Many of my friends and coaching clients comment on the various expressions I share. If you have hung out with me at all, been on a telecall of mine, follow me on Facebook, or even listened to me speak at an event, you’ve probably heard a saying or two that have caused you to pause.
Well, today on Facebook a friend of mine asked me what the expression Hokey Dinah really meant. Apparently she had been meaning to ask the question for some time. (Um, apparently I use it quite frequently.)
Well Judy Dunn I have the definition for you!
Hokey Dinah - an exclamation of surprise or marvel. Subjects: English
That is an expression I have used since I was a teenager. I picked it up one summer from my youth pastor’s wife. I know right? And as I recall, she actually had a different definition for it that I won’t share here.
But for me, it stuck in my vocabulary as something of unabashed amazement. Often used when I am caught off guard by something I just learned about myself.
So there you have it. Now when you find yourself saying “Hokey Dinah” not only will you laugh and think of me, you will know the definition for yourself.
A few of the other expressions I get questions on are:
“‘Oh my heck!” – an expression of shock and awe
“Broke, Busted and Disgusted” – a feeling of overwhelm and frustration
“Hot Dog Hallelujah” – an exclamation of sheer joy for another’s success (and I learned that from friend Nancy Juetten)
There are of course the words I enjoy to seemingly ‘make up’ as I go along my path. And perhaps I will share those with you someday too. But for now I hope you can find ways to express yourself freely in the world. Share your special knack for creative speaking and share your exclamations of joy with others.
But before you go…will you share a personal expression of yours with me here? Now, please keep it G-rated!
I can’t believe you did a post on “Hokey Dinah.” That’s hilarious.
Could its origin be regional? Your pastor’s wife grew up in the south or New England or something? It’s just so weird that this is the first time I ever heard it. Ever.
It’s strange, I can’t think of an expression I use all the time. Maybe because it’s me, saying it all the time, I don’t hear it. Will have to ask Bob. : )
Thanks for the mini-language lesson, Tammy.
Actually, she was from Canada. Maybe that explains it.
Oh I am sure you have an expression that you use and just don’t realize it. Of course as you know, I have a few and I just embrace them. Really don’t notice until someone comments.
Glad to be of assistance teacher. I mean my heck I have sure learned a lot from you. If only I provide timeouts for humor, I am good with that.
One word I use a lot and it is very self explanatory….. yagottawanna. I seems to fit into many conversations on just about any subject. Loved your blog. I am going to make it a must read for me as you have just great practical advice.
Hi tammy,
We all have words and phrases that are part of our vocabulary that also speak our personal brand.
In fact, my friend Liz “Red Fire Branding” Goodgold wrote a fabulous book on this topic. It’s called Red Fire Branding: Create a Hot Personal Brand to Have Customers for Life! She goes into detail about the important of brand vocabulary and how it needs to resonate and be meaningful to our ideal clients.
She says we should write down the key phrases we use all the time and double check to make sure they are a fit for our personal brands. It’s a very telling and compelling exercise that I also highly recommend.
Nicely done Tammy!! You are awesome!
My share is for the word “dang”….one time I observed a friend in a heated situation where people were getting very colorful with their words..when it came time for him to speak he just said….”dang”….and he said it fairly quiet and calmly….you could have heard a pin drop in the room after that….I’ve never forgotten it….and now sometimes when I’m really in need of calm and its storming around me I just hear the word….”dang”….kinda takes the pop out of it all!