Regional Colloquilisms

[Jennasis]

I thought it would be fun to share the phrases and tersm unique to where you live. Of course, if you've lived your whole life in one spot you may not even realize that you are unique!

For starters, here in the south (or at least NC) we have:

Might Could: As in, "I might could help you out this weekend."

Fixin': As in, "I was fixin' to go shopping today"

ill: meaning bad tempered, as in "My child was so ill with me today"

buggy: a shopping cart

Cuss: curse

put up: to put things away as in "You go put up your toys before supper"

I'm sure I'll get some more. So share you region's rich lexicon with us!

 

[golfgal]

Minnesota--

Hot Dish-casserole to the rest of the country

Sure/no problem--same as you are welcome


This is all I can think of off the top of my head but heck, they wrote a whole book called "How to Talk Minnesotan" .

 

[Tigger By The Tail]

Philadelphia area

Hoagie - sub sandwich

youz guys - as in "How are youz guys doin today

 

[Mono~rail]

In the deep south where we are at, all soda is referred to as Coke.

 

[rie'smom]

South Louisiana
Poboy-sub sandwich
unfortunate-ugly people
fonchok-concieted
texchien-somebody who acts better than everybody and is not from the area
going over-I'm going over Beth's house.
ya'll-you all
sugar-sweetie
There are about a zillion more.

 

[disneymama73]

In the deep south where we are at, all soda is referred to as Coke.

And here in IL, it's POP!

 

[Chicago526]

Another IL one is "go with" as in "I'm going to the Jewel (grocery store chain), do you want to go with?" Drives my DH nuts, he says it makes no sense. It should be "want to go with me", otherwise he doesn't know who I'm asking about! I say I just said I'm going to the Jewel, what else would I be asking but if you want to come with me? I shouldn't need to say it!

We also argue about "pocket book vs. purse". DH is from PA and a womans handbag is a "pocket book". Here, it's a "purse", a pocket book is a wallet to me and a purse is a wallet to him!

 

[disneymama73]

Another IL one "go with" as in "I'm going to the Jewel (grocery store chain), do you want to go with?" Drives my DH nuts, he says it makes no sense. It should be "want to go with me", otherwise he doesn't know who I'm asking about!

Ending sentences with prepositions is big in IL. "Where's my coat at?"

We also argue about "pocket book vs. purse". DH is from PA and a womans handbag is a "pocket book". Here, it's a "purse", a pocket book is a wallet to me and a purse is a wallet to him!

It's a PURSE! :


Some other Chicago ones are...

Stores don't have sacks, they have bags. Chicago is "the city." Lake Michigan is "the lake." The interstates are "expressways." The living room is called the "front room" and it's pronounced "fronchroom."

I know there are more. Give me time.

 

[Chicago526]

The interstates are "expressways."

...unless, of course, it's a tollway! Also, we more often call an interstate/expressway/tollway by it's name, rather than it's number. And the same interstate can have several differant names, depending on where on that interstate you are at the time. I-90 is both the Northwest Tollway and the Kennedy Expressway, it changes right around O'Hare. Listen to a Chicago traffic report sometime, it will make your head spin!

 

[gris gris]

I don't think there is much in CT nor do we have an accent, but here are a couple:

Grinder (sub, hoagie, etc...) - I wonder if there is anywhere else where it's called a grinder?
Packy (package store, liquor store)

 

[Jrsy Boy]

Here in Colorado, the wheeled cart you would use to move a large object, such as an appliance or a stack of boxes is called a dolly. Where I come from it was always called a handtruck.

 

[Crankyshank]

Southeastern Massachusetts (MA and RI):

Wicked. The most commonly used adjective in New England imho.
As in "Tom Brady is wicked hot" or "I'm wicked sick of all this rain"

Bubblah (Bubbler) - a water fountain

jimmies - the sprinkly things you put on an ice cream cone

frappe - what others refer to as a milkshake

Grinder - a toasted sub

packy run - going to the package store (liquor store)
As in "I'm making a packy run. do you need anything?"

