What are some words that only people in your area would know? please tell the area and what the word means . Here are my

[debm55]

Pittsburgh/SW PA words. What are words used that are unique to your area.
jumbo----bologna
pop-----soda
yhinz---a person/people
gumbands---rubber bands
jagoff--a jerk

[WVlaserguy]

1. More

Buggy—-shopping cart
Red up—-clean up
Keller—-color

[debm55]

2. Thank you WVlaserguy. I forgot about those.

[Traildogbob]

3. Yun's

You all. “Yun’s come over after dark.

[GPV]

4. Guess where I live? "Slick as a smelt." (slippery) "Nummer'n'a pounded Hake." (Stupid)

[debm55]

5. Minnesota?

[GPV]

6. Not a bad guess, but no. :) How about, "Jeezum crow, bub

that's the most cunnin'est ki'en I evah seen." (Cutest baby cat.)

[debm55]

9. Boston

[GPV]

27. Much closer. ;)

[boonecreek]

51. Maine?

[GPV]

8. "Can't go out ta haul, so I'm headed upta camp"

[yorkster]

15. Maine

[GPV]

10. "Git those taters from the dooryahd and stick 'em down cellah."

[debm55]

13. I give up what area/state are you using. Now I am think of the south.

[GPV]

26. Lol. I'm from downeast Maine. :)

[yorkster]

18. I've heard dooryard in Vt and downcellah

in my yoot in Boston.

[debm55]

23. Thank you yorkster.

[LeftInTX]

25. Sounds like SE Louisiana

[boonecreek]

52. Just scrolled down to this.

So ayuh, Maine.

[DBoon]

7. hodad

Someone who comes to the beach and has a surfboard, but never surfs, or that surfs poorly and annoys the local seasoned surfers

- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hodad

Not sure if is still in use, but it filtered down to the elementary school level in the 1960s

[debm55]

11. Interesting . Thank you DBoon.

[SWBTATTReg]

12. I don't think I've heard this saying...

More crunch crunch, please!

In other words, I need more ice for my drink!!

The first time I used this saying, my bartender looked at me kind of 'what?!', he had never heard the saying, this was the first time I realized that not many people had heard this saying.

[debm55]

14. Thank you SWBTATTReg. What state/area used the term.?

[SWBTATTReg]

16. St Louis, midwest, but mostly in STLMO

[debm55]

17. Thank you .

[AbnerBunny]

19. I don't care to.

It means “I don’t mind at all to help.”

[debm55]

22. Thank you AbnerBunny

[debm55]

40. Now see, I would have taken it to mean I don't want to.

[10 Turtle Day]

49. Are you in Kentucky? I heard from someone down there.

Was baffled that their words implied no but were eager to help. Seems so contradictory.

[AbnerBunny]

66. Yes indeed!

I used it once (and only once) at a meeting in another state, when I offered to chair a sub-committee. The looks of disbelief were pretty funny! Now I rarely use it, and only in Kentucky!

[catbyte]

20. Pop (soda)

Yooper (a person from Michigan's Upper Peninsula)
Hoser/Hosehead (usually a Canadian)

[debm55]

21. Thank you catbyte.

[ProfessorGAC]

42. Pop Is Used In Chicago, Too

When I first started going east ir south, and people said soda I thought they were talking about club soda.
Pop is all anybody called it around here, too.

[debm55]

44. Sorry. I am shocked I tell you, very shocked

[Dulcinea]

96. Pop is said in SWPA & in the Midwest.

Sodas have ice cream in them.

[ProfessorGAC]

110. Yep!

That's how I remember it, too.

[VGNonly]

67. If someone is from the Lower Peninsula

they are trolls (under the bridge). Some called flatlanders or fudgies.

[catbyte]

70. LOL, I grew up in Charlevoix, the birthplace of Murdick's Fudge, so we townies all called

the tourists fudgies.

