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Regional slang and phrases

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Oh! Fun thread!!!

I'm from MA (just north of Boston) and I definately say "wicked" a lot. I notice my Rhode Island friends say it more though.

A water fountain is a bubbler

I drink soda, not pop (I live in MI now and I had a coworker say to me that she thinks "soda" sounds pretentious
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and they say pop here. I asked what they call fountain soda then and she looked at me like I'm nuts, but I really wanted to know bc I love fountain soda!)

A liquor store is a packie (I don't use this that often, but I have caught myself saying it here and people not knowing what I meant) - usually I refer to a small whole in the wall liquor store as a packie

A dresser is the shorter piece of furniture for putting clothes in, often with a mirror on it, a bureau is the taller narrower one

I have ahnts (ahnti deb for example, not ant)

I ride the T (instead of train, subway)

I use a purse or a bag

Jimmies - chocolate sprinkles (I heard this is not politially correct though, someone once told me the name was coined because slaves were called jimmies - I have no idea if it's true or not but because of that I don't use the term jimmies because I worry that I could accidentially offend someone if it's true)

Sprinkles - rainbow sprinkles

My fiances uses the phrases "neither here no there" when he's saying something doesn't make a difference; adds "and what have you" instead of saying "etc"; and adds r's to words like "I sawr her."

That's about it for now.
 
Date: 11/16/2007 12:05:58 PM
Author: sap483
I just thought of a few more- clearly I'm being very productive at work today.

- We order regular coffees- that's not the size, it means w/cream and sugar. Especially from 'dunkies'
- We call the little ice cream cups 'Hoodsies'
- When guys meet other guys they don't know, they often call them 'boss'
- We call roads that go in circles w/exits rotaries instead of roundabouts
Regular coffees! I forgot about that. In MI if you ask for regular coffee, you get black coffee. MA has rotaries also!

ETA: I found these on wikipedia:

bubbler or water bubbler — 'drinking fountain'
bang a Uey — To take a U-turn
cleansers — 'cleaners (mostly on signage)'
digger - (sounds like digga) an extreme trip, usually involves falling flat on one's face; "He took a digga on the sidewalk."
dooryard - the front yard or driveway area
down cellar — 'in the basement'
frappe — 'a blend of ice cream, milk, and syrup'[2] (milkshake refers to a concoction not made with ice cream)
hopper (sounds like hoppa) - toilet or toilet seat; "He can't talk now, he's onna hoppa."
into town — 'into Boston' (similar to New Yorkers' use of "the City")
jimmies - chocolate 'sprinkles'
johnny — a medical gown worn by patients for examinations
milk shake - 'drink composed of milk and flavored syrup, without ice cream[3]'
packie — 'liquor store', short for "package store"
parlor - 'living room', 'family room'
pisser (sounds like pissah) - Good, great. Also an affectionate term for someone who does something mischievous (i.e. "Aaron is such a pissah, he invited us to a party and then charged us to get in!") Also, the cliche term "wicked pissah" is selectively used in Boston, though is becoming archaic.
puffer — hand-held asthma inhaler
regular coffee — 'coffee with milk (or cream) and usually two spoonfuls of sugar'
rotary — 'traffic circle or roundabout'
spa — 'convenience store' (originally, it meant a store with a soda fountain). A "Town Spa" is often a pizza restaurant.
time — 'a party', e.g., "My buddy's having a time over at his place."
tonic — 'soft drink' (tonic is retreating in favor of soda among younger speakers)
town club or sports club - When Boston surburbia was woods and farms, men would gather here for deer hunting expeditions. When the land was subdivided into Levitt houses and McMansions, these "clubs" became places where the aging ex-hunters would gather to escape their wives and get drunk.
The Pike - A term commonly used by Bostonians when referring to the Massachusetts Turnpike
The T - Public transportation in the Metro Boston area. Refers to the subway, the streetcar, the ferry, and the bus.
triple decker — or more commonly three decker a three-story, three-family home with one unit built on top of the other'
wicked — 'very'; alternatively, 'wicked' may also indicate approval or become a universal descriptor, e.g., "That chowdah was wicked good."
 
