by Lenore Look
“Sleep”—Make a fist, rest head on fingers.
“Dog”—Make a “mouth” using the thumb and fingers of one hand and “ears” using the first finger and middle finger of the other, and place the “ears” on top of the “mouth.”
“Help”—Raise hands at sides with palms facing outward, then rotate arms down to waist, so palms are facing the floor.
“I’m sorry”—Salute person with left hand, then touch left pinky to chest over and over.
“Hello”—Wave open right hand several times.
“Thank you”—Wiggle thumbs at knuckles.
And Flying Duck’s favorite American Sign Language sign:
“Friend”—Interlock pointer fingers, separate, then exchange their positions, and come together again as before.
Ruby’s Amazing Glossary and Guide to Important Words
aquaphobia
—A life-threatening fear of drowning during swimming lessons while wearing all your PFDs
(see PFD).
aquaphobic
—Someone who suffers from the above.
Basic Lifesaving
—Watch at your own risk.
bok choy
—A leafy green and white vegetable. Leaves can be used for fanning oneself.
Bordetella
—A bad germ that causes dogs to cough.
busted
—A fate worse than death.
Cantonese
—Language needed to order yummy Chinese food. But also shouted by parents when you are busted. Also used in Chinese school.
Coral Cay
—Where the better-than-beginner swimmers go.
coronavirus
—Doggie vomit and diarrhea.
cross-chest carry
—Used to save a drowning person. Throw your arm across their chest and under the opposite armpit, hug them close, and swim to safety.
distemper
—Not the same as “bad temper” or “losing your temper.” Worse than it sounds. Affects dogs. Includes fever; loss of appetite; thick, yellow slime from eyes and nose; coughing; and seizures.
dong gua
—Big watermelon—type melon that grows a chalky white dust on its skin.
e-mail
—Do-it-yourself, easy mail. No stamps. No mail delivery person. Just type and click! Grandparents love it.
Elvis
—Dog wonder.
Emma
—Best friend wonder.
Flying Duck
—Cousin wonder.
gailan
—A leafy green-only vegetable. Too limp for fanning.
goose bumps
—A radar system for detecting anything scary or dangerous or wonderful or breathtakingly beautiful.
GungGung (sounds like “goong goong”)
—Grandpa on your mother’s side.
hepatitis
—A bad fever in your liver
(see liver).
Iorana koe
—“Hello” or “good-bye” in Rapa Nui to just one buddy.
Iorana korua
—“Hello” or “good-bye” to more than one buddy.
latte
—Rhymes with “karate.” Tastes like karate too. Coffee topped with frothy steamed milk. Do not feed to babies.
liver
—One of your guts. Looks like the bottom of a shoe.
Lyme disease
—Makes you feel five hundred years old. Caused by a deer tick bite.
mah-jongg
—A very noisy game of matching tiles that usually involves yummy snacks and ends with Second Uncle hanging spoons from his face.
midjump
—The worst place to be caught.
moong-cha-cha
—Not clear. Fuzzy in the head or in the eyes. Not focused.
Motorboat Lane
—Where advanced swimmers speed by like motorboats.
Oscar
—Cutest baby brother in the world. Mostly.
parainfluenza
—Coughing, sneezing, wheezing. Highly contagious among dogs.
parvovirus
—Doggy diarrhea.
PFD
—Personal flotation device. Includes life jackets, water wings, waist buoys, float belts, anything that keeps you from drowning while holding on to the side of the pool. Very useful.
Poh-Poh (sounds like “paw paw”)
—Grandma on your mother’s side.
rabies
—A bad germ that will kill you but makes you go crazy first.
Rapa Nui
—Where the superduper advanced swimmers go. A cute little island in the Pacific Ocean. Looks like the world’s belly button. Also the language spoken there.
Ruby
—A precious gem. Empress of Everything.
Shallow Shores
—Where aquaphobics go to try to get over their aquaphobia.
Smile Buddy
—The best job in the whole world next to being empress.
John Philip Sousa
—The best composer in the world next to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
UtterPrincess
—The best doll in the world next to nothing.
yu choy
—A leafy green vegetable. Not fanning material either.
