The working vocabulary of the average 14-year-old has declined in the last 50 years from 25,000 words to 10,000. Language reflects the depth of our human experience. Because we think in words, are we losing the capacity to say what we feel?
Like, whatever.
Are you affected by the effect? I’m often guilty of this little one. I stumble on this every time it makes an appearance. My solution to this little problem of mine is remembering the first sentence of this paragraph. I am affected by the effect.
In other words, affect with an a is “to influence” and effect with an e is “a result.”
For instance …The electric fence really affected the cow. The effect was quite startling.
Or … I can’t believe that affected me so much … It has really had a profound effect on me.
And … New baby chicks affected our routines at the farm, but the effect of the baby chicks has been adorable!
Do you have any tricks for remembering context, spelling, meaning of words?
Winnie Nielsen says: I too get confused on affect/effect, principal/principle and a few others. What has helped me more than anything was doing the MJF Grammar Badge. To do that badge, I purchased a small desk size Dictionary and keep it right by the computer. Now, I am always looking up the spelling and use of certain words which has made it so much easier for me than spell check. More accurate too. That badge helped me to focus and do something about a problem that always left me with , is this right? feeling. Now I can know the answers and the badge was the perfect way to get me to develop new habits. Now, I can’t imagine not having my trusty dictionary at the ready!
Meg says: That’s wonderful to hear! And I agree, I don’t like being left with that feeling either. Did I get it right or??? 🙂
Ace says: I have a little trick. For remembering the spelling differences between dessert (the sweet treat) and desert (dry land), just remember there is an extra ‘s’ in dessert because you want more of it! 🙂
MaryJane says: I’ve always remembered that one this way: Strawberry Shortcake for dessert, and Sahara for desert
Betty in Pasco says: Thank you so much MaryJane for the solving of my major problem. When I was a secretary (do they use that word any more?) those two words were my downfall. I am sure I mixed them up often. Now my favorite is to, too, and two. I have no problem with those three. Thanks again.
Always remember, and never forget: “A”ffect indicates”A”CTION; “E”ffect indicates”E”nd R”E”SULT! Simple! :0)
Meg says: So fun to hear everyone’s little tricks for remembering. 🙂
By now you’ve probably figured out our brand of office politics—we’re
manure-kickin’
mudslingin’
pointed
dirty
rough-and-tumble …
Winnie Nielsen says: As for way out there outfits? Well, in Rome, do as the Romans do! For rural north Idaho, most likely reptile boots would be seen as just part of the landscape?!
Winnie #3109
“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”
Whether we’re living off the land on a farm full of crops and cattle, tending to rows of flowers and veggies in a little backyard garden, or potting an indoor herb garden 15 stories up surrounded by an urban jungle, we’re finding ways to live out our farmgirl fantasies …
Made me smile big time . . . Now I know what I am . . . A Fantast . . . and “not the only one!”
Eileen Stone says: Nope, you’re not the only one………
Have you been in a conversation lately and heard any rendition of jury-rigged? I was in a conversation the other day when I heard “jimmy rigged” for the first time, so I decided to figure out which one is right …
I am assuming Jimmy rigged (valid as your background on it is) is a much more “politically correct” term than Jury rigged or Jerry rigged. I also, thought Jury rigged meant fixing the Jury in a case to ones favor and that is were it came from.
MaryJane says: I agree. My vote is jury rigged.
Sue Reese says: They mean 2 different things, jury rigged means to fix the outcome- as in rigging a jury. Jerry rigger is to patchwork spare parts together to get something to work.
Julie says: Sue, MaryJane states in her article that jury rigged is a sailing term not a legal term.
Melboat Elboat says: Julie. OMG. My husband and I just made a joke, just before we found this page, about “Julie Rigged”! Julie rigged should be the phrase for women cleverly fixing things. Especially anyone named Julie!
Dee says: I love that lol. U go girl!
Deb Fleming says: Hhhmmmm…interesting. I have always heard it jury rigged. My Dad used that term and he was one of those guys that could fix just about anything. Born in 1932 to a poor Kansas farmer, they grew up making do and finding creative ways to fix things or restore functionality when whatever parts and materials normally required to make the repair were unavailable. I have never heard jimmy or jerry rigged.