Date: 11/16/2007 10:48:44 AM
Author: Haven

I just took this Accent Quiz, and here are the results. I don''t even understand how some of the words in the questions can sound the same to anybody! How interesting.

What American accent do you have?

Northern

You have a Northern accent. That could either be the Chicago/Detroit/Cleveland/Buffalo accent (easily recognizable) or the Western New England accent that news networks go for.

Cool! Mine came up "Canadian". Which is accurate of course.
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All my family originates from the East Coast, so some of these are VERY funny, since I can relate! I live in MI now and have since adapted to the "sayings" here. Some of the noted ones that were not mentioned are:

All running shoes/sneakers no matter what they are, are called tennis shoes
If you are going to the supermarket or grocery store, its groshery store
A liquor store is called a party store, and not a place where you buy balloons and confetti

I am sure I can think of more!
 
This is such fun!
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Ireland:
When I started my first job at a local deli I was told to "wash the ware". I looked blankly and the whole shop staff (collectively) looked at me as if I was simple - it means to wash the dishes! (!!!?!!!)
The other one that drives me bonkers is: "messages" Do you want any messages? Do you have any messages? AGHHhhhhhhhh I thought it meant, phone messages or family messages, but no it means errands! So I''m off to get the messages means I''m running errands, do you have any messages means do you have any errands to run.....
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How does that make sense?
US V Ireland (Most differences are the same as for the UK, except for bog!)
Trainers = Runners (footwear for sports)
Trunk = Boot
Toilet = Bog (ha ha, very common here, I never say it - I swear! You will often hear - "I''m off to the bog" in a pub!)
Phrases:
Yer man / yer wan (Translation; Your Man/One, referring to an absent individual usually because you have forgotten their name)
Sorry (If you bump into somebody accidentally, say sorry instead of excuse me)
Sure (To be used in lieu of ''like'' but pronounce it more like shure)
Sure you know yourself (eg. Christmas shopping is very expensive, sure you know yourself)
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Thanks [Ahhhhh! Lots of Irish folk seem to say thanks like a nervous twitch. Very hard to explain. If I asked x to do something out of their way, they agreed, then I would say thanks to acknowledge their effort, then they say thanks (why?!?)]
Like (Use ''like'', like it is going out of fashion)
What? (In lieu of pardon; why be polite when you can be rude?
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)
Eh (Instead of Um)



 
Date: 11/16/2007 9:17:11 AM
Author: KimberlyH
New Yorkers stand ''on line'' instead of ''in line.'' As a Californian this always cracks me up.

I''ve said this too but I didn''t realize it until you mentioned it. Now I''m not sure which one I say more often.
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I just reread some of my posts and something struck me. I think I''ve said a few times that certain things bugged me when I hear others say them. That was rude and although I didn''t mean to offend anyone, I could understand if someone felt that way. Sorry!
 
Some of these regional slang are hilarious! I have been on the other end of the jimmies/sprinkles thing - I had heard it as slang for condoms; imagine my surprise when I show up to a midwestern town''s ice cream parlor and hear someone order ice cream with jimmies!
Now I live in the South and there are all kinds of funny things... most of which have already been mentioned.
I think it''s funny when someone says "wanting to" but don''t mean it literally. i.e.
I''m wanting to catch a cold, or my car is wanting to break down.
I notice myself saying y''all now that I live in the south!
 
When I visited England, I was surprised to find out about pants=underwear. I didn''t care for use of the word "toilet" but I loved "loo!"
 
A few years ago we went to a friend''s wedding near Dublin (my friend is American but her husband is Irish). It was our first time in Ireland and our friends were telling us to be careful of using a lot of US slang because we''d get funny looks. They specifically mentioned using the phrase "we''re all set." We say that all the time here and it means "we don''t need any more" or even "no thanks." From the moment we got to Ireland and had the urge to say "we''re all set," it was all we could think about. We would laugh whenever we tried NOT to say it but we couldn''t help it.
 
Date: 11/16/2007 11:01:25 AM
Author: misysu2

One that REALLY gets to me down here in Texas...most of the highways have a SECOND name in the city that only the natives will know. I drove around for hours trying to find 'Bee Caves Road', and finally had to stop and ask directions, and found out it's the local name for the highway I was already on!

