Maïa's lexicon

I would venture a guess that every family has secret "family" words. Of course, it's impossible to verify my hunch, given the secret nature of these words. But I have had a glimpse into a few people's familial lexicons, sometimes by invitation, sometimes by accident (like the time I overheard my supervisor ask his wife for the Skizors - their pronunciation of scissors!). Derek's family has a few of their own: bisabeen (limosine), pillodlee (pillow)... you get the idea.

Often, these words are created by the littlest people in the family. They mess up a word, ever so charmingly, and long after they get it right, the rest of the family still uses the mispronounced version. It's sweet, it's intimate, it binds us together.

Right now, we have three such words (apart from the occasional ones we remember from when Maïa was much younger). They are still in current use by the creator herself, and Derek and I have taken to using them, too.

ness-lick


re-sliking


spider-roll