tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post4897782056039458107..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: peek-a-boo, beebolynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-17548381407621677912023-02-16T11:16:45.865+00:002023-02-16T11:16:45.865+00:00Has anyone heard of keek a bo, a scots word and wh...Has anyone heard of keek a bo, a scots word and what part of scotland use it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-16525450028210835452022-02-28T11:26:24.887+00:002022-02-28T11:26:24.887+00:00Dutch has "kiekeboe" [keek-eh-booh] -- h...Dutch has "kiekeboe" [keek-eh-booh] -- haven't heard any local variations of that. Same difference really.Petra1945https://www.blogger.com/profile/06559677258676647710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-54993644446133978582021-03-11T08:58:11.300+00:002021-03-11T08:58:11.300+00:00There is a brilliant baby book by Janet and Allen ...There is a brilliant baby book by Janet and Allen Ahlberg with the title 'Peepo!' which might have influenced some people. I always said peek-a-boo but my husband's family are all about peebo.Tarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01563685720118159532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-2203862790847255162021-01-09T07:07:50.551+00:002021-01-09T07:07:50.551+00:00I'm from Lancashire and hadn't heard peep-...I'm from Lancashire and hadn't heard peep-bo till my daughter was born while we lived in London. It was always peek-a-boo. I thought it was just a posh thing! I think often northern British dialect gets labelled as American, like our use of pants to mean trousers instead of underpants as in the south. Colinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11604677722819084494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-34224507160334778502015-05-09T17:31:54.825+01:002015-05-09T17:31:54.825+01:00I am so pleased to have found someone else who has...I am so pleased to have found someone else who has been confused by 'peebo'! I've searched for this term before and hadn't found anything. I am from the UK and so is my husband, I have always said Peek-a-boo (I come from SE England) and had never heard of peebo, but all his family say it! I've also now noticed my grandparents, who are originally from the same area my in-laws are, though the rest of the family moved away, also say peebo, so I think it must be a local dialect from Portsmouth and surrounds. They also all say 'ta!' in a really over-emphasised way when they want a baby to give them something. I've noticed hubby's friends from the same area do this too... I, like you, make an effort to say peek-a-boo and thank you instead! (Though I know that is futile and silly.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-22015933247038398552011-11-21T12:10:22.531+00:002011-11-21T12:10:22.531+00:00as regards 'faire le dodo', in my part of ...as regards 'faire le dodo', in my part of lancashire a 'dodo' is what we call a 'dummy' BrE/pacifier Am/EAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04874591152050666772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-24454219748372891692009-03-27T01:29:00.000+00:002009-03-27T01:29:00.000+00:00Julia again--I found the clip. @ 6min45 sec. (abo...Julia again--<BR/>I found the clip. @ 6min45 sec. (about)<BR/>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRZrYBgjmLoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-34926127776771407222009-03-27T00:54:00.000+00:002009-03-27T00:54:00.000+00:00Hello! I know that this post is from months ago, s...Hello! I know that this post is from months ago, so probably no one will read it... But I'm going to add my comment anyway. So. Even before Mrs. Redboots mentioned Mrs. Slocombe, I had the phrase "handy pandies" in my mind, in a singsong British voice, and I knew that since I couldn't have heard it on To The Manor Born or Keeping Up Appearances or As Time Goes By, it MUST have been from Are You Being Served.<BR/>I think.<BR/>But I'm a 19 year old American college student who just listens to the BBC online a lot and watches all the Britcoms to be gound on Youtube. So I don't know if it is much of an indication of the longevity of the word/phrase.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, this blog is WONDERFUL. I'm having great fun reading through it! So thank you!<BR/><BR/>--JuliaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-89426295381927091202008-11-11T23:42:00.000+00:002008-11-11T23:42:00.000+00:00I found your blog by googling about "Peek-a-boo" a...I found your blog by googling about "Peek-a-boo" and looking to see what one says in German for this. (For those who want to know, it seems to be "guck-guck" which is "look,look". Makes sense. In any case, I am so glad I found the blog. As half of a husband and wife pair of German teachers, linguistic stuff is what we love.<BR/><BR/>I am also delighted to know that someone else refers to their farting baby as Vladimir, although we typically use it for a pooping baby. (Pooting has this meaning for us.) My niece thought I was crazy when I asked my son "Is that you, Vladimir?" <BR/><BR/>As well, although I don't have British relatives to contend with, my in-laws are from southern Virginia, and through them, I have gotten to learn a lot of "new words." Among baby words I had never heard, I have recently encountered them consistently calling a blanket a "lovey." Not sure if this something I just wasn't privvy to or what....Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01158422381455061046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-67484248773353297372008-07-16T18:54:00.000+01:002008-07-16T18:54:00.000+01:00Terrific, thanks for the response. As Anne sugges...Terrific, thanks for the response. As Anne suggests, pour the little one a pint of Infacol on me.Wesleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14120779956357887988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-20907588632226348092008-07-13T23:29:00.000+01:002008-07-13T23:29:00.000+01:00Infacol? Are you joking? This sounds like alcoho...Infacol? Are you joking? This sounds like alcohol for babies. As in, "I poured myself a scotch and gave the baby her infacol so we could both relax."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-88635631383502271942008-07-13T17:22:00.000+01:002008-07-13T17:22:00.000+01:00Topic changes are best requested by e-mail, so it'...Topic changes are best requested by e-mail, so it'll have its own entry. In this case, it's not that <I>gripe</I> is BrE-only, just that it's a really old-fashioned word--probably kept alive in the UK by the continued use of gripe water to help gassy/windy babies. The AHD prefers this sense of <I>gripe</I> in the plural: "gripes Sharp, spasmodic pains in the bowels." <BR/><BR/>Gripe water is basically water with dill in it, so your baby smells like a pickle. We used it for a while, then switched to the more modern remedy, Infacol.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-14673646771625681352008-07-13T15:17:00.000+01:002008-07-13T15:17:00.000+01:00I was in the (BrE) shop today and the lady in fron...I was in the (BrE) shop today and the lady in front of me was buying a vial of something called "Gripe Water", which appeared to be some sort of remedy for baby's indigestion (as I have just confirmed on Wikipedia). As an American I have never heard of such a concoction, and it leaves me wondering if there is a particular bowel-related complaint that is known as "gripe" in the UK, thus necessitating treatment by "gripe water". Further, if this is the case, which came first, the quasi-medical complaint, or the generic sense of "gripe" which I'm accustomed to (i.e. griping about one's job or the general cruelty of modern existence)?<BR/><BR/>(Late and off-topic, I know, and apologi{z/s}e, but my void of knowledge consumes me.)Wesleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14120779956357887988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-10875520694568658832008-07-10T05:21:00.000+01:002008-07-10T05:21:00.000+01:00My mother was nine when her younger sister was bor...My mother was nine when her younger sister was born and so she has retained funny things that my aunt said when she was little, like "glah-bess" for one, instead of "god bless", and which was used by my aunt in prayers before bed, but which my mom uses instead of "bless you". (See it does tie in.) <BR/><BR/>Our family has always called the raspberries, blown into babies' bellies, boobahs and so I was surprised that there was a British children's show by the same name. (Embarrasingly phallic creatures, has anyone else noticed?). Does Boobah mean anything else in England?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-62628589330715427382008-07-01T13:21:00.000+01:002008-07-01T13:21:00.000+01:00"one can say 'bless you' - which I guess is what G..."one can say 'bless you' - which I guess is what Gesundheit means anyway."<BR/><BR/>That depends on what you mean by 'mean'...Gesundheit is German for 'health', but of course, its effect in English is the same as 'bless you'...acknowledging a sneeze in a polite (and vaguely superstitious) way. Most Americans wouldn't know its German meaning.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-4955877595878419732008-07-01T13:17:00.000+01:002008-07-01T13:17:00.000+01:00No-one has picked up on your remark about gesundhe...No-one has picked up on your remark about gesundheit being more widely-used in the US than the UK. Surely that's because it is seen as a foreign word - we don't have the history of German immigration that the Mid-West and other parts of North America have.<BR/><BR/>If a baby sneezed, I would say 'achoo!' to mimic the sound and to begin a dialogue, and for an older child or adult one can say 'bless you' - which I guess is what Gesundheit means anyway.<BR/><BR/>Speaking of mimicry, 'nee-naw' for fire engine only applies to those with the loud siren - what on earth did we call them when they had a regular bell on top?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-58014486989179133262008-06-30T14:44:00.000+01:002008-06-30T14:44:00.000+01:00Thanks, Sarra--great word!Thanks, Sarra--great word!lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-12886805803953026052008-06-30T14:14:00.000+01:002008-06-30T14:14:00.000+01:00I was going to clarify too, but I think there is a...I was going to clarify too, but I <I>think</I> there is an understanding now!