Bird-in-Hand Glossary
(This post contains a listing of all of the specialized terms and expressions I use in my fanfic, Bird-in-Hand. Updated with each new chapter posting.)
All (as in, "Is the medicine all?"): all gone; used up
Amish: Christian group descended from the Anabaptist movement that follows a literal interpretation of the Bible, particularly Jesus Christ's teachings. The Amish imbue their daily lives with the practice of their faith, giving up individual needs and living separately from the world by, for example, adhering to their own style of simple dress and rejecting modern technology (such as cars) that would threaten their community's separation from the surrounding society. The Amish do not worship in formal churches, but in each others' homes and barns, led by men (no women) with no special religious training. (Actually, they're chosen by lottery and serve for life.) Amish practices can vary widely among districts, depending on each district's governing rules.
Anabaptists: Umbrella term that includes the Amish. The Anabaptists emerged at the time of the Protestant Reformation and hold that baptism should be an adult decision to follow Jesus Christ, based on his teachings from his Sermon on the Mount. Because most of their followers--at the time of their formation--had already been baptized as infants, their detractors called them Anabaptists (meaning re-baptizers). The Anabaptists were persecuted for their beliefs, detailed gruesomely in The Martyr's Mirror, one of the key texts used by the Amish. It's probably not too far of a stretch to see how this history (and ongoing focus on it) helped solidify the Amish identification of the true church as a minority and their practice of a countercultural separation.
Birch beer: a soft drink resembling root beer made from the bark of birch trees
Chow chow: Sweet and tangy relish made with vinegar, mustard, sugar, and a variety of vegetables, such as corn, lima beans, green beans, peppers; recipes vary regionally
Crick: Creek
Dippy ecks: Dippy eggs; eggs fried sunny-side up or over-easy, with a runny yolk
Donnerwetter: literally thunderstorm; used as a mild interjection, such as “Gosh!”
Duddlich: drowsy and relaxed
Dummkopf: fool
Dutchies: slang for Pennsylvania Dutch/German people; not synonymous with Plain Folk. There are many people of Pennsylvania Dutch/German backgrounds who are not Plain.
Dutchified English: heavily accented English including a mix of Pennsylvania German words and phrases. I'm still searching for some good audio that demonstrates the sounds, such as dawn for the English word down, chust for just, haff for have, and (my favorite) crotch for garage. In the meantime, here's a NYT article that describes some of it.
Englisher: non-Plain person
Fastnachts: a plain, dense doughnut often eaten with molasses on Shrove Tuesday in the Pennsylvania German region; in this story, used as a tongue-in-cheek name for a gang
Ferhoodled: confused
Gang: Amish youth group, often the cornerstone of a young adult’s social life. Though some groups are known to be “rowdier” than others, they don’t have the same violent reputation as urban gangs. RL names of gangs in Lancaster County have included the Pinecones, Chipmunks, and Chickadees (all more conservative groups) and Shotguns, Happy Jacks, and Ammies (more deviant).
Get (as in, "Did the eggs get?"): turn out all right, as intended
Hexenmeister: a practitioner of pow-wowing (not Native American) or braucherei, a folk magic practice that uses verbal incantations and is rooted in Christianity; in this story, used as a tongue-in-cheek name for an Amish gang.
Hex sign: a type of Pennsylvania German folk art; circular, colorful barn adornments; may have begun for simply ornamental reasons, but then later interpreted by outsiders as having warding properties.
Ich hab nix dagege: I don't object.
Ja vell: anyway
Kapp: head cap worn by women, from about the age of twelve up. Here you can see how much the Kapps can vary from region to region.
Lebanon bologna: a smoky-sweet kind of sausage that resembles salami. Typically it’s sliced and used as a lunch meat for sandwiches.
Lieber Gott: Dear God
Machines: cars
Oak leaf: circular oak leaf hex sign pattern thought to symbolize strength of body and mind; this one was painted by Eric Claypoole, son of Johnny Claypoole, both well-known folk artists
Ordnung: regulations governing a church district; clarifies what is considered worldly and sinful; usually remains oral and unwritten
Pennsylvania Dutch: misnomer for Pennsylvania German; probably derives from the Pennsylvania German word ‘Deitsch,’ meaning ‘German’ which English-speakers mistranslated
Pennsylvania German: a dialect of the German language, resembling Palatine German folk speech; the primary of three languages spoken by Amish people (English and High German being the other two). Englishers in the Pennsylvania-German region also speak this language, though among them it is a dying language.
Plain: refers to a variety of Christian groups, including the Amish and Mennonites, who lead so-called "simple" lifestyles, separated from other societies to varying degrees.
Pot pie (Pennsylvania-German style): stew-like dish with thick, square egg noodles, chicken, potatoes, and celery. Looks like this and tastes like this.
Rumspringa: a period during adolescence when young people are given greater freedoms to explore the world at large. The amount of rebellion and experimentation that occurs during this time varies greatly among communities. In some districts, young people, especially boys, buy cars, wear English clothes, go to the movies, etc.. In other districts, activities are more likely to include singings, dinner parties, hikes, volleyball, etc.. Rumspringa draws to a close when individuals choose to be baptized and officially join the church, when they are then held strictly to its Ordnung. The vast majority of young people choose to be baptized; very few leave the community.
Schnupftuch: handkerchief
Scrapple: A sausage-like pork product that’s formed in a loaf, sliced, and fried.
Sell is nix as Baeffzes: That's nothing but piffling talk.
Shoo-fly pie: pie with a wet molasses bottom and a coffee cake-like topping, like this. Don't try this at home unless you like molasses.
Singing: Sunday night gathering of young people for singing religious hymns and socializing. The amount of actual singing that occurs varies according to the conservativeness of the church district.
