Fuller Family Dictionary
Please send additions and corrections to Art Fuller ia58@yahoo.com
Cunning This is actually a New Englandism. It is used as a synonym for cute. It was commonly used around Newbury. I found several usages in this way in Marquand's Wickford Point.
Fanaman When I (Art) was a young boy, and Bob was very young, we slept in two side by side beds in a long room. I decided that I would scare him, so I rigged a wire near the ceiling that crossed the room over his bed. From it I hung a candy box with a mean face cut out of the front and a flashlight to illuminate it. I then rigged it so it could move along the wire by pulling a string. After Bob had gone to bed, I disguised my voice and said: "I'm a big 'fanaman' (funny man) and I'm going to eat you up." Little Bob looked up and said: "That fanaman has a flashlight in him." That was the end of that, but fanaman remained in the vocabulary.
Fiftyeight (58) An ughy number. (see "Ughy")
Geer A mythical, friendly, creature that goes after people and tickles them.
Growley A tough looking person. An animal. A dog but not a normal cat. Any intimidating animal or person.
Gung A mythical, friendly, creature that goes after people and messages their upper back with his chin, often overdoes it. Isher Similar to a Geer. A mythical, friendly, creature that goes after people and tickles them.
Kout, Kouty Years ago, Scott chided me for saying "Look out" to Melinda so often that it came out "Kout Melinda." She was small and seemed to always be getting herself into places that I thought might be hazardous to her. Scott and I were on a trip to Canada to see Noëlle, and in our discussion, we created the word Kouty an adjective describing a condition of an anything that is dangerous, difficult, or unpleasant.
Thoma Ugha Can refer to anything that is "Ughy."
Ughy A messy thing. Gross.
Ughy Babe Can refer to anything, particularly a girl, that is "Ughy."
Adoogra A person who is not quite right in the head.
Ornithologist Not a bird expert! A person who expounds on something as if he knows all about it. As in "Don't be an ornithologist."
Slow Dog Dogs in the neighborhood of Nan's house were named by Bob. Slow dog was elderly and didn't move very fast.
Fast Dog A dog near Nan's house that was always moving fast.
Ayah the Mailman Another name for "Fast Dog."
Ayah Not really a family word, Maine dialect for yes. Used constantly by Nan when she was on the phone.