Just 2 Little Words

After a great deal of thinking, I have come to the conclusion that it is not how much you say, but what you mean to say with Just 2 Little Words.

After another considerable amount of time, carefully taking my pen in hand, I quickly scribbled down what I meant to say with just 2 little words. By golly, now every time I said 2 little words, I knew what I meant!

But hold on! Did everyone mean the same thing every time they said just 2 little words? Do you mean the same thing I mean when we both say the same 2 little words? And, what about the appropriate answer? Now in a twist and completely befuddled, I decided to take another approach and just plain-old Ask! And, of course, jot down my notes...

• "Alrighty, then!"  —   Ok...now what? Am I supposed to say something? This is so frustrating! Oh, I just figured it out! The correct answer is, "Get Crack'n."



• "AnyWho"  —   Any who can? Any who will? Won't? Might? Which one is it? For some reason, this reminds me of Dr. Seuss' "The Cat and the Hat". I think I am going start saying "AnyCat". I know this is going to catch on like wildfire!



• "Above Board"  —   Above what board? The only board I am familiar with is the good old ironing board. And, of course, I am always above that board. But what about being below the board? I'm guessing that would Not be good!



• "Back Off"  —   Excuse me! Do you realize how difficult that would be? I, for one, cannot just peel off my skin at a moment's notice.



• "B'Day"  —   As opposed to an A-Day? Has anyone ever had an A-Day? I'd love to know 'cuz I always seem to have B-Days...



• "By Golly"  —   First of all, I have never,ever met anyone with the name of "Golly". Is it a male? A female? And, what did they write? A story; a movie; a poem; W-h-a-t? Oh, and is he/she famous? How did you find out about Golly? Was it through something by Gosh?



• "Bug Off"  —   So, now that you have gotten that nasty bug off, I am pleased to say,"I'm sooo happy for you!"



• "Cabbage Night"  —   I'm completely stumped on this one. I, myself, would much prefer Broccoli night - I don't care much for cabbage. This, of course, is the one night we are supposed to eat nothing but cabbage, right?



• "Close Call!"  —   The phone is already to my ear! Can't get any closer than that! So, now what? What do I say back? Oh, I got this one. I am so excited! The appropriate answer is, "I Know!"

Cabbage Night, is a term often used to refer to the night before Halloween. Traditionally, Cabbage Night is the night for teens and preteens to play pranks and jokes.

Cabbage Night is a tradition in many parts of the United States, Ireland, England, and Scotland. Cabbage Night is also called Mischief Night, Goosey Night and Doorbell Night, and Trick Night, just to name a few.

On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles, presented the now famous, or infamous for some, "The War of the Worlds". Orson Welles' performance, an adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel, was aired over the CBS Radio network.

Although Orson Welles did remind listeners that his presentation was a Halloween joke, the performance set off panic in many parts of the United States.

War of the Worlds
(Original 1938 Broadcast)

Who knows? Listening to the original broadcast may just get you going and thinking, "Holy Cow! It's the real thing!"

• "Doggin' It"  —   Now, if you're "doggin it", are you running, chasing, sleeping, eating, playing? If it means sleeping, I am all for it! I think I'll be doggin' it the rest of the day!



• "Doodle Face"  —   I know what a doodle is, jeez! But, how can I have a doodle on my face? Did someone draw on my face while I was sleeping?



• "Field Day"  —   Field Day? I don't know 'bout you, but I'd certainly be in the field during the day rather than at night, obviously!



• "For sure"  —   For sure, what? What I said or what you said?



• "Funny Farm"  —   There are farms that are funny? Do you know any funny farms? I, for one, would immensely enjoy a day at a funny farm. Wouldn't you?



• "Get Crack'n"  —   This one get me scratch'n the old noggin. Am I supposed to be cracking nuts? And, if so, where are the nuts? Did someone pass them out and forget to give me some so I can crack them, too?



• "Give Up"  —   Give up what? My clothes? My glasses? My shoes? WHAT? If you could just form a complete sentence, I would be so happy.



• "Go Figure"  —   Plain and simple - I don't use math anymore. Ain't gonna happen. Nope, no way!

• "Hey, you!"  —   My name is not "You", thank you very much!



• "High Five"  —   Five is Not a high number! Now, if you say High Five Thousand, I would most certainly agree with you!



• "Holy Cow!"  —   I, myself, have never been privileged enough to see a holy cow. Is it transparent? If it is, then how did you see it? Please tell me!



• "I Know!"  —   Does this mean someone really knows what I'm talking about, or are they just agreeing with me to shut me up?



• "Nest Egg"  —   Everyone knows that eggs are always found in nests. Don't they?



• "No Dice"  —   Bummer... I love playing dice games. I know! I'll be right back with my dice, how's that?



• "No way!"  —   What? You don't believe what I just told you? I think this might be one of those literal things. You know, meaning no way out, no way in. I dunno...



• "Now, What?"  —  You tell me! How do I know? Do you know? Go figure...



• "Pipe Down"  —   I am not an organ, thank you very much! If I was anywhere near an organ, I'd be more than happy to take your pipe down.



• "Rain Check"  —   There is no such thing as a rain check, puleeze... But, even if there was such a thing, I would certainly not take a check that had been rained on.



• "Say, What?"  —   What? What'd I say? Is someone hard of hearing? Am I supposed to repeat what I just said? Or should I make something up? Maybe this is the one where I just answer, "You betcha!"



• "Ship-Shape"  —   Ok, first of all, if anyone ever tells me I am in ship-shape, I am going to...! I just can't imagine anything being in ship shape other than, of course, a ship!



• "Sure, Bud"  —  Am I Bud? Is someone making fun of my name? Or is someone offering me a Budweiser? That would really float my boat!



• "Top Off"  —   No, thank you! I am an extremely modest person.



• "Yeah, Right"  —  Does this mean something is right or is something wrong? I'm confused.



• "You Betcha!"  —  Did I miss a meeting? What am I betting on? This one gets my skirts in a bunch!



• "Yoo Hoo!"  —  Yoo Hoo what?! You Who made a pie? You Who forgot about Grandma? By Golly, I've got it! This is a "fill in the blanks" game! You are supposed to tell me what you have done! How fun is that!



• "When? Again?"  —  Ok, this one throws me for a loop. Am I supposed to answer the "When" question, saying something like, "Tomorrow, Bud"? Or am I supposed to answer just the "Again" part, saying something like "You betcha!"? Or do I answer the whole thing, saying something like "For sure!" Now, I'm befuddled.

Obviously, there are a lot more 2 little word phrases, but writing them all down would require yet another considerable amount of time.

Wait! And, what about Just 3 Little Words? Just 4 Little Words? Just 5 Little Words?.. Oh, my! I guess I'll just "Get Crack'n"...

Ok, 'nuff said. And, that's all I have to say about that.

Have you ever found yourself at a loss for words? Alrighty, then! Say it with a sign, instead.

You'll "get hooked" learning how to sign "holy cow", "brainwashed", "worry wart" and much, much more. For sure!

Garrison Photography

Idioms & Phrases in American Sign Language, Vol. 1-5
Complete Set
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