# cliched regional idioms/colloquialisms



## MissToodles (Jul 18, 2008)

I was thinking about this yesterday. There are phrases/sayings that allegedly arouse from certain cities or regions. I am a native New Yorker. I have never heard someone utter once "fuggedabouit". This expression origin is attributed to working class people of Italian descent. I grew up in a mostly Italian somewhat Irish nabe. Never heard it once unless my memory is failing me.

Okay, so what are some other totally cliched sayings from your neck of the woods. I watch Paula Deen and she seems to use "y'all" every other sentence.


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## Shosh (Jul 18, 2008)

There are a million Aussie ones, but I guess you are not asking for those ey Toodles?


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## Tooz (Jul 18, 2008)

Never heard anyone in Massachusetts say "wicked pissah."

"Wicked," yes. "Pissah," no.


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## Admiral_Snackbar (Jul 18, 2008)

There is a mistaken assumption that people from Southern Illinois speak with a Kentucky (southern) accent. I've yet to see that except for people who came from Kentucky to live here.

I think the one thing about St. Louis is their pronunciation of forty. FARDY. "Yeah, you go out on I-FARDY-FARR and catch I-55 up to the Inner Belt."

It's not quite like paahking yah cahh in haahvaad yaad, but it's enough.


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## LoveBHMS (Jul 18, 2008)

i think she meant phrases rather than accents.

I know in the northeast you'd refer to waiting "on line" rather than waiting "in line" at a grocery store or to get movie tickets.

You'd also say "OK by me" rather than "ok with me" to express agreement with something.


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## Tooz (Jul 18, 2008)

LoveBHMS said:


> I know in the northeast you'd refer to waiting "on line" rather than waiting "in line" at a grocery store or to get movie tickets.



Never heard this one, or if I did, I didn't notice it.



Admiral_Snackbar said:


> paahking yah cahh in haahvaad yaad



Argh. More to the accent than that!


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## sugar and spice (Jul 18, 2008)

I grew up in Va where soft drinks were called soda and here in Ohio it is called Pop. Thick cut seasoned potatoes I always called potato wedges, here in Ohio they call them JoJos:huh:
I lived in S.C. for a short time and was surprised to hear what I call a grocery cart referred to as a BUGGY. I always think its interesting to see how long it takes someone to pick up the accent for wherever they are living. My sister has moved around to several different states and her accent is all mixed up. I pretty much still have my southern accent but I hear some Ohio creeping in slowly but surely. Like Paula Deen I say Y'all a lot too, but I don't say "spatchelor" 
for spatula like she does.


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## Waxwing (Jul 18, 2008)

Tooz said:


> Never heard anyone in Massachusetts say "wicked pissah."
> 
> "Wicked," yes. "Pissah," no.



I heard it for the first time the other day from a guy who was talking to his dad on his cell about how "those assholes at the repaih shop didn't fix his lawnmowah."

It made me sad.


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## Santaclear (Jul 18, 2008)

Tooz said:


> Never heard anyone in Massachusetts say "wicked pissah."
> 
> "Wicked," yes. "Pissah," no.



Startin' around 1970 on Long Island, I used to hear, "Ey, _______," (my last name)...."_yaw a fookin' pissah!"_


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## Shosh (Jul 18, 2008)

Santaclear said:


> Startin' around 1970 on Long Island, I used to hear, "Ey, _______," (my last name)...."_yaw a fookin' pissah!"_



I was born in 1970.


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## Santaclear (Jul 18, 2008)

Susannah said:


> I was born in 1970.



Well..._then yoo a little fookin' pissah!_


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## goofy girl (Jul 19, 2008)

LoveBHMS said:


> i think she meant phrases rather than accents.
> 
> I know in the northeast you'd refer to waiting "on line" rather than waiting "in line" at a grocery store or to get movie tickets.
> 
> You'd also say "OK by me" rather than "ok with me" to express agreement with something.





Tooz said:


> Never heard this one, or if I did, I didn't notice it.
> 
> Argh. More to the accent than that!



I've lived in the North East my entire life and the only time I've heard people say "on line" it meant on a computer.

We do have other lovely little phrases here in Rhode Island, though. Folks from Woonsocket prefer "side by each" to side by side or next to each other. 

***Side by each
You'll hear this one mainly around Woonsocket. It comes from the French "côté par chacun" and would be translated by most people as "side by side." Other Woonsocketisms include the use of double pronouns, as in, "I'm going to the supermarket, me," and the misplacement of phrases or modifiers, as in, "Throw me down the stairs my bag," or "Drive slow your car."***

We have bubblers instead of drinking fountains.

Milkshakes are Cabinets.

We don't go to the dry cleaners, we go to the cleansers.

And you thought they were hoagie, po' boy, or subs?? Nope, they're grinders.

"I'm all set" seems to really confuse people, especially foreigners.

Spa
Walk into a spa in Rhode Island expecting a nice relaxing soak in a hot tub and you may be disappointed. Oh, you can find that kind of spa in Little Rhody, but you're almost as likely to have wandered into a kind of independent mom 'n' pop convenience store or soda fountain. The use of the word may relate to the carbonated or "mineral" water that was used in the preparation of many fountain drinks.

On Special= On Sale

and in Providence we don't go Downtown, we go "Downcity"..we do after all, live in a city, not in a town.


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## moore2me (Jul 19, 2008)

sugar and spice said:


> I grew up in Va where soft drinks were called soda and here in Ohio it is called Pop.
> 
> *Moore's comment:
> Here in Arkansas we call all soft drinks "coke" as in . . .
> ...



*My mom has never been able to pronounce the word where college freshmen live. She always calls is a "domitory". I keep telling her there's an "r" in the word, but she ignores it.

Lately, I have been having a lot of trouble ordering certan things at the McDonald's drive-thru. They cannot understand me over the speaker when I order "two pies off the dollar menu". For three visits now they have given me two Sprites off the dollar menu instead. *


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## Ashlynne (Jul 19, 2008)

LoveBHMS said:


> I know in the northeast you'd refer to waiting "on line" rather than waiting "in line" at a grocery store or to get movie tickets.
> 
> You'd also say "OK by me" rather than "ok with me" to express agreement with something.



I've lived in South Jersey all my life. I've never waited "on line" anywhere. Unless it was back in the olden days of dialup internet and I was "on line" waiting for email to download. 

I believe I generally say "okay _with_ me" if I use the phrase, although if someone were to say "okay _by_ me" I wouldn't look at them as if they had two heads.

Btw, in South Jersey we know how to pronounce our Rs. We do not say "Joisey" like the rest of the country assumes. The whole R thing is a North Jersey accent, which is similar to New York's.


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## alienlanes (Jul 19, 2008)

I'd never noticed this as a distinctive thing, but I do tend to say "on line" when I'm talking about standing in a queue. (I'm from the NYC burbs and spent a few years of my childhood in Boston.)

I'm not a Californian, never even been to the West Coast, but I've always thought "hella" was a cool word.

The real question, however, is: what do you call this sandwich?


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## Ashlynne (Jul 19, 2008)

SlackerFA said:


> The real question, however, is: what do you call this sandwich?



It's a sub, of course.


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## goofy girl (Jul 19, 2008)

SlackerFA said:


> I'd never noticed this as a distinctive thing, but I do tend to say "on line" when I'm talking about standing in a queue. (I'm from the NYC burbs and spent a few years of my childhood in Boston.)
> 
> I'm not a Californian, never even been to the West Coast, but I've always thought "hella" was a cool word.
> 
> The real question, however, is: what do you call this sandwich?



GRINDER!!


