Weird phrases from where you live (or have lived) - AKA "colloquialisms!"

[9-10ths_Penguin]

"Down ta'" and "over ta'" are the only real directions you travel.

While I was listening to the radio the other day, I was reminded of a quirk in Hamilton, Ontario. The city is split into two sections: the downtown to the north along the lake, and then "Upper Hamilton" to the south that's on a plateau at the top of the Niagara Escarpment.

Anyhow, while I was listening to the radio, they said "upbound" for southbound and "downbound" for northbound. It kinda brought me back to when I (briefly) lived there.

Edit: living in Hamilton warps the mind of anyone who grew up in Toronto like me. It's ingrained into me that the lake is south, and land generally slopes with north to south. In Hamilton, all that is wrong. The lake is north, "up" is south... I was constantly making wrong turns.

 

[dust1n]

I have no idea. I wondered the same thing.

NuGrape, perhaps?

Haha, maybe they are just brand specific, or use the real loose term 'carbonated sugar water'.

 

[dust1n]

If the data's really variable in a small region, then this probably points to a small sample size there.

I think that's the same issue with "other": if you get someone who is deliberately putting in nonsense responses or just misunderstands the question ("I only ever drink Mountain Dew, so I'll put 'Mountain Dew'"), then they'll have a bigger effect on the overall results if they don't have many real responses to outweigh them.

Or that. That works too.

 

[DreadFish]

I love "in a bit" and use it all the time too.

I also use "n' stuff" as in.... "I gotta' go pick up some Moxie n' stuff down ta' tha store."

"Down ta'" and "over ta'" are the only real directions you travel.

wa:do

Yeah I use "in a bit" and "n' stuff" a lot. I also noticed yesterday that I, and probably other people around NC, say "prolly" instead of "probably". I also say " an' " instead of "and", depending on the situation. Whatever makes the sentence roll off the tongue easier.

 

[DreadFish]

If the data's really variable in a small region, then this probably points to a small sample size there.

I think that's the same issue with "other": if you get someone who is deliberately putting in nonsense responses or just misunderstands the question ("I only ever drink Mountain Dew, so I'll put 'Mountain Dew'"), then they'll have a bigger effect on the overall results if they don't have many real responses to outweigh them.

And here I was gettin' proud of havin' a particularly diverse state

 

[Rakhel]

I remember once, in French class, which I failed, our instructor asked a friend of hers to come to class. This friend, who was French, BTW, was trying to show us the difference between instructional French and street French. When we didn't understand, our instructor wrote this on the board:

"Jew eat"
"No. Jew?"

 

[GabrielWithoutWings]

I keep saying "in a bit" . I haven't seen you in a bit. We'll be there in a bit.

When I moved to Atlanta, I was introduced to the wonderfully versatile "hot minute." It can be used either way.

"Be there in a hot minute!" = I'm coming as fast as I can.

"Ain't seen you all in a hot minute." = It's been a while since I've seen you.

"Man, it's taking them a hot minute to get here, ain't it?" = They're taking a long time.

 

[GabrielWithoutWings]

It never occurred to me that people would call a soft drink anything but a Soda, until I got older.

The same thing goes for calling a Cellar a Basement. Or calling a Brook a Creek or a Crick.

My son's mother is from Erie, Pa, while I'm from Wayne County, Tn. We had this conversation when we first hooked up:

We could go swim in the crick.
The what?
The crick. You know, the crick?
The creek? That's what you're referring to?
It's the same thing.
No, a creek is something you swim in. A crick is what you get in your neck.
That's not a crick. That's a kink.
No, a kink is what you get in a water hose when it stops working.

 

[methylatedghosts]

It never occurred to me that people would call a soft drink anything but a Soda, until I got older.

In New Zealand it's a "soft drink" or "fizzy drink". The only time you heard soda or pop was on the American TV shows.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Living in New York City for a year introduced me to all kinds of interesting sayings:

If you want a coffee, you have to specify if you want a "regular" coffee, which is actually cream and two sugars. If you meant "black", you have to say black coffee.

A "regular" slice of pizza is a cheese slice, and you MUST fold it in half to eat it, otherwise you really are from out of town.

Houston Street is not pronounced like the city in Texas. It's pronounced HOWS-ton. SoHo is the neighborhood that is South of Houston Street, btw.

You also never "stand in line"...you stand on line (like tkts in Times Square).

Finally, my absolute favorite from NYC - street signs that prohibit parking don't say "No Parking Zone", they say "Don't Even THINK About Parking Here!"......those are awesome and portray the NY attitude perfectly.

 

[Rakhel]

Living in New York City for a year introduced me to all kinds of interesting sayings:

If you want a coffee, you have to specify if you want a "regular" coffee, which is actually cream and two sugars. If you meant "black", you have to say black coffee.

A "regular" slice of pizza is a cheese slice, and you MUST fold it in half to eat it, otherwise you really are from out of town.

Houston Street is not pronounced like the city in Texas. It's pronounced HOWS