Regional Slang

[Jennifer W]

Somethingshiny, that's so funny! I guess there's a universal language of hillbilly, because you could say any of these things in Scotland and be understood. (Except goatf*ck. That's a new one one me - we'd say 'sheepsh*gger).

 

[les12]

The first thing that comes to mind is more of a difference in spelling and not really slang, but in Louisiana it's "Geaux Tigers!" or "Bama Bleauxs!" haha.

Then depending on where in Louisiana you are, accents differ tremendously.

I'm from Baton Rouge, where the accent isn't all that noticeable (I think)

We say y'all instead of you, you guys, etc.

Not sure if this is regional but many people I know drop the "to" after "going", as in "I'm goin' jog" or "I'm goin' study" (ha!) It drives me crazy when they do this!

In New Orleans, there's the whole "yat" dialect as in "Where y'at?" which is really pronounced through much of New Orleans.

Other southern Louisiana areas have a really heavy Cajun accent, which I love! It's so thick and definitely stands out as a unique accent.

They use "dem" "dere" "dat" etc. They might live "down the bayou" which sounds like "down da bi-yoo"

Sometimes instead of "junior" someone might be "tee". For instance, "Tee Joe" instead of Joe Jr. I have a cousin nicknamed "t-boy"

"Sha" is another way to say "dear" or "aww." As in, "Sha, look at that precious baby" or "Please bring me the ___, sha."

We also say "gah lee" as an expression. "Gah lee, that's a big crawfish!" haha!

Here, they'll use lots of Cajun French phrases too. ("Laissez le bon temps rouler" - which sounds more like "Les lay bon ton roolay" or "Joie de vivre") A lot of the phrases have spellings which differ from actual French also.

My grandmother always says "ca, c'est bon!" (that's good) and "mais jamais!" (well, I never!)

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure something else will hit me soon.

 

[PinkTower]

Dragonfly is definitely living in the South!

We in Texas say many of the same things. I confess that I was orginally a Midwestern Yankee from IL, so when I first moved here, I didn't always know what to think of the local vernacular.

Like:

Fixin' to do for I'm getting ready to do

Eat me some groceries for going to lunch, dinner, etc.

And lunch is dinner and dinner is supper.

How's your mama and them??!! for what's going on?

Sodas are Cokes even if they're Dr. Pepper. (And we're the home of Dr. Pepper.)

Longnecks are beers, and longhorns are steers.

Y'all is single or plural, but all y'all is definitely plural.

Oh Holly, You win the award. "How's your mama and them?" Of course, I've heard that all my life, but I would NEVER have thought of it. I interpret it rather literally--how's your mama and all of your kinfolks?

 

[somethingshiny]

Jen~ lol. I could move there but I fear I'd starve!

 

[Jennifer W]

You can survive for several years on Irn Bru... It's pretty much the only thing we haven't managed to deep fry so far.

 

[redfaerythinker]

I think Atlanta really misses out on having any good regional slang. Such a high percentage of our population comes from other places in the country that we have a little bit of it all. Every soft drink is coke though, but it was invented here so it's literally EVERYWHERE and usually what is offered anyways. I remember really disappointing the canadians when I visited because they were really expecting a southern drawl etc. Now deeper into GA you get a lot of the typical down-south slang. For example my grandfather mashes a button while I push or press it. However, most native atlantans tend to use multiple words for the same thing. I say route as root and rowt depending on the context, buggie or shopping cart, parking deck or parking garage, highway or interstate. We tend to have long arguments on what terminology we actually use when these topics come up and none of us can ever make up our minds because we use them all.

 

[Matata]

More from Pittsburgh (hi Elrohwen, I grew up there also )

keller = color

ashfault = asphalt

red up = tidy up

warsh = wash

flahrs = flowers

jeetjet? = Did you eat yet?

pop = soda

dahn tahn = downtown

Stillers = Steelers

 

[Prana]

More from Pittsburgh (hi Elrohwen, I grew up there also )

keller = color

ashfault = asphalt

red up = tidy up

warsh = wash

flahrs = flowers

jeetjet? = Did you eat yet?

pop = soda

dahn tahn = downtown

Stillers = Steelers

So what you're saying is, a typical sentence would be:

"I gotta red up and warsh the ashfault off the flahrs so I can see the keller's better. Then I gotta go dahn tahn and get some pop. Wanna come? Jeetjet? "

 

[Matata]

ROFLMAO. Youse got it eggsacly.

