eskimo slang — liquid lexicon
They say the Eskimoes have 50 words for snow. Down at the equatorial jungles of the South End we got way more than that describing rain. We even got words for when it DOESN’T rain: Partly Cloudy. Dripping. Chance of Showers.
Folks who visit ask does it rain here all the time? And I say, depends on what kind you mean. You talking downpour or drizzle? You referring to sprinkles or showers? Gullywashers or mist? Thunderstorms or real heavy drippy fog? Intermittent or steady? Rain mixed with sleet? Rain mixed with snow? Rain mixed with tears?
I suppose we’re splitting hairs. It’s all soggy, moody stuff. People are surprised when we tell em the average rainfall on the South End is less than 25 inches a year. Rainshadow, I tell em. Like living under a wide-brimmed hat. Not exactly dry but it explains why most of us don’t own umbrellas.
Some folks can’t take it. They pack up the show about November and head for the trailerpark luxury of suburbs springing up in Nevada, New Mexico or Arizona. Isn’t any word at ALL for liquid precipitation down there. Rainbirds, we call em on the South End. Set up in some pleasant desert cul-de-sac and snicker at us mossy coots they left behind under the dripping evergreeens.
Around April or May they’ll come back to air out the mildewed shack. Won’t be a week before they’re adding to the rich vocabulary we got for wet precipitation. Mostly four letter ones….
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