iGive to UNTAMED SPIRIT Therapeutic Riding & Educational Program

iGive.com
Daisypath Wedding tickers

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

N is for Nag

nag 1 (ng)
v. nagged, nag·ging, nags
v.tr.

1. To annoy by constant scolding, complaining, or urging.

2. To torment persistently, as with anxiety or pain.

v.intr.
1. To scold, complain, or find fault constantly: nagging at the children.
2. To be a constant source of anxiety or annoyance: The half-remembered quotation nagged at my mind.

n.

One who nags.

Is calling one a Nag harsh? - Even if 's true.  The Nagger may be perfectly justified in their comments or requests.  The first time they utter their words surely the Nagee will reasonably comply.  The second time, they just want to make sure that Nagee heard them the first time.  Third time - well, third time's the charm - or so they've heard. When charm does not seem to be in attendance - the fourth time comes around and still their perfectly reasonable request has gone unaddressed - well, really, what is the Nagee's problem. Why can't Nagee be reasonable, cooperative, compliant, obediant?  Oh? Maybe Nagee forgot, maybe or didn't understand, so with great delight, relish, martyrdom, the Nagger utters the words again.  And, again.  And, again.

Perhaps this 'beating of a dead horse' is the origin of the slang word 'nag' for a played out horse?

Of course, there are those who totally agree with the comment made by Lady Edith Summerskill, British Labour politician, in a speech to Married Women's Association, House of Commons, London, July 14,1960

                  "Nagging is the repetition of unpalatable truths."

  
Sometimes, those who are Nagged just don't want to hear " it " - whatever 'it' may be.

Lest you think that nagging is a purely human issue I leave you with this little visual aide -


.
Oh, my husband just told me I shouldn't forget to mention that I am a Nag. He claims he had to remind me 3 times. Honestly,  I didn't hear him the first time he said it in the kitchen, and I am positive I didn't hear it in the den, and when I sweetly smiled at him the third time he said it, I was able to do so with an innocent blank look on my face!    ; ) 



This letter N post is brought to you by Alphabe-Thursday.  You can join the fun by clicking on the link at the right. Jenny Matlock will tell you how to get started.

18 comments:

  1. HAH! Love the shot of the lions....

    great n post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fantastic ~ excellent photo for Alphabe ~ (A Creative Harbor)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was called a nagger when I asked for things to get done too :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. they can call me anything they want - just do what I tell you, ask you, remind you, point out to you, mention to you, inform you, notify you of, etc. etc. and, if they didn't ear/understand/acknowledge/do it the first time, i am happy to remind, point out, inform, notify or mention if again. and again. and again. the irony is that my daughter does it to me sometimes - in ASL no less. but, she also taught me a great coping mechanism. if i close my eyes i can't 'hear' her signs. deaf kids do this when they are little, if they don't like what y ou are saying, those little eyes get squinched really tight!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great, great and yes, GREAT again!! I am still laughing!! You have one creative mind and a very good storyteller. Thank you so much for this beautiful and funny post.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very interesting, I wish I scolded the lioness.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nag? Me? never. no, not ever. of course... LOL. Loved this!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am going to make sure I never share this entry with my boyfriend. He will use it against me. LOL. He says that I am the queen of all nags. I say, do what he says he is going to do and not wait until I drive him crazy as I wait endlessly for him to get moving. I say if he didn't want to do it in the first place, say so. Anyways I loved this. I think I am going to stop at two and give up, I wonder if he will be surprised. It might even end some useless arguing.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hahaha - what a great (!) post. It brought a big smile onto my face. And I am still smiling as I write this. How true it is, how you described 'nagging' - awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Having known a nag or two over during my life, I found this explaination so refreshing. Thank you, Bill

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a wonderful word for the letter N. I know that nagging has a bad connotation, but I don't it's entirely bad. Just think how many things wouldn't get done if it weren't for us wonderful nags. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is a great N post! I never would have thoguht of this but I suppose as women we do nag occasionally! HaHa! Enjoy your weekend! It is coming up quickly!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I don't nag my DH all that much, but I do nag my son all the time. I tell them this to prepare in for his future nag (wife) and then laugh hysterically. Great, fun 'N' post!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'm not a nagger. I much prefer "The Look," which seems to work equally well.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I try hard not to nag, but desparate times require desparate measures--there are definitely times when this technique does the trick!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I tell my husband that nagging is just a way to show how much I care.

    He doesn't buy it.

    Grrrr.

    I hate when that happens.

    Thanks for a nifty link for the letter "N".

    A+

    ReplyDelete