Journal # 3 My friends and I are close to each other that now; we have “key words” that help us understand what we want to say to each other, but without other people really knowing what we’re talking about. For example, when I say “gatas,” they automatically know that I’m talking about our group of friends. We have other nicknames for each other, such as “you-know-who” or “loverboy” to call out one of our friends who is the flirtiest. With my family, I only use idioms with my sister because she is the only one who can really understand me. When I say “the mysterious” she knows I’m talking about the guy who I like, or when I say “let’s go to spend the day in jail” we mean school. She has this annoying idiom for her favorite band. The minute she just says “ADIVINA QUIEN” I know she means the boy-band “The Wanted.” At work, we have to use the terms “the office” to refer to the restroom and “gum” is used for people who are suspicious for stealing. The people who I have more idioms with are my friends. This is because our talks are in public but they have more private meanings for us and sometimes these meanings are not for other people to hear. They’re really personal that if we didn’t use these idioms, we would be so embarrassed. The least idioms that I have with is probably with my sister. We are very straight up people, but our conversations are mostly in our room and they are private.
Idioms are a good way to keep privacy and intimacy communication on flow, but also secretly. They serve a purpose for couples to not feel as embarrassed because they are not usually using the actual word(s) for what they want to say. It gives confidence to them and to feel free to say whatever they wanted in public and only that Partner will know what they are talking about.