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## alienlanes (Jul 19, 2008)

Ashlynne said:


> It's a sub, of course.



Nope, it's a "wedge." 

Only when I'm at home in Westchester or the Bronx, though. When I'm in Jersey, Manhattan or the rest of NYC, it's a "hero." Across the border in Connecticut, it's a "grinder." And when I visit my extended family up in Maine, it's an "Italian."



Wikipedia has a list of all the different names. I guess "sub" is slowly replacing them all now that there's a Subway on every block .


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## Ashlynne (Jul 19, 2008)

SlackerFA said:


> Nope, it's a "wedge."
> 
> Only when I'm at home in Westchester or the Bronx, though. When I'm in Jersey, Manhattan or the rest of NYC, it's a "hero." Across the border in Connecticut, it's a "grinder." And when I visit my extended family up in Maine, it's an "Italian."
> 
> ...



Hm. We've always said "sub" here (like I said previously, I'm from South Jersey), even way way before Subway. Subway didn't even have a store here near me until 2 or 3 years ago.

To carry it further, an "Italian sub" was always called a "regular" here. That's slowly changing to "Italian sub" but it used to be if you wanted a sub with Italian meats and cheeses (as well as oil, lettuce, tomatoes and onions) you asked for a "regular."

I know that people from the Philadelphia area call them hoagies.

*Catty-corner*
Where I'm from, if you want to say something is located diagonally across from where you are, it's catty-corner. "That house catty-corner from me sure needs painting." Most of the time I hear people from other places use "kitty-corner."

I have no idea what cats or kitties have to do with diagonals, though.


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## goofy girl (Jul 19, 2008)

*Catty-corner*
Where I'm from, if you want to say something is located diagonally across from where you are, it's catty-corner. "That house catty-corner from me sure needs painting." Most of the time I hear people from other places use "kitty-corner."

I have no idea what cats or kitties have to do with diagonals, though. [/QUOTE]

I love wordorigins.org! :

Kitty-corner, or catty-corner, is a classic example of the phenomenon known as folk-etymology. When a word or phrase makes little apparent sense, it will often mutate into a form that seems more familiar.

The term was originally catercorner. Cater is an old dialectical term for diagonal. It derives from the French quatre or four. Cater dates to the16th century, appearing in Barnaby Googes 1577 translation of Heresbachs Foure Bookes of Husbandry:

The trees are set checkerwise and so catred [partim in quincuncem directis], as looke which way ye will, they lye level.

By the early 19th century, the folk etymology had set in. From Joseph C. Neals 1838 Charcoal Sketches:

One of that class...who, when compelled to share their bed with another, lie in that engrossing posture called catty-cornered.


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## mariac1966 (Jul 19, 2008)

SlackerFA said:


> I'd never noticed this as a distinctive thing, but I do tend to say "on line" when I'm talking about standing in a queue. (I'm from the NYC burbs and spent a few years of my childhood in Boston.)
> 
> I'm not a Californian, never even been to the West Coast, but I've always thought "hella" was a cool word.
> 
> The real question, however, is: what do you call this sandwich?



Looks like a Hoagie to me!


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## Tooz (Jul 19, 2008)

goofy girl said:


> "I'm all set" seems to really confuse people, especially foreigners.
> 
> On Special= On Sale



I have to say, neither of these are local to Rhode Island. I see them all around, and "I'm all set" has never confused anyone I said it to. 

No one here knows what a packie is though.

Also, I say "sub" or "sandwich" for a...sub. Also call hamburgers/etc. "sandwiches."



goofy girl said:


> Milkshakes are Cabinets.



Also, NO ONE believes me when I tell them about this!


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## goofy girl (Jul 19, 2008)

Tooz said:


> I have to say, neither of these are local to Rhode Island. I see them all around, and "I'm all set" has never confused anyone I said it to.
> 
> No one here knows what a packie is though.
> 
> Also, I say "sub" or "sandwich" for a...sub. Also call hamburgers/etc. "sandwiches."



I call burgers sandwiches, too. 

I remember when I was working with an irish kid one summer and he FLIPPED out at me for saying "all set" LOL he did NOT like it!! The funny thing about "all set" is it even confuses people that say it. Didja ever go to a bar and have a drink, then the bartender asks if you want another drink and you say "i'm all set"..thinking that's a no, and 5 seconds later there is a drink in front of you, which means that the bartender heard it as "I'm all set with this drink and ready for another one".


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## Tooz (Jul 19, 2008)

goofy girl said:


> I call burgers sandwiches, too.
> 
> I remember when I was working with an irish kid one summer and he FLIPPED out at me for saying "all set" LOL he did NOT like it!! The funny thing about "all set" is it even confuses people that say it. Didja ever go to a bar and have a drink, then the bartender asks if you want another drink and you say "i'm all set"..thinking that's a no, and 5 seconds later there is a drink in front of you, which means that the bartender heard it as "I'm all set with this drink and ready for another one".



Yeah, the burger/sandwich thing seems semi-common in Eastern MA, or at least the town I grew up in.

I have honestly never had any confusion over "all set." Maybe it has to do with region?


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## Tooz (Jul 19, 2008)

BTW.

In Buffalo, they aren't "hot wings," "buffalo wings," or anything else. They're "wings."


End of sentence.


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## LoveBHMS (Jul 19, 2008)

Tooz said:


> I have to say, neither of these are local to Rhode Island. I see them all around, and "I'm all set" has never confused anyone I said it to.
> 
> No one here knows what a packie is though.
> 
> ...



I've never heard packie anyplace but MA.

(for those that don't know, it's a package store, or the place where you purchase liquor."


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## Tooz (Jul 19, 2008)

LoveBHMS said:


> I've never heard packie anyplace but MA.



Exactly. No one here knows what the hell I am talking about.


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## mariac1966 (Jul 19, 2008)

Tooz said:


> BTW.
> 
> In Buffalo, they aren't "hot wings," "buffalo wings," or anything else. They're "wings."
> 
> ...



In South Carolina they are called Wing Dings (according to my g.f. who is from there)


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## mariac1966 (Jul 19, 2008)

LoveBHMS said:


> I've never heard packie anyplace but MA.
> 
> (for those that don't know, it's a package store, or the place where you purchase liquor."



I have never heard that term "packie"... but then again I don't get to visit MA much. 

My grandmother once told me to go sit on the stoop.... I was only about 10 years old but thought this was the funniest thing I ever heard and, of course, I had no clue what a stoop was...


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## JayInBuff (Jul 19, 2008)

Tooz said:


> BTW.
> 
> In Buffalo, they aren't "hot wings," "buffalo wings," or anything else. They're "wings."
> 
> ...



Sometimes chicken wings. My brother came up to visit from downstate and we were getting pizza. I asked "Do you want wings?" He responded "You mean Buffalo wings?" We all laughed.

As long as we are talking pizza, in Buffalo when they order pepperoni pizza they say "cheese and pepperoni." It took me forever to realize they weren't getting extra cheese. Why mention the cheese? It's no more a topping than the sauce.

We also don't call it a pie(pizza that is).


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## Ruby Ripples (Jul 19, 2008)

I don't think anyone in Scotland has ever said "och aye the noo" 

In Glasgow, soda is known as ginger. Any kind. "I'll get some ginger, what kind would you like?" "coke please".


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## Santaclear (Jul 19, 2008)

JayInBuff said:


> As long as we are talking pizza, in Buffalo when they order pepperoni pizza they say "cheese and pepperoni." It took me forever to realize they weren't getting extra cheese. Why mention the cheese? It's no more a topping than the sauce.
> We also don't call it a pie(pizza that is).



