Follow the Fortune Cookie

Call Me Snicklefritz

"Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul,
and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all." - Emily Dickinson
Currently listening to: "Bohemian Rhapsody" - Queen
Currently reading: "Side Jobs: Stories from the Dresden Files" - Jim Butcher

Just call me Snicklefritz.

My mother does. Granted, I'm not the only one she calls that. It was one of those nicknames as I kid when she felt like being cheeky and wanted what ever was happening to go over my head. I always felt special by the name, though. Kind of like being called princess without the frill. She called me Snicklefritz this morning after at least a decade absence of being named such. I felt five again, in a good way. There were big smiles and dreams of ponies and days where I thought tutus and cowboy boots looked pretty together. Suddenly, it became my word-of-the-day.

Soon everyone I knew was Snicklefritz: my parents (mom - amused, father - annoyed), my guy (extremely amused), my friends (confused as all hell), random people on the street (ranging from tickled pink to downright hostile). Even my doctor who thought it was a hoot. Here's a thing: I have no idea what it means. After the day was almost complete I finally got the bright idea to look up the word. Here is what I found using the Urban Dictionary.

Snicklefritz was originally used in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, where Snicklefritz is an affectionate name for a mischievous or overly talkative child.

"Schnickelfritz" was the name of a somewhat popular comedy band in the 1930s

In 1953 Billy Wilder both directed and co-wrote the Oscar winning war drama "Stalag 17" About a WWII PoW accused of being an informant within the camp. One scene in the film involves the PoWs betting on mouse races for cigarettes. one race involves two mice named Snicklefritz and Equipoise. Snicklefritz loses to Equipoise when it stops to chase its tail during the race.

From 1992-2006 a Canadian children's television series called "The Big Comfy Couch" about Loonette the Clown and her doll Molly, who solve everyday problems on their 'Big Comfy Couch'. In the Show, Snicklefritz is the character Granny Garbanzo's scallywag cat.

The 2008 Comedy "Pineapple Express solidified a whole new definition of the word within the Marijuana Subculture.

Snicklefritz is referred to in the movie as a very low grade of marijuana. This exact translation has weaved seamlessly throughout the subculture's dialog as to still be used to designate the lowest grades of marijuana or any random strain. This is widely accepted throughout the U.S. as the most common and popular definition of the word.

So there ya go. Word-of-the-day. I dare you to try it out...Snicklefritz.