Dianne Nixon says: As someone who was an Army brat, my family used jerry-rigged; we lived in Germany in the 60’s so we knew the origin of the word. But I’ve also used jury-rigged, like others I thought it had to do with court. But I like the (in)jury rigged mast description better. As for jimmy-rigged? I like McGyvering.
President People says: I’ve always known it as jimmy-rigged. Before today, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard jerry-rigged or possibly jury-rigged.
My mom usually says it; she grew up in south Jersey (born in the mid-60’s). I’ve heard some pretty funny things from down there.
Melynda Parks says: Me Too!!! I’ve only heard jimmy-rigged and i grew up in South Jersey (Salem County – close to Cowtown) in the 1970’s -80’s. It seems the terminology used may be regional.
I’ve never heard jerry rigged or jury rigged unitil now 🙂
Dave says: South jersey!! Its taylor ham not pork roll 😀😀 guess where i am from.
Browlry says: The “jury” in “jury-rigged” refers to a “jory sail”, or makeshift sail. “Jury-rigged” means something constructed as a temporary measure with the materials on hand. This term goes back to 1788. “Jerry-built” has a different origin and goes back to 1859; it just means poorly or shoddily built. “Jerry-rigged” is most likely an amalgam of the two that appeared around 1959, not during WWII. This perhaps resulted from confusing about the word “jury.” “Jimmy-rig” is a variation of both of these and has not come in to wide use, according to ngram.
View the ngram here:
Other sources on this StackExchange:
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/132868/jury-rigged-or-jerry-rigged
Alygant says: Thank you Browlry for that info! Interesting!
As far as your original question, I bet it has something to do with what area of the country you were brought up in. ie. Some parts of the country people say, “Pill bug” other parts say, “Sow bug”, still others grew up calling them “Rollie Pollies”. I have grown up with “Jimmy-rigged” & never heard of “Jury/Jory-rigged”, & rarely remember hearing “Jerry-rigged”, but only once I was older & have relocated a number of times to different states. President People – I was also born in the 60s so maybe it has to do with generation as well.
james says: pottato bug*
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Heather Garcia says: I have heard and used “Jimmy-rigged” my entire life, and I have lived all over the U.S. from Washington to Alabama and every where in between, so I assume it’s not a geography thing. Last night I heard them say “Jimmy rigged” in the movie The Heart of the Sea, and it made me wonder where the term came from if they were using it in a movie set in the early 1800’s. I came across this feed and was shocked to see the terms Jury rigged and Jerry rigged as variations of Jimmy rigged. Interesting info, thanks for the history on it.
Cookie says: I had always used Jimmy rigged until my brother in law said that was not correct that is is jerry rigged. The funny part is we are both from Central Iowa. He is about 12 years older than me but I wouldn’t think that would make a big difference. Strange…
Brent says: I grew up hearing the term jerry rigged and then learned about jury rigged as an adult. My impression is that jerry rigged has a more negative connotation–something done poorly in haste. The related term jerry built means shoddy or poorly constructed. Jury rigged seems to me to have a more positive connotation, meaning resourceful and inventive–similar to something McGuyver might do.
Stephanie says: I’m 45 from St Louis and we say jimmy rigged to describe something that is poorly or improperly repaired but will make do. Today I heard someone also from the Midwest, Iowa I believe, say jerry rigged.
Denise Kusel says: I’m 80 yrs old, lived in the Southwest and have only heard the term Jerry rigged.
Eerik says: I have always heard and used Jimmy.
Carroll says: Same here. Jimmy rigged and I am from Ga
CJ says: Growing up in Utah, all I’ve ever heard is “Jimmy-Rigged”
Amanda says: Jury comes from the Old French, “ajurie”, meaning relief or help.
RW says: I am native Delawarean and we always use jimmy rig. We use the term for when we want to “get by” with something but can’t fix or change the problem. For instance, and this is only a simple example, a lamp setting on a carpet can lean sometimes so we jimmy rig it – meaning we put something under the foot of the lamp to make it appear level. We know there is something there under the foot but no one else knows it’s there.