Also, here in Texas they call the highways by their number. My poor dad was asking directions here, and they told him to 'take 35 to John-Doe road', and he was like, 'HIGHWAY 35, ROAD 35, 35th STREET?!'

You must have been in Austin, huh?
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Texas often does have two names for the freeways. In Dallas, Highway 75 is also called "Central". Some are mostly called by their names, others by their number.

I'm from Texas, but apparently, I have *no* trace of a southern accent. Every time I tell someone I'm from Texas, they say, "But you don't have an accent at all!", as if it's unbelievable. One guy even told me I sounded like I was from Connecticut, whatever that means.

The only thing I can think of that we say in Texas is "y'all", which I'm guilty of sometimes. As for calling a soda a "coke", my whole family does it. It doesn't matter what kind of soda I'm offering, I still say, "Want a coke?"
 
Well I am from WI and my bf is from MD so its a constant battle...

Wash=waRsh

Crayon= crawns

toilet= tolit

Pop=soda

living room=den

markers=marrkaws

blankets=covers

douchebag=idiot (bf had never heard of a douchebag before...I laughed so hard! Now he says it all the time)


I will think of more I am sure...there are lots!!
 
Date: 11/16/2007 10:17:57 AM
Author: Miscka


OK, so I have noticed this phrase on TV before, and I was wondering if it's regional, since I had NEVER heard it before (I am in the Southeast)


'I have been doing that since I'm 20.'

It's funny you mention this, because I was just talking to my husband about it. I've heard it on Sex and the City several times (once recently), and it always bugs me!
 
Date: 11/16/2007 4:04:43 PM
Author: Steel
This is such fun!
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Ireland:

When I started my first job at a local deli I was told to ''wash the ware''. I looked blankly and the whole shop staff (collectively) looked at me as if I was simple - it means to wash the dishes! (!!!?!!!)

The other one that drives me bonkers is: ''messages'' Do you want any messages? Do you have any messages? AGHHhhhhhhhh I thought it meant, phone messages or family messages, but no it means errands! So I''m off to get the messages means I''m running errands, do you have any messages means do you have any errands to run.....
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How does that make sense?

US V Ireland (Most differences are the same as for the UK, except for bog!)

Trainers = Runners (footwear for sports)

Trunk = Boot

Toilet = Bog (ha ha, very common here, I never say it - I swear! You will often hear - ''I''m off to the bog'' in a pub!)

Phrases:

Yer man / yer wan (Translation; Your Man/One, referring to an absent individual usually because you have forgotten their name)

Sorry (If you bump into somebody accidentally, say sorry instead of excuse me)

Sure (To be used in lieu of ''like'' but pronounce it more like shure)

Sure you know yourself (eg. Christmas shopping is very expensive, sure you know yourself)
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Thanks [Ahhhhh! Lots of Irish folk seem to say thanks like a nervous twitch. Very hard to explain. If I asked x to do something out of their way, they agreed, then I would say thanks to acknowledge their effort, then they say thanks (why?!?)]

Like (Use ''like'', like it is going out of fashion)

What? (In lieu of pardon; why be polite when you can be rude?
20.gif
)

Eh (Instead of Um)







Yeah we say thanks so much over here!

Also over here, everything is deadly ie cool. That''s all my little sister says.

Over here if you''re drunk, you can be plastered, twisted, wasted etc. The amount of words that we have for being drunk is unreal.

We walk on a path, not a sidewalk.
 
When I was in Ireland, I was so confused the first time I heard "your man" -- since it was said by a guy who WAS my man at the time but he was talking about our waiter! After a few times, I finally realized that it's used generically.

