Regional Colloquilisms

[Hannathy]

When I moved to Wisconsin I had to learn these winners:

Bubbler-drinking fountain
ramp- parking garage
stop and go light-traffic signal
a horse apiece- like 6 to 1 half dozen to another expression


First time I asked about where a fountain was they told me downtown in the park!

 

[Jrsy Boy]

In NJ, we go "down The Shore" in the summer. Everywhere else, people "go to the beach". There is only one Shore, it runs from Island Beach to Cape May.

Ah yes and once you go "down the shore" you are not then at the shore, you are "down the shore."

State highway 1 is called Mopac. It is one of the two major north/south conduits through the city and "no where" will you see a sign saying mopac. It is rather called loop 1. So for anyone who is new to town or passing through or visiting, when they are told to take mopac anywhere they are in major trouble. It is just a nickname - but even the traffic guys use it!

Not unlike someone trying to find The Mousetrap here in Denver.

 

[Mickey Fanatic]

I can just think of two right now in my area of Southern Ontario.

washrooms - not restrooms

And it is always pop here. I don't think I have ever heard soda except if I am in the States.

Also in my family chips are french fries.

 

[TruBlu]

Barbeque is a NOUN not a VERB. It is smoked chopped pork cooked with a tangy sauce. You do not barbeque! You eat barbeque. If you are cooking food on a grill that is called a COOK-OUT. Now don't even get me started on the difference between EASTERN NC and WESTERN NC barbeque....

 

[apirateslifeforme]

I hope I don't offend anyone with these...

Having grown up around a LOT of people from England, I tend to use certain words and phrases, like...

trainers = sneakers
jumper = sweater
knickers = underwear (I believe it's "knickers" for ladies and "pants" for men?)
The Loo = bathroom
P*ss off = go away
Telly = TV
I'll ring you up = I'll call you

And then there's "bloody" and "brilliant" and "lovely." I use those quite often, too.

 

[HOGFAN]

here in Virginia

right much

rivah(for river)

 

[BuckyFan04]

In southeastern WI we say "soda" for soda pop but everywhere else in the state, it is called "pop."

We call water fountains "bubblers" and we're always going "up to ______" on the weekends. Even if we live north of where we're going, we say something like, "Oh, I'm going up to Madison this weekend" even if it is actually south of where we are.

My relatives in northeastern WI like to add "eh" to the end of their sentences. "That food was pretty good, eh?"

We also call a TV remote a "clicker" and turn signals are known as "blinkers."

 

[mamacatnv]

"Going to Town" - I live up N. of but still in the city limits and we refer to Reno as town.

"Going over the hill" - headed to California

"The Lake" - known region wide as Lake Tahoe even tho there are several large lakes all around us they are all refered to by name.

The Spaghetti Bowl - the only Fwy interchange for 150 miles where I80 & Hwy395 intersect.

"The City" referes to San Francisco

Dh is from NH and I Calif. Here are some of our funnies:

DH: Elastic
Me: Rubber Band

DH: Tonic
Me: Soda

DH: Carriage (grocery)
Me: Basket

DH: Fribble
Me: Milkshake

DH: Wicked
Me: Awesome

DH: Pizzer
Me: Pizza

DH: Caw
Me: Car

The way a person is addressed is different. ie... I would say "Honey, do you have your coat?" He would say, "Do you have your coat Honey?"

My mother in law calls the patio a lanai

 

[Talking Hands]

My husband uses "going to wash my hands" meaning going to the toilet
Tea = sweet tea for unsweetened you want plain tea
One the deaf use around here is Train gone, sorry. Means you missed the opportunity

 

[figment52]

Ah yes and once you go "down the shore" you are not then at the shore, you are "down the shore."


Not unlike someone trying to find The Mousetrap here in Denver.

Between the Mousetrap and the Valley I could easily get lost when I first moved to Denver. I haven't thought about them in years.

My friend was from Texas and she never had her "picture taken" she always had her "picture made". And she always put a hard boiled egg in her turkey gravy (cut up of course). But that is another topic

 

[figment52]

In southeastern WI we say "soda" for soda pop but everywhere else in the state, it is called "pop."


My relatives in northeastern WI like to add "eh" to the end of their sentences. "That food was pretty good, eh?"

"A" - Canadians always end every sentence with "A"?

 

[Distriv]

In Philly it's called soda (not pop) and you better not even think of calling a hoagie a sub.

 

[gris gris]

DH: Fribble
Me: Milkshake

Fribble !! This would be in reference to that awesome milk shake like drink that they make at Friendlys!! Friendlys being based in New England (MA) I can understand why your DH from NH calls it a fribble!

 

[Liberty Belle]

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

I used to work with a woman who said "fixin' to," only she slurred her words and it always came out "finna." Every day I'd heard, "Are you finna go to lunch?"

 

[gris gris]

Barbeque is a NOUN not a VERB. It is smoked chopped pork cooked with a tangy sauce. You do not barbeque! You eat barbeque. If you are cooking food on a grill that is called a COOK-OUT. Now don't even get me started on the difference between EASTERN NC and WESTERN NC barbeque....

I used to have a friend in Ohio who called it a "grill out". He said to me once "maybe you can come to our grill out". HUH??? To me it's a cook out.

 

[castleview]

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" .

Went to the U of M and got blasted for my Easternisms. I say soda, they say pop; I say water fountain, they say drinking fountain; I played Duck Duck Goose (not in college ), they played Duck Duck Gray Duck...I won't even go into how much I was made fun of for my accent.

On the flip side, when I returned back East and the movie Fargo came out. I laughed hysterically while my family didn't really get it.

 

[Sthronds]

Here in California it is definitely soda.

We also tend to call the freeways and interstates by the number with "the" in front. It's the 405, the 101, the 1, the 99.

People in the central valley go to "The Coast", not the beach.

I can't think of anything else that might not be common, but I am sure there are a few.

 

[Tarheel Tink]

Not only do I live in the south, I live in a coastal area that is as "Down East" as you can get. Newcomers have a challenge understanding some locals! The accent comes from British immigrants who settled in small areas/islands not often visited (no bridges!) so it is quite interesting. NC folk- you've heard of Harker's Island? Atlantic? Cedar Island? Thank goodness we got cable!

High tide is pronounced hoi toide, fish is feesh, etc.
Mommicked is a term for harassed, stressed,etc. that I haven't heard elsewhere.
I looked FOREVER for a file the person said was for dog named "Shun" and her last name was Starne. Could not find it anywhere. If I had looked for "Son" Styron I could have found it right away! Luckily we have employees who can "translate", LOL!

 

[Shutterbug]

Here in Northeast Ohio

Devil Strip: that area between the sidewalk and the street.

 

[allie&mattsmom]

I'm pretty sure this is centered in and around the St. Louis area only. We call white trash people "Hoosiers". It has nothing to do with Indiana (at least I don't think so ) and I'm not even sure what a real hoosier is.

OMG, do they still say that? When DH & I lived in St. Louis in the late 80's early 90's they said that all the time. When we moved back home it stuck and nobody could understand why I was talking about people from Indiana all the time! Until I read your post, I'd forgotten all about this!