Yeah. When I moved to Buffalo, I'd order a pizza and they'd ask, "cheese?" And me and all other Long Islanders would be thinking, "Of _course_ cheese, wtf?" They didn't even have it any other way but you'd still get asked.


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## Tooz (Jul 19, 2008)

JayInBuff said:


> Sometimes chicken wings. My brother came up to visit from downstate and we were getting pizza. I asked "Do you want wings?" He responded "You mean Buffalo wings?" We all laughed.
> 
> As long as we are talking pizza, in Buffalo when they order pepperoni pizza they say "cheese and pepperoni." It took me forever to realize they weren't getting extra cheese. Why mention the cheese? It's no more a topping than the sauce.
> 
> We also don't call it a pie(pizza that is).



Hmm. I don't know if I say cheese and x or not! I think I just say "medium w/ green peppers." I'll pay attention next time.


Also, lol @ Buffalo wings. I maintain that whatever they're referred to as here is the right thing to call 'em. I forgot about "chicken wings" though.


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## LoveBHMS (Jul 19, 2008)

"Cheese" is a way of saying "plain pizza without other stuff on it."

They mean "Cheese" rather than "Pepperoni" or "Sausage and Mushroom".

It's assumed if you order a large pizza that if you wanted topping you'd say "Large pepperoni". If you just say "large pizza" they are confirming you don't want toppings.



> Originally Posted by Tooz
> BTW.
> 
> In Buffalo, they aren't "hot wings," "buffalo wings," or anything else. They're "wings."
> ...



This reminds me of the line in "Friends" where they're talking about traveling to China and Joey points out you'll be able to get a lot of Chinese food, and Chandler says "Well yeah, except there they just call it 'food'"


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## Santaclear (Jul 19, 2008)

LoveBHMS said:


> "Cheese" is a way of saying "plain pizza without other stuff on it."
> They mean "Cheese" rather than "Pepperoni" or "Sausage and Mushroom".
> It's assumed if you order a large pizza that if you wanted topping you'd say "Large pepperoni". If you just say "large pizza" they are confirming you don't want toppings.



Nah, at least not when I lived in Buffalo (which was a long time ago.) You'd order a large pizza. They'd ask, "Cheese?" Always that extra step. Then ask about other toppings. I had never heard of cheese being considered a topping before I went there.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Jul 19, 2008)

Ruby Ripples said:


> I don't think anyone in Scotland has ever said "och aye the noo"



Do they say, "Dinna ye ken?" I'm just curious.


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## Ruby Ripples (Jul 19, 2008)

Dr. Feelgood said:


> Do they say, "Dinna ye ken?" I'm just curious.



Hah! Not in Glasgow but in some places, if asked something and the person doesnt know the answer they will say " I dinnae ken" (I don't know). More commonly though, people say "ah ken" or just "ken" when agreeing with another person. My friend Lorna who frequents these boards always said "ken", often while sucking her breath in, giving it added emphasis, which was fab! 

i havent seen "dinnae ye ken?" though.


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## liz (di-va) (Jul 19, 2008)

To foul up the whole kitty/catty corner debate: my family says catty-wumpus (another legal variation).

- - - - 

I've never heard anybody actually say they want a hot dog "dragged through the garden" in Chicago, although that's what everyone else calls Chicago style dogs.


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## That1BigGirl (Jul 19, 2008)

There are sooo many

"Dope" is a soda.. also sometimes called a "Soda dope" - "Want a dope (or soda dope)? Yes please, a coke." 

Ice Cream is Cream

Tater wedges are Tater Babies or tater wedges

Homefries- Ohhh boy... These can be anything from the criss cross style "waffle fries" to the shredded up "hash browns" It can also be a nickname for someone you've known forever (I don't think that's just local here)

The thing you put your items you just bought in... is a poke.

All types of oil/crisco etc... "Fat"

Pork rinds are Pork Skins, not to be confused with cracklin skins which are pretty much the same, but have some fat left on them

Ham is Hog meat.


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## alienlanes (Jul 19, 2008)

Tooz said:


> BTW.
> 
> In Buffalo, they aren't "hot wings," "buffalo wings," or anything else. They're "wings."
> 
> ...



Makes sense. They're "Buffalo wings" in NYC, but in Albany they're just "wings."


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## Tooz (Jul 19, 2008)

That1BigGirl said:


> There are sooo many
> 
> "Dope" is a soda.. also sometimes called a "Soda dope" - "Want a dope (or soda dope)? Yes please, a coke."
> 
> ...



Where do you live?


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## goofy girl (Jul 19, 2008)

About the cheese on pizza thing, lots of places here DON"T put cheese on pizza unless you ask for it. It will come as the crust, sauce and whatever other toppings you ask for but no cheese. Strange thing is, I lived in Newport for 27 years and there pizza always comes with cheese..but I move to Providence which is 30 miles north and it's completely different!


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## wrestlingguy (Jul 19, 2008)

Here's an interesting one, and any of you who have lived in New Jersey can identify this.

No matter what part of New Jersey you lived in, when you visited the beaches on the east coast of the state you went "down the shore".


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## Tooz (Jul 19, 2008)

Oh RIGHT. On Cape Cod, or when going to CC, a local generally says they're going "down cape."

Doesn't matter where you're coming from, if you're going North to get there or what.


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## Ashlynne (Jul 19, 2008)

wrestlingguy said:


> Here's an interesting one, and any of you who have lived in New Jersey can identify this.
> 
> No matter what part of New Jersey you lived in, when you visited the beaches on the east coast of the state you went "down the shore".



Unless you actually live near the shore ... then you just go "to the beach."  Maybe that's because we already live "down the shore"???


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## PamelaLois (Jul 19, 2008)

Here in the Windy City, we go to Currency Exchanges to cash a check. We order pop not soda. 
If you ask for everything on your hot dog you get mustard, violently green relish, onion, tomato slices, pickle wedges, sport peppers and celery salt. You do NOT get ketchup. 
Regardless of whether you live north, south or west of the city of Chicago, you always go Downtown to visit the Loop. 
If you order an Italian Beef sandwich, you will be asked if you want it dry or dipped. 
A sausage sandwich means Italian sausage with red sauce, giardinaire and provolone cheese. 
If you want White Castle hamburgers, you go to Sliders. 
If you need something done, everyone's "Gotta Guy" who can do that for you. If you have someone in government that can use influence for you, you "clouted" your way into whatever it is.


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## JerseyGirl07093 (Jul 19, 2008)

wrestlingguy said:


> Here's an interesting one, and any of you who have lived in New Jersey can identify this.
> 
> No matter what part of New Jersey you lived in, when you visited the beaches on the east coast of the state you went "down the shore".



Yes! So true. I love going 'down the shore' in the summer, my favorite place to be.
And when we used to go to the country (Sussex County) in the summer it was always 'UP the country'.
So my family went down the shore and up the country for vacation.

I was going to post about 'subs' or 'heros' as we call them where I live yesterday but my computer froze and I lost the post. I love to see all the different names everyone calls these sandwiches.

Now, for an even more important question? *What do you call a White Castle hamburger where you're from?*
Around here we call them 'Murder Burgers' probably because they're murder on your stomach. I've never heard of any other place calling them that. Sometimes I hear people say 'sliders' too.


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## Tooz (Jul 19, 2008)

JerseyGirl07093 said:


> Now, for an even more important question? *What do you call a White Castle hamburger where you're from?*
> Around here we call them 'Murder Burgers' probably because they're murder on your stomach. I've never heard of any other place calling them that. Sometimes I hear people say 'sliders' too.



