source.
Momism ID #316
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To sit.
I’m going to go park myself on a bench by Lake Michigan huh-while you three go to the bathroom.
Mommentary: I think that huh-when I come up with a momism (give or take), I’m oftentimes trying to make an ordinary turn of phrase into something more interesting. “Get” is pretty ho-hum, “fetch” is a more interesting (& less often-used) equivalent; “sit,” yawn, “park oneself,” say huh-what? I’m trying to fight linguistic boredom one momism at a time.
Momism ID #283
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Peace and/or quiet, tranquillity.
From now on, I want peace and quiet or else your name is mud.
Mommentary: Other people don’t say this?
Momism ID #291
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), identified August 24, 2021.
Spot, lookout point.
The cat’s favorite perch on the stairway.
Momism ID #280
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), identified May 11, 2021.
Mother’s love of photography.
You know me and my photo hobby.
Momism ID #207
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Adjective meaning someone is unusually unpleasant, difficult, or behaves particularly badly.
You’re a piece of work, lovey.
Momism ID #85
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Quiet down.
Mommentary: Mom identified this momism.
Momism ID #183
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), identified March 15, 2013.
Become extremely upset or angry in a loud and uncontrolled way, having a tantrum, making a scene.
Momism ID #128
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), identified December 22, 2010.
To look around, to look through things, to investigate.
I’m going to go poke around the Chalet.
Momism ID #25
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), identified January 29, 2009.
Exhausted.
Momism ID #193
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), identified December 28, 2014.
Eat the rest of a dish.
Your brother polished off those bagels in one sitting.
Momism ID #164
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), identified April 24, 2012.
Wake up.
I pop awake every morning at quarter to five.
Momism ID #232
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Good morning.
Post-adolescent life!
Mommentary: Usage: [insert the blank] life.
Momism ID #141
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), identified March 22, 2011.
You’re being melodramatic, mom has no sympathy for whatever you’re complaining about.
“I stayed up too late last night and now I’m tired and still have to go to school and take an exam I’m not ready for” “Problems, you’ve got problems, baby!”
Mommentary: Problems, you’ve got problems is my sympathetic way of suggesting there might be some melodrama involved. It has a Yiddish-English flavor to it. I have no idea where I acquired such a useful phrase, but there’ve been a lot of Jewish people in my life. With this one, I visualize Linda Harris’s mom (college friend whose parents lived in Durham; I visited them for years after she moved away).
Momism ID #326
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Something that has good future prospects.
Hmm, that pitch black sky on the horizon doesn’t look too promising!
Mommentary: All things are either promising or not promising.
Momism ID #288
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Poor, bad.
Ever since I quit it with the hot sauce, my food has been pretty punk.
Momism ID #372
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Pushing your luck, you’re an inch from being in serious trouble.
“Mom, can we go to Walker Bros this weekend?” “Oh alright, it’s been a huh-while since we had a treat like that!” “Can we go for ice cream afterwards?” “Now you’re pushing it, Annebeth! Pick one.”
Mommentary: “Pushing your luck” I most likely acquired from my mom. “Pushing it” I’m not so sure, maybe just me playing with language. In my mind, they both mean the same thing, but I would only say “you’re pushing it” to someone who already knew about “pushing your luck,” my kids, e.g.
Momism ID #304
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Exclamation: to be quiet, shut up.
Mommentary: Mom self-identified this momism.
Momism ID #182
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Definition unknown. Contribute one.
Mommentary: Mom identified this momism.
Momism ID #45
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Consider that.
Mommentary: (Lowell-ism).
Momism ID #92
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Stop that.
Quit it, your squabbling is driving me bonkers.
Momism ID #230
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Someone who causes trouble.
Quit your rabble rousing, sonnnn! Can’t your old mama have a moment’s peace without you stirring up trouble?!
Mommentary: The verb, not the noun, is a momism.
Momism ID #294
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Making loud and continuous noise.
