Regional Phrases, funny expressions and Idioms

[starvenger]

LOL, that's hilarious!

I thought Michiganders were the only ones. Good to know we have allies in New England, and vice versa.

Speaking of Michigan, I realize that we didn't mention the "Michigan Left" (go past the intersection, do a u-turn/uey, then turn right at the intersection). which I remember was confusing as heck when I first started working in Southfield.

 

[EACarlson]

I imagine you have been wearing your tuque daily....

I thought this was strictly a Canadian thing until this weekend. I heard from an Iron Ranger from MN and a guy that lives in FL but is originally from Albany. I've had to explain what they are to quite a few people around the country.

A similar thing is done by Chicago folks, only much more complicated. The State of Illinois has an interesting habit of bestowing honorary names on stretches of Interstate Highway; usually the names of prominant politicians. Though they name sections all over the state, it seems to be only in Chicago that the locals take it seriously. In the days before GPS, tuning in to the local traffic report to hear what traffic conditions were when you arrived in Chicagoland was well-nigh useless if you were not local. The traffic reporters all used (and they still use, IME) the honorary names only, so you would hear all about conditions on Veterans, the Edens, the Eisenhower, the Tri-State, the Dan Ryan, etc., but you'd have no clue which highways those actually were, because those names were not on standard maps.

It's done that way as many of the highways predate the interstate system. Also helps to differentiate which section. If I say 90/94 inbound you don't know if I'm talking about the Dan Ryan on the southside or the Edens on the northside.

Your post reminds me of something else about Californians and Interstate highways; they call them Freeways.

There are probably some other places in the US where this term is used, but I've never lived in one, and I can't think of any off the top of my hat. (I've lived in lots of places where "toll" is a very dirty word, though.)

They are Freeways in MN, WI and TX. In TX, at least the Dallas area, it's used to differentiate between the tollways.

LOL, that's hilarious!

I thought Michiganders were the only ones. Good to know we have allies in New England, and vice versa.

I've always heard kitty corner and have always though catty corner was weird.

It’s a bubbler here too.

Boston? The Kohler Corporation based in WI but with a large number of plants in MA, holds the patent for the Bubbler part of the drinking fountain.

I'm in NE Wisconsin not far from Green Bay, many people here older than 45 refer to all ATMs at Tyme Machines. As the Tyme Co was the first one to put ATMs in many places. One of my co-workers reported that she couldn't believe she got stared like she was crazy when she asked a WDW Cast Member where the nearest Tyme Machine was on her trip last year.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Your post reminds me of something else about Californians and Interstate highways; they call them Freeways.

There are probably some other places in the US where this term is used, but I've never lived in one, and I can't think of any off the top of my hat. (I've lived in lots of places where "toll" is a very dirty word, though.)

They're called freeways to distinguish them from tollways. Many Californians at the time came from states with turnpikes or tollways. And much of California's freeways pre dated the interstate system. What is now I-5 through Orange County (Santa Ana Freeway) predates Interstate 5. It was simply resigned from U.S. 101.

 

[mjkacmom]

They're called freeways to distinguish them from tollways. Many Californians at the time came from states with turnpikes or tollways. And much of California's freeways pre dated the interstate system. What is now I-5 through Orange County (Santa Ana Freeway) predates Interstate 5. It was simply resigned from U.S. 101.

I’ve never heard the word tollways (and apparently we have a lot here).

 

[fly girl]

Speaking of Michigan, I realize that we didn't mention the "Michigan Left" (go past the intersection, do a u-turn/uey, then turn right at the intersection). which I remember was confusing as heck when I first started working in Southfield.

I actually did mention the Michigan Left! post #44, here's a screenshot:



I agree 100%, it is confusing if you have never done it before.

 

[RedAngie]

I'm in NE Wisconsin not far from Green Bay, many people here older than 45 refer to all ATMs at Tyme Machines. As the Tyme Co was the first one to put ATMs in many places. One of my co-workers reported that she couldn't believe she got stared like she was crazy when she asked a WDW Cast Member where the nearest Tyme Machine was on her trip last year.

In the Philadelphia region an expression that still persists somewhat is “tapping MAC.” That’s the act of withdrawing cash from an ATM.

In the mid 1980s an early provider of ATMs called them Money Access Centers or MAC. Their TV commercials demonstrated how to use them and said something like “See how easy it is to tap MAC.” The expression stuck.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I've always heard kitty corner and have always though catty corner was weird.