We don't call 'em anything here because White Castle does not exist in Buffalo. :\


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## Punkin1024 (Jul 19, 2008)

Just a few phrases come to mind:

We say - fixin' a lot:

"I'm fixin' to go to the grocery store."

"I'm fixin' scrambled eggs for breakfast." 

When I say "howdy" it sounds more like Hidee.  I do use the term "ya'll" which sounds more like yawl.


In Texas when you are going to have a barbeque, it doesn't simply mean cooking outside. Barbeque means you are "fixin'" meat cooked on a spit or grill accompanied with barbeque sauce (some apply the sauce while cooking the meat), baked beans (pork n beans cooked with brown sugar, worcestershire, seasonings, bacon), potato salad, pinto beans, fruit pies, cakes, cobblers. 

We don't call hamburgers sandwiches - they are hamburgers. Hamburgers are large patties of ground sirloin served between hamburger buns and come with lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions and usually mustard (you can request mayo if you don't like mustard).

Tea is iced tea. Lately, I've noticed a trend for sweet tea, so I make sure to state I want my tea unsweetened. Coke is the term for any type of carbonated beverage - just name what you prefer (Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, etc.).

~Punkin


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## mariac1966 (Jul 20, 2008)

Punkin1024 said:


> Tea is iced tea. Lately, I've noticed a trend for sweet tea, so I make sure to state I want my tea unsweetened. Coke is the term for any type of carbonated beverage - just name what you prefer (Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, etc.).
> 
> ~Punkin



I have also noticed the term "sweet tea" popping up more in our culture lately. There are even several country songs where you hear the term.


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## That1BigGirl (Jul 20, 2008)

Tooz said:


> Where do you live?



Rural TN currently


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## Allie Cat (Jul 20, 2008)

Alrighty, let's see what I can come up with to make your lives more amusing...

Around here, a lot of people seem to have trouble with unwanted Rs making their way into words. A particular repeat offender is 'wash,' which often becomes 'worsh.'

Some Eastern PA colloquialisms that have made their way slowly west (at least I think they're from the Philly area) are referring to vacuum cleaners as 'sweepers' (this can get very confusing - I once had a boss who told me to sweep the floor, so I got out a broom... spent a little while trying to sweep the carpets before she came along and asked wtf I was doing) and the phrase 'redd up,' which means 'clean' or 'tidy.' For instance, "redd up the table for dinner."

Also, people around here seem to drop 'to be' from a lot of sentences, something that's found its way into my vocabulary... For instance, "my car needs to be cleaned" becomes "my car needs cleaned."

Also also, apparently it's a Pittsburghism to refer to sparrows as 'sputzies.' Also there's "y'all," "yinz," and the ever-annoying "git-er done."

Pittsburgh is a weird place... though it could be worse... I've talked to people from New Orleans, and apparently it's not called New Orleans if you're from there, but "Nwawwwlinz."


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## pdgujer148 (Jul 20, 2008)

Not really a an idiom or colloquialism, but kids in Minnesota and the Dakotas play "Duck Duck Grey Duck".

Otherwise: It's pop, subs, and we never have to ask for cheese on our pizza (thanks Wisconsin!).

Casseroles are called "Hot Dish" regardless of the ingredients. "Hot dish" is served at the "Pot Luck".

Minnesotans go "Up North". Up Nort' is anywhere between the outskirts of the Twin Cities to the Canadian border. It usually used in context of taking a fishing trip or visiting your hick relatives in Duluth. It always suggests COLD.

Off Topic Sort of:

When I was a kid in Duluth it was common practice to serve a layered cream cheese sandwich at funeral receptions. It was made in a loaf pan. First the inside of the pan was coated with about and inch of cream cheese. Then the following stuff was layered into the pan: an inch of egg salad, white bread, ham salad, pumpernickel bread, tuna salad, white bread, I don't know what salad (chicken?), rye bread, and then another hit of cream cheese. The "cake" (back on topic - this mess was called a cake) was chilled and then inverted on a serving plate. The sides of the caked were scalloped and the top was garnished with sliced pimento olives.

I've mentioned this ritual (serving "the cake" at funerals) to people from all over the country and they simply stare at me as if I were crazy or making the whole thing up.

Finally, contrary to what you saw in Fargo, I very rarely hear people say, "Ya know", or "You bettcha!"


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## liz (di-va) (Jul 20, 2008)

pdgujer148 said:


> Not really a an idiom or colloquialism, but kids in Minnesota and the Dakotas play "Duck Duck Grey Duck".



Oh boy...I had forgotten that. I thought it was so sort of quaint--classically Scandinavian/self-effacing--compared to flat-footed monosyllable "duck." Can't read too much into these things .



pdgujer148 said:


> Finally, contrary to what you saw in Fargo, I very rarely hear people say, "Ya know", or "You bettcha!"



I heard people say "Yo, yah hey dere" as a joke, but I did hear some non-ironic "Yassir, you betcha"s. That was pre-_Fargo_, though. Who knows.


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## LoveBHMS (Jul 20, 2008)

> In Texas when you are going to have a barbeque, it doesn't simply mean cooking outside. Barbeque means you are "fixin'" meat cooked on a spit or grill accompanied with barbeque sauce (some apply the sauce while cooking the meat), baked beans (pork n beans cooked with brown sugar, worcestershire, seasonings, bacon), potato salad, pinto beans, fruit pies, cakes, cobblers.



Yes! I'm from the northeast and I was working in TN for a while and discovered this. I'd always thought of barbecue as a verb, as in "we're going to barbecue some meat" or it was akin to a cookout, as in having the family over while you grilled hot dogs/burgers/corn on the cob on the grill while everyone gathered outside. When I went to TN, they'd talk about who had the best barbecue or they'd have huge contests like cookoffs where everyone would gather and make their special recipe that involved a particular sauce or cooking method and then it would be judged.

Also not really an idiom, but i also discovered at southern wedding, men ALL have their dad as their best man. I'd never heard of this before where up north men use a brother, cousin, or close friend.


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## cute_obese_girl (Jul 20, 2008)

liz (di-va) said:


> To foul up the whole kitty/catty corner debate: my family says catty-wumpus (another legal variation).



I've heard catty-wumpus from family members. They're from Colorado.


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## goofy girl (Jul 20, 2008)

Punkin1024 said:


> *snip*
> 
> In Texas when you are going to have a barbeque, it doesn't simply mean cooking outside. Barbeque means you are "fixin'" meat cooked on a spit or grill accompanied with barbeque sauce (some apply the sauce while cooking the meat), baked beans (pork n beans cooked with brown sugar, worcestershire, seasonings, bacon), potato salad, pinto beans, fruit pies, cakes, cobblers.
> 
> ...



The BBQ thing has always bothered me. Even when I was a kid, I never wanted to go to a BBQ, because I was never a huge fan of BBQ'd food. But then we we'd get there it would just be hot dogs and hamburgers cooked on a grill, which made me happy as a clam. That's not BBQ'ing, it's just cooking on the grill.

I think I call burgers "sandwiches" because of restaurant menus. Burgers are usually listed in the Sandwiches section. And it is meat between bread..which I guess classifies it as a sandwich?? LOL




Divals said:


> Alrighty, let's see what I can come up with to make your lives more amusing...
> 
> Around here, a lot of people seem to have trouble with unwanted Rs making their way into words. A particular repeat offender is 'wash,' which often becomes 'worsh.'
> 
> *snip*



I do NOT LIKE THAT!! Here in Rhode Island we tend to drop our R's for the most part ,which is just as bad lol (although I feel badly for people named "Donna" because somehow in RI/MA their name comes out as "Donnerrrrr"). 

