Local Lingo

By Rebecca the Bookseller

Here is a typical conversation this week in my hometown:

"Hey! We're tree an' oh!"
"Were yinz dahntahn Sunday?"
"Oh yeah - we did rigs and pigs out da back o' da Camero."
"Get aht! You took the Camero dahn Heinz?"
"Nah. I'm just jaggin' ya. We had Uncle Chuckie's van. Go Stillers!"
"Stillers ROCK!"

Translation: One friend went to the Steeler game at Heinz Field last Sunday and ate rigatoni and halupki. Both agree that the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are 3-0 in the NFL this season, are a very fine team. In addition, the Camero is a classic car that would never be exposed to the risk of flying beer and other objects at a tailgate party.

Every town has it's own vocabulary. Call someone a Jagoff, and you are letting them know that you hail from either Western Pennsylvania or Chicago. But if you confess to jagging around - it means different things in those places. Here, it means joking. There, it means engaging in an intimate physical act. Not sure where that differentiation came from (heh), but maybe it has to do with the fact that sex is more of a joking matter here. Just guessing.

If you're from from Louisiana, and you call someone 'cher', it means one thing. Here, it means they remind you of Cher. Which probably means you are either a terrific drag queen, or you have really long hair. Or both. Either place, it is a compliment.

If you live in many parts of Florida, and you call someone 'Bub' - it's usually short for Bubba - brother or friend. Here, it's usually delivered as a warning: "Listen, Bub..." and it's not that friendly. And in Manhattan, if someone yells: "Yo, BUB!" it usually means "Get the hell out of my way, I'm trying to get somewhere."

On the other hand, in Pittsburgh, Bubba means Grandma, or Aunt, or any woman who wears a bubushka. A bubushka is a scarf or similar head gear. This is not to be confused with 'Bubbie", which in New York, or at a seder, means good friend or Jewish grandma, depending.

The word darling is pronounced differently depending on where you are - Dah-link, Derlin', Darh-lin, Doorling, Darlin'. The words roof, water, and wash have so many versions, it's amazing.

The same applies to the 'collective you'. Y'all, youse, ya, you-uns. Yinz get the point.

And then there are the exclamations of appreciation or awe: In Houston, it's "Hot Damn!" In Vegas "You rolled sevens!" In the Carolinas, it's "Gawd-dam!" And in high school, regardless of where you live, it's "F'n A!"

So what do yinz say?

Comments

[Laura (in PA)]

This is too funny, Rebecca. I live near Philadelphia, the land of "youse" and "wudder" (water). I originally hail from Syracuse, which I'm sure has its weird words, but I don't know what they are, since they're all right to me. ;) I've been here 11 years, and still get comments about the way I talk. I just tell them I must talk right, because the TV newscasters sound like me, since many of them go to the broadcasting school at SU. I like to think I've gotten rid of my flat "a".

I have a good friend here who's from Pittsburgh, and enjoy her attempts to not say "yinz" and "far" for fire. She also runs a sweeper, not a vacuum, and keeps her clothes in a cupboard, not a closet. She's a big Stillers fan.

In New York state, we had the wars of drinking "soda" in the middle/eastern part of the state, and "pop" in the western part. Also, up there when someone died, we went to the "wake". I found out that here, you go to the "viewing". Also, I'm used to a one-floor home being called a ranch, but here, it's a rancher.

Love this stuff! Can't wait to read the comments today!

[William Simon]

The Brooklyn Alphabet: F'in A, F'in B, F'in C...oh, wait. Wrong Blog...

Sadly, thanks to the Invasion of Yankees, Houston has become almost neutral in terms of regional dialect. Unless one goes out of the city itself and into Central Texas, it's almost impossible to hear REAL Texan anymore.

[Harley]

I have no time for this. Must get on a plane and get home and rid up the house, which is going to have gotten plenty dirty whilst I was in Alaska.

[Judy Larsen]

Well, in 'Sconsin it's all about brahts and brewskis and GO PACK (with a very long flat A) at the frozen tundra of Laaambo. Best said while you're wearing flannel and asking, "get me a beer once while you're up, hey?"

In St. Louis we just ask where you went to high school and then toss some toasted ravs into our mouths.

[William Simon]

Having been to Vancouver a few times, I feel qualified to say "Like, have a nice day, eh?"

[Mary Storyteller]

Since St. Louis is so central, my Minnesota friends think I have a southern accent, and my southern friends accept me despite being a Yankee. Elaine could better explain that southside "fark" and "farty-far" thing. On Wednesday I'm driving to Tennessee, where within hours I'll be picking up that seductive accent.
Seductive is a good segue into Elaine's "Vampire Hours" in _Many Bloody Returns_. (McClay Library is so nice to me). What a great tale of love, vanity, revenge . . .and humor. Love it. The final story "How Stella Got Her Grave Back" was excellent as well. It reminded me of Terry McMillan's book as well, of course, and the fact that Jamaican men seem particularly fickle.
BTW, Pam, Ritenour High School -- many FHN teachers were Ritenour grads.

[Mary Storyteller]

For a wonderful look at our regional dialects, try the PBS "Do You Speak American" book and DVD. FHN had it in the school library, and I used it and the wonderful "Who's on First" skit to introduce a writing unit on language confusions for my sophomores.

