Next stop, Crash & Burn Gultch!
“Winning”
Do you know about this? Of course you’re familiar with the word. But did you know that, thanks to Charlie Sheen, it is the latest catchphrase?
Think of catchphrases like cha-ching, as if, LOL, hubba-hubba; who knows where they come from? You wake up one day and a new buzzword has arrived.
Here’s the latest:
Peg-o-Leg!
Yes, my name is a soon-to-be-viral catchphrase. What does it mean? It’s a joyful announcement of triumph, of great accomplishment and congratulations. Atta Boy… Good For You…. I Did It…Alert The Media…Whoo Hoo… Peg-o-Leg!
You pronounce this with emphasis on the first and third syllables. It will often be accompanied by a hand smack. Not an ordinary high 5, mind you. Peg-o-Leg will ring out with a slap of two hands up high – real high.
I could also see it being used by hep-cats, the accents subdued and the last syllable drawn out: peg-o-leeeeegggg, exchanging a smooth slide on the gimme 5, down low, after a great jam session. Miles Davis may be involved.
Soon I’ll be as famous as the originator of Winning. The difference is I’m not hitching a ride on the Charlie Sheen Express, hurtling toward Crash & Burn Gulch, with the engineer the only one who can’t see the signs flashing by: “Bridge Out Ahead”.
I need your help to get this going. When you’re telling everyone about the account you just landed, when you’ve just sunk a great shot, for every big moment of triumph: Peg-o-Leg! When people ask what it means, give them a condescending, pitying-because-they-are-so-behind-the-times smile, and explain.
It’s like starting The Wave at a football stadium. You feel like a big doofus the first few tries when you’re the only one standing up and waving your arms. Then a few people near you buy in. Now you’ve got a posse. A few more waves, a few more people. Then suddenly, it’s caught on like wildfire and goes all round the stadium.
Months from now, you’ll be walking down the street and see a couple of junior high boys playing hoops. One makes a basket. They’ll bump chests and belt out Peg-o-Leg!
You’ll think, “Hey, I helped start that. I was there for the birth of Peg-o-Leg! I cut the umbilical cord and wiped off the cheesy vernix of Peg-o-Leg! (But I didn’t watch the Peg-o-Leg afterbirth. Yuck.)”
How will you feel? Your heart will swell with pride. You’ll want to jump up and, at the top of your lungs shout… well, you know.
Peg-o-Leg's Ramblings 
You know, I was with you right up until the cutting of the umbilical cord – I’m afraid that’s just a little too intimate for me.
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Oh. Do you think I took the “birth of an idea” analogy a bit too far?
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Yeah – I could’ve used an epidural.
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Make that a leather strap to bite on, you weenie.
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Calling people names will not help your Peg-O-Leg mission. Tsk, tsk.
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I’ve obviously got such a huge groundswell of interest in this idea, I can afford to alienate one or two people.
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I’m reminded of John Belushi’s impassioned yet futile attempt to rally the Delta House after they lost their charter.
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Futile???
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Wormer revoked the charter.
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Yes, but are you predicting that my impassioned attempt will be futile?
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“Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor??”
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7 years of pre-med down the drain!
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Are you sure you’re not nuts?
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Pretty sure.
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Cheesy vernix. Somehow, I see junior high-age boys yelling this instead.
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It does have a bit of a ring to it, doesn’t it?
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Eew.
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That’s the term that stuck with my husband most from childbirth classes.
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If you honeyhand I’ll peg-o-leg.
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I don’t know – it sounds kinda dirty.
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Haha it’s not *that* dirty. It’s collecting everything that is good in the world: http://thunkedthoughts.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/drizzle-sounds-like-honey-honey/
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It’s a lovely word! Deal. Between us we’ll change the language.
I only knew about your peasant lola blog on food – I thought you stopped writing cuz there wasn’t anything new there in months. Aren’t you a woman of many talents and mystery?
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Now you really are in need of that rest, Peg. (I won’t shout Peg-o-leg ’cause it’s not a happy occasion). Remember that post before about talking to yourself? Hmmm??? Be careful, be very careful…
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Wait a minute, as you can clearly tell from the title, I’m NOT nuts.
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I’m so glad to have my MacBook out of the shop and to be able to catch up on your blog. Funny stuff there, PegoLeg!
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