T o d d P a t t i s t wrote:
Dave Butler wrote:


Does Marsh Harbour still have that strange old sign about
your "Sufficiencies Will Be Surfancified"? (Yes, I spelled
that the way the sign did.)

Todd, any more information or specifics about that sign? That saying is often
repeated in my wife's family and is attributed to her grandfather. I've never
heard or seen it in any other context. Interesting.


Well you have now given me the only other context for the
saying I've ever run into. It was on a faded sign when we
flew a Cherokee in there in the mid to late '70's. We were
bareboat chartering from Green Turtle Cay and would take the
water taxi over. The sign was there the three times my
girlfriend (wife now) and I flew in there. I remember going
over close to it just to make sure I had the
wording/spelling right. It was something like: "Marsh
Harbour - Where Your Sufficiencies Will Be Surfancified"
Stuck in my mind (and my wife's) like no other sign I can
recall (except some Burma Shave signs :-) I might even have
an old photo of it somewhere.

Did your wife's grandfather have any connection with Marsh
Harbour/Bahamas? What does your family think it means - I
took it to mean you'd get everything you need and more, but
the 8" thick pedestal dictionary I consulted doesn't even
list the word "surfancified."

Thanks for responding, Todd.

AFAIK her family has no connection to Marsh Harbour. I think the posting from
Trent Moorehead (thanks, Trent!) must be hitting pretty close to the mark. In
case that hasn't hit your server, he refers to
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-suf1.htm which has some interesting
background information. That web site notes that the origin may be in North or
South Carolina. My wife's grandfather would have lived in North Carolina, so
that makes sense. Amazing the knowledge you can glean from these newsgroups.

Dave