Jerry Riggs says: I used Jimmy rigged at 50 and my dad used it from the forty’s however I never heard jury rigged for anything other than a jury… maybe because I come from an Italian American side of things… ahem… However Jerry Rigged I also heard was adapted from WWII as a variation of Jimmy rigged. It is not “politically correct” to say it however there is also a derogatory term that was used by people all over the USA called N****r Riggin. It is what it is, or should say it was what it was.
Peace.
Anonymous says: Thank you
Jason Tolerico says: Jimmy Rigged cause my dad would always say that.
Trevor McCoy says: I’m a mechanic and I work with older guys who are… Let’s say ethnically different than me. They use a much more vulgar word and I always thought I just used Jimmy as substitute word or a filler word because I’m white. I didn’t know anyone else said it until I heard a customer say Jimmy rigged today and that’s why I just searched the origin. The Jerry rigged term from WWII makes alot if sense, because that’s kinda how we used it. Like we don’t have the correct parts, but we’ll get the job done one way or the other.
Billi Buche says: I woke up from a nap and of all things I asked myself, “Is it jerry rigging or jimmy rigging?” (I have no life.) Anyway, I was born in 1945 in Oakland, CA. I googled the answer and found all of you! Wow, we all agree the term is old. I’m not sure, but I think I use them interchangeably. I love all the reasons and history of the term that you’ve all shared. Thank you. I’m going with Jimmy rigging. I think it’s has a positive connotation if it solves the immediate problem and a negative connotation if I’m paying for it:}
Diane says: I said Jimmy rig to my plumber I am glad I used the word correctly to describe my plumbing fix
Terri says: I grew up on the west coast and always used “jerry-rigged” (my father was in the airforce – not sure if that had anything to do with it). Now I use “MacGyvered” if it’s something particularly clever put together.
Luke says: Im here as I just heard the term Jimmy rigged in the film ‘in the heart of the sea’ 2015 and had never heard it before. From the UK and have always used jerry
Shelli says: I’m a military brat originally from MO. In 1989 I moved from AK to OK right before Desert Shield/Storm started.
The first time I said “Jimmy-Rigged” to my OK best friend she looked at me like I had 2 heads. The next time she UNFORMED me that it was “Jerry-Rigged” and there was no such thing as “Jimmy-Rigged”.
I started questioning myself, hoping that I could remember why I said the phrase “wrong”. Finally, I remembered a person I knew that “rigged” or “bush-fixed” everything instead of fixing something the “correct” way (AK remember… when the part you need won’t arrive for 6-8 weeks you learn to make due with what you have). In the end I decided that I had simply taken a well known phrase and changed Jerry to Jimmy because it was a group joke.
Now, over 30 years later, I finally find out that it’s a North/South or East/West thing – like calling any carbinated beverage “Coke” instead of “Pepsi” or “Soda” instead of “Pop” (which I’ve been laughed at for saying both “Soda Pop” together – MO is a state where lines blur or they did when I was little). I wish I had reallized that both phrases being right was a possibility back then. I wouldn’t have felt so stupid and confused.
Walter Weinzinger says: Growing up in Arizona, I’ve generally heard “jimmy-rigged” although I’ve heard the other two as well. To me, “jury” and “jerry” were too confusing so I’ve always used “jimmy-rigged” like most people use around here.
Jerry says: I also like McGyvering. And since my name IS Jerry, the kids always say, “Dad Jerry-rigged that again.”
Nan Roberts says: Are these little chickies pooping in those shoes? Cute.
MaryJane says: Let me check. Nope, but yesterday I did have a spider crawling around in my toe area. I thought I was having a serious foot malfunction until I took my shoe off and out jumped a spider.
Usually we’re stomping around in boots here, but today it was something soft and feminine, a walk down memory lane. Remember …
Kelly says: Just bought a pair of camel colored moccasins I couldn’t resist while purchasing new boots. So cute with summer dresses and light on the feet! Love em’!!!
joann king says: I have a pair EXACTLY like that! Same color too!! Only mine r bigger-size 10-teehee
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
A new word that’s worth using!
I have never heard this word before. Quite interesting. I wonder if none else would know what I meant if I used it?
Ah, but if one grew up near the NW coast one would know this word. I’m glad though to learn that it has more meanings than the “not-so-nice” one. Thanks!