Regional Phrases, funny expressions and Idioms

[VandVsmama]

"Sweatin' like a sinner in church"

Using the word "dude" to mean all kinds of things

 

[RedAngie]

Shoobies and Bennies are somewhat derogatory terms referring to certain types of visitors to beach resorts.

Loud, crass, leave their trash everywhere except in a proper receptacle, drive mindlessly, don’t respect the locals, etc.

 

[DLmama]

Hella

 

[LSUmiss]

How’s ya mom & ‘dem?
All y’all
Where ya at?
Red gravy (spaghetti sauce)
Do you want it Dressed? (lettuce, tomatoes etc on a sandwich usually a poboy)
Neutral ground (median)

 

[mjkacmom]

I also go down the shore.
D’jeet?
Our pizzas are pies ordered from pizzerias, not pizza restaurants.
Guidos were called Nicky Norkers the generation before mine, wore wife beaters.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

I had a Scottish student once ask if I had a rubber on me. In Scotland a rubber is an eraser but things were pretty awkward until I realised that.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

Here in Michigan we pretty much say Up North to anything that is north of us.

Has anyone ever told you that you have a Michigan/Midwest accent? The first time I told someone out here I was going to Albany and pronounced it AL-bany instead of AHL-bany they laughed.

 

[TCRAIG]

My very rural South Carolina mother in law had one of the best colloquialisms - if something was definite or without question she’d say ‘Ain’t no maybe so about it’…

 

[BlueStarryHat]

'Tell her/him/them/ I was askin' for 'em,' is a way to end a conversation in South Philly, telling the person to let their Mom or whoever know that you inquired as to how they were doing.

When someone dies: "Wherezee bein' laid out?'" is a polite (believe it or not) way of asking which funeral home is handling the deceased and what time the viewing is being held.

 

[kanne323]

I misread the original question and first listed regional terms, but for more of unusual phrases-

In New England, we say "bang a uey" for a u-turn. When I said that living out of the area, it was found to be amusing.

In Maine, I find the term "dooryard" to be amusing. It's literally the yard right in front of the most-used door of a home. Not sure why it needs a special name!

And people not from Maine are "from away."

 

[kanne323]

I also go down the shore.
D’jeet?
Our pizzas are pies ordered from pizzerias, not pizza restaurants.
Guidos were called Nicky Norkers the generation before mine, wore wife beaters.

After moving to NJ, I made the mistake of calling a pizzeria a pizza parlor. That's what we called them in the Boston area.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

I misread the original question and first listed regional terms, but for more of unusual phrases-

In New England, we say "bang a uey" for a u-turn. When I said that living out of the area, it was found to be amusing.

In Maine, I find the term "dooryard" to be amusing. It's literally the yard right in front of the most-used door of a home. Not sure why it needs a special name!

And people not from Maine are "from away."

When I first moved to Mass I was driving with someone who told me to bang a uey. I responded with who the hell is Uey? Still laugh about it.

 

[mjkacmom]

When I first moved to Mass I was driving with someone who told me to bang a uey. I responded with who the hell is Uey? Still laugh about it.

I’ve used the phrase hang a u-ie before.

 

[Kitty 34]

Has anyone ever told you that you have a Michigan/Midwest accent? The first time I told someone out here I was going to Albany and pronounced it AL-bany instead of AHL-bany they laughed.

When I first was out in Colorado back in '79 and was out having a drink with a GF, a guy came up, started a conversation with me and a few moments in guessed that I was literally from Michigan by my "accent". I was so surprised!

 

[snowwite]

Down the shore Where am I from?

NJ?

 

[snowwite]

When I first moved to Mass I was driving with someone who told me to bang a uey. I responded with who the hell is Uey? Still laugh about it.

Oh I didn’t even think to list my own from MA. It was always the Midwest sayings dad had that were cracking me up.

 

[loves to dive]

I’m from Texas, we have whole books and magazines dedicated to the things we say. Obviously “yall” is a big one.

We also use “coke” for any soda beverage and then list off what kinds we have: Sprite, Dr Pepper, Big Red.

Most of the ones I can post due to some word not being allowed here.

Raining harder than a cow peeing on a flat rock comes to mind

I'm from Georgia so yes, all soft drinks are cokes.
I've noticed just about everyone says ya'll now so you really can't tell where they are from. I heard it the other day with someone from California. When we lived in Ohio and everyone said you guys my brothers would say ya'll guys.

My Daddy used to say "like Pete O'Neil" He used ole Pete in all sorts of way. Look at him sittin there bigger than Pete O'Neil. To this day I have no clue who Pete was.

There are a lot of regional differences here. For me the mid-day meal is lunch and the later meal is either supper or dinner. Hubby's from south Georgia and dinner is lunch then supper is the late meal. He has been up here in Athens so long a number of times we have been late to special meals because his family would invite us for dinner and he would think they meant supper.

I'm often madder than a wet hen. And my son often aggravated the hound out of me. Daddy would often threaten to whup the livin tar out of my brothers. He also often wondered what in tar nation they were up to. Evidently those boys were often in tar.

Mama was from the north Georgia mountains and Daddy from middle Georgia so their accents were totally different, they ate different things and both had different expressions. Mama's daddy used a lot of Scots phrases, I'm guessing that was a mountain thing. We kids just learned to be great translators. My ex-husband was from a rural area so it took me a long time to figure out half of what he was saying.

The first time a British person called Daddy a yank (we lived in Saudi Arabia for a while and there were a lot of Brits there) Daddy bout took his head off.

 

[design_mom]

For me the mid-day meal is lunch and the later meal is either supper or dinner. Hubby's from south Georgia and dinner is lunch then supper is the late meal. He has been up here in Athens so long a number of times we have been late to special meals because his family would invite us for dinner and he would think they meant supper.

My mom grew up on a farm. She says that the mid-day meal is lunch, the evening meal is supper... and "dinner" is the main meal of the day, regardless of time. She says on the farm "dinner" was often lunch, but now for most people, it's supper.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I grew up in NJ…

Down the shore- I used it all the time in NJ, but I’ve only used it in NJ. When I lived in FL, it was just going to the beach and in Houston…you specify if it’s Galveston or Padre, etc.

Bennies and guidos- Never heard anyone say shoobies, but definitely these other two. I can’t tell you how many times we’d avoid taking the boat out on busy weekends because it would be too dangerous with the number of Bennies on the water. At least that’s how I heard it. Guidos referred more to the boardwalk crowd and wasn’t always a negative, while Bennie is always derogatory.

You guys- I constantly disappoint my Texas friends because I don’t say “Youse Guys.” Still, I do not say y’all. It is always -you guys- which they still use to identify me as a northerner.

Pie (with regard to pizza)- While I recall hearing everything from pizzeria, parlor and place…pie isn’t something I really hear outside of the northeast. People here look at me funny if I say pie.

 

[starvenger]

Here in Michigan we pretty much say Up North to anything that is north of us.

You didn't even mention the Hand and of course the U-P.

One of the first things Hong Kongers will ask friends/family translates to "have you eaten yet?"

For Canadians, "double-double" has nothing to do with a burger or basketball.

And locals know that the second "T" in Toronto is silent.