When I was working at a hotel this older couple came in and checked in. During check-in they asked me if there was a "Worshateria" nearby. I had to ask them 4 times to repeat themselves, and they finally said "laundromat". I was like, wtf?? Why didn't you say that in the first place?? lol


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## Lastminute.Tom (Jul 20, 2008)

I've never heard a Brit use the terms "talley-ho" old "Old chap" except in the interest of self-depricating humour

an annoying thing round here is the way everything good is called "fit" 
"man, that's well fit"
it seems to be dying out now thankfully but now all the chavs are calling eachother "blood" or "blud" as they pronounce it

I quite like the term "devvo" which is just a bastardized version of devastation, usually people would use it like "That's well devvo" meaning "how unfortunate"
its also the name of one of E4's more colourful characters Darren "Devvo" Devonshire the comedy chav


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## goofy girl (Jul 20, 2008)

Lastminute.Tom said:


> I've never heard a Brit use the terms "talley-ho" old "Old chap" except in the interest of self-depricating humour
> 
> an annoying thing round here is the way everything good is called "fit"
> "man, that's well fit"
> ...



Do you call each other "Governor"?


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## JayInBuff (Jul 20, 2008)

When I was out in the Midwest, they would always say " Can you borrow me $5?" The other thing that really bothered me was they would pronounce the word awesome like ah-some. Also they would say bagel as bah-gul.


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## Ashlynne (Jul 20, 2008)

In South Jersey, we refer to tourists as "Shoobies." (I'm told that further north in NJ they are called "Bennys.")

I've heard a few stories behind the term Shoobie. The one I think is most credible is as follows:

During the Great Depression, people from the Philadelphia area looked for inexpensive recreation. They could take the train (which was relatively cheap) from Philly to Atlantic City for a day trip and then go on the beach for free. They'd carry their lunches with them in shoe boxes. Hence ... Shoobie. Now it refers to any tourist who comes to the shore.

(That's the story my mother sticks to, and since she lived here during the Depression, I'd say she knows what she's talking about.)

I'm afraid that those of us who live here generally use the word Shoobie in a derogatory manner.

_I can't wait until Labor Day when all of these dang Shoobies will go home!_


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## Ruby Ripples (Jul 20, 2008)

That1BigGirl said:


> There are sooo many
> 
> "Dope" is a soda.. also sometimes called a "Soda dope" - "Want a dope (or soda dope)? Yes please, a coke."
> 
> ...



Wow I had no idea that you used the word poke at all in the US! In Scotland we say poke, meaning a paper bag. Ice cream cones used to be known as "pokey hats", I think because the wafer cone used to be made of paper, and looked like a paper hat. I've been told that it comes from the Gaelic word "poc" meaning pocket. I assume it was taken over to the US by Scots then,like the habit of frying everything! You might know the old expression "pig in a poke"? That comes from when people used to sell piglets at market tied up in a sack with just the head sticking out. if you didnt remove the pig to check it out fully, you might buy a runty one, and not get your money's worth. hehe Im so tickled that poke is used there... even english people here laugh at the word! 




goofy girl said:


> Do you call each other "Governor"?




LMAO! Yes they do, also " Ello Mary Poppins!"


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## alienlanes (Jul 20, 2008)

Lastminute.Tom said:


> it seems to be dying out now thankfully but now all the chavs are calling eachother "blood" or "blud" as they pronounce it



How do those sound different for a (non-chav) Brit? In the northeastern US, "blood" rhymes with "mud."


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## mszwebs (Jul 20, 2008)

Aaaah, Wisconsin...

Bubbler= Drinking fountain 
Kleenex = Any and all facial tissue

Soda and pop are both common, depending on where in Wisconsin you live.

We also say...

~I'm going "Up North" 
~I have to "Go Bathroom"
~I'm going to "The Store" (which generally refers to a grocery store, but is more of an incontext thing and people ALWAYS know which store you're going to)
~Do you wanna "Come With" or "Go With?"

In order of usage:

Sub (common)
Hero (less common)
Grinder (refers, at least in my town, to a sub like-sandwich that's been put through the oven)


And sadly, I have in fact, heard people utter the phrase "Ya Der Hey" thought I have ABSOLUTELY no idea what the fuck it means.

OH HAI *edit* When I was visiting Summer in CT, I was totally weirded out by the term "Pocketbook." (at least I think that was what it was...lol) Here, it's a PURSE.

Also, I know the terms Package Store and Packie from trips to Indy and Boston, but here, it's a Liquor Store or a Beer Depot.


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## Allie Cat (Jul 20, 2008)

Just remembered another Pittsburghism... About a year ago I was walking around downtown when I was confronted by a scruffy-looking fellow who was looking for something called a "state store" where, I assumed, one would buy states. After I told him I had no idea what he was talking about, I later discovered that "state," in this context, means "alcohol."


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## Dr. Feelgood (Jul 20, 2008)

liz (di-va) said:


> To foul up the whole kitty/catty corner debate: my family says catty-wumpus (another legal variation).
> 
> - - - -
> 
> ...


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## Ash (Jul 20, 2008)

I can only think of a couple from Northern Indiana (which is where I'm from). 

First, carbonated beverages are always "pop". Since I left there, I always say "soda", but it took quite a bit of conditioning to get "pop" out of my brain. 

In Northern IN, your neighbor lives "acrossed the street" instead of "across". Doesn't make any sense at all, and someone had to actually point it out to me because I never noticed that I said that. I don't anymore, by the way. 

When you need something from the grocery store or WalMart, you go "to town". Actually, just yesterday my Hoosier sensibilities took over for a moment when I needed dog food and I remember consciously thinking "I need to go to town". Nevermind that I now live 3 blocks from Petco.

I also remember my grandparents saying they needed to "warsh" clothes. And they even took it as far as "Warshington, DC or Warshington state".


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## Green Eyed Fairy (Jul 20, 2008)

Ashley said:


> I can only think of a couple from Northern Indiana (which is where I'm from).
> 
> First, carbonated beverages are always "pop". Since I left there, I always say "soda", but it took quite a bit of conditioning to get "pop" out of my brain.



Here in NC they seem to be called "cokes" a lot...even if you get Mtn Dew or something....and a few people from around here have seemed disturbed when I referred to it as "soda".




Ashley said:


> I also remember my grandparents saying they needed to "warsh" clothes. And they even took it as far as "Warshington, DC or Warshington state".




Lol, I have heard "warsh" around here, too....not too often but occasionally...

I have also heard "poke"....but only from older people.....as in Seniors (I have had a few Sr Citizens ask me for a poke when I used to be a cashier). I have always thought of it as a very old Southern expression....seems I was wrong 




One thing I absolutely hate and think is just about the stupidest thing I have ever heard? The people from around here don't go and get "their license" or "my license". Instead they get "them". WTF????

"My license....I can't find them" 

"Where is your license?" "I lost them"

"Did you get your license?" "Yes, I got 'em"

or they make it plural....they got their licenses.......even if they just got ONE :blink:

Hell, even if you get a commercial license (I have had one before so I know) they just mark it commercial and classify it....as in what you can drive. I could drive a car, a city bus and a school bus....all with ONE license....and I never said "I got them" :doh:


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## Green Eyed Fairy (Jul 20, 2008)

Punkin1024 said:


> J
> 
> 
> In Texas when you are going to have a barbeque, it doesn't simply mean cooking outside. Barbeque means you are "fixin'" meat cooked on a spit or grill accompanied with barbeque sauce (some apply the sauce while cooking the meat), baked beans (pork n beans cooked with brown sugar, worcestershire, seasonings, bacon), potato salad, pinto beans, fruit pies, cakes, cobblers.
> ...




