What Are Sammyisms?

The playful and unique words that Dr. Seuss made up for his stories, like Grinch, Nerd, Lorax, or Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuz could be called Seussisms.

So Sammyisms are words, sayings, and phrases that Sammy either made up or borrowed from others over the years and sprinkles his conversations with them.

Sammy loves to poke fun at the English language. He especially loves to butcher clichés. Following is a list of some of Sammy’s favorites:

Fun With Mispronounced Words:

Pete & Repeat
Epizoody (a fake illness)
Hezekiah (a fake Bible book)
Horse-piddle (instead of hospital)
“Here she is: Miss-alanious”
Western Horse (instead of Westinghouse)

Fun With Numbers (& Time):

Three-peat
Eleventy-eight
A hundred and plenty
Dark-thirty
Half past lunch
A gazillion and thirty
Older than dirt
Before color television

Fun With One-Liners:

The only hard thing about ice skating is the ice; when you come right down to it.
I stayed up all night trying to figure out where the sun went when it went down and finally it dawned on me.
A cargo ship loaded with red paint collided at sea with another cargo ship loaded with blue paint and all the sailors were marooned.
I wish I knew the town where I was going to die because I’d never go there.
Ooooo put that up on top of yo’ head….and yo’ tongue’ll beat yo’ brains out trying to get to it!
Come-on, let’s massage the devil’s vertebrae with red hot faith in Jesus!

Fun With Greetings:

Buenos Nachos
Good Morning (at any time of day or night)
You’re Welcome (after “excuse me”)
Bless Me (after a sneeze)
See ya later crock-a-gator
Sacramento!
Glad you got to see me
Happy Sunday (or whatever day it is)

Fun With Clichés:

A story about a different colored horse.
I’ll never forget good ole’ Whatzername.
Rarer than an empty dishwasher.
Busier than a new toy at daycare.
Like falling off a bike, you never forget how.
We went to different schools together.
God willin’ and the saints don’t rise.
A skip, hop, and a jump.
On your set, get mark, go!

Fun With Southern/Country Sayings:

Grinnin’ like a possum eatin’ a sweet tater.
Better than a slice of watermelon on a double Dixie plate.
So hot the chickens are picking up worms with potholders.
Lookin’ more worn out than a pair of overalls after harvest.
Fine and dandy like spinnin’ cotton candy.
He’s havin’ a dyin’ duck fit.
Smoother than a gravy sandwich.
Her nose is so high she’d drown in a rain storm.
Finer than frog’s hair split three ways.
Rich as grandma’s chocolate pie.