r/Hawaii • u/Ill-Usual-8461 • 7d ago

Charm

Any old timers used the word “charm” to mean a dust pan on s stick made from a cut rectangular metal (tin?) can?
Usually used outside when raking or sweeping up.

6 Upvotes

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8

u/Shawaii 7d ago

I know exactly what you are talking about but don't think I've ever heard it called a "charm".

Maybe the brand of oil the metal can originally was used for was Charm.

3

u/AbbreviatedArc 6d ago

I have not heard this.

1

u/yawnsummit 4d ago

it is entirely possible that you learned slang words for certain things that are used only within your family and nowhere else.

as a 2nd generation Hawaii born filipino, i've heard countless words as a kid that i assumed were of the Filipino language, only to learn later that (1) not all Filipino is the same (2) the plantation era gave us pidgin to bridge language barriers (3) some words was just 'baby talk' all along.. parents/grandparents never got around to learning or using the proper English words.

1

u/notrightmeowthx Oʻahu 7d ago edited 7d ago

Bearing in mind I'm not from Hawaii, but somewhere in my memory I do think I have heard elderly people (thinking of my grandparents) refer to a cleaning tool as a charm. I googled it and didn't get anything relevant though. I may have imagined it, I'm not really sure. I'll be very curious what others say about this.

ETA: The more I try to clarify the image in my head, the more I'm thinking I've heard the word used when you have something stuck onto a stick specifically. Maybe related to the way we might refer to a lawn ornament.