ACK! Should have read the WHOLE thread first 

And yes, I have to really emphasize it if I want UNSWEET tea around here too. Hot tea throws them for a loop, too :doh:


And burgers are burgers and bbq is a cookout around these parts, too


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## mariac1966 (Jul 20, 2008)

Here are a few that I hear my house:

warsh - for "wash"

zink - "sink"

booger king - " burger" king

stoop - "step"

and my grandfather constantly uses "me" for "my", e.g. me eyes are burning or I got me cane with me.

tullet - "toilet"

kellers - "colors"


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## Wild Zero (Jul 20, 2008)

I have a deep hatred for the marketing geniuses who made up t-shirts reading "GREEN MONSTAAAAH" and the hack sportscasters ('sup ESPN) who insist on pronouncing Boston, "BAAAAH-stin" 

If you're from NYC imagine a scenario where every time the Yankees were on national television the announcer tried to get cute and pronounce the city "NOO YAAARRRRK" or something equally off the mark. That's what it sounds like to us.

The accent SOMETIMES drops r's at the end of the word; I'm sick of this idea that Bostonians lose motor functions if a word has an r in it.

And if my beverage is high in sugar and carbonated it's called a tonic.


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## SuperMishe (Jul 20, 2008)

mszwebs said:


> OH HAI *edit* When I was visiting Summer in CT, I was totally weirded out by the term "Pocketbook." (at least I think that was what it was...lol) Here, it's a PURSE.



Here in Northeastern MA, if you listen closely, it's actually "pockabook"! LOL


Also wondering - is it just me that notices that no one really says "You're welcome" but instead "Youwelcum" ??


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## GWARrior (Jul 20, 2008)

Im a proud western Masshole 

I say "wicked", I run "packies" and I eat subs or grinders. I put sprinkles on my ice cream.

Ive also noticed that a lot of western MAers dont anunciate T's all that well.

eta: we do not sound like Bosterners AT ALL.


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## mszwebs (Jul 20, 2008)

GWARrior said:


> Im a proud western Masshole
> 
> ...I put sprinkles on my ice cream...



They're JIMMIES


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## Donna (Jul 20, 2008)

Those "packies" y'all speak of are known as "party stores" in southeastern Michigan where I grew up. 

The Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is called the Secretary of State in Michigan. When we moved to Florida when I was in my teens, I recall my Mother asking one of our neighbors where the closest Secretary of State office was located and the neighbor looked at her like she had three heads. 

Jelly donuts sprinkled with sugar are paczki (pronounced poooocnh-keee) and Fat Tuesday is called Paczki Day.

Carbonated beverages are pop...soda is what one bakes with. 

Here in Florida, we refer to our winter-season residents and all tourists as snow birds. 

I've called a brown paper bag a poke since I was a child...my parents immigrated from Scotland and I must've picked that word up from them. My Mother has never fried with anything but fat (she refers to olive oil as Italian fat) and butter is referred to as spread.


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## Tooz (Jul 20, 2008)

GWARrior said:


> Im a proud western Masshole



Funny Masshole story!

My car has a sticker that just says MASSHOLE in big letters. (Next to a Yankees suck sticker, btw). My mom was like "I don't mean to nag you, but that sticker is gonna offend people on the mass pike..."


I was like "no mom. "


Signed,
Semi-displaced Masshole.


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## Ash (Jul 20, 2008)

Donna said:


> Jelly donuts sprinkled with sugar are paczki (pronounced poooocnh-keee) and Fat Tuesday is called Paczki Day.



Oh my gosh, I miss packzi so much. Cheese for me, please!


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## GWARrior (Jul 20, 2008)

Tooz said:


> Funny Masshole story!
> 
> My car has a sticker that just says MASSHOLE in big letters. (Next to a Yankees suck sticker, btw). My mom was like "I don't mean to nag you, but that sticker is gonna offend people on the mass pike..."
> 
> ...



haha I love being a Masshole!


Im also one of those rare massholes whose also a Yankees fan  I can get away with it tho, since my family is originally from CT. Moved up to MA when I was 3!


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## Flyin Lilac (Jul 20, 2008)

Here in Maine:

Up North or upcountry = a fishing or hunting trip
Upta camp = going to your fishing or hunting camp up north

Dooryard = the front yard, specifically the driveway. I.e., We paid them a dooryard call the other day. Translation: We drove into the driveway and said hello and chatted 

Sandwiches are 2 slices of regular bread with something inside; subs are from Subway; Italians are subs that are almost always just salami or ham, onions, green peppers, tomato, pickles, American cheese, red pepper powder (cayenne, maybe) and oil; burgers are burgers

In the northernmost (and largest) county in the state, the residents emphasize their R's, and they pronounce "sorry" as "sore-y," "borrow" as "bore-oh." In other parts of the state we drop the R altogether, i.e., "cah" for car, "bahtendah" for bartender. Many Mainers also add an R to a word ending in A, i.e., Lisa is Lee-ser, Visa is vee-zer. A lot of us also drop the g from words ending in "ing," i.e., I'm goin fishin. A lot of coastal natives have an almost British accent on words such as "can't." They say cahhhn't, sort of like how Thurston Howell III would say it.

Cunning = adorable, cute, i.e., That baby is awful cunnin!

I'd like to dispel the notion right now that we don't all walk around saying "ayuh." Real old-timer coastal folks use it, but not the entire populace.

Soda = any sweet carbonated beverage, i.e. Pepsi, Mt. Dew, Sprite

"Wicked" is used the same as in Massachusetts, except we say "wickid"

"Fuckin-A" (accent on the A) = damn right (Ya fuckin-A right I kicked his ass); excellent (You got tickets to the Sox game? Fuckin-A!); or I agree/concur (your friend says "This is some wickid killah pot" and you say "Fuckin-A".

You have either a "deck" or a "porch" attached to your house

We go to the "liquor store" as opposed to "packie" or "state store"

Tourists are "summer people"; people who move here from out of state are "transplants"; nearly anyone from out of state is either a "flatlander" or a "straphanger"

Depending on the direction, we go "up to" "over to" "down to" or "out to" a given destination

All set = I require nothing more, I'm good to go

"Geezly" (pronounced JEEZ-lee) is a term used in frustration, i.e., I can't get this geezly car to start

Fahfuxsakes = "for fuck's sakes," used also in frustration or impatience, i.e., Hurry up fahfuxsakes!

Jimmies = sprinkles on ice cream

Cheese on pizza is a given

"All stove up" or "stove it to hell" = something was wrecked beyond repair, i.e., He stove that car all up when he hit that deer, or He hit that deer and stove his car all to hell

We don't "try to" do something, we "try and" do something, i.e., I'm gonna try and get this geezly cah stahted fahfuxsakes!


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## Ashlynne (Jul 20, 2008)

Donna said:


> Jelly donuts sprinkled with sugar are paczki (pronounced poooocnh-keee) and Fat Tuesday is called Paczki Day.



My family does this too, only we call them Fastnachts! (And the day is, naturally, Fastnacht Day.) My mother's maternal grandparents immigrated from Germany in the late 1800's and settled in Philadelphia before moving to South Jersey. 

Our donuts are made with a twice-raised dough and then deep fat fried and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Sometimes Mom would put raisins in them as well.

Whatever anyone calls them, they are YUM! :eat2:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasnachts


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## Miss Vickie (Jul 21, 2008)

I'm a transplanted New Yorker by way of Seattle so I have some bizarre colloquialisms. I say "soda" for any cola drink. Seltzer is "bubble water" as my kids called it. And iced tea should not have sugar in it. 

