Car show?

Margaret said something today that was quite funny. Now, it's a bit of an inside joke, so I'll have to explain. Abby's family, beginning at least with her maternal grandparents, has lots of silly sayings. These sayings are used in all sorts of circumstances, and the outsider (i.e. me) is often amazed when different family members will toss out the same sayings in certain situations. As some examples (these can be pretty cryptic and context clearly matters, so I won't try to explain them):

• "Don't make no bull moves!"
• "Mind your hat when you leave your seat."
• "I'm a little stiff from bowling."
• "Here's your hat, what's your hurry?"
• "Early ripe, early rot."
• "Lassiter, roll the stone!"
• "Slow train through Arkansas."

I've often encouraged Abby's family to compile a compendium of these types of sayings. After all, they're priceless inside jokes that no one outside of the family can understand and can lead to guffaws (within the family) when properly used. At other times, they're simply tossed out (in context) with little notice.

When I first started dating Abby, I learned some of these quotes. One just picks them up after a while, basically through osmosis. At some point early in my relationship with Abby when we all lived in Chicago, Abby, her sister Eleanor, and I were driving somewhere in Chicago (in "Bluey" - how's that for an inside reference?). Since we were in a hurry, I tossed out a saying that I'd heard Abby say. Eleanor was impressed, especially with the proper use. At that point, I knew that I'd scored a coup with Abby's family. Smooth sailing from that point on, I figured. And I was right (at least until we started talking politics, long after I was firmly ensconced.)

What did I say and what does that have to do with Margaret? Well, today when Abby was taking Margaret out of the car to go to daycare, Margaret said:

"Go go go auto show."

This was part of the motto of an auto show that was held way back in Chicago during Abby's childhood. The full motto was "Let's go go go to the auto show." Followed by "To see America on wheels." This phrase is appropriately used to suggest speed when in a hurry. (The correct use would really involve a call-and-response in which one person says the first part of the phrase followed someone else saying the second part.)

What's really funny is that Margaret knew this phrase at all. Where the heck did she pick that up? Who knows. And to use it in the proper context? Perfect.