Quit making such a racket; I can’t hear myself think.
Momism ID #275
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Awake and moving around the house.
I could hear him rattling around long after I turned into a pumpkin.
Momism ID #187
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Extremely unpleasant or boring.
This COVID situation is really the pits.
Momism ID #227
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The buttocks.
Your brother was a pain in the rear when he was little.
Momism ID #238
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Something that is likely to result in disaster.
Momism ID #195
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A powerful rainstorm.
Mom: “It was a regular gully washer!” Me: “What’s a gully washer?” Mom: “It’s a momism, dear”
Mommentary: A regular gully-washer means it was a doozy of a rainstorm. The gully-washer is from the Texas side of the family, I believe.
Momism ID #96
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Mom’s version of “rejigger” or rearrange.
After some remajiggering I got all those dang dishes in the dishwasher and it’s running a rinse cycle as we speak.
Momism ID #364
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Surveil, keep close watch on.
Make sure someone rides herd on you after your vaccine.
Momism ID #282
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Moving at an alarming pace.
Your brother came rip-roaring around the corner.
Momism ID #345
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Definition unknown. Contribute one.
Momism ID #14
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), identified January 29, 2009.
Definition unknown. Contribute one.
Momism ID #50
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To sit, rest.
I’m looking for a bench upon which to roost.
Mommentary: Seems to me a perch is more temporary.
Momism ID #209
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Definition unknown. Contribute one.
Mommentary: That’s from Shakespeare.
Momism ID #44
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Making a lot of noise.
Momism ID #7
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To have irritated or offended someone.
Momism ID #73
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A permanent marker.
Momism ID #83
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Many, lots, an abundance of.
“There are scads of people in the grocery store today” — mom, the day before Thanksgiving.
Mommentary: Other people don’t say “scads”? Yet another Momism surprises the Mom. ♥
Momism ID #255
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Extremely rare, nonexistent.
Momism ID #84
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To carry something heavy or bulky.
Mommentary: Yiddishisms live.
Momism ID #78
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Scream loudly.
Momism ID #122
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I have yet to gather evidence to make a conclusion on this topic but I’ll look into it.
I haven’t been down to the Custer Street Fair to look for birthday presents yet, but I’ll see huh-what I can see.
Mommentary: Hmm. That does sound like something I’d say. As for others saying it, no clue. The usual figure of speech is “I’ll see huh-what I can do,” I think, so it could be I coined my version to mean what I might perceive in the future, but not work that might be done.
Momism ID #258
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Worn, used, decrepit.
Those socks have seen better days: they’re filled with holes.
Momism ID #226
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To install oneself.
You can set up shop on the kitchen, where the internet is a bit better.
Mommentary: A momism for non-literal usage.
Momism ID #361
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Adjective describing a person who has a nice body.
“You’ve always been shapely, daughter-of-mine, unlike your poor mama!”
Mommentary: First posthumous momism.
Momism ID #376
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Mom’s Yiddish streak: a show or an act.
Momism ID #80
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Leave rapidly.
Momism ID #19
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Exactly in the middle.
Momism ID #149
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Noun, an intelligent person.
Momism ID #177
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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.
Momism ID #52
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Curt, an irritable response.
Mommentary: See downright nippy.
Momism ID #51
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The news, refers to the fact that mom routinely falls asleep while watching the news or, really, anything on television.
I’m going to go watch the snooze and then we’ll see about huh-what’s for dinner.
Mommentary: I do remember settling down in the evenings to watch “the evening snooze,” a few minutes of Peter Jennings @5:30 p.m., zzzzz…, then final credits; then Star Trek @6:00 p.m. for a few minutes, more zzzzz…, then the credits. Funniest of all to me, though, was settling in on Saturday afternoons to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer with baby doll: a few minutes, zzzzzzz…, waking up for the credits, then asking her about huh-what I missed. She tended to be a bit cross about clueing me in (“well, you could just stay awake and watch it for yourself” more or less).