 

[zoebartlett]

Prana -- you're in NE too?

I don't say "cellar" but a lot of people I know do. Occasionally I hear "wicked" and "tool" also.

I know someone from my state who used to say "No sir (no suh)!" all the time. I guess it means "no way! or really?!." That one really bugged me. In my state, I notice accents more than I notice regional slang. I think it's hilarious that my husband and his family (parents included) all grew up in our state, but he's the only one without an accent.

ETA: I don't say this, but many people here say "supper" instead of "dinner."

 

[Haven]

This thread is awesome!

(What we say = What others say)
Gym shoes = sneakers
Grachkee = garage key
Ma = mom
Yous guys/you guys (women say this to each other, too)
gangway = walkway along the side of a house or building
You JAGOFF! = You do not cut people off like that in traffic around here
Sammich = sandwich
da = the
Fronchroom = front room, we don't call it the living room, it's the fronchroom
Pop = soda
Lawn or folding chair sitting in a parking spot = don't even think about parking here because I cleared this spot myself and if you put your car there I'm going to tear you up
The Lake = Lake Michigan
Giardinara = hot peppers
He goes = he said
Over by dere = we use this to indicate that we're going to the store, over by dere
I gotta guy = Everyone here's gotta guy for everything. You need a plumber? I gotta guy for dat.
With = acceptable at the end of any sentence (e.g. I'm going to Jewels, wanna come with?")
Braht = bratwurst
Polish = Polish sausage
Wet = dip that sandwich in some juice!
Tree = three
Weiner take all= Vienna all beef hotdog, relish, onion, peppers, tomatoes, mustard, preferably on a Mary Ann poppy seed bun and NO KETCHUP. Celery salt is optional. If you put ketchup on that thing you are DEFINITELY not from around here
We call expressways by their names, not their numers (e.g. It's the Kennedy, not 90/94. Or whatever number it is!)
Pizza = deep dish Chicago-style pizza, not that nasty, thin, greasy stuff people eat elsewhere
sofa = couch
Gapers block = traffic jam caused by people slowing down to look at an accident or something else on the side of the road
The City = Chicago
THE Sox = The White Sox
Prairie = an empty lot where the kids play
Washroom = bathroom/restroom
Grammar school/grade school = school before high school
LSD = Lake Shore Drive
15 minutes = We don't say things are x miles away, we say they're x minutes away

 

[atroop711]

Ya'll for you all.

All soda tends to be coke.

When we are really excited or we vehemently agree with something it's "hell yeah!"

Riding refers to any of the following - horses, ATVS, trucks, buggies

They're all rivers

Fat lighter is dry pine that is perfect for lighting fires.

Title town is the home of the gators.

What you call a tool we call a deu*** or an A**hole. Or a piece of Sh**.

Red drums are called redfish.

Deer are called dinner (jk jk but they are dinner).

It is not O-possum, it's possum.

crawfish are crawdads.

Any fish under 6 inches is a minnow.

Gigs are used to gig fish or gig frogs. It's one way to get dinner.

Lifted refers to a truck that has a lift kit on it and is on large tires.

Down there could be anywhere north, south, east, west, top or bottom of a mountain, over a bridge, under a bridge. It's down there at so and so's place.

Turtle is called cooter. I know, I know.

All pigs are hogs.

Curr dogs are any mixture of hound, pitt bull, and lab.

OMG I can't stop laughing

 

[lizzyann]

This thread is awesome!

(What we say = What others say)
Gym shoes = sneakers
Grachkee = garage key
Ma = mom
Yous guys/you guys (women say this to each other, too)
gangway = walkway along the side of a house or building
You JAGOFF! = You do not cut people off like that in traffic around here
Sammich = sandwich
da = the
Fronchroom = front room, we don't call it the living room, it's the fronchroom
Pop = soda
Lawn or folding chair sitting in a parking spot = don't even think about parking here because I cleared this spot myself and if you put your car there I'm going to tear you up
The Lake = Lake Michigan
Giardinara = hot peppers
He goes = he said
Over by dere = we use this to indicate that we're going to the store, over by dere
I gotta guy = Everyone here's gotta guy for everything. You need a plumber? I gotta guy for dat.
With = acceptable at the end of any sentence (e.g. I'm going to Jewels, wanna come with?")
Braht = bratwurst
Polish = Polish sausage
Wet = dip that sandwich in some juice!
Tree = three
Weiner take all= Vienna all beef hotdog, relish, onion, peppers, tomatoes, mustard, preferably on a Mary Ann poppy seed bun and NO KETCHUP. Celery salt is optional. If you put ketchup on that thing you are DEFINITELY not from around here
We call expressways by their names, not their numers (e.g. It's the Kennedy, not 90/94. Or whatever number it is!)
Pizza = deep dish Chicago-style pizza, not that nasty, thin, greasy stuff people eat elsewhere
sofa = couch
Gapers block = traffic jam caused by people slowing down to look at an accident or something else on the side of the road
The City = Chicago
THE Sox = The White Sox
Prairie = an empty lot where the kids play
Washroom = bathroom/restroom
Grammar school/grade school = school before high school
LSD = Lake Shore Drive
15 minutes = We don't say things are x miles away, we say they're x minutes away