Same for me (NY and MA)

(kitty = red, catty = blue)

 

[PollyannaMom]

Bonus map, just because I liked it -


(https://chss.wwu.edu/linguistics/how-do-you-speak)

 

[SpaceMan5]

I once was in a conversation that turned into a friendly debate
re: What is the difference between a crick and a creek?

One of the best answers (not mine):
"If it's in your back yard it's a crick,
if it isn't it's a creek."

That is a very interesting answer. The crick was not in our backyard but still close enough for all of us that would fish and hunt it

 

[disneyseniors]

I once said "uff dah" (or however it's spelled) in southern Indiana... people looked at me really weird

You must live in Minnesota

 

[disneyseniors]

I'm sure there are plenty I don't even know are regional idioms since they are just "normal" to me. Calling carbonated cola beverages "pop" is apparently a give away im from NE Ohio and based on one of those dumb online surveys I guess calling the strip of grass between the street and sidewalk "tree lawn" is another.

I have a lot of friends from western PA and there are 2 phrases that are dead give aways. Yinz and "read up".

I'm from central Ohio and we always called it Pop!

 

[disneyseniors]

Tree lawn is a new one for me!
I asked for a tonic in ND as a kid and my grandmother was like a what? I said like a coke? She said it’s pop!On a work trip to GA the server asked what kind of coke I wanted then listed Coke, Diet Coke, ginger ale and orange. I was like orange Coke? I was so confused. I guess everything is Coke, including Coke.
In Scotland my husband asked if I wanted any juice. But he didn’t mean fruit juice he meant like soda pop.

That's what they asked me when I lived in Tennessee! What coke do you want? That meant any kind of soda pop you wanted. It seems it was a universal word for all kinds of pop. I did get used to it.

 

[TippyThomas]

I had a funny interaction a few weeks ago that made me laugh. I was down in Mississippi doing some camping and I needed to stock up on some groceries. I went to the grocery store and couldn't find their shopping carts. I saw what looked like a manager or assistant of some sort, so I approached and asked "where are your carts"? She looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language and I just chuckled and commented that my north was showing. I then asked "where are your buggies", and she laughed and realized my mistake.

She did send me to the buggies and I did grab my groceries but it was a fun interaction either way.

 

[NotUrsula]

I had a funny interaction a few weeks ago that made me laugh. I was down in Mississippi doing some camping and I needed to stock up on some groceries. I went to the grocery store and couldn't find their shopping carts. I saw what looked like a manager or assistant of some sort, so I approached and asked "where are your carts"? She looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language and I just chuckled and commented that my north was showing. I then asked "where are your buggies", and she laughed and realized my mistake.

She did send me to the buggies and I did grab my groceries but it was a fun interaction either way.

I grew up in the South (but I'm kind of old, LOL) and our grocery stores had carts. Babies rode around in buggies (aka strollers).

Another grocery-store related one: in New Orleans, one does not "grocery shop", one "makes groceries." As in getting off the phone with, "well, we'll speak later, I gotta go make groceries before the kids get home."

 

[TippyThomas]

I grew up in the South (but I'm kind of old, LOL) and our grocery stores had carts. Babies rode around in buggies (aka strollers).

Another grocery-store related one: in New Orleans, one does not "grocery shop", one "makes groceries." As in getting off the phone with, "well, we'll speak later, I gotta go make groceries before the kids get home."

I honestly thought carts would be pretty universal but she really had no idea what I was asking. I've enjoyed meeting new people in new places and that interaction really made me smile.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

You must live in Minnesota

I live in Indiana, but my grandmother was from Wisconsin so I learned a few sayings from that area.

 

[Aladora]

I had a funny interaction a few weeks ago that made me laugh. I was down in Mississippi doing some camping and I needed to stock up on some groceries. I went to the grocery store and couldn't find their shopping carts. I saw what looked like a manager or assistant of some sort, so I approached and asked "where are your carts"? She looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language and I just chuckled and commented that my north was showing. I then asked "where are your buggies", and she laughed and realized my mistake.

She did send me to the buggies and I did grab my groceries but it was a fun interaction either way.

Every time I am in the States I have to remind myself to ask for the "restroom" and not the "washroom". I was at a Starbucks in Seattle and asked where the washroom was and the guy asked me what part of Canada I was from, lol!