May 22, 2005
PINSTROKES
I grew up hearing the term pinstrokes all the time. Meaning, not full blown apoplexy, but minor strokes. As in "Hiram's face droops onna lef side cuz he had a series of pinstrokes last year during the dry season." See? Not disabled, or debilitated, but certainly affected. The idea was one could spend a lifetime suffering pinstrokes, and would merely deteriorate a little bit at the time.
At any rate, someone called me out on that term, so I googled, and lo! the word does not exist, except in my imagination, apparently. No such term.
And so I would take my dose of humility, and move on, except that someone else told me the other day during a phone conversation that I sounded like I'd suffered a pinstroke. Hey! That word doesn't exist. I think they were having sport with me, and yet... I had a few Grey Gooses in me at the time, I'll fess to that. But a pinstroke? Damn. That's harsh!
Google may not have it, and Merriam-Webster may fail you, but "pinstroke" IS a term that I have heard bandied about all my life. I think this is a generational thing. Like, the older ones among us remember stuff like pinstrokes and vapors and dipsomania; the younger ones describe the very same problems with overblown terminology such as "neurologically distortive stroke events" and "borderline personality disorder" and "addictive personality disorder with a specific focus on adult beverages."
Which just goes to show that we are much fuller of shit than we used to be.
Posted by: Kelley at May 22, 2005 7:01 PMWell, there you have it. Thanks, Kelley. And, for the record, I actually think it was full blown apoplexy that got me. Can't use my right arm anymore.
Posted by: Velociman at May 22, 2005 7:35 PMYep, I've heard of pinstrokes all of my life, too. I suspect pinheads are susceptible to them.
Posted by: Bane at May 22, 2005 8:32 PMWere you rubbing one out during said phone conversation? That sounds surprisingly like a stroke, in the right circumstances. Would also explain the loss of use of the arm.
Posted by: og at May 22, 2005 10:22 PMPinstrokes is all I ever heard them called from both my Mom and Dad.
Posted by: Keith Evans at May 23, 2005 9:15 PMI have known doctors to use the term, so fear not, Velociman.
Posted by: jack straw at May 25, 2005 7:25 AM