Objects of desire

[nancylebov]

In general, I'm not interested in media tsotskes [1], but when I saw these hello watchmen dolls, my first reaction was, "Are these really for sale? Want!".

Tragically, they are not, but there will eventually be a coffee table book of 101 hello kitties by a photographer-- a photographer who I suspect is unusually good at subliminal basilisks.

[1] That's a guesswork spelling of a yiddish word from my childhood. Chotchkies? To my mind, some of those words don't really have English spellings. They exist in a different range [2] Anyway, it means knickknacks.

[2] See also koppinchinik, which is a word meaning a child making a loud noise. I believe the derivation has to do with hitting a china teapot.

ETA: chomiji said A metal teakettle or pot, actually, which would make a sound rather like an old-style fire bell when struck with a metal spoon.

A "chainik," diminutive of "chai" (tea), was an essential accessory for all households, including those unlikely to have a fancy, breakable china one.

This makes a lot more sense.

Link thanks to rysmiel.

Comments

[dsgood]

General rule: Yiddish words are "correctly" transliterated into English as if they were German words. At least, in US English.

In UK English: It took me a while to figure out why Arthur C. Clarke in one story referred to a dress store (factory?) as a "smutter shop."

[eftychia]

I think the spelling I've seen is 'tchotchke'.

[sodyera.livejournal.com]

The New York TImes has assigned an awkward spelling close to "tchotchkes"; I don't remember precisely. I prefer chachkas. It's a Russo-Yiddish word, so I'd default to an actual Jewish source.

[solri.livejournal.com]

Love the Hello Watchmen!

[sodyera.livejournal.com]

Off topic, I re-read your titile and thought up:
OBJECTS OF DESIRE ARE FURTHER THAN THEY APPEAR.
Use it as you will.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

I learned it as 'tsotchkes'. For whatever that's worth.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

I think if you put 'closer' in there, instead, I'd wear that on a button at cons to encourage people.

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

Love the Hello Watchmen.

#2 is ~~ "hockin (a) chainik" ([ˈhɑkɪn(ə)ˈt͜ʃaɪnɪk]). It means 'banging a teapot', and is an idiom: "Hock mir nit a tshainik!" = "Stop bugging me!", lit. "Don't bang a teapot at me!"

[chomiji]

A metal teakettle or pot, actually, which would make a sound rather like an old-style fire bell when struck with a metal spoon.

A "chainik," diminutive of "chai" (tea), was an essential accessory for all households, including those unlikely to have a fancy, breakable china one.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

Thank you. That makes a lot more sense than a china teapot in terms of making a loud continuing noise.

[avram]

Tchotchkes. Unless maybe your ancestors came from a different part of Europe than mine.

[avram]

The article describes Joseph Senior as an illustrator, not a photographer. I'm pretty sure these are not physical objects, but just assemblages of Photoshop shapes and textures. Hello Rorschach's hat, in particular, gives the game away.

[dcseain.livejournal.com]

I learnt it a 'tschotschkes' or "tsotchkes".

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

Possibly. The initial sound was definitely a 'ch' rather than a 'ts' or a 'tz'.

[arundelo.livejournal.com]

Leo Rosten (http://www.amazon.com/New-Joys-Yiddish-Completely-Updated/dp/0609806920/) gives "tsatske" and "tchotchke".

[arundelo.livejournal.com]

They are pretty cool, by the way!

[sodyera.livejournal.com]

NO. The slogan was intended as written, as in "a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?"
Do I have to explain EVERYTHING around here?

[thespian.livejournal.com]

wow. you're a bitch. go you.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, I was gonna recommend Rosten here, but was beaten to it.

[sodyera.livejournal.com]

not so much a bitch as a writer. Take that as you will.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

it was a completely uncalled for comment. Being 'a writer' isn't an excuse for insulting people. It wasn't deathless prose.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

Can you two be gentle with each other?

I didn't realize how bad-tempered this was getting because I was being optimistic about the tone being attitude for the fun of it. It's now clear to me that's not the direction it's going.

I'm not used to being a moderator, so please be patient with me if possible.

What I'm seeing now is that soderya posted a slogan-- it's usual though not obligatory for people to bounce variations off each other, but thespian phrased it as though it would be better if soderya changed the slogan.... (rather than, say, suggesting the change to me) .... and at that point sodyera started defending territory. And thespian swatted at the slogan as a way of getting at sodyera a little.

I'd say that thespian has been less careful about boundaries, but both of you have been escalating. I'm fairly conflict averse, and I prefer using this lj for a mixture of cool ideas, wonderful stuff, and occasional political outrage.

Can you both tone it down?

[sodyera.livejournal.com]

A large question mark appears on the screen and our heroine says, "Say what?"

What part of all this was "uncalled for?" No such thing was ever intended. I'm sorry if it was, but I think we're experiencing the side-effects of a Mercury Retrogade. In astrology, the planet Mercury is said to affect communications, and this is just the sort of miscue that happens at this time. Please explain what you objected to.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

"Do I have to explain everything around here?"

Since I don't know you, there's no smile there, there's no joke. It's a pretty clearly insulting phrase. Keep that sort of thing to your friends, not to people online.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

what I said was not that it needed to be changed, but that I would wear it if it were changed, because it's flirtier the other way around. In exchange, I got insulted as if I had misunderstood the original point, which I had not. You know me; I don't actually feel insulted very readily.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

I think that what happened was you intended the "you" who would change to slogan to be me, but sodyera read it as telling her to change it. Blaming Mercury is probably the best bet.

A failure to communicate

[sodyera.livejournal.com]

Oh, I see. So this was simply a protocol error.
Being slightly dyslexic I'd stopped using emoticons some time ago becuase they were often opaque to me when reading text.

(e.g., "Huh? Qu'est ce que c'est? Oh.")

Some time ago I'd decided to just let my wording and context carry the intent of my statements and/or comments; whenever I thought something was ambiguous I would label the statement with the following: "(joke)".

I'm Sorry that I assumed you were a friend. Before you overreact to that, I'm bad at names to begin with and I have lots of friends (online and elsewhere) whose names I don't remember. And I was serious about the Mercury Retrograde, which ends @ 6:15 pm on April 23.

There, that's what I get for trying to cultivate a light and airy editorial style. (joke)