THERE'S AN OLD New York City word — really not so much a word as the pronunciation of three words together — that has made it into the Oxford English dictionary. The word is "fuhgeddaboudit." It's old New Yorkese for "forget about it" but it takes on much more meaning.
Fuhgeddaboudit can simply mean "forget about it, the issue isn't worth a moment's thought."
In response to a question, it can mean "no."
If I were to say Mesón Salvador has the best food in Fuengirola and you agreed, you might say, "Fuhgeddaboudit!"
If you were to say, "It costs HOW much to get your drivers license in Spain?" I could respond, "Fuhgeddaboudit!"
This all came to mind when San Geraldo and I had lunch at the restaurant at El Corte Inglés department store this week. The dessert menu listed specialty coffees. One was called "Affogato Al Caffé," which made me say, "Affuhgaddaboud da cawfee!"
NOTE: Affogato is actually an Italian dessert of vanilla ice cream with a shot of espresso.
Ugh! Fuhgeddaboudit!
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| LEAVING BROOKLYN IN 2016. IT WAS A ROUGH YEAR. FUHGEDDABOUDIT! SALIR DE BROOKLYN EN 2016. FUE UN AÑO DIFÍCIL. ¡FUHGEDDABOUDIT! |
HAY UNA VIEJA palabra en la ciudad de Nueva York — realmente no tanto una palabra como la pronunciación de tres palabras juntas — que ha llegado al diccionario inglés de Oxford. La palabra es "fuhgeddaboudit". Es viejo Nueva Yorkese para "olvidarse de eso" pero adquiere mucho más significado.
Fuhgeddaboutit simple puede significar "olvidarse de eso", no vale la pena pensarlo un momento.
En respuesta a una pregunta, puede significar "no".
Si yo dijera que Mesón Salvador tiene la mejor comida en Fuengirola y tu estuvo de acuerdo, podría decir: "¡Fuhgeddaboudit!"
Si dijera: "¿Cuánto cuesta obtener su licencia de conducir en España?" Podría responder, "Fuhgeddaboudit!"
Todo esto me vino a la mente cuando San Geraldo y yo almorzamos en el restaurante en El Corte Inglés esta semana. El menú de postres tenía cafés especiales. Uno fue llamado "Affogato Al Caffé", que me hizo decir: "¡Affuhgaddaboud da cawfee!" (como, "Me olvidé del café" ... en Nueva Yorkese.)
NOTA: Affogato es en realidad un postre italiano de helado de vainilla con una inyección de espresso.
¡Uf! Fuhgeddaboudit!
Fuhgeddaboutit simple puede significar "olvidarse de eso", no vale la pena pensarlo un momento.
En respuesta a una pregunta, puede significar "no".
Si yo dijera que Mesón Salvador tiene la mejor comida en Fuengirola y tu estuvo de acuerdo, podría decir: "¡Fuhgeddaboudit!"
Si dijera: "¿Cuánto cuesta obtener su licencia de conducir en España?" Podría responder, "Fuhgeddaboudit!"
Todo esto me vino a la mente cuando San Geraldo y yo almorzamos en el restaurante en El Corte Inglés esta semana. El menú de postres tenía cafés especiales. Uno fue llamado "Affogato Al Caffé", que me hizo decir: "¡Affuhgaddaboud da cawfee!" (como, "Me olvidé del café" ... en Nueva Yorkese.)
NOTA: Affogato es en realidad un postre italiano de helado de vainilla con una inyección de espresso.
¡Uf! Fuhgeddaboudit!
Donnie Brasco explains "Fuhgeddaboudit."
Donnie Brasco explica "Fugeddaboudit."
Oh, I see. Fuhgeddaboudit's meaning is heavily nuanced depending on context and how it is said. Only New Yorkers truly understand its many uses. Sort of like Canadians and the word eh.
ReplyDeleteDebra:
DeleteYou sound so much more learned in your explanation. I should have checked with you first, eh?
YO has many meanings in this city. and thank you for spelling cawfee correctly.
ReplyDeleteanne marie:
DeleteThere's a great gift shop in Coney Island that has a bunch of product spelled "correctly." Cawfee, dish clawth, sugah sawlt, peppah... I wanted to buy them all.
Looks yummy! My grandmother's uncle lived on Pearl Street in Brooklyn in the late 1920's, - I found her address book from 1928 looking through things from my father's house.
ReplyDeleteTravel:
DeletePearl Street! That's in downtown Brooklyn not far from where we stay and it runs right into the neighborhood of DUMBO and the end of Brooklyn Bridge Park, too. Now a very cool neighborhood.
I need to get that into my vocabulary, just to mess with the Southerners.
ReplyDeleteBob:
DeleteI wonder what the Smallville version would be.
I first came across "fuhgeddaboudit" in Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities in the 1980s. Had to look at the word three times before I finally got it.
ReplyDeleteKirk:
DeleteI did know people who used the word all the time. Never thought much of it until it left New York ... a hundred and thirty eight years ago.
Makes me think of cappagool and pastafazool...
ReplyDeleteFrank:
DeleteOh, I know! That always drove me crazy. I remember saying pasta e fagioli and being corrected!
There is a Rx in psychiatry called Fukitol.
ReplyDelete