English Lit, Real Housewives Style

Last night I determined that the Real Housewives of New Jersey, is, in fact educational.

I learned the word Ingredientses.

Last season I was introduced to the new accepted plural of the word woman: womens. Also, as Cheryl reminded me on Twitter, last week we were schooled in the interchangeable application of delicatessen and delicacy. As in,  I know, I know… [Fois Gras] is a delicatessen in French.

(Ah, my favorite European country: French.)

Of course I realize that I should not be judging. If I had cameras pointed at me every second of every waking moment of every day, I would humiliate myself verbally to no end. Just last night, Sage exclaimed over her ravioli, “I cutted mines all by myself!”

I corrected her: “I cutted mine, sweetie.”

{25 Comments}

25 thoughts on “English Lit, Real Housewives Style”

  1. Someone else's kid says “mines!” My middle child says that, I think because it sounds right to her with “yours” (yours and mines). I haven't had the heart to correct it because it's one of the few mispronunciations she has left and it makes me smile.

    Of course, I was in my twenties before I figured out the phrase is not “For all intensive purposes,” so maybe I should correct her already.

  2. I thought voluptuous had an “M” in it until I was in my 20's. “Volumptuous.” (I think it is better with the M)

    I have so many issues speaking and saying the wrong thing, I'm sure viewers would have a field day with me if I were on a reality show.

  3. I love that Tre followed “ingredientses” with mispronouncing cumin in what my ears heard as a dirty word…but that's probably just because I know how to spell cumin, right? An honest, common mistake on her part…

  4. My husband claimed he first fell in love with me because I was the only woman he knew who didn't say “expresso.” But I drive him crazy now when I confuse 'bring' and 'take.' As in “Bring this to the delicacy in France.”

  5. AAH! “Expresso” drives me nuts! The worst is when I hear people who work in a coffee shop putting the “x” in there. You would think they would have seen the word written enough times to notice that it's an “s”. But, no.

    I've not seen any of the Real Housewives shows but I'm actually considering it now, just for the unintentional comedy factor. Also it's summer and my Tivo is nearly empty.

  6. If I had cameras pointed at me every second of every waking moment of every day, I would humiliate myself verbally to no end.

    Yet another reason I don't understand the willingness of these people to expose their lives, unedited, to the entire world.

  7. A. I thought background was backround sans “g” for most of my life. As I take great pride in my ability to spell, I was mortified to learn I was mistaken.

    B. When a child says “ingredientses” it's adorable. When a “real housewife” says it, well, cameras on or not, it does not bode well. I judge them. But, isn't that the point of reality tv? For us to judge how idiotic people are? (Should I not have said that out loud?)

  8. Here in Jersey, we just have to walk outside to get schooled, preferably on a boardwalk or at the mall.

    We like to count the Jerseyisms on “Cake Boss.” When Buddy said, “They were so excited about the cake, it was like I was freakin' Bon Jovi or somethin',” we instantly became hooked on the show.
    Fuhgeddaboudit.

  9. From the Jersey Girl Dictionary of automotive terminology:
    “Headrestesses”
    n. pl. You know, that thing that goes behind your head on your seat.

  10. we could make a whole new show just off the mispronunications and made up words of the housewives!

  11. The delicatessen one cracked me RIGHT UP! Sometimes you see her looking at the camera like “is that the right word?” but this time she was SURE she had it right. And that chef wanted to hang himself with a money rope, I think.

    I saw someone mention cumin, and that one cracked me up, too. Like what is this mysterious coomin you speak of? We Italians don't use that. We just use that thing labeled Italian seasoning and a can of tomatoes. I mean, I know she probably does “cook” but come on! I was also dying to know if she includes anything in her book about how chicks on their period can't work on the sauce, do you remember that episode???

  12. I pretty much swore off the whole Real Housewives franchise after the 1st season of RHONJ. Nobody should ever be that nasty.

    Somehow my entire family “excaped” Jersey without the accent or the verbal quirks.

    Up in Mass, though there are a few that drive me nuts like “So didn't I!”

  13. Real Housewives of Wisconsin: “I seen you somewheres.”

    And here I sit, in my glass house, from where I corrected my daughter just this very morning when she said, “Daddy and me had more funner.” To which I distractedly replied, “Daddy and I had more funner.”

    No rolling cameras here, please.

  14. I love the look on everyone at the set, thinking, “This woman has a bestseller? And I have a degree from Brown?”

  15. I don't even know what to say…

    It's commonplace to say “aks” instead of “ask” around here . Just praying to God my kids don't pick up on it before we move again!! 😉

  16. The smirks on the faces of the other people in the room when “Ingredientses” came out of her mouth was priceless!

    This morning I woke up to the sound of my daughter repeatedly recording herself creating a mock TV ad in which she was saying: “Hurry, the aren’t much tickets left.” So the first words out of my mouth today were: “MANY! There aren’t MANY tickets left!”

    Yes, poor grammar at 7am is enough to tip me over the edge – obviously I’m not a morning person. 🙂

    1. I can hardly form sentences at 7AM. You’re one up on me, actually knowing which ones are grammatically correct!

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