Gotcha. He said, just as I was about to repeat my instructions.
Oh, I said. Well. Good.
Gotcha no longer means “Tricked you.” It now means Yup. Roger that. Now, let’s move.
I have heard this expression more and more lately and as a rule I don’t like this kind of short-cut language. Slang. My mother was never a fan of slang. She wanted complete sentences with structure and verbal punctuation and, God Help Me, I find that some her dislike of mangled English seems to have been passed down to me. But my mother was not always right. We were never allowed to wear jandals (bad for the posture) or study ballet (only for cheap girls who like to wear makeup) or wear make up (only for cheap girls who study typing) or wear bras (drawing attention to ourselves as we type) or talk to boys (inviting Trouble with a capital T that would ruin your make-up) OR study typing (I had to study the Arts).
Oh how I wish I had learnt typing – my TWO typing fingers get so tired!
Anyway , I have chosen to embrace ‘Gotcha’.
I never say it of course – I won’t go that far – but when I hear it said to me it sounds so comforting. It sounds like I no longer need to worry. They understand. I can take my hands off. The information has been successfully delivered. No longer my problem. Gotcha. Over to you.
I like it.
Do you remember, Lori the lady who adopted Lurch – whose name was Maggie, well a friend of hers made Lurch’s wheelchair. This woman is going to have a go at making a two wheeled chariot for Tane. (One of the Fellowship suggested this a while back but it has taken this long for me to give up on Tane walking by himsef). We are still at the discussion stage but I am feeling tentatively hopeful. I have looked online too but they are too expensive and we need something for a long, short, round pig. With wheels he can go for therapy walks around the property – under supervision – using his strong front legs, and his back legs touching the ground and working without the weight on them, straightening out his spine and getting his heart rate up. I will work with this person and if this does not work begin the search to find a second hand chariot for a pig.
This is an experiment after all. Tane may reject it. And he has teeth and tusks as back up. So I am still working on the idea. This will be the farmy’s Christmas challenge. Wheels for the little boar.
Gotcha.
I love Sheila. She is still wonderfully fit and slim and would never use slang. She is a proper lady pig so she is. Albeit with a muddy bottom.
I hope you have a lovely day.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
43 responses to “Gotcha”
I suspect we all eventually morph into versions of our own mothers 😏
God I hope not!! c
It’s a worry for me too 😯
loved your article. We were brought up that way: always pronounce your ings, napkin on your lap, no swearing, never say shut up ay hush up. My twin at age 17 said “shit” and my father said to me, “Esther, Elizabeth uttered a swear word. Does she know what that means:?” I don’t remember my response, but i laughed to myself because was the queen of 50s swearing, never the “f” word but “arse” (i pronounced the broad a then, as in arse was a popular one. You are such a lovely writer C. high regards, e
I LOVE that chain link of things you were not allowed to do. So very funny. Odd bird your mother…that interpretation of ballet is unlike any I have ever heard. She seems a character right up there with the REAL Mary Poppins. I bet your mother would have hated all these all these unnecessary capital letters I’m throwing about. I don’t much like them myself, but one has to try something to add some intonation and fun to these digital conversations. No? Dear Tane. What a pig. (My mother, ex-English professor, was a stickler as well, but she believed mightily in typing and taught me to type by sight when I was 8. Her pet peeve was t-shirts with anything written on them. “You don’t want to be an advertisement for anyone!” she used to say.) x
I use capitals too – otherwise someone may emphasise the wrong word and the sentence will change completely!
Gotcha! 😆Your reminiscences of your mother are fabulous. I often look in the mirror now and see my mother and grandmothers and wonder how much else of their characters is me. When I was younger I had a few ideas of what was proper. I didn’t wear thongs-jandals or joggers-runners. I now consider things from a practical rather than proper perspective… really they are buying and eating that horrible sugary supermarket [fill in blank], are wasting money on [fill in blank] ? And so have become my own version of a pernickety nanna. But I figure modern speech & grammar is simply of its time and much of it quite convenient while doing no harm at all.
I hope there is a solution so Tane gets his wheels 🐽
Am roaring with laughter reading about your Mom ’cause I had one of ‘them’ also and older than yours 🙂 ! Oddly enough ballet was encouraged as most ‘lady-like’ pursuit and I was ‘stuck’ into a bra before I needed one for the sake of ‘decency’, but as far as manners, language, makeup et al were concerned oh please, do not let me remember! Would you believe at my age I will still curtsey on occasion with absolutely no problems: habit and respect . . .Boys: well there had been quite a few marriage proposals ere my parents even realized that could be a possible eventuality!!! Having worked oft solely with guys all my life I am afraid ‘language’ may at times be a problem these days . . . . there are certain words I utter without thought and others which would not pass my lips . . .
I will say anything–thanks to having no kids to be “role models” for. Very freeing!
Your tenacity in finding help for Tane is outstanding! I love Tane!
I don’t know anyone that liked a bra.I always thought they were the most gawdawful contraptions. I quit wearing them more than a decade ago. Best decision ever. And so many of the rules and expectations I grew up with I discarded long ago. What ever works and makes life easier or more pleasant is good! I’m excited about Tane’s wheels!
Gotcha lovely.. my dear parents weren’t big on slang either .. it was always yes 😄 I think that chair for Tane sounds wonderful