[ArkansasCyndi]

In the south, watch out for:

Bless your (or his or her) heart - usually follows a slam

How Nice - if followed after someone brags, it's a nice why of saying F*ck You

Y'all - is singular and plural

Coke is any "soft drink"...and the words "pop" or "soda" mark you immediately as an "outsider"

To Wrench - is the cycle on your washin' machine that gets all the soap out

Hot Sprangs - is where I live - but it's spelled "Hot Springs"

Fixin' to - as in I'm fixin' to go to the store. Y'all need anythang?

and "Steelers Rock" - You cheer for your iron workers up thar?

[Tom]

No, Cyndi; for some reason, thieves are popular in P'burgh.

[Missy]

Well I guess the first one that comes to mind is not quite "how nice" but my sister-in-law and I have always said "Isn't that nice" when we truly meant f@#k you. I don't know if that is a Pittsburgh thing or not. I can remember as far back as 7 eating pasta for Sunday dinner early so we could watch the Stillers play. And having more food than we needed for 20 people. Primanti Sanwiches, Islay's Chipped Ham, (on mancini's bread of course) Iron in a brown glass bottle,(not some cute little silver thing) Regent Pop...or soda depending on your whereabouts, Ice Cold Coke and of course Halushki and Pirohi's (pierogie's for all the "non polish". My neighbor used to make them homemade and bring them over smothered in butter and onions. We'd red up the house, worsh the clothes and be ready for anything. I've had jagoff's for friends and I've jagged around more than once. I've been on the three rivers as well as in them. The incline is just that, not a train that goes up the mountain. The Unity Tree will always be the "Horne's" tree for me. And the now "Macy's" Christmas window's will always be the "Kaufmann's Chirstmas Window's" for myself and my kids. And Kennywood will never be the same without Uncle Tony riding the Carousel. Yunz guys have a nice day n'at.

[Jan]

In the mountains of NC (where I'm from), we add an "h" to the front of every word that starts with a vowel. For instance, one old lady looked at a jaundiced baby and said,
"Oh, look, h'its got yaller skin."

But, all the folks I know only use "y'all" to mean "you plural"...though that fact that we call babies "it" sorta negates any pride as not using y'all as singular.

[Marcia in OK]

My Granny worshes her clothes and goes fishin at the crick.

Ya'll is standard.

"Bring me back a Coke." Is often followed by "What kind?" And they aren't inquiry if ya want Diet or regular.

"Git on out yonder" is a way of telling the kids to go outside and play.

We shop in Grocery stores and not markets.

[jose gomez]

Cheap scrubs set
My mom always goes to my auntie’s house for monitoring her blood pressure and since she’s already 63 years old. She needs to have a blood pressure monitoring even for monthly checkup or at least twice a month. My cousin is a 20 years old nursing aid student and because of that she has stethoscope with her. She always brings it if she’s on school or on duty for her on-job training in a medical hospital. When on duty, she wore a scrubs set and because she only have one. She requested her mom to buy her one. And yes since my auntie got an internet connection just last week. We help her find cheap scrubs set and we found it! For Unisex Single Pocket Top/1 Pocket Pants it only cost $9.99 which is very affordable compared to the last one that they bought that cost $20.00 and the quality is not good. Well, the quality is good and they all have the different kinds of uniform and you choose the color you want order that you will surely love to buy. My auntie has decided to buy 3 pairs on them plus a set of medical clogs that the nurses today loves to wear.

And what’s good in this company is that you can order their product online at http://www.cheapscrubset.com or http://www.medicalscrubset.com call them in their toll free number or even fax them if you want. You can send them email if you want. Plus companies can buy the as many as they want for their nurses to have a uniform color and they also can choose on the sizes they like. And I am pretty sure that they can have discount on the items they bought. So visit the site and start ordering.

[jose gonzales]

Cheap scrubs
• Are you forever spilling a super secret formula on your lab coat?
• Are you tired of crack babies puking on your colorful print top in the maternity ward?
• Maybe you want a new print pattern to wear on those dreary and drably days at the veterinarian’s office?
• Need a new medical jacket to replace your 6 year old jacket that’s hanging on the back door in your office?
• Do you want to look stylish in your trim top and pant while walking down the halls turning the heads of those doctors with the fancy beemers and Rolex watches?
• Are you on a tight budget since your employer is squeezing as much money as they can out of your service and not on your clothes?
• Could it be possible you are a wealthy patron who would like to purchase a 100 scrubs for the non-profit clinic you found in Guatemala?
• I know, you must be a cosmetologist who is forever getting nail polish remover on your protective garments at the salon?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, you must be working in a sterile environment in some sort of medical profession, either a lab, a doctor’s office, a veterinary, or a hospital or someplace similar.

At the behest of http://www.CheapScrubSet.com or http://www.medicalscrubset.com or http://www.qualityscrubset.com at Review Me, this sponsored post is brought to you by TheLocoMono. TheLocoMono Website is in no way affiliated with medical Scrub Sets.

Every now and then, your http://www.medicalscrubset.com need to be replaced for one reason or the other. You always want to give off your best impression to your customers, whether they be monkeys at the lab, venture capitalists touring your lab, concerned relatives awaiting news in your office, or even Paris Hilton, should she happen to walk into your salon in a need of a quick pedicure.