<BR/><BR/>re family-lect: may I submit <A HREF="http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=oikolect" REL="nofollow">oikolect</A>?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-36321757400716048272008-06-29T22:09:00.000+01:002008-06-29T22:09:00.000+01:00For me, the stress is different in 'go bye-bye' (b...For me, the stress is different in 'go bye-bye' (babytalk) and 'Bye-bye' (adult leave-taking), but the former is definitely based on the latter. So the difference here is that I don't have 'bye-byes' at all--and don't know it in AmE, and therefore when I read it, I associated it with leave-taking. <BR/><BR/>But I think we all understand each other now!lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-71015584244477866682008-06-29T20:29:00.000+01:002008-06-29T20:29:00.000+01:00I think Kevin's point was that for people who use ...I think Kevin's point was that for people who use <I>go bye-byes</I> there <I>is</I> no connection with leave-taking <I>bye-bye</I> - certainly for me there isn't. They don't sound the same (there is a difference in stress and the <I>-s</I> is always present in <I>go bye-byes</I>) and they mean different things. It had never even struck me before that there could be any confusion, or even that they were spelled the same.hedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01514141166210714244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-83694451906371672202008-06-29T00:37:00.000+01:002008-06-29T00:37:00.000+01:00Catching up after a nice day away from the web...K...Catching up after a nice day away from the web...<BR/><BR/>Kevin, a-ha. Yes, I say <I>beddy-bye</I>, but I've never associated it with <I>bye-bye</I>. I think of it as a baby name for bed, rather than a 'good bye'. So, I might say <I>go to beddy-bye</I> (rather than <I>go beddy-bye</I>), but I'm much more likely to say <I>go night-night</I>. I'd only say <I>go bye-bye</I> for a journey.<BR/><BR/>the-sybil: what a great demonstration of the differences in babytalk! I wonder whether there are AmE/BrE editors out there speciali{s/z}ing in babytalk! :)<BR/><BR/>A further thought on playing peek-a-boo. In the American version, people often say "Peek-a-boo! I see you!"--which, of course, wouldn't rhyme (or scan) in most of the BrE versions we've been hearing about. Is there any extended version of <I>Peepo</I>?lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-22641028497643778572008-06-28T16:34:00.000+01:002008-06-28T16:34:00.000+01:00"Puff-puff" is certainly not dead (and the song "D..."Puff-puff" is certainly not dead (and the song "Down by the station/early in the morning" was known here in the 1950s, too), but "choo-choo" was certainly also used in Great Britain in the 1950s.<BR/><BR/>As for the 2-syllable nature of "peep-bo!" compared with the American "peek-a-boo"; we would say a long-drawn out "Peeeeeeeep" while hiding from the baby (dress or towel between us!) and then a "boo!" when removing it - something the baby quickly learnt to do for him or herself so it became the first interactive game they played.Mrs Redboots (Annabel Smyth)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11270027663691257254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-5433615046937992332008-06-28T15:57:00.000+01:002008-06-28T15:57:00.000+01:00RE Vladimir: When our son was little, he occasiona...RE Vladimir: When our son was little, he occasionally suffered from digestive events that we named Blanche, in a fit of Midwestern U.S. babytalk rhyming slang. I'll spare you the clinical details, but it's affected my reaction to Streetcar Named Desire ever since.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-13795557566501894112008-06-28T09:49:00.000+01:002008-06-28T09:49:00.000+01:00Just to add, on the bye-bye / bye-byes question, t...Just to add, on the bye-bye / bye-byes question, that you wouldn't really be saying "goodbye", because -- as I should have mentioned -- there is of course a major stress-pattern difference between <I>say bye-BYE</I> and <I>go BYE-byes</I> (sometimes: <I>beddy-byes</I>).<BR/><BR/>For American use of <I>beddy-byes</I> see <A HREF="http://www.threadbared.com/40s/index.html" REL="nofollow">this page</A> from threadbared.com, one of my favourite blogs (you wouldn't believe how much sardonic fun can be got from old knitting and sewing patterns) which has now turned into a book -- just as all the best blogs, like your own, eventually do!<BR/><BR/>P.S. If Steve Bell has an excellent ear for onomatopes (hey: I've learned a new word this morning), I've got a poor eye for my own typos: I <I>meant</I> to write that diesel engines go "boggler-boggler".Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10718209592445394736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-4139003607565181722008-06-28T08:01:00.000+01:002008-06-28T08:01:00.000+01:00It was (and likely still is) "peep-eye!" instead o...It was (and likely still is) "peep-eye!" instead of peek-a-boo where I grew up in coastal North Carolina.Ken Broadhursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com