Stroubly: messy
Vas in der Velt?: What in the world?
All (as in, "Is the medicine all?"): all gone; used up
Amish: Christian group descended from the Anabaptist movement that follows a literal interpretation of the Bible, particularly Jesus Christ's teachings. The Amish imbue their daily lives with the practice of their faith, giving up individual needs and living separately from the world by, for example, adhering to their own style of simple dress and rejecting modern technology (such as cars) that would threaten their community's separation from the surrounding society. The Amish do not worship in formal churches, but in each others' homes and barns, led by men (no women) with no special religious training. (Actually, they're chosen by lottery and serve for life.) Amish practices can vary widely among districts, depending on each district's governing rules.
Anabaptists: Umbrella term that includes the Amish. The Anabaptists emerged at the time of the Protestant Reformation and hold that baptism should be an adult decision to follow Jesus Christ, based on his teachings from his Sermon on the Mount. Because most of their followers--at the time of their formation--had already been baptized as infants, their detractors called them Anabaptists (meaning re-baptizers). The Anabaptists were persecuted for their beliefs, detailed gruesomely in The Martyr's Mirror, one of the key texts used by the Amish. It's probably not too far of a stretch to see how this history (and ongoing focus on it) helped solidify the Amish identification of the true church as a minority and their practice of a countercultural separation.
Birch beer: a soft drink resembling root beer made from the bark of birch trees
Chow chow: Sweet and tangy relish made with vinegar, mustard, sugar, and a variety of vegetables, such as corn, lima beans, green beans, peppers; recipes vary regionally
Crick: Creek
Dippy ecks: Dippy eggs; eggs fried sunny-side up or over-easy, with a runny yolk
Donnerwetter: literally thunderstorm; used as a mild interjection, such as “Gosh!”
Duddlich: drowsy and relaxed
Dummkopf: fool
Dutchies: slang for Pennsylvania Dutch/German people; not synonymous with Plain Folk. There are many people of Pennsylvania Dutch/German backgrounds who are not Plain.
Dutchified English: heavily accented English including a mix of Pennsylvania German words and phrases. I'm still searching for some good audio that demonstrates the sounds, such as dawn for the English word down, chust for just, haff for have, and (my favorite) crotch for garage. In the meantime, here's a NYT article that describes some of it.
Englisher: non-Plain person
Fastnachts: a plain, dense doughnut often eaten with molasses on Shrove Tuesday in the Pennsylvania German region; in this story, used as a tongue-in-cheek name for a gang
Ferhoodled: confused
Gang: Amish youth group, often the cornerstone of a young adult’s social life. Though some groups are known to be “rowdier” than others, they don’t have the same violent reputation as urban gangs. RL names of gangs in Lancaster County have included the Pinecones, Chipmunks, and Chickadees (all more conservative groups) and Shotguns, Happy Jacks, and Ammies (more deviant).
Get (as in, "Did the eggs get?"): turn out all right, as intended
Hexenmeister: a practitioner of pow-wowing (not Native American) or braucherei, a folk magic practice that uses verbal incantations and is rooted in Christianity; in this story, used as a tongue-in-cheek name for an Amish gang.
Hex sign: a type of Pennsylvania German folk art; circular, colorful barn adornments; may have begun for simply ornamental reasons, but then later interpreted by outsiders as having warding properties.
Ich hab nix dagege: I don't object.
Ja vell: anyway
Kapp: head cap worn by women, from about the age of twelve up. Here you can see how much the Kapps can vary from region to region.
Lebanon bologna: a smoky-sweet kind of sausage that resembles salami. Typically it’s sliced and used as a lunch meat for sandwiches.
Lieber Gott: Dear God
Machines: cars
Oak leaf: circular oak leaf hex sign pattern thought to symbolize strength of body and mind; this one was painted by Eric Claypoole, son of Johnny Claypoole, both well-known folk artists
Ordnung: regulations governing a church district; clarifies what is considered worldly and sinful; usually remains oral and unwritten
Pennsylvania Dutch: misnomer for Pennsylvania German; probably derives from the Pennsylvania German word ‘Deitsch,’ meaning ‘German’ which English-speakers mistranslated
Pennsylvania German: a dialect of the German language, resembling Palatine German folk speech; the primary of three languages spoken by Amish people (English and High German being the other two). Englishers in the Pennsylvania-German region also speak this language, though among them it is a dying language.
Plain: refers to a variety of Christian groups, including the Amish and Mennonites, who lead so-called "simple" lifestyles, separated from other societies to varying degrees.
Pot pie (Pennsylvania-German style): stew-like dish with thick, square egg noodles, chicken, potatoes, and celery. Looks like this and tastes like this.
Rumspringa: a period during adolescence when young people are given greater freedoms to explore the world at large. The amount of rebellion and experimentation that occurs during this time varies greatly among communities. In some districts, young people, especially boys, buy cars, wear English clothes, go to the movies, etc.. In other districts, activities are more likely to include singings, dinner parties, hikes, volleyball, etc.. Rumspringa draws to a close when individuals choose to be baptized and officially join the church, when they are then held strictly to its Ordnung. The vast majority of young people choose to be baptized; very few leave the community.
Schnupftuch: handkerchief
Scrapple: A sausage-like pork product that’s formed in a loaf, sliced, and fried.
Sell is nix as Baeffzes: That's nothing but piffling talk.
Shoo-fly pie: pie with a wet molasses bottom and a coffee cake-like topping, like this. Don't try this at home unless you like molasses.
Singing: Sunday night gathering of young people for singing religious hymns and socializing. The amount of actual singing that occurs varies according to the conservativeness of the church district.
Stroubly: messy
Vas in der Velt?: What in the world?