Firewater Friday - Quote this

When I was a teenager everything was like this or like that . . . like like like like like . . . yeah, like that.  In fact, I so abused the word like that my mother forbade me to speak it . . . it was so impossible that I was practically speechless for like an entire month.

The use of 'like' in this manner is called the “like quotative”.  It's most prevailant in the United States among teenage girls . . . but the phenomena is global in English speaking countries.




A quotative is grammatical tool to notate reported speech and is typically enclosed in quotations in written speech.


The use of 'like' is . . . uhm . . . like a conveyance of an attitude or an approximation of a statement as opposed to an exact quote.

Saw the whole thing, dude. First you were all like "whoa", and we were like "whoa", and you were like "whoa..." 





]It's interesting to note that in the mid 20th century another word became a new quotative . . . 'go'. 



Much like teenagers today say . . . She was like, "that was totally rad" and then he was all like, "nah, it was so dry".


People then were saying:  And he goes, "that dame is the cat's meow" and then he goes "be careful, she's a moll"


The use of 'like' has become a linguistic tsunami . . . the like quotative has gone from practically nonexistent usage to a common manner of speech in a relatively short period of time.  And although it crested in the 80's 'like's' usage is receding.

A newer quotative is the 'all' quotative.  You know he was all, “I don’t know.”


The English language ebbs and flows . . . it gets used and abused.  I admit I abuse it all the time . . . but I'm all like whatever.  






White Zinfandel-Infused Strawberry Ice Pops 


6 to 8 large strawberries
4 ounces of raw cane sugar
4 fluid ounces of water
8 Ounces white zinfandel  


Combine sugar and water in saucepan. Gently heat while stirring until sugar completely dissolves.


Remove from heat and allow syrup to completely cool.


Rinse strawberries and pat dry. With paring knife, remove stems.


Lightly puree strawberries with wine.  


Combine puree with cooled syrup.


Pour into molds, add sticks, and freeze until solid (about four to 6 hours). 


Unmold and serve, or place in plastic bags for storage.