negative nighties

my family is obsessed with words.  we like to know what everything means, then we give it a new meaning, or connotation.  we make up words and sayings and sometimes even languages. my best friend says my house was like a different country because she could barely understand what we were saying to each other.  

This is a typical family conversation over lunch 

dad: "What does disingenuous mean?" 

me: "its the opposite of genuining yourself at someone" 

dad glowers at me and looks imploringly at mom 

mom: "I am not sure of the exact definition, but is obviously the opposite of 'ingenuous'"

dad:"i know, but what does 'ingenuous' mean?"

me: "i've got the dictionary!  ok now....pigeon....lemur...."

dad: "disingenuous starts with a d, honey.  d-i-s-"

me: "I know!  i am getting there!  diving bell...ha ha ha, diving bell.....display...., ok!  'disingenuous: being not straightforward, not frank, candid'....etc.  see!  i told you!  the opposite of genuining yourself at someone!  oh and 'lying'. oh, its like obfuscate!" 

mom:"now what is that?" 

dad:"disingenuous!"

me:  "well, actually it is obscuring something, like the truth.  ooo! a disingenuous obfuscation!  oh wait!  that's a double negative"

dad: "yup" 

me: "so that would be something that wasn't very good at obscuring, like a sheer nightie, or a light denier stocking, you can still see everything through them!"

watch out for those disingenuous obfuscations, they'll come to get you one day, likely when you are wearing a white t-shirt.