In Alaska, leaving the state is called going "Outside". Outside is any place other than Alaska. The Lower 48 obviously refers to ... the rest of youze guyz. The Bush is any place outside of a major town but usually means you need a pilot, snow machine or boat to get there. (We don't have a lot of roads that connect major population areas). There is a perception from Outside that we use terms like "sourdough" or "cheechako" to describe long term and new Alaskans, respectively, but no. We don't use those terms, and haven't for decades. Native Alaskan means you're either of Native descent or sometimes it's used if you were one of the few white people born here who stayed. 

Growing up, I never used the word "pasta". It was always noodles or macaroni. But now it's pretty much the only word I use, and I think I picked that up in Seattle.


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## Tooz (Jul 21, 2008)

Flyin Lilac said:


> Here in Maine:
> 
> Up North or upcountry = a fishing or hunting trip
> Upta camp = going to your fishing or hunting camp up north
> ...



Oh man. *takes notes on like half of it*


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## Ivy (Jul 21, 2008)

i'm originally from akron and cleveland ohio. potato wedges are called "jojos" and parking spaces are called "parks."


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## That1BigGirl (Jul 21, 2008)

I forgot until someone said this today...

Eldest- your oldest child
NearEldest- second born
NearMiddlen/Middlin- third born
Middlen/Middlin- your middle child
AfterMiddlen/Middlin- the child born after your middle child
NearLeasten/Leastin- your next to the last born child
Leasten/Leastin- your youngest child

Now- these can be used in may forms- and also you can have your "Eldest group" or and "Leastin group" or any variation-

Say Mary has 4 kids- 12,11 4,3 the 12/11 are her eldest group the 4/3 are her leastin group

Joe has 3 kids, eldest, middlen, leastin

You have one child, age 2- yungen or littlin until age 8 or so, then they are just your kid (unless you have more)

Amy has 7 kids- One ages 1-7... she can say she has an eldest, near eldest, near middlin, middlin, after middlin, near leastin, and leastin. I just say she has a litter.

These forms are normally said like so- Joe talking about his kids- "My eldest is in third grade, my middlin is in second my leastin is home"

"Oh is that your leastin?"


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## Kareda (Jul 21, 2008)

Flyin Lilac said:


> Here in Maine:
> 
> Up North or upcountry = a fishing or hunting trip
> Upta camp = going to your fishing or hunting camp up north
> ...



Did ya have to mention Italians??? I miss them soooo much! ( Maine too! ) Thanks for the memories!


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## GenericGeek (Jul 21, 2008)

Miss Vickie said:


> I'm a transplanted New Yorker by way of Seattle so I have some bizarre colloquialisms... <snip> But now it's pretty much the only word I use, and I think I picked that up in Seattle.



Yeah, Vickie, you picked up a lot of civilized traits in Seattle -- were you a coffee connoisseur (-seuse?) before you came down here? 

Some of my favorite examples of colloquialisms lead to a lot of inadvertent double-entendres, or are at least offensive to some. They may be dated, but then, so am I. Dammit!

An *eraser *in the U.S. is a *rubber* in England. In the US, the male partner(s) wear a rubber for purposes of contraception, and/or safe sex.

Only women have _*fannies *_in the U.K. Somehow, in America, the term came to apply to one's backside, so men could have them, too.

*Sheila * is a generic term for female in Australia. (Although, like "chick" in the US, it's now very politically incorrect in some circles.)

_*"Stone the crows, mate, I reckon that Shosh is one bonzer Sheila! I hear that she moved out of Melbourne, way out in the bush somewhere..."*_ 

And need I mention what Aussie slang for "beer" is? :happy:


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## rainyday (Jul 21, 2008)

I can't think of many Northwest colloquialisms at all, let alone cliched ones. I took a Northwest Folklore class in college though and I remember a list of them, so I know we have some. 

We do have a lot of nicknames for Portland (PDX, Stumptown, Bridge City, P-Town and Rip City). We stand in line, drink pop and eat subs here, and occasionally call coffee java. "Skid row" originally was a lane where logs were slid, but now it's where the down and out congregate. A "Californian" is someone from the state to the south, but the word can have a derogatory note. Most people say "I'm going to the coast" as much or more as "I'm going to the beach." 

I never think of us as having an accent or dialect, but according to this article we do.


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## Santaclear (Jul 21, 2008)

rainyday said:


> I can't think of many Northwest colloquialisms at all, let alone cliched ones. I took a Northwest Folklore class in college though and I remember a list of them, so I know we have some.
> We do have a lot of nicknames for Portland (PDX, Stumptown, Bridge City, P-Town and Rip City). We stand in line, drink pop and eat subs here, and occasionally call coffee java. "Skid row" originally was a lane where logs were slid, but now it's where the down and out congregate. A "Californian" is someone from the state to the south, but the word can have a derogatory note. Most people say "I'm going to the coast" as much or more as "I'm going to the beach."
> I never think of us as having an accent or dialect, but according to this article we do.



You haven't mentioned the geoduck, Rainy. It's the pride of the Pacific Northwest, and more than makes up for any lack of accents or dialects in the region. 

View attachment c46cea66.jpg


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## MissToodles (Jul 21, 2008)

GWARrior said:


> Im a proud western Masshole
> 
> I say "wicked", I run "packies" and I eat subs or grinders. I put sprinkles on my ice cream.
> 
> ...



Noticed the Western MA accent is a totally different creature. 

okay since this thread has derailed, are loosies common in any other part of the country?


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## Shosh (Jul 21, 2008)

GenericGeek said:


> Yeah, Vickie, you picked up a lot of civilized traits in Seattle -- were you a coffee connoisseur (-seuse?) before you came down here?
> 
> Some of my favorite examples of colloquialisms lead to a lot of inadvertent double-entendres, or are at least offensive to some. They may be dated, but then, so am I. Dammit!
> 
> ...



Fanny in Australia does not mean bum it means, um well you know.

Thank you GG.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Jul 21, 2008)

Susannah said:


> Fanny in Australia does not mean bum it means, um well you know.




Apparently it means the same thing in parts of the UK, or used to. Back in the days when Americans re-invented the sporran and dubbed it the "fanny pack" (because it was usually worn in back) I was with a group of tourists in the UK. One of our ladies was wearing her pack, and in fact she was wearing it in front. A local gentlemen asked what it was, and she replied "Oh, it's just my fanny pack." I thought he was going to have a heart attack for a minute there.


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## snuggletiger (Jul 21, 2008)

What is up with the southern/texas phrase of "You hear" it just makes me wanna smack someone and go OF COURSE I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME AROUND.


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## Miss Vickie (Jul 21, 2008)

GenericGeek said:


> Yeah, Vickie, you picked up a lot of civilized traits in Seattle -- were you a coffee connoisseur (-seuse?) before you came down here?



Yeah, and I picked up some non-civilized ones as well, as you no doubt remember.  Actually, I did drink (some) coffee when I lived in the Bay Area, 'cause we had Peet's, which is good coffee but too dark for this girlie girl. But I only got deeply into it when living in Seattle. Same with beer. I'd drink it occasionally in Cali but started drinking more of it in Seattle, aka Microbreweryville. 



> Some of my favorite examples of colloquialisms lead to a lot of inadvertent double-entendres, or are at least offensive to some. They may be dated, but then, so am I. Dammit!



No comment.  :kiss2:

It's funny, though, the fanny one. I use that term a lot and it makes my Scottish friend laugh when I do. Because we are, you know, 40 something going on 12.