The other one that was said constantly was "fair enough." Oh and of course "lovely" and "brilliant." And I love how Irish (and British too, I think) people will use the word "gorgeous" to describe things like steak. I think it's so cute to hear a big guy go on and on about his gorgeous meal and his lovely wine.
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And to go back to Boston slang for a second, is "johnny" really only used there?? I NEVER knew that. I thought that's just what hospital gowns are called by everyone?!
 
style="WIDTH: 95.5%; HEIGHT: 149px">Date: 11/16/2007 7:09:03 PM
Author: ellaila
When I was in Ireland, I was so confused the first time I heard ''your man'' -- since it was said by a guy who WAS my man at the time but he was talking about our waiter! After a few times, I finally realized that it''s used generically.

The other one that was said constantly was ''fair enough.'' Oh and of course ''lovely'' and ''brilliant.'' And I love how Irish (and British too, I think) people will use the word ''gorgeous'' to describe things like steak. I think it''s so cute to hear a big guy go on and on about his gorgeous meal and his lovely wine.
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And to go back to Boston slang for a second, is ''johnny'' really only used there?? I NEVER knew that. I thought that''s just what hospital gowns are called by everyone?!
Oh yeah...TGuy calls his food "beautiful" all the time. Makes me feel like chopped liver when he doesn''t use that word for ME but can go rapturously on about his beautiful RIB EYE.
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Pandora, sneakers are shoes with a "quiet" rubber sole so you can sneak up on someone...!

My Dad call them jimmies but we always called them sprinkles.
 
Date: 11/15/2007 10:00:57 PM
Author: Dee*Jay


Having grown up in Pittsburgh this is the one that always got me: YOU'NZ

Contraction of You and Ones, Similar in usage and definition to y'all, but local to south-western Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh.
Alternate spellings:
younze
younz
yins
yinz
youn'z
Are you'nz gonna ride rollercoasters at Kennywood?

ETA: LOL, maybe we were neighbors or something!
Hi Dee*Jay,
Where did you live in The 'Burgh???!
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And when did you move away?
I am actually about 2 hours north now, but I grew up in Belle Vernon.
And I always LOVED the THUNDERBOLT at Kennywood!!!
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Lynn
 
I come from the North Side of Pittsburgh. More Pittsburghese:

read up = tidy up
keller = as in my favorite keller is blue
jejeetyet? = did you eat yet?
sammich = sandwich
dahntahn = downtown
Stillers = Steelers
ashfault = the stuff they pave streets with
flaaahr = flour, flower
 
Date: 11/16/2007 12:51:55 PM
Author: Selkie
I think California (at least SoCal anyway, the Central Valley feels a lot like the midwest in terms of culture, accent, and attitude) is too much of a mish-mash of cultures and ethnicities to have developed a distinctive regional slang or dialect. Unless you count surfer-dude or Valley-girl speak, I guess.

My mom has more of a Boston accent while my dad speaks more like a Vermonter or Mainer...very slowly, ''You cahn''t get theah from heah.'' It''s really funny because they grew up in adjacent towns on the ''Nawth Shawh'' (North Shore, the towns north of Boston). I somehow managed to end up with the neutral newscaster accent, and can''t even mimic the Boston accent very well.

Joe Froggers are a huge, chewy, molasses and ginger cookie that we make around the holidays. According to Google, they originated in the Marblehead area, so that explains why my mom''s family made them. They are SOOO good. In fact, I''m going to make them for Thanksgiving! Here''s a link to the recipe:

Joe froggers
Selkie, my family is all from the South Shore (where I still live) and I''ve always known what Joe Froggers are, but I don''t think I have ever had one! Thank you for the recipe, maybe I will make them for Thanksgiving too!
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Date: 11/16/2007 6:33:51 AM
Author: zoebartlett

Date: 11/16/2007 12:37:17 AM
Author: Jewels305


Date: 11/15/2007 9:55:42 PM
Author: zoebartlett



Date: 11/15/2007 9:34:53 PM
Author: Kaleigh
Where are you going this summer?? Down the shore. That''s a biggie in my area. I''m sure I''ll think of some more.... Fun thread!!
Not ''to the beach?''

I say dinner, not supper.

I say basement, not cellar.

I say beach, not shore (In my state, the beach area is known as the seacoast. I used to live on the seacoast, meaning thea area of the state, not the actual beach.)