[VGNonly]

71. I was in Charlevoix mid Sept.

Lovely city but crowded, but not as crowded as Traverse City. TC was packed even on the weekdays. We also spent 3 days in Paradise in the UP. Went to Whitefish Point, Tahquamenon Falls, Crisp Point and Seney NWA. I've probably crossed the Mac 50-60 times.

I knew some people who had a home in Leland MI for about 6 months of the year, 6 months back home in OH. They called themselves semi-perma-fudgies.

[catbyte]

84. It's changed so much since I was a kid. It's so touristy and busy all year now. When I was

growing up, you could roll a cannonball down the street after Labor Day and not hit anyone. It's nice to see that The Weathervane is still there -- I had my first legal drink there, a Harvey Wallbanger, lol. I don't think I've had one since. I hit the sweet spot in the law when they lowered the drinking age to 18. But then they raised it after I turned 21. Memories of a misspent youth.

[VGNonly]

85. We saw The Weathervane.

We walked the waterfront, a nice looking place. Had a quick bite at The Villager Pub.

[VGNonly]

113. How long do you live in Charlevoix?

I remember being there about 64. Young State Park, the Ironton Ferry, hunting for "toskey stones"...good times!

[catbyte]

120. I actually lived in Ironton and my grest-grandad made Ripley's Believe It or Not for captaining the ferry.

"Captain Sam Alexander, who operated the ferry from the 1880s to the 1940s and lived nearby, was listed by Ripley's Believe It or Not for having traveled a distance equal to the circumference of the earth without ever being more than 1/4 mile from his home. Capt. Samuel R. Alexander 1868-1948"

I lived there from age 4 until I went to college in 1973. I attended a one-room K-6 grade school in Ironton and then attended Charlevoix Middle and High Schools.

[VGNonly]

123. An amazing story!

I remember hearing that tale.

My ex-wife had a grandfather who was a lake captain on the Toledo-Duluth run. Another relative of hers was a steward from Frankfort MI to Kewaunee WI.

[LeftInTX]

24. In Wisconsin it was bubbler for drinking fountain.

That's a weird one and I've lived in a lot of places/states. Bubbler is totally unique to WI and I have never heard used for drinking fountain anywhere else! "Go to the bubbler and get a drink"

[JenniferJuniper]

35. It's a bubbler in much of New England, or "bubblah"

[debm55]

41. That's different . thank you LeftinTex

[Lunabell]

28. Fixin' to.

About to do something.

[debm55]

30. What area are you from? It sounds like a southern state.

[Lunabell]

36. Yessireebob. N.Fl. But originally Nashville,Tennessee.

That's another southernism. Pronounced: yes-sir-ee-bob. Lol.

[debm55]

39. Thank ya Lunabell

[Dale in Laurel MD]

29. We used pop for soda in Washington, DC

nt

[debm55]

31. Oh you do? that's fun knowing. Here in SW PA if you ask for a soda. you will get a pop with a scoop of ice cream.

[Dale in Laurel MD]

33. "Soda" did sort of imply ice cream.

But that was usually called an ice cream soda rather than just a soda.

[debm55]

56. Thank you Dale in Laurel MD

[ProfessorGAC]

43. Chicago, Too

I never heard the word "soda" for that drink until I was in Florida at 16.
Later on the east coast in college.
Everybody called it pop around here.

[debm55]

45. thank you ProfessorGAC.

[Wicked Blue]

89. In Boston they call soda tonic

[ProfessorGAC]

95. Never Heard That

Been to many restaurants in Boston, but that never came up, so I didn't know that.

[BarbaRosa]

32. Christmas,

a buritto with red and green chile sauce.
Oh yeah, New Mexico

[debm55]

34. Thank you BarbaRosa. That's different. Thank you.

[coprolite]

37. Oly Pop

Olympia Beer, learned it from interior Alaska.

[debm55]

38. Thank you. coprolite

[3catwoman3]

46. "Get sick" meaning vomit.

