Full Disclosure: Shinny

Yesterday, when I mentioned shinny, I didn't know what I was talking about. I know nothing about hockey except the names of some former members of the Colorado Avalanche, which I absorbed in self-defense. (Water cooler conversations are easier if you know that Patrick Roy is a goalie, not an actor or a politician or someone in the company.) (Roy is no longer the Av's goalie, of course--he's still in the news as one who encourages fighting in hockey, however.)

The little hockey I've watched has looked like soccer--extended periods of "not much happening, passing the ball/puck back and forth, still not much happening, not much happening, people must be doing something meaningful if only I cared what it was, I wonder why people find this interesting," followed by a moment of attempted scoring, to riotous cheers or boos, popcorn and sodas flying.

However, since moving to Canada, I have learned a little about hockey. No, scratch that. I have heard people talking about hockey. Specifically, I've heard them reminisce fondly about what I would have called "pick-up games" but which are apparently officially called "shinny."

I, of course, ignored the conversations for a long time and then vaguely listened and thought they were saying "shimmy." My husband (no hockey fan himself) got a huge laugh when I asked him how to spell it for yesterday's post.

I was going to use "shimmy" as another example of something that sounds like more fun than it is. To some of us, anyway. However, now I guess it's just an example of a stupid "me" thing, not even a stupid American thing because presumably some Americans know about shinny, and presumably some of those Americans are female so it's not a female thing either. It's not quite even a mondegreen, a term I learned from Facebook, just to show that the hours I spend there aren't all a waste.

So now you know how little I know. At least I'm willing to pass it on.