Haven, in MA we call traffic jams caused by people slowing down to look at the accident - Rubbernecking! I've never heard Gaper's Block! You've got a lot of good ones!

 

[merilenda]

I'm from the Midwest - I've lived in urban rather than rural areas though. So while some people in the area have more of the southern type slang, I don't use most of that.

A few notes:

It's soda (not pop, not coke - unless you're actually talking about coke).
It's dinner, not supper.

I guess one thing that a lot of people around here do is add an unnecessary "at" to the end of some sentences. Ex: "where's that at?" "where are you at?" I am occasionally guilty of this one!

 

[Burberrygirl]

I’m from Michigan. I came across this website a few years ago and thought it was hilarious.

http://www.michigannative.com/ma_home.shtml

Here are some of the words and phrases mentioned on the site:

the big lake = the Great Lake closest to where you are.
the bridge = when I’m Up North it’s the Mackinac Bridge and at home in southeast MI it’s the Ambassador Bridge.
the cottage = any place you stay at Up North. It could be massive and I’d probably still call it the cottage.
doorwall = sliding glass door. My parents used doorwall and sliding glass door interchangeably.
glovebox = glove compartment. My parents also used glove box and glove compartment interchangeably.
a good one = a good day.
Michigan left = when you can’t make a left so you turn right and make a u-turn at a crossover.
parking deck/ramp = parking garage. I’ve heard people use parking deck or parking ramp but I don’t.
party store = liquor store. I use both.
the plant = the nearest factory.
the Ren Cen = the Renaissance Center.
the U.P. = Upper Peninsula.
Up North = pretty much anywhere north of the middle of the Lower Peninsula.
you guys = not yous guys.
pop = soda.
sofa = couch. I use both.
middle school = junior high.

A lot of people add an “s” to store names (I don’t really do this, my mom does) like Targets, Walgreens, and Krogers. I actually never realized this was wrong until a middle school teacher (who was not originally from Michigan) mentioned it.

I guess one thing that a lot of people around here do is add an unnecessary "at" to the end of some sentences. Ex: "where's that at?" "where are you at?" I am occasionally guilty of this one!

Yes, I say "where at," "where's that at," and "where are you at" sometimes.

 

[packrat]

We say "Idnit" and "Didnit" for "isn't it" and "didn't it". Djoo for did you. We say pop. We say ain't and end sentences w/at, like "where'djoo get that at?" We run everywhere-run to the store, run to work, run to the bathroom, run to so and so's house. We also say Bajesus..scared the bajesus out of me.

 

[anitabee]

The first thing that comes to mind is more of a difference in spelling and not really slang, but in Louisiana it's "Geaux Tigers!" or "Bama Bleauxs!" haha.

Then depending on where in Louisiana you are, accents differ tremendously.

I'm from Baton Rouge, where the accent isn't all that noticeable (I think)

We say y'all instead of you, you guys, etc.

Not sure if this is regional but many people I know drop the "to" after "going", as in "I'm goin' jog" or "I'm goin' study" (ha!) It drives me crazy when they do this!

In New Orleans, there's the whole "yat" dialect as in "Where y'at?" which is really pronounced through much of New Orleans.

Other southern Louisiana areas have a really heavy Cajun accent, which I love! It's so thick and definitely stands out as a unique accent.

They use "dem" "dere" "dat" etc. They might live "down the bayou" which sounds like "down da bi-yoo"

Sometimes instead of "junior" someone might be "tee". For instance, "Tee Joe" instead of Joe Jr. I have a cousin nicknamed "t-boy"

"Sha" is another way to say "dear" or "aww." As in, "Sha, look at that precious baby" or "Please bring me the ___, sha."