When I first started working at my final job in a pediatric practice in one of the Chicago suburbs, it took me a while to figure out what the hell mothers were talking about when they would say, "He had a fever for 3 days, and then he got sick."

I'm thinking, if the kid had a fever for 3 days, weren't they already sick? Made no sense until I finally worked it out that no one around here says vomiting, puking, barfing, or throwing up. No idea why.

[debm55]

47. Thank you 3catwoman3,

[KitFox]

48. Jockey box meaning glove compartment in a car

Borrow pit which came out as bar pit for ditch alongside a road
Pert near meaning almost
Weeze meaning you and I
Going to the show meaning going to the movies
Drag Main meaning cruising
Pop soft drinks
From my upbringing in Eastern Oregon
Enjoying reading all the posts😊

[debm55]

57. Thank you KitFox and thank you for your selections.

[Niagara]

50. Buffalo, N.Y.

716: the area code used most frequently in Buffalo. Frequently used numbers appear on windshields of vehicles or mentioned on the radio stations or television


The 33, 190, 290, 990. Major roads to travel. There's more numbers for major roads here in Buffalo, I only named a few


Crick: If it’s a small body of water, like a stream, Buffalonians will likely call it a crick. That’s just their way of pronouncing the word “creek.” This is real and happens frequently. I also ask, "Are you saying creek?" to clarify


I'm dead: something so funny, you literally cry from laughing so hard


Buff City: Nickname for Buffalo, NY


Nickel City: Another Nickname for Buffalo, NY


Queen City: Another nickname for Buffalo, NY


The Ralph: Ralph Wilson Stadium. I have no clue what the born Buffalonians will refer to it once the new stadium is built


Bills Mafia: The most devot Bills fans that purposely fall on tables to break them in the spirit of games. I don't know why. I'm not a football fan. I don't care if the Bills Mafia purposely break their own necks just as long as they stay out of my lane

[debm55]

58. Wow, thank you very much Niagara.

[boonecreek]

53. Finally came up with one.

"Over by". In Chicago it's not sufficient to say something
is located "by", it has to be "over by".

Here's WGN's Mike Lowe speaking "Chicagoese".

[debm55]

59. Thank you very much boonecreek. Love it. Speaking Chicagoese.

[PennRalphie]

54. Chipped Ham

Not a word, but a phrase. Go down to where (fill in the name of a closed establishment) and turn left.

Kennywood’s Open - your fly’s open

Makes me laugh every time.

[debm55]

62. thank you PennRalphie. We use to say Kennywood's Open (Kennywood is an Amusement Park) all the time. Still use it . I

live about 4 miles for Kennywood. The chipped ham must be Isaly's chipped chopped ham. No substitutes.

[Tanuki]

55. "So don't I" for "so do I." I thought someone was

being facetious the first time I heard it as in "I like that." "So don't I!"
"Tonic" for soda/pop
"Spa" for soda fountain
Pronounced "Frap" (spelled frappé) for milkshake
"Time" for a party in someone's honor ("Are you going to Bob's time? " )

I heard all of these while living in and around Boston.

[debm55]

64. Thank you very much Tanuki. Husband is from Boston. He still calls it a frappe.

[Dulcinea]

97. Grinder.

A long time ago, I was on a work trip in Connecticut, & we stopped at a small restaurant for lunch. The sign at the counter advertised "grinders." I asked, "What's a grinder?"

The girl behind the counter looked at me like I was insane or mentally challenged. She replied, "Uh, a big sandwich."

I replied, "Oh, a HOAGIE!" That's what we called them where I grew up. (I ordered one.)

[debm55]

98. Thank you Dulcinea. We call them hoagies here in SWPA

[Dulcinea]

100. Yep!

I grew up in Monroeville!

