What I should have said

carpriver

carpriver

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As church yesterday a person I have not seen in a couple weeks asked me If I had lost weight, I said No. What I should have said it, I may have I had a healthy bowel movement before I left home.

What are some of your belated come backs?
 
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Because I am on advanced cancer treatments these days, I just respond "Thank the docs!"
Or, "hope I don't lose any more!"
 
We have two pastors at our church...last week the female pastor was talking with folks before the service. She asked me how it was going? I told her " any better it would hurt " she laughed and said...I'll have to remember that one!

spricks
 
When I was going through recovery following cancer surgery the one thing that really started getting to me was the flippant way people say "How ya doin?" I learned a lot from that. Today I only say "How are you doing?" if I am truly concerned about how a friend is doing. Or if I see someone that I may only know by name and they seem a little distraught I may ask.
It brings to mind another time years ago when I was driving a city bus. I had good sized load on our way to town, the usual morning commute. I do remember picking up a middle aged Hispanic woman and had greeted her with my usual "Mornin", she had smiled and said in broken English "Good Morning."
A ways down the road and I heard a good healthy sneeze and went about my driving business. Soon afterward I heard the Hispanic woman say in a rather loud voice "Isn't someone going to bless me?" I didn't know what to do but said "Bless you." She said "Thank You." I did not know if that was a Hispanic custom or just plain good manners, it made me feel like we were a bunch of heathens.
My wife and I have been together 43 years, although she was brought up well, her family does not "Bless you" or so much as a "Godsundeight" (Gott beschutze dich) which was what my family did.
 
Kinman said:
My wife and I have been together 43 years, although she was brought up well, her family does not "Bless you" or so much as a "Godsundeight" (Gott beschutze dich) which was what my family did.
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I am not that swuft at German, but I always thought that the standard American reply was "Gesundheit," meaning "Health." ??
 
Model520Fan said:
I am not that swuft at German, but I always thought that the standard American reply was "Gesundheit," meaning "Health." ??
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I was visiting some friends in eastern PA and the husband's father was present. At one point I heard him sneeze and a lady nearby said "Sei gesund" (German/Yiddish meaning "Be healthy"). I was pretty proud of myself for being able to understand that right away.
 
I believe bless you originated back when people thought the sneezer had cast out a demon.
 
Several years ago, I was getting my annual check-up and blood work that's mandated by our insurance company. If I don't have it done, they withhold a 30% discount from our premium. :rolleyes:

My doctor came into the examining room, took my blood pressure and asked why it was so high. I told him that I'm always nervous seeing a doctor and my BP is generally fine at home.

I should have said, "You'd be hot too in my place. Our appointment was well over two hours ago."
 
Kinman said:
... her family does not "Bless you" or so much as a "Godsundeight" (Gott beschutze dich) which was what my family did.
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Nothing personal, but take it from a native German speaker, that is not a German word, but looks like Gods, und (= and), and eight stuck together. If your family spelled it like that, it was purely phonetic.

It is indeed "Gesundheit", wishing the person health.
 
Absalom said:
Nothing personal, but take it from a native German speaker, that is not a German word, but looks like Gods, und (= and), and eight stuck together. If your family spelled it like that, it was purely phonetic.

It is indeed "Gesundheit", wishing the person health.
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You are absolutely correct, that was my attempt at phonetic spelling of Gesundheit, which in my ignorance thought was a shortened version of God bless you or Gott beschutze dich.
 
Kinman said:
You are absolutely correct, that was my attempt at phonetic spelling of Gesundheit, which in my ignorance thought was a shortened version of God bless you or Gott beschutze dich.
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It's actually not a bad approximation.

Somebody once told me something he insisted was German, which I heard as "Our feet are stained!"

It took me a bit to realize he was working on "Auf Wiedersehen!"

"Gott beschütze dich" translates as "May God protect you" and depending on the region the people came from could well have had the same function locally as "Gesundheit". There are lots of geographic variations in language use.
 
Marshwheeling said:
Good, honest thread. If one's tales of his snappy comebacks were accurately recounted, most of them would say "What I should've said was...."
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And then there are the snappy comebacks you have at the tip of your tongue when needed, but then you decide you're not that mean-spirited ... :D

My health requires me to utilize a power wheelchair at times. I can't count the number of times somebody, probably well-meaning and trying to come up with a friendly comment, has remarked "Gee, I wish I had something this fancy I could just drive everywhere like that!"

My dream reply: "Listen, bozo, you make it so I don't need this, and I'll give it to you for free!"
 
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