Truck Talk Volume 2: Regional Dialect
The other day, Sandy asked me if the many "colorful" phrases and instances of slang I use when referring to the Moving Biz are particular to the company I work with, or universally accepted in the industry. It's a good question, and one that deserves some examination before we proceed to vocabulary.
The company I work for, Gentle Giant, was founded by a group of college rowers, and still actively recruits from the local schools for rowers who (in their weaker moments) decide they want to carry other people's stuff around all day. It makes sense... rowers are accustomed to working together as a team under the direction of a single person, they tend to be tall, lanky and muscular, and they have great endurance and lower back strength. Thus, much of the slang peculiar to GG is based on rower vocab, such as:
Boated- When one is assigned to a particular job to begin at a specific time, e.g. "I'm boated for 6 AM in Somerville tomorrow, so I gotta go to bed early."
Floater- A job that has been booked with a customer but not yet assigned to a specific crew, to be assigned to the first crew in proximity to complete their first assigned job. "We finished our first shitshow at 5 PM, and when I called in to dispatch they gave me a floater. I'm gonna kill somebody."
Other slang is not peculiar to rowing, but to the company itself. Clever turns of phrase and hidden references catch on quickly, and enjoy brief periods of popularity or are absorbed into the permanent lexicon. Many of these instances are vulgar in the extreme, and most contain at least a small element of sarcasm or fatalism. Some are merely whimsical. A lot of them are just disgusting.
Coffin- when two movers carry an object held at chest height, facing each other, the object remaining parallel to the ground. "The hallway's pretty big, we can just coffin this cedar chest out."
Kago-Do- "The Way of the Mover", when great skill in technique is displayed executing a complicated or difficult moving maneuver. Also, a martial art utilizing muscle memory derived from commonly used moving techniques (such as palm presses/open hand rising strikes), primarily consisting of open hand techniques, locks, and throws. "Did you see Jim get that triple dresser through the skylight?!? His Kago-Do is strong!"
Jennifer Connelly- Sometimes known as the "Requiem", a manuever wherin two trucks are backed up rear-to-rear, sharing a single ramp for exit and entry. A reference to the actress' disturbing "double-ender" scene in the film "Requiem For A Dream".
Time-Saver- A box that has been packed inappropriately, with excessively heavy objects. A reference to a customer's desire to force movers to make less trips carrying objects by overloading a single container. "This guy put all his school textbooks and hand weights in a hanging wardrobe box, which was just perfect going up to the third floor. What a time-saver!"
Hacks- Embarassingly bad "professional" movers. Often used in reference to those junkies at Affordable Movers, or Starving Students. "Jesus Christ, did you see those hacks on the sidewalk? It doesn't take four guys to pad a dining room chair."
The company I work for, Gentle Giant, was founded by a group of college rowers, and still actively recruits from the local schools for rowers who (in their weaker moments) decide they want to carry other people's stuff around all day. It makes sense... rowers are accustomed to working together as a team under the direction of a single person, they tend to be tall, lanky and muscular, and they have great endurance and lower back strength. Thus, much of the slang peculiar to GG is based on rower vocab, such as:
Boated- When one is assigned to a particular job to begin at a specific time, e.g. "I'm boated for 6 AM in Somerville tomorrow, so I gotta go to bed early."
Floater- A job that has been booked with a customer but not yet assigned to a specific crew, to be assigned to the first crew in proximity to complete their first assigned job. "We finished our first shitshow at 5 PM, and when I called in to dispatch they gave me a floater. I'm gonna kill somebody."
Other slang is not peculiar to rowing, but to the company itself. Clever turns of phrase and hidden references catch on quickly, and enjoy brief periods of popularity or are absorbed into the permanent lexicon. Many of these instances are vulgar in the extreme, and most contain at least a small element of sarcasm or fatalism. Some are merely whimsical. A lot of them are just disgusting.
Coffin- when two movers carry an object held at chest height, facing each other, the object remaining parallel to the ground. "The hallway's pretty big, we can just coffin this cedar chest out."
Kago-Do- "The Way of the Mover", when great skill in technique is displayed executing a complicated or difficult moving maneuver. Also, a martial art utilizing muscle memory derived from commonly used moving techniques (such as palm presses/open hand rising strikes), primarily consisting of open hand techniques, locks, and throws. "Did you see Jim get that triple dresser through the skylight?!? His Kago-Do is strong!"
Jennifer Connelly- Sometimes known as the "Requiem", a manuever wherin two trucks are backed up rear-to-rear, sharing a single ramp for exit and entry. A reference to the actress' disturbing "double-ender" scene in the film "Requiem For A Dream".
Time-Saver- A box that has been packed inappropriately, with excessively heavy objects. A reference to a customer's desire to force movers to make less trips carrying objects by overloading a single container. "This guy put all his school textbooks and hand weights in a hanging wardrobe box, which was just perfect going up to the third floor. What a time-saver!"
Hacks- Embarassingly bad "professional" movers. Often used in reference to those junkies at Affordable Movers, or Starving Students. "Jesus Christ, did you see those hacks on the sidewalk? It doesn't take four guys to pad a dining room chair."