Momism ID #300
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To nuzzle.
Cat, quit snorkeling me!
Momism ID #126
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Suffocate.
Get me out of here before I snuffocate!
Momism ID #221
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Slip-on sandals.
Momism ID #154
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Son, with extended n sound.
Sonnnn, why did you wake me from my nap?
Momism ID #109
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Someone who seeks out spicy food.
Your mother the spicer is at it with the hit sauce again!
Momism ID #340
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To bicker, argue.
Momism ID #124
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Taken care of, resolved, settled.
Now that you’re all squared away and ready to go to school, I’m going to go see about your brother.
Momism ID #325
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Comprehensive or complete.
We cleaned from stem to stern.
Momism ID #352
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A contemptible or very unpleasant person or thing.
That little stinker took off with my socks!
Momism ID #214
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Exclamation indicating that an idea, although unlikely, is within the realm of possibility.
Momism ID #197
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It is enough to say this and no more.
Suffice it to say that the judge was furious when the invitation was withdrawn.
Momism ID #31
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Extraordinary.
Your family doctor was super duper.
Mommentary: I got that from my supervisor in academic medicine. He’s from the Bronx: “supa dupa!” Huh-what ever happened to the R?
Momism ID #279
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Love of sugar.
Momism ID #35
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A fell swoop.
I cleaned the yard and planted flowers in one swell foop.
Momism ID #176
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Resembles, inherited a trait.
You really take after your dear old mother.
Momism ID #261
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To like.
My daughter was quite taken with “woo-wee-sa.”
Momism ID #211
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Someone who often speaks at great length.
Mommentary: That comes from a college roommate from Boston.
Momism ID #171
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Poking.
Cat, stop tenderizing me!
Momism ID #137
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That’s all she wrote, that’s the end.
Mommentary: That was a common figure of speech in high school.
Momism ID #313
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It’s going to rain really hard.
Momism ID #256
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Me too.
You’re annoyed because there’s no cheese left? Thee and me, sonnnn.
Momism ID #56
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This area or neighbourhood.
Momism ID #105
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They get along well.
Momism ID #111
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Very amused.
Momism ID #18
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A party.
Mom: They are really having a to-do up there. Me: That is so going on the list.
Momism ID #95
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Very hard to chew.
Mommentary: Brown boy’s all-time favourite momism.
Momism ID #59
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Immigrant, someone who moves from their home city/state/province/territory/country to another.
I’ve heard McGill has groups organized for transplants like you and your brother. Wouldn’t it be nice to meet fellow Americans-turned-Canadians?
Mommentary: We are but a flower being moved from pot to pot as we grow.
Momism ID #286
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A first try.
Sonnnn, as the eldest, you’re the trial balloon.
Mommentary: Oh yes, poor dear eldest child, indeed you were & still are the trial balloon. To me it meant a sort of a grand experiment. I didn’t look up the definition in a thesaurus (and there was no internet back then!).
Momism ID #270
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To move together as a group.
On Halloween I was trooping around with a lot of peopIe who I didn’t know.
Mommentary: “As a noun, troop refers to a group of soldiers or a collection of people or things. As a verb, troop means to move or spend time together. The noun troupe refers specifically to a group of theatrical performers.”
Momism ID #306
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A loyal, dependable worker or participant in an undertaking.
Momism ID #13
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An inept person, usually related to mom’s road rage.
Who let that turkey drive.
Momism ID #24
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Go to sleep.
Well, the sun is setting, sonnnn, so I’m going to go turn into a pumpkin.
Momism ID #39
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Capsize.
Kid: “nose over pinfeathers,” what does that mean? Mom: turning turtle.
Mommentary: Defining one momism with another. Mom™.
Momism ID #357
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So many times it’s impossible to count.
He has played that Adagio for Strings umteen times now.
Momism ID #26
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The US Mail.
Mommentary: Did you know that I got the US mule from a cartoon when I was a kid; it was called Li’l Abner. It is political satire.
