Posted on: Sunday, December 16, 2007
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So no one gets lost in translation while in N'awlins
By
Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist
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Bayou (by' you)
interjection
What Hawai'i slotback Davone Bess could say to defensive backs on his way to the end zone.
Advertiser library photo
Advertiser library photo
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With hoards of University of Hawai'i football fans preparing to descend on New Orleans this month for the Jan. 1 showdown with Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, there are more than time zones to be navigated. There is also a cultural and linguistic divide to be negotiated.
For those who were fortunate enough to get a ticket — or a couple dozen — but don't know a shotgun house (a style of architecture) from shotgun formation, or an alligator pear (avocado) from a punter, we offer a glossary to aid in easing the transition — and translation.
So, y'all pull up a chair and study up.
Bayou (by' you): Slow body of water running through a marsh area. Pronounced like bye-you, which is what happens when a defensive back tries to stay with Davone Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullins, C.J. Hawthorne or Jason Rivers.
Beignet (bin-yey): French doughnut, minus the hole, that resembles a square malasada with powdered sugar. The width of one is about how close Georgia came to playing in the Bowl Championship Series national title game.
Do-do (dough-dough): Sleepy, said to come from the French verb dormir (to sleep). What happens if you try to figure out BCS formulas.
Elleshew (ella-e-shoo): LSU, as in Louisiana State University from down the road in Baton Rouge. The pride of the state and the team UH would have played if the Tigers didn't vault over Georgia for a place in the BCS national title game.
Gris gris (gree gree): Something of a voodoo spell. What people had begun to fear had been cast upon UH by Boise State until the Warriors finally knocked off the Broncos last month.
Lagniappe (lan'yap): An unexpected bonus. A little something extra. Sort of like running back David Farmer, who came to UH as a walk-on before earning a scholarship this season.
Laissez le Bon temp rouler (lazay la bom tom roulay): Let the good times roll. Which is what will happen on New Year's should the Warriors beat Georgia to finish the season 13-0.
Muffuletta (moo fa lotta): A huge, filled-to-overflowing sandwich that represents a fusion of Italian and New Orleans cuisine. Recommended meal for offensive linemen.
N'awlins: New Orleans. However you want to say it, it is the site of the biggest game in UH history.
Picayune (Pick-ee-yune): Manini stuff; to nit pick. Kind of like what ESPN analyst Mel Kiper does to Colt Brennan and the Warriors.
Po' boy (Paw-boy): New Orleans specialty sandwich made on French bread. Also something Brennan is not likely to be once he signs an NFL contract.
Snowball: New Orleans version of shave ice. Not that average high temperatures in the low 60s will have many people from Hawai'i craving them. Also an approximation of UH's chances of getting to the Sugar Bowl when the schedule was finally announced in June.
Squeeze the tail: One of the recommended techniques for eating crawfish. Or tackling a Bulldog.
Where Y' at?: The New Orleans version of "howz it?"
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.
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