She told me that in Scotland they use the term "Paki" to refer to people of Pakistani (or maybe even any middle Eastern descent? not sure about that) but it's not an insult. It's just a way of describing someone. She was surprised when she got to the US and people gave her a lot of grief about it. 

One thing I don't understand is the word "cheers" that they use over there. It seems to mean both "thanks" and "bye" and a host of other things I don't understand.

Any UK/Aussie folks care to help?



rainyday said:


> I can't think of many Northwest colloquialisms at all, let alone cliched ones. I took a Northwest Folklore class in college though and I remember a list of them, so I know we have some.
> 
> We do have a lot of nicknames for Portland (PDX, Stumptown, Bridge City, P-Town and Rip City). We stand in line, drink pop and eat subs here, and occasionally call coffee java. "Skid row" originally was a lane where logs were slid, but now it's where the down and out congregate. A "Californian" is someone from the state to the south, but the word can have a derogatory note. Most people say "I'm going to the coast" as much or more as "I'm going to the beach."
> 
> I never think of us as having an accent or dialect, but according to this article we do.



Great article! It was really timely, since the Mister, Kid and I were discussing accents. There was a girl at our local Starbucks whose voice sounded really nasally to me. I thought she had a "Seattle accent", but couldn't really describe what that meant. So the article really helped with that. 

My ex was born and raised in Tacoma, WA and he definitely does that vowel thing mentioned in the article. "Caught" sounds just like "cot" when he speaks. Also "roof" isn't pronounced "rooooooooof" like I do, but rather "ruff", with an "uh" sound instead of an "ew" sound.

For the most time I don't sound much like a New Yorker but certain words like dog ("dawg"), water ("wawhtur"), walk (heavy on the "aw" sounds) bring it out. The other day I very briefly cared for someone else's patient while we were running around like crazy. In the two or three minutes it took me to get her on the fetal monitor, find out why she was there, and get vitals, she and her husband had figured out that I was from upstate NY. I also tend to be really sensitive to picking up accents, too, especially East Coast ones. When I visited my brother last year in Boston, I started widening my vowels in just a few days. When I talk to other New Yorkers,though, watch out. After about five minutes, it's like I never left. Even when I visited the UK, the cadence of my speech changed dramatically in just two or three days in Scotland. But ask me to "do" an accent? And I can't.


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## rainyday (Jul 21, 2008)

Santaclear said:


> You haven't mentioned the geoduck, Rainy. It's the pride of the Pacific Northwest, and more than makes up for any lack of accents or dialects in the region.



Of course! How could I forget that regional treasure!




Miss Vickie said:


> My ex was born and raised in Tacoma, WA and he definitely does that vowel thing mentioned in the article. "Caught" sounds just like "cot" when he speaks. Also "roof" isn't pronounced "rooooooooof" like I do, but rather "ruff", with an "uh" sound instead of an "ew" sound.



Sounds to me like your ex spoke perfectly.


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## mango (Jul 21, 2008)

Dr. Feelgood said:


> Apparently it means the same thing in parts of the UK, or used to. Back in the days when Americans re-invented the sporran and dubbed it the "fanny pack" (because it was usually worn in back) I was with a group of tourists in the UK. One of our ladies was wearing her pack, and in fact she was wearing it in front. A local gentlemen asked what it was, and she replied "Oh, it's just my fanny pack." I thought he was going to have a heart attack for a minute there.



*Over here in Australia, the "fanny pack" is most commonly referred to as a "bum bag".*




Miss Vickie said:


> One thing I don't understand is the word "cheers" that they use over there. It seems to mean both "thanks" and "bye" and a host of other things I don't understand.
> 
> Any UK/Aussie folks care to help?



*Yes. Cheers is used to say thanks, not often used to say bye, and also used before a drink. 



A popular expression which arose from the Australian Tourism Ad broadcast in North America in the 1980's with Paul Hogan - "put another shrimp on the barbie" would never be heard in Australia as we would use the word prawn instead of shrimp. Barbie is commonly used for BBQ through.*


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## alienlanes (Jul 21, 2008)

Flyin Lilac said:


> All set = I require nothing more, I'm good to go



Is this a Maine-specific thing? This is my default phrase when I'm expressing "I require nothing more," etc., and I do have extended family in Maine, but I never thought of it as being a regional expression.


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## Donna (Jul 21, 2008)

That1BigGirl said:


> I forgot until someone said this today...
> 
> Eldest- your oldest child
> NearEldest- second born
> ...



You're from somewhere in the Appalachians, yes? I haven't been referred to as the middlen in a long, long time, thanks for the memory! I still refer to other people's children as their "youngins", though.


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## That1BigGirl (Jul 21, 2008)

Ruby Ripples said:


> Wow I had no idea that you used the word poke at all in the US! In Scotland we say poke, meaning a paper bag.



If you dig deep enough into the language in the Appalachian area you will find that a lot of the Scottish and British words, roots and even traditions in some ways survived. I'm sure it's like this in other parts of the country also.


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## Flyin Lilac (Jul 21, 2008)

SlackerFA said:


> Is this a Maine-specific thing? This is my default phrase when I'm expressing "I require nothing more," etc., and I do have extended family in Maine, but I never thought of it as being a regional expression.



Nah it's not a regional thing. I was just responding to some previous posts about people's confusion over the term.

You all set now?


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## That1BigGirl (Jul 21, 2008)

Donna said:


> You're from somewhere in the Appalachians, yes? I haven't been referred to as the middlen in a long, long time, thanks for the memory! I still refer to other people's children as their "youngins", though.




Yes, I am.  And middlin is also something else I just remembered!

Middlin meat is bacon or ribs (normally bacon around here).

AND you can be "Fair to Middlin" if someone asks how you are doing today (or how was your day)- it's like you are... Okay, not too bad.


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## PamelaLois (Jul 22, 2008)

SlackerFA said:


> Is this a Maine-specific thing? This is my default phrase when I'm expressing "I require nothing more," etc., and I do have extended family in Maine, but I never thought of it as being a regional expression.


 
All Set is definitely not a Maine-specific thing, we say that here in Chicago, also. And we sit on the stoop, commonly known as the front porch steps. We drive on the expressway, even whether it's a tollway or freeway. We have tornadoes, not twisters or cyclones as I have heard them called in other places.

I also have the ability to pick up accents very quickly. When I was visiting rural Georgia, I had a very difficult time with the locals when I spoke with my Chicago accent, but if I used the local accent, they treated me like one of their own. I can be around someone for only a few minutes and I can do their accent.


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## AC4400CW (Jul 22, 2008)

Here in UT, a single story house isn't a "ranch," it's a "rambler."

There is no consistent way of referring to carbonated beverages; you hear soda, pop, or the combined "soda pop." That's pretty common. Ask for a Coke, and you get Coca Cola - nothing else.

In place of "you're welcome," a lot of people use "you bet."

There's also a lot of pseudo-curse words and phrases, such as "oh my flippin' heck" and crap like that.


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## GenericGeek (Jul 22, 2008)

Ruby Ripples said:


> I don't think anyone in Scotland has ever said "och aye the noo"



Hawkeye, the Newt?


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## GenericGeek (Jul 22, 2008)

rainyday said:


> I can't think of many Northwest colloquialisms at all, let alone cliched ones...



All I can say is -- *Uff Da!*


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## pdgujer148 (Jul 23, 2008)

PamelaLois said:


> I can be around someone for only a few minutes and I can do their accent.



Isn't that freaky? I assimilate accents easily; almost unconsciously. It can lead to awkward situations where the individual with the accent perceives that I am mocking them. I'm extremely susceptible to lapsing into West Texas and Manchester accents.


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