Momism ID #201
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1.) Something or someone of great age. 2) the age of someone or something.
1. I’m becoming vintage. 2. Someone of my vintage.
Momism ID #329
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Definition unknown. Contribute one.
Eating with your fingers, were you raised in a barn? Kids: yes!
Mommentary: Momism of the year: 2017.
Momism ID #152
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“Gadzooks!” Mom demands “what is the matter with you” with a “head of steam” when she wants to know what “hare brained scheme” we “dubious” youngsters are “getting up to”, and whether we’re “in cahoots” or “roaring around” alone.
Huh-what is the matter with you, feline — do you have kibbles for brains or are you just suicidal?
Momism ID #272
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Expression of disbelief and often disapproval of how the times are a-changin’.
“Pink polka dots on a lime green dress?! Huh-what is this world coming to??”
Mommentary: The kids discovered this momism straight from the source in her response to baby doll’s proposal that “mind boggling” is a momism.
Momism ID #289
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Plural of what.
I have no clue as to huh-what-all you-all saw.
Momism ID #216
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A terrifying journey.
Momism ID #76
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Plural of who.
Who-all did you-all go to France with?
Mommentary: Referring to the likelihood that the answer to the question has several parts.
Momism ID #217
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A bit like the whole nine yards; the entirety of, the whole set.
Momism ID #90
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The whole shebang, everything, the entire thing.
Mommentary: Kind of like “the whole nine yards”
Momism ID #130
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The whole thing.
With my terrific niece and nephews I’ve got it all, the whole shooting match!
Mommentary: My daughter caught herself saying it the other day, then I said it today.
Momism ID #103
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To whomp is to hit. To whomp up is to make.
I’d better whomp up some oatmeal before we get whomped with another snowstorm.
Momism ID #267
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Unkempt.
Might be time for a haircut, sonnn, you are looking wild and woolly!
Momism ID #335
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A brief nap.
I’m going to grab a quick wink.
Momism ID #173
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Definition unknown. Contribute one.
Momism ID #158
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Wonderful with emphasis on the n.
You kids cooked dinner? Wonderful!
Momism ID #303
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This is a surprising turn of events, how out of character for you.
Wonders never cease! First, adolescent life before noon and now you’re doing the dishes willingly?
Momism ID #268
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Exclamation. Usually indicating an extremely determined baby.
World conquering! That baby isn’t gonna give up on walking.
Momism ID #285
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Concerning.
That half of American voters would choose George the Younger is worrisome in my view.
Momism ID #278
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Someone with a tendency to worry habitually, often needlessly.
Momism ID #55
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(Exclamation).
Ye gods and little catfish!
Momism ID #81
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Indicates that something is as high as mom is pointing, usually not very high.
That cat went past the wall about yea high [mom points] with that paintbrush in her mouth.
Momism ID #213
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Expression of sarcastic subordination to the cat.
Mommentary: I think that one evolved during life with Milo, who I also referred to as “The Mouthy One” since she was always giving me an earful. Momism?
Momism ID #144
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Extraordinary.
That noodle restaurant had just about the longest lineup you ever saw in your life.
Momism ID #370
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Mother’s preferred momism for describing an extraordinary skill.
Dearheart, you have such a good eye for composition / Sonnnn, you have a great ear for idiosyncrasy.
Momism ID #175
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Your name is mud (cat version).
If you scratch me again, cat, your name is dog.
Momism ID #37
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You’re in trouble.
If you take my last pen, your name is mud.
Momism ID #36
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Tired.
That (sleeping) baby is zonked!
Momism ID #87
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Destroy.
If I don’t hear the timer, my grits are going to get zorched.
Momism ID #375
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Japanese-style flip-flops, often made of woven rice straw, sort of like tatamis you can wear on your feet.
Momism ID #156
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(Exclamation).
Mommentary: Mother-identified momism.
Momism ID #119
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