[subterranean]

60. Sunbreak (Pacific Northwest)

When the sun appears briefly on an otherwise cloudy or rainy day. Often heard in weather forecasts (e.g., “Cloudy with showers and a few afternoon sunbreaks”).

[debm55]

65. Thank you subterranean . That is very interesting.

[Bobstandard]

61. Da kine

Ubiquitous in everyday conversation in Hawaii, ‘da kine’ is a multi purpose term that Wikipedia describes well:

Da kine" is a Hawaiian Pidgin phrase that can be used as a placeholder name, verb, adjective, or adverb. It's often used when someone can't remember a word or name, or when referring to something familiar. "Da kine" can also mean "the best," "the most unique," or "the most special".
Examples of "da kine" in use
"Don't be 'da-kine', and use 'da-kine'"
"Its Da Kine"

Other examples: “Liliha Bakery lilikoi cake is da kine!” “I went to the store to get da kine stuff but they was out.”

[debm55]

63. Thank you Bobstandard. Very ininteresting.

[VGNonly]

68. Cattywampus

Meaning messed up, confused, odd, out of place.

More of an Appalachian term but my father, born on a farm in NW Ohio, used the term often. He also used the term washroom rather then bathroom which is a Canadian usage.

[debm55]

69. Thank you very much VGNonly.

[CTyankee]

72. "abeets" what pizza is called in New Haven

It is short for "apizza" which was what pizza was originally called in the part of Sicily, where (it is said), the "real pizza" is from. I had never heard that before I moved to New Haven. Some people here believe that it set a high standard for all pizza you get in New Haven so even if you don't go to Sally's or Pepe's for your "authentic" NH pizza, every other pizza maker had to make a really good "pie."
After 30 years, I am used to it so it's just good pizza to me.

[debm55]

73. Thank you very much CTyankee. That is very interesting

[wnylib]

74. Words, pronunciations, and whole phrases and sentences

Crick (creek) and bob wire (barbed wire) In rural areas of northwestern PA (Erie County) where some of my father's relatives lived.

My paternal grandfather's family moved in each generation, from rural southern Missouri to rural southern Ohio near the Ohio/Kentucky border, and then to rural northwestern PA. He switched sometimes between standard English and a dialect of some kind.

In the dialect, he said "ain't" but with an "h" in front -- "hain't." It was definitely a negative verb and not the "haint" that some dialects use for the word "ghost." For some irregular verbs, he just added a "d" or "ed" to the present tense to make the past tense. "I seed" instead of "I saw." Or, "I heared" instead of "I heard." Or, I knowed" instead of "I knew." Instead of saying "man" or "guy" he said "fella." For women, it was "gal." The word "such" was "sech."

So, he might say, "I hain't never heared a sech thing." Or, "I seed that fella yestaday what married that gal from the city."

He could and did speak standard English, too. He read a lot, mostly on history, and was well informed. I don't know where he got the dialect from. Maybe his parents or grandparents.

I grew up in the city, Erie. We always said "pop" for carbonated soft drinks. We said "formal" for a woman's ankle length dress worn on formal occasions. In my senior year of high school, we visited my brother in Philadelphia. I shopped for my prom dress while we were there. The clerk did not know what I meant when I asked about a formal until I said, "It's for my senior prom." Then she said, "Oh, you mean a GOWN."

Also in Philly, I ordered French fries and asked what kind of pop the diner had. More confusion until the waitress said, "You mean soda?"

[debm55]

75. Excellent post, wnylib. That your for posting all the information. It was so good to read it.

[wnylib]

76. I still don't know where my grandfather's dialect came from.

I have guessed that it might have been an Ozark dialect from his maternal grandparents who had lived in Missouri. Or Appalachian from his own parents on the Ohio/Kentucky border. Or maybe a mix of the two. It was not from around Erie County, PA where I never heard it except from my grandfather.

[debm55]

77. Thank you very much for the follow up.

[spooky3]

78. In the midwest where I grew up, people called potholes (in the road) "chuck holes."

I haven't heard that usage in other places I have lived.

