Antiregionalism at its finest

My friend Shannon first introduced me to the word "circe."

Well, that's not true. I first heard "Circe" in about the 5th or 6th grade, when my Gifted class was studying Greek mythology.

So when Shannon talked about "giving [her] friends a little Circe," I thought of this Circe, and wondered if there would be pig transformations. Not really. But I did wonder what on Earth she was talking about.

I was able to ascertain that she was talking about little gifts, which is explained here. And I may be spelling it incorrectly in my head. I found this word charming, and even though I still have pig transformations floating about in my head from time to time, I think of little gifts when I hear it, and I like giving and receiving little gifts, so you can't go wrong. But I'd never heard it until I came to South Carolina. And the person who said it was originally from Texas. And, according to the site I posted, it seems to be a very South Carolina thing.

Anyhoo, it came up tonight somehow, when Curtis said something about giving someone a circe (or searcy or whatever) . . .

Sally: You know I'd never heard that word until I moved to South Carolina?

Curtis: You didn't have those in West Virginia?

Sally: No.

Curtis: You didn't give people circes?

Sally: Well, yeah, but we didn't call them anything special. My mom called them "tricks," but when I got older I began to associate that with hookers, so I stopped thinking about them that way. They were just little gifts. We definitely didn't say "circe."

Curtis: It comes from the French.

Sally: Well, that explains it. You South Carolinians and your fancy French Huguenot ways. We West Virginians don't know about such fanciness. We're all a bunch of Kraut-Mick hillbillies. No gifts for us. No social graces.

Curtis: Certainly no circes.

Sally: Certainly not. We punch you French sissies in the face.