We also say "gah lee" as an expression. "Gah lee, that's a big crawfish!" haha!

Here, they'll use lots of Cajun French phrases too. ("Laissez le bon temps rouler" - which sounds more like "Les lay bon ton roolay" or "Joie de vivre") A lot of the phrases have spellings which differ from actual French also.

My grandmother always says "ca, c'est bon!" (that's good) and "mais jamais!" (well, I never!)

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure something else will hit me soon.

CRAZY! i used to live in lafayette, la where i went to college! lafayette is the cajun capital of the world! i totally know all the things you're saying esp the whole "sha" thing which is a derivation of "cher" meaning love or sweetie in french.

in louisiana, i remember alexandria being sorta the crossroads between the mostly catholic, cajun/creole south and the more baptisty, conservative, dry counties of the north. HUGE difference in the accents everywhere. even in n.o., the accents can vary depending on what part of the city you live in.

in lafayette the laundromat was often called the "washeteria".

people didn't get into car accidents instead they were "car wrecks".

insurance, as in car insurance, was pronounced "IN-surance" (accent on the first syllable).

a "coke" was any type of fizzy beverage in a container resembling that of a coke!

if someone was about to do something they would preface it with "fixin'", e.g. i'm fixin' to go to the store.

regular sneakers/running shoes were called "tennis shoes"

a friend of mine was from a backwoods bayou place called houma and talked really "oddly". sometimes i couldn't understand him. check this out: "whe' amy's at?" i had to pull that one apart! i was like, "what did you say?" translation: where is amy?

i'm orig from windsor, ontario, canada (just across the river from detroit, mi) but now live in vancouver, bc and have noticed some odd regional things here too. i'll return with some funny vancouver things. just have to put the kids to bed...

 

[les12]

Anitabee- that is so funny! I actually lived in Houma for a few months recently for my husband's job. Talk about cajun country!

I am cracking up at the "IN-surance" thing because I read that and was thinking, "well yea, of course that's how you say it" but then I realized it is actually supposed to be in-SUR-ance. Too funny. I have loads of family from Lafayette too. I can completely relate to all of what you are saying!

 

[Cehrabehra]

The only thing I can think of here in China is the word "later" means in the next five minutes not sometime not now maybe hours from now the way we use it. I've come to accept when *I* am told "later" that they will return my call or whatever it is pretty quick... but I have not yet mastered NOT saying "later" when I mean *later* and not in 5 minutes lol. I tell them I'll call them back later and in 5 minutes they're like why have you not called back? It's later now. lol Something in the translation...

... oh and another funny thing in Chinese the future is *behind* and the past is *ahead*. The day after tomorrow is hou tian but hou means behind. The word for the day before yesterday means in front/ahead. The way they see it, you are facing your past because you can see it all clearly and the future is behind you where you cannot see it. Makes things confusing lol

Not really on topic but it's all I've got here lol

Oh - in Ireland they use "dear" for expensive and now I understand the line in "When I'm 64" where he says, "we can rent a cottage on the isle of white if it's not too dear"

Also - gorgeous isn't for people, it's for FOOD which makes sense because you want to gorge on it. And everything there is "grand".

Oh and the funniest thing, how many times the irish say goodbye. I'd say the average is 8.

Alright then, bye. Bye.
Talk to you soon, bye, b-bye, bye. Bye.
Bye, bye-bye-bye, bye.
Right, bye, b-bye, bye-bye.
Bye, bye.

lol

 

[Jennifer W]

More from Pittsburgh (hi Elrohwen, I grew up there also )

keller = color

ashfault = asphalt

red up = tidy up

warsh = wash

flahrs = flowers

jeetjet? = Did you eat yet?

pop = soda

dahn tahn = downtown

Stillers = Steelers

Matata, that's really interesting. Is Pittsburgh an area with coal mines? Red up means clearing / tidying up in Scotland too, in areas with coal mining traditions. A redd is a small rockfall in a mine, and redding is clearing the floor of the mine of rocks and rubble.It caught on to mean tidying up else where too. Rarely used anymore, but my grandparents said this.

I wonder if it's from the same origin in Pittsburgh.

 

[ksinger]

Not too many that haven't already been mentioned.

Oklahoma - onced, twiced, warsh, reench, acrossed. People LOVE their -ed here for some reason.

