15 years in student ministry affords you the luxury of developing your own lexicon of phraseology. I was rambling about something incredibly important the other day and used the phrase “that is wheels off.”
Which reminds me of a story of Riley. Her parents had just dropped her off at college and told her that didn’t want her driving home by yourself. Riley argued - “I’m a big girl, blah, blah…” Somehow the topic of a flat tire came up and how to replace it. Riley waved her cell phone and said “Yeah, like there’s another tire up under the car.” To which mom and dad marched her out and showed her that yes, there really was a tire up under the car. (Odd phrase, don’t you think….up under?)
But that has nothing to do with the phrase wheels off. Neither does another girl - my babysitter in fact - who when told the story of Riley was like “Ohhhhh mahhhh goshhhh….you mean there’s a tire underneath the car??”
The fact that neither one of these girls knew about the spare tire IS so very wheels off. Which I now realize I’ve introduced another slangism in the conversation…so very.
‘So very‘ has many kissing cousins - so utterly, abso-freakin-lutely, and of course so intensely.
Wheels off means that something is completely undone, ruined, messed up. As in a junior high boys bible study after somebody passes gas. In fact, that is so utterly wheels off it’s not even funny.
Which of course is another phrase that means that is so very funny. Got any favorite youthisms?
Dude, we had our own freaking language in one of my youth groups. Our fav was to end words with the “age” suffix, ie. bloggage, snackage “hey break out the snackages!” and when something was utterly just plain wrong it was nastage. Ahh the memories!
Those are the kind of stories that make me feel like a productive member of society.
I personally like the combacks from youth. For example: your mom goes to college, your face…
What’s actually amazing is that I hear my kids in Budapest saying the same things I hear kids in the US saying.
I.e. “Safety” and “Doorknob”
They always seem to be saying doorknob around me, though. Still trying to figure that one out.
And it’s really wheels off when your junior high boys Bible study scenario hits our dinner table.