"Baby frog fish" is the expression Clark once used upon spotting a tadpole and not knowing the English term.
I was reminded of this (cute Clarkism) today while parking the car after returning from Homeplus. As I was backing into the space, my rear wheels nudged the rubber parking curb a little more aggressively than intended, at which point the following conversation ensued:
Clark: Oh! You hit the bar.
Sarah: I don't think it's called a bar.
Clark: What's it called?
Sarah: I can't remember.
Clark: Parking pole? Rubber blockage? Rubber stopper?
Sarah: (laughing) No. I don't know, I can't remember.
Clark: Wheel blocker? Back stop?
Sarah: Definitely not ~ that's not English. I don't know, I seriously can't remember.
And herein lies the problem; I'm losing my English vocabulary! Before writing this post, I had to Google "rubber in parking lot" which subsequently led me to the phrase "rubber parking curb" (used above). 34 years-old and I can't remember the word 'curb'. Not good.
My inability to recall English words seems to be occurring with greater frequency and resulting in asinine conversations like the one above. I guess this is what inevitably happens when you live in a foreign country for an extended period of time without the company of friends who speak the same language (natively). If I stop to ponder for a moment, I have to admit that my English is riddled with Konglish expressions, flawed grammar, and gaping vocabulary holes. Perhaps I should invest in some native English-speaking friends?
I have the same problem! ^^
ReplyDeleteToday as I was driving I told my husband how well our son had taken my 1st aid treatment of a dirty cut on his palm. I said to my husband, "He didn't even flinch when I used the toothpicks...chopsticks...ummm.."
My husband looked at me funny and said "Tweezers?" >.< Yes, that was the word I forgot!
I also frequently come out with Spoonerisms, much to the delight of my friends and family. Shameful that I still call myself and English teacher.. ^.~