Rhodylan (the correct pronounciation for Rhode Island)

Side by Each (parking side by side if you are in Woonsocket)

Jeet yet?- Did you eat yet?

you guys - refering to one or more person of any sex
As in "Are you guys ready to go?"

There's tons more that I can't think of right now. DH isn't from this area originally and he's always shaking his head at the common verbage here. Oh and one quirk that drives him nuts is how everyone gives directions based on landmarks that haven't existed in years. Ex: Go down past Burger Chef and keep going until you get to the light right after Jolly Cholly's (neither one has been around for 25 + yrs)

 

[SC Minnie]

I say spigot-- DH says faucet

I say hosepipe- DH says hose or garden hose

I say dropcord- Dh say heavy dut extension cord

I say supper- DH says dinner

Another we say is 'pitchin a fit' when some one it having a temper tantrum

There are others but these came to mind first.

 

[hentob]

NE PA Coal Region here

You need a dictionary to understand folks in this area

Here you go::

http://www.coalregion.com/Speak/speakA.htm

 

[Jrsy Boy]

Rhodylan (the correct pronounciation for Rhode Island)

Reminds me of the two islands not far from NJ:
Lawn Guyland
&
Stat Nyland

 

[gris gris]

Southeastern Massachusetts (MA and RI):

Wicked. The most commonly used adjective in New England imho.
As in "Tom Brady is wicked hot" or "I'm wicked sick of all this rain"

Bubblah (Bubbler) - a water fountain

jimmies - the sprinkly things you put on an ice cream cone

frappe - what others refer to as a milkshake

Grinder - a toasted sub

packy run - going to the package store (liquor store)
As in "I'm making a packy run. do you need anything?"

Rhodylan (the correct pronounciation for Rhode Island)

Side by Each (parking side by side if you are in Woonsocket)

Jeet yet?- Did you eat yet?

you guys - refering to one or more person of any sex
As in "Are you guys ready to go?"

Interesting that we have some of the same in CT but not all - I wrote grinder & packy, I forgot about WICKED (I listed that as my fav word in the fav word thread LOL) !! But we say milkshake & fountain. Some ice cream shoppes have jimmies listed and some have sprinkles

 

[bcvgal]

We cut things off as in "please cut off the lights."

 

[ZuZugal]

And here in IL, it's POP!

In southern IL it's soda. I had never heard of pop until I lived in KS for a while!

The "want to go with" stuff is big here though. Mostly in the smaller towns. I know someone who ads the word ****** to the end of every sentence someone says around him that ends in a preposition. I think it's kind of funny. He thinks he is pointing something out to them, but they just tend to ignore him!

 

[disneymama73]

...unless, of course, it's a tollway! Also, we more often call an interstate/expressway/tollway by it's name, rather than it's number. And the same interstate can have several differant names, depending on where on that interstate you are at the time. I-90 is both the Northwest Tollway and the Kennedy Expressway, it changes right around O'Hare. Listen to a Chicago traffic report sometime, it will make your head spin!

ITA! I-290, I-90, I-94, I-294, the Stevenson, the Kennedy, the Eisenhower, the Dan Ryan, the Edens...definitely enough to make your head spin.

 

[NMAmy]

DH is from England and most of the time I can figure out what he's talking about but we do have a problem during crisis situations. Say I see a car speeding through the parking lot toward us--my first instinct is to say, "Watch out for that car!" He will say, "Mind the car." And neither of us was able to process the information as quickly as the situation warranted. I've retrained myself so now I respond to "Mind the car" and have even expanded to saying it in more situations. As in telling someone at work to mind the step.

Where I lived in New Mexico, people would say "whenever" instead of the word "when." For example, "Whenever I went to the store, I picked up some lettuce." DD does it, too, since she grew up there and it drives me crazy.