[debm55]

79. Thank you spooky3. That is a new one for me.

[spooky3]

81. hi debm55!

[CentralMass]

80. From Massachusetts:

Water fountain- bubbler, pronounced "bubblah"
Submarine Sandwich- grinder
Turn signal - blinker, or in Boston "blinkah"
Liquor Store- Packie, short for Package Store.
Making a U-turn - Bang a U-ey"
Dunks - A nickname for Dunkin' Donuts
Frappe - athick milkshake made with milk, flavored syrup, and ice cream
Fluffernutter - A sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow creme
Masshole - A derogatory term for a Massachusetts resident
Parlor - A Boston living room, pronounced "pahlah"
Pisser - A term used to describe something awesome, especially when paired with "wicked"
Wicked - A term used in place of "really
Soda - tonic

Clicker" - a remote control, "clickah"
"Dolla drafts" cheap beer, like happy hour
"Hosie" which is a way to call dibs on something
"I could care less"
"In Town"
"Jimmies" which are chocolate sprinkles
"Nor'easter" a winter storm

[debm55]

82. Thank you CentralMass. My husband is from Boston . Thank you for that great list.

[CentralMass]

83. You are welcome.

[Wicked Blue]

90. Older people from Boston would call a frappe a 'cabinet'

Found this out waitressing many years ago. A woman asked for a coffee cabinet. I told her sorry, we don't sell furniture.

[debm55]

91. hahahahahahahah, Thank you Wicked Blue. that is funny.

[Dorothy V]

86. From the Piney Woods of Arkansas

I live in E Central Arkansas but my Dad was from the Piney Woods around Fordyce (Go Redbugs) and no amount of education dented his speech.
Dropping letters or entire syllables from words. For instance; amblants for ambulance; sheenery for machinery; hunnert for hundred.
Adding an r at the end of words- names especially, that end in a or a sound*; Emmer for Emma; Beular for Beulah; Guster for Augusta.
By the by, a Redbug is a chigger and the Fordyce High school mascot.
*Exception: Arkansas does Not add an r to the end. It is pronounced ARkinsaw!

[debm55]

92. Thank you very much Dorothy V

[sakabatou]

87. I... don't think we have those in my area.

Maybe there's some San Francisco terms, but I don't live there.

[debm55]

93. Thank you sakabatou.

[Wicked Blue]

88. NJ

Benny - person who visits the Shore but doesn't live there

Jughandle - what NJ drivers use instead of making left turns

Pork Roll / Taylor Ham - pre-cooked, seasoned pork product usually fried for a breakfast sandwich.

Goosey Night - Night before Halloween when kids go out and do pranks. Goosey Night is mostly used in Bergen, Passaic and Sussex counties. It's called Mischief Night in Central NJ and Cabbage Night in South Jersey.

You guys - NJ equivalent of y'all.

[debm55]

94. Thank you very much Wicked Blue

[Freddie]

107. There's a Taylor Ham/Pork Roll border

Kinda like the Eagles/Giants border. South Jersey (and Philly area) calls it pork roll.

[Wicked Blue]

114. I grew up in North Jersey and had never heard of it

but when I went to Rutgers in New Brunswick people always called it pork roll.

[Dulcinea]

99. "Bless your heart."

A Southern saying I've cheerfully adopted. The meaning is all in the context. It can be an expression of sympathy, or convey that someone is a complete idiot.

"I'm sad today, my dog died." "Oh, bless your heart."

OR: "I think Ron DeSantis is hot." "Oh, bless your heart!"

[debm55]

101. Thank you very much Dulcinea.

[LW1977]

102. Kolacky

Kolacky-a bun/roll with a fruit or poppy filling
Vomacka-a certain soup

[debm55]

105. Thank you LW1977 I liked the apricot or the nut filling., Can you tell us what Vomacka is? I 'm not familiar with that.

