Left, that's it (Olaf Falafel)

 I've not posted here in a long time, but I have still been collecting things I've meant to post. So, I'm doing The 12 Antonym Blog Posts of Christmas 2025. 

On the first day of Antonym Christmas, my internet gave to me: An Olaf Falafel pun.

sad meals and children's antonym use

Recently posted by Epic Parenting on Facebook:

I love seeing/hearing kids thinking about opposites. Here are a couple of up/down examples from the CHILDES database, used in Steve Jones' and my research on antonymy in childhood.  These are both by a then-two-year-old named ABE:

ABE: Cookie Monster drinks it down and I drink it up

ABE:  is it dry down or dry up?

FATHER:   dry up it’ll dry up soon I’m not sure why but it’s dry up instead of dry down

And then there are some oddities from my kid:

G: (to toy monkey):  You're just waking up in your awaking bag.
Me: is the sleeping bag an awaking bag now?
G: no, it's a sleeping bag.
Me: But didn't you say 'awaking bag'?
G: I was just speaking in the African way.  (3 years, 2 months)

(Describing her dad making soup from the cherry tomatoes she picked:)
It's whizzing and then it comes up not-tomato. (2 years, 10 months)

 

(On the way to work/creche)
Me: We're on the right train.
G:  Where's the left train? (2 years, 9 months)

(Getting ready to play with play-doh:)
G: Let's make a farm--with piggelets!
Phil: Piglets are hard... [to make]
G: No! Piggelets are soft!  (2 years, 6 months)

M: I can't do that.
G: [contradicting] Yes you can't!
M: Yes, I can.
G: Yes, you can't!
M: Yes, I can.
G: Yes, you can!
M: Yes, I _can_.
G: Yes, you can't!   (2 years, 2 months)

G (at dinner): "Stop talking about furniture and start talking about me." (3 years, 6 months)

         G: "But Mum, why does good grief have good in it?" (3 years, 8 months)

But this one has to be the best:

G:  You are fat to cuddle.
Me: (!!) Is it better to cuddle fat people or thin people?
G:  Thin people. ... Mummy, I love you. I really love you.  (3 years, 1 month)