Busted Toe

I have this friend - I'll call her 'A'. A grew up in Chicago, then moved around a bit, and we met here in New Jersey a few years ago. A has now moved to the west coast, but she is still very much with me. Each and every time I use the word "busted" I think of A. She introduced me to this truly satisfying term. Not that I had never heard the word "busted" before, but I had never used it properly.

When you say the word "busted" you have to really push it out. Use your gut - commit. It has to bust right out of your mouth (which reminds me that these rules also apply for proper usage of "bust" as well). It helps if you use the right accent. I call it Midwest - it's a stereo typical Chicago accent - like "oh, geeez". My friend, A has a voice I could listen to all day. Her accent is the best!

"Busted" of course replaces the word 'broken', or can be used when 'caught in the act'. "Bust" as in 'to burst' is usually used with 'out'. The first time I remember hearing A use "bust", she said her son wanted to "bust out" of his car seat. That is when I caught 'Bust Fever'. I wanted to find any opportunity to use the 'B' word. Whenever I drove on a bumpy road, I said the road was "busted up". When my pants felt a little tight, I was going to "bust out" of them. If my kids were jumping on the bed, they had better stop before they fall and "bust" their head open. If the cable was out, it was "busted".

Last night, I stubbed my toe pretty hard (the one next to my pinkie toe). Now my toe is busted. I regret the pain and swelling I am experiencing. I'm hobbling around, trying to keep it elevated, icing every couple of hours. It's a total pain in the foot (ha, ha). My only solace is that I have a really good reason to use my favorite word.

My friend A has been wonderful to me. She gave me my favorite cookbook, used to drop by just to say 'Hi' - very few people do that anymore, and tells me why she thinks I'm a great person. A is the kind of friend we should all aspire to be. I love her for that. I love her even more for giving me my favorite word... busted.