“Man, I’m tellin’ you, this new place is soooo in your wheelhouse.”
I love to listen to dudes talk. (Which is unfair because generally speaking, dudes don’t like to listen to ladies talk). Men will take intriguing/dumb-ass terms from work and use them in social settings. For a while “circle back”–the darling of consultantspeak–was the new “it” girl at the local bar. “Reach out” and “pie-in-the-sky-thinking” had their days, too, especially on the Saturday morning soccer field. But these terminology-transplants pale in comparison to the new fave of business-ese: “wheelhouse.”
Wheelhouse! Oh, wheelhouse! Now that’s a term I can sink my teeth into. It’s so muscular and manly. (Unless it’s actually “reelhouse” and my first-grade speech impediment’s flaring up). Just imagine a wheel in a house. Or a boat–whatever–go with it. It’s not about the reference, the imagery, or the meaning. It’s a great word pairing, and that’s good enough for me.
But what’s in this wheelhouse of mine, anyway, the one I keep carrying on about ? Lots of things. Like:
Our screened porch, fresh out of the mothballs.
This picture of Kristin Wiig:
Karate
Protein Buffets (because of karate)
“Misstra Know it All” by Stevie Wonder
and this PG-13 video for CLAW (Collective of Lady Arm Wrestlers)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hGR30W45IE&feature=share
I mean really, really in my wheelhouse. Just don’t ask me to say that quickly or I’ll be back in the portable at Belknap Elementary.
Careful now – as soon as Kristen Wiig and you start coolin’ down and stop that screamin’ when you hear THAT WORD “Wheelhouse” the boyz will just be on to another MAN sized -insider – lingo – term. Karate and 100,000 lbs of REAL protein (aka RED MEAT) plus Stevie’s boy, Misstra Know-it-all, can’t get you upta speed ‘CAUSE YOU R AH GURL. Jest go relax, have some sweet tea on tha verandah – it’s spiffed up and ready for summah, honee child.