[lapfog_1]

103. southern California

Highway names... especially Interstate... are always always "THE four oh five" or "THE ten". Now starting to permeate northern California too... but 30 years ago it was strictly an LA thing.

BTW, never ever call San Francisco "Frisco" or "SanFran" or anything like that. At least when your are in or near San Francisco.

[DBoon]

106. Instead of "turn left" it is "hang a left"

Possibly repurposed surfer slang

[Upthevibe]

115. lapfog_1......debm55

I was just going to post that there's always a "The" in front of the freeway. I don't even know how I's say it without a "The".... Interstate 405?????huh

I've spent my entire 37 years here in SoCal and I've NEVER heard a native say "Cali". My experience has been SoCal. I don't know what folks up North say...."NoCal"?....Maybe they say "Cali".....which brings me to the next thing.....

It seems like anything North of Pismo Beach(I live in L.A.) is referred to as "Up North.".....as in: "What'd you guys do this weekend?" "We went "Up North"....

GREAT POST, dem55!

[debm55]

116. Thank you Upthevibe.

[Klarkashton]

104. The 5, the 405, the 210, the 605.

[debm55]

108. Thank you Klarkashton.

[yellowdogintexas]

109. The # 1 identifier for my home state:

The Kentucky Derby happens in Lu-ah-vull Pronouncing Louisville any other way is like a flaming neon sign that says "Not From Kentucky"

There is the usual 'Coke' for everything that bubbles of course

Others:

springs bubble up from the ground, they flow into a"branch" which flows into a creek which eventually gets to a river

chitterlins: pig intestines cleaned and either fried or boiled. Also used as sausage casing. Also nasty
dodger bread: cornbread made with cracklins only available at hog killing time.
cracklins' : the crunchy little bits which float to the top when making lard> You can crack a tooth on them if you are not careful.
red-eye gravy Country ham gravy with coffee added
in my particular neck of the woods: "the monument" The scaled down copy of the Washington Monument, located at Jefferson Davis State Park (he was born there)
cisterns: collection point for rain water. the gutter pipes feed into the top of a hand operated pump, which sits on top of a concrete slab, which is the cover for a large tank. The water is cold due to the tank being underground. The cistern is the source of water for the house if there is no running water

Redbud, dogwood, strawberry and blackberry winters: cold snaps occurring after the blooming of each plant. Certain crops are planted according to the cold snaps. The warming between each cold period gets longer as spring progresses.

dark fired: tobacco which is cured in a closed dark barn, using sawdust made of aromatic wood. It is only grown in Western Kentucky and is mostly used in pipe or cigar products
burley: another strain of tobacco, which is air cured in an open barn
one-sucker: a different strain of air cured
plant bed: where garden and tobacco seeds are planted in February, covered in cheesecloth then steamed to warm the soil.
sorghum : molasses made from the sorghum plant, mostly grown in far southwestern kentucky

[debm55]

111. What a fantastic post! Thank you very much yellowdogintexas for such a informative post!

[yellowdogintexas]

112. You are quite welcome nt

[debm55]

117. My hair needs washed, I will get a bath tile.After that I will make me a jumbo sammich and have a glass of pop. Then we

Last edited Sun Jan 19, 2025, 10:59 PM - Edit history (1)

can go to Giant Iggle (eagle) and get some.food for the Stealers game. I would know exactly what unzers were talking about.

[Wicked Blue]

118. I thought it was Giant Iggle

Do they still have those Eat and Get Gas places?

[debm55]

119. Sorry wrong spelling. you are right. Giant Iggle. Thank you Wicked Blue, Yes they still have the gas stations and eating

stops.

[Elessar Zappa]

121. Hijuela!

NM, a term used by Hispanic residents to express surprise (kind of, it’s hard to translate but you’d get the gist if you lived here a few months).

[debm55]

122. Thank you very much Elessar Zappa.