I hate it when people try to imitate how people from Massachusetts and Maine speak. It''s so fake. I think it''s funny that there seems to be two accents in MA. One is more refined, like the Kennedy''s (for example, pronouncing ''can''t'' as ''caunt''), while the other one sounds almost like a NY accent.

NH has somewhat of a variety too. I don''t think I have an accent at all. My FI''s mom however (who was also born and raised in NH, same as me) has the latter accent I mentioned above. It drives me nuts.



Definitely agreed. I think my accent is more Kennedy-esque than NY sounding. I think the difference between the 2 can best be seen when comparing the accents of Senator Ted Kennedy and Mayor Tom Menino.

I''m one of those people that ZoeBartlett can''t stand because I do say ''down cellar'' instead of basement, but cellar is one of those words that I do always pronounce the R.

Oh Jewels, it''s nothing personal. We''re all friends here.
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Good comparison, using Ted Kennedy and Tom Menino. I know wht you mean.

I just thought of another one, not related to MA. I think it''s more of a midwestern or western thing: instead of saying ''I''m going to THE prom'' people say ''I''m going to prom.'' That bugs me.
I was not offended at all my fellow New Englander, don''t worry. Just making a joke!
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It took me a while to realize that my boyfriend was actually vacuuming when he said he was going to "sweep the apartment" and that "sweeper" means vacuum to him. I think its a western PA thing, and some people in Ohio seem to say sweeper as well.
 
Date: 11/16/2007 10:14:25 PM
Author: laine
It took me a while to realize that my boyfriend was actually vacuuming when he said he was going to ''sweep the apartment'' and that ''sweeper'' means vacuum to him. I think its a western PA thing, and some people in Ohio seem to say sweeper as well.
My husband is from the midwest and he says it too. Actually I''ve semi adopted it, as in, "I''m going to run the sweeper now."
 
oh yeah I always say fair enough!

D always teases me when we go on holidays as I say the word grand all the time. In other words, if someone asks me how I am, or how the food is or anything like that, I''m always like ah it''s grand. Can''t help it!


This thread is great!
 
Here''s some more Pittsburghese:

Worsh
Spicket
Kernegie
Babushka
Arn
Slippy
Souseside
Yunz
Jeet? (Did you eat?)
Ju? (Did you?)
''Sliberty
 
Date: 11/16/2007 4:04:43 PM
Author: Steel

This is such fun!
36.gif

Ireland:
When I started my first job at a local deli I was told to ''wash the ware''. I looked blankly and the whole shop staff (collectively) looked at me as if I was simple - it means to wash the dishes! (!!!?!!!)
The other one that drives me bonkers is: ''messages'' Do you want any messages? Do you have any messages? AGHHhhhhhhhh I thought it meant, phone messages or family messages, but no it means errands! So I''m off to get the messages means I''m running errands, do you have any messages means do you have any errands to run.....
29.gif

How does that make sense?

US V Ireland (Most differences are the same as for the UK, except for bog!)
Trainers = Runners (footwear for sports)
Trunk = Boot
Toilet = Bog (ha ha, very common here, I never say it - I swear! You will often hear - ''I''m off to the bog'' in a pub!)

Phrases:
Yer man / yer wan (Translation; Your Man/One, referring to an absent individual usually because you have forgotten their name)
Sorry (If you bump into somebody accidentally, say sorry instead of excuse me)
Sure (To be used in lieu of ''like'' but pronounce it more like shure)
Sure you know yourself (eg. Christmas shopping is very expensive, sure you know yourself)
20.gif

Thanks [Ahhhhh! Lots of Irish folk seem to say thanks like a nervous twitch. Very hard to explain. If I asked x to do something out of their way, they agreed, then I would say thanks to acknowledge their effort, then they say thanks (why?!?)]
Like (Use ''like'', like it is going out of fashion)
What? (In lieu of pardon; why be polite when you can be rude?
20.gif
)
Eh (Instead of Um)





I always use ''what''. It''s actually much more correct.

My parents think ''Pardon'' is a worse word than ''f**k''.
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Certainly, the Queen would NEVER say ''pardon''.
 