Also, wentengot, as in: "I wentengot some groceries." And ol. As in, "We need some ol for the car."

Not quite so much y'all here, as you all. Y'all is a bit more Texas.

 

[elrohwen]

More from Pittsburgh (hi Elrohwen, I grew up there also )

keller = color

ashfault = asphalt

red up = tidy up

warsh = wash

flahrs = flowers

jeetjet? = Did you eat yet?

pop = soda

dahn tahn = downtown

Stillers = Steelers

Matata, that's really interesting. Is Pittsburgh an area with coal mines? Red up means clearing / tidying up in Scotland too, in areas with coal mining traditions. A redd is a small rockfall in a mine, and redding is clearing the floor of the mine of rocks and rubble.It caught on to mean tidying up else where too. Rarely used anymore, but my grandparents said this.

I wonder if it's from the same origin in Pittsburgh.

Exactly! A lot of Pittsburgh slang comes from the Scots-Irish who moved there to work in the coal mines. It's huge coal and steel producing country (or was 50 years ago). I don't think I've actually heard anyone in Pittsburgh use "red up", but then my family isn't originally from there - I think it's more something the older generation would say.

 

[elrohwen]

More from Pittsburgh (hi Elrohwen, I grew up there also )

keller = color

ashfault = asphalt

red up = tidy up

warsh = wash

flahrs = flowers

jeetjet? = Did you eat yet?

pop = soda

dahn tahn = downtown

Stillers = Steelers

Another one I thought of is n'at - it can be added to the end of almost any sentence like "We went shopping n'at."

 

[elrohwen]

the U.P. = Upper Peninsula.
Up North = pretty much anywhere north of the middle of the Lower Peninsula.

Don't forget the Yoopers! Anyone from the UP is known as a Yooper (my dad's family are Yoopers)

 

[princesss]

"Might could," as in "I might could go with you tomorrow" - this one drives me bonkers! The first time I heard my friend say this, my jaw dropped. Now I hear it all the time!

"Daggum" as an alternative to "D*mn" - often shortened to just "Dag!" as in "Dag, I can't believe he did that!"

 

[mousey]

I always thought Bejaysus was Irish. My mom is for ever saying it.
Also, when I was in the US and announced I was going on a 'fag break', I got some funny looks. It actually took a while before I realized fag did not mean cigarette there....

 

[Jennifer W]

Mousey, I may have fallen foul of that one too. " I'm just going outside for a quick fag" isn't appropriate in every country.

I solved the problem by quitting smoking....

Elrowhen, you've really read up on this stuff! I'm impressed by your knowledge.

 

[Jennifer W]

Oh, I forgot this legendary little phrase from Edinburgh:
"You'll have had your tea."

It can be phrased as a question or a statement, but it is essentially a way of saying "we won't be offering you a meal while you're here, so forget that idea right now..." People from Edinburgh are known for being a little inhospitable or even mean at times. It's a stereotype, I'm sure it isn't true.

 

[elrohwen]

Mousey, I may have fallen foul of that one too. " I'm just going outside for a quick fag" isn't appropriate in every country.

I solved the problem by quitting smoking....

Elrowhen, you've really read up on this stuff! I'm impressed by your knowledge.

Haha, thanks! I'm a linguistics nerd in my spare time

 

[anchor31]

My grandma lives in northern MI and always says davenport instead of couch or sofa. Love that word!

Of course she also ends every sentence with "eh?"

I've noticed that a lot of people in CT say 'eh' as they do in Canada. I myself am guilty of it. I've been told that I have a Canadian sort of drawl, I guess I say 'aboot' instead of about, for example. I've noticed that many people in VT have a similar accent to parts of Canada.

We should start an accent thread.....

Interesting! I can't say I've noticed people saying that here - I'll have to pay attention. The Michigan accent (at least where my family is from) is a fairly unique combo of a Canadian accent with a Wisconsin/Minnesota type accent - they don't say "aboot" though.

The only accent I've noticed in CT (other than people with recognizable NE or NY type accents) is dropping T's in the middle of words. Like the town Shelton becomes Shel-uhn.

The "eh" thing in Canada is probably regional, because I'm always perplexed when people say that Canadians say "eh" (or "oot and aboot" for that matter). Granted, Québec is a whole other language/accent, but I spend a fair amount of time in Ontario (especially Ottawa) and I have never heard anyone say "eh" or "aboot". Is there a place in particular where you've heard this?