| |
The Yo-Yoby
N. Ray Maxie |  |
Yo-Yo,
when referring to a person, perhaps a friend of yours, is slang for someone that
does stupid things. And Yo: just one yo, is also slang spoken in order to greet
someone or get their attention. Like, “Hey Yo.” But Yo is also used as a reply
when someone calls your name.
The yo-yo most young boys are familiar
with is usually a bright colored spinning reel on a string. The Longman Dictionary
of American English says, “The yo-yo (you - you) is a toy you hold in your hand
that is made of two circular parts joined together that go up and down a string
as you lift your hand up and down.”
The string may be about a 30 to 36
inches long. Maneuver the yo-yo correctly and it will run up and down the string,
back and forth, in and out of your hand repeatedly. Sling it out and it will return
time and time again. It can be an enjoyable toy to play with; or it can be most
frustrating to the beginner. After hours of persistence and practice; total frustration
and even anger, the novice can achieve skillful tricks with the yo-yo. Tricks
that will highly amaze casual onlookers.
As a barefoot, shirt-tail country
kid, most of my own frustration while learning about the yo-yo came when the string
would not stay straight. It got seriously twisted and tangled and would not operate
properly. The yo-yo just flopped around. It ran sideways so crooked and out of
balance that it would not return to my hand. And that ain’t no fun!
The
first rule of yo-yo logic is to make sure the string is straight and untwisted.
After letting it “unwind” at the bottom of your string, run your finger and thumb
down the string to make sure it is not twisted. Then “spool” the complete string
between the two disc. Holding it in the right hand, palm down, sling it out again.
It should then work properly, returning to your hand. |
 |
|
Meanwhile, back to the beginning of this story! Well, I started
out wanting to tell you about an entirely different yo-yo. In my area of the Ark-La-Tex
in NE Texas, the yo-yo was a manual labor work tool. Labor intensive! It has a
flat blade on a small metal frame attached to the end of a wooden handle. The
better quality ones are made with a serrated blade and may be just a bit heavier
than the cheaper ones. You can still find a yo-yo in hardware stores. Although
I really believe they aren’t in as much demand as they once were before the advent
of some “great” modern power tools.
This yo-yo hand tool is about 3 feet
long and used to cut weeds and grass. A lot of my youthful black friends around
the Rambo Community called the tool a “weed slinger.” In recent years I have seen
it called a “weed whacker”, or “weed buster.” To me it is still a yo-yo and I
have seen my dad sling it for hours and hours while cutting his walking trails
throughout the oilfield where he worked. If the weeds and grass are big and tough,
it has to be slung into the vegetation really hard, perhaps repeatedly hard, to
make it cut. And that is mighty close kin to manual labor.
While holding
the handle of the yo-yo in one hand, just sling it back and forth; back and forth,
cutting the weeds and grass. The blade will cut from both sides. If it is sharp,
it will do a pretty good job. Slinging it into the weeds, back and forth, side
to side, may in some way resemble the movement of a real yo-yo on a string: descriptive
of how it is used. Thus, getting it’s name yo-yo. I don’t know! Sounds reasonable
though!
I believe the yo-yo used for weed cutting is known far and wide.
When the red string on the gasoline “Weed Eater” won’t cut the tough ones, the
yo-yo will. It only requires a little more muscle power.
I have learned
the name of some things known in one area may have an entirely different name
in other places.
© N. Ray Maxie
"Ramblin'
Ray" October
1, 2009 Column
piddlinacres@consolidated.net
Related Topics:
Texas | Online
Magazine | Texas Towns | Features
| Columns | Ramblin'
Ray | |
|