Date: 11/16/2007 9:05:42 PM
Author: Jewels305

Selkie, my family is all from the South Shore (where I still live) and I've always known what Joe Froggers are, but I don't think I have ever had one! Thank you for the recipe, maybe I will make them for Thanksgiving too!
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I'm from the South Shore too (that's another thing -- South Shore doesn't necessarily mean the shore at all! I grew up nowhere near the shore), and I've never heard of Joe Froggers. They sound yummy though!
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My Dad now lives in Marblehead, so I'll have to ask his wife if she knows of them (and why she's never made them for me).

And mmmm, Hoodsies! Such a part of childhood, with that little wooden paddle/spoon! We even had them as part of school lunches
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Date: 11/17/2007 12:12:30 PM
Author: ellaila

Date: 11/16/2007 9:05:42 PM
Author: Jewels305

Selkie, my family is all from the South Shore (where I still live) and I''ve always known what Joe Froggers are, but I don''t think I have ever had one! Thank you for the recipe, maybe I will make them for Thanksgiving too!
1.gif
I''m from the South Shore too (that''s another thing -- South Shore doesn''t necessarily mean the shore at all! I grew up nowhere near the shore), and I''ve never heard of Joe Froggers. They sound yummy though!
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And mmmm, Hoodsies! Such a part of childhood, with that little wooden paddle/spoon! We even had them as part of school lunches
36.gif

I still occasionally buy Hoodsies for my kids at school for a special treat. Yum! I guess Hoodsies are regional (as is Hood milk I guess) but I never really knew that. I thought I knew most of the slang from the NE/Boston area but there were a few listed that I hadn''t heard before.
 
Date: 11/17/2007 12:16:29 PM
Author: zoebartlett

I still occasionally buy Hoodsies for my kids at school for a special treat. Yum! I guess Hoodsies are regional (as is Hood milk I guess) but I never really knew that. I thought I knew most of the slang from the NE/Boston area but there were a few listed that I hadn''t heard before.

Hood is based in Lynnfield, Mass. I want a Hoodsie cup now! I''m getting ready to make my joe froggers today. The key thing is refrigerating the dough at least several hours, and preferably overnight before making them.

Ellaila, it''s the same with the North Shore, it extends to some of the non-coastal towns too.

Coincidentally, my mom just emailed a bunch of "Bawstonian" slang terms. I especially like the one about scrod.

Definitions:
Frappes have ice cream, milkshakes don''t.
If it is fizzy and flavored, it''s tonic.
Soda is CLUB SODA.
"Pop" is Dad.
When we want Tonic WATER, we will ask for Tonic WATER.
The smallest beer is a pint.
Scrod is whatever they tell you it is, usually fish. If you paid more than $6/pound, you got scrod.
It''s not a water fountain; it''s a bubblah.
It''s not a trashcan; it''s a barrel.
It''s not a spucky, a hero or grinder,... it''s a sub.
It''s not a shopping cart; it''s a carriage.
It''s not a purse; it''s a pockabook.
They''re not franks; they''re haht dahgs; Franks are money in Switzahland.
 
Date: 11/16/2007 5:21:35 PM
Author: EBree


You must have been in Austin, huh?
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Texas often does have two names for the freeways. In Dallas, Highway 75 is also called ''Central''. Some are mostly called by their names, others by their number.

I''m from Texas, but apparently, I have *no* trace of a southern accent. Every time I tell someone I''m from Texas, they say, ''But you don''t have an accent at all!'', as if it''s unbelievable. One guy even told me I sounded like I was from Connecticut, whatever that means.

The only thing I can think of that we say in Texas is ''y''all'', which I''m guilty of sometimes. As for calling a soda a ''coke'', my whole family does it. It doesn''t matter what kind of soda I''m offering, I still say, ''Want a coke?''
Ebree- I was in Austin for a while when I first moved down here. I''m now in Houston, and they do the same thing. I STILL can''t listen to the traffic report, because I never know which interstate they''re talking about!!! Grr!!!

Another funny thing- I took that accent quiz and it told me I was just American. It''s pretty funny because I''m from central Illinois. People from Chicago tell me I have a southern accent, and people from St. Louis tell me I have a Minnesota/Canada accent!!
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