So what is a curtism anyway

Archery camp is only a week away and there is nothing like spending a week with the boys at Archery camp, not so much for the hunting and friendships but for what we all know is coming...new CURTISMS.

So what is a Curtism you ask, well is simple terms a curtism is something that my dad said that doesn't make any sense but we all understood it anyway.  For example, "Wiggy Womps"!  Any idea what wiggy womps are?  I didn't think so, but just so that little area of your brain that has been set aside for the storage of useless knowledge doesn't explode, wiggy womps are your nice and comfy wool hunting socks.  I know what you are thinking and trust me we've all asked our self the same question..."Why doesn't he just say hunting socks?", well because that is not how my dad operates.  See he was born and raised in Northeast PA and if you know anyone that was born and raised in that area then you already know that they have their own unique language like saying CRICK when they mean CREEK.

Now being a direct descendant of my father, you would expect me to understand these Curtisms and of course I do, but the scary part is not only do I understand them but I actually have said many myself just as my brother has.  Now what makes this even more interesting is that many of my friends that hunt with us have learned to understand what is being said and have also said many themselves even though they have no bloodline relationship to my father and no relationship to Northeast PA. Now I'm not sure if this qualifies as a communicable disease or not but I have been in contact with the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) just to be safe.

I don't remember how it all started but many hunting seasons ago we just couldn't keep up with all the Curtisms that my dad was spitting out so we started a log book and would record them so we could document them and define their true meanings and origins.  Keeping track of them started out as an easy task, but as the years have gone by and Curtisms became common place we found out we were losing some of the best ones.  We decided to ensure that no more Curtisms slipped through the cracks we had to resort to issuing every person that hunts with us a pocket sized notepad and some No. 2 pencils along with a mandatory training class on how to detect a Curtism and how to properly record it. Even with this intense training a few Curtism seem to slip by only to be caught and recorded minutes and sometimes hours later.

The good news is I really don't think this is contagious unless you come in direct contact with my father for an extended period of time.  So in the meantime we will do our best to record and document all new Curtisms while trying to enjoy our hunts.

Here are few additional Curtisms to make you go hmmmmm!

Curtism:  Store buy
Used in a sentence:  did you store buy that sandwich?
Translation:  Did you purchase that sandwich at a store.

Curtism: Straight as a dot
Used in a sentence: That tree is straight as a dot
Translation: Not really sure here, but we do know the tree was really straight.

Curtism: Frozy
Used in a sentence: It's not frosty out, only a little frozy
Translation: Not cold enough to create frost on the ground, but still cold

Curtism: Scrub
Used in a sentence: Did you see that scrub?
Translation: A scrub is a cross between a scrape and a rub.

Curtism: Wearin socks
Used in a sentence: Those aren't wearin socks
Translation:  Those socks are not for wearing with shoes, but instead used for lounging around the house

Okay, the last one was said by me when my daughter was trying to put her sneakers on over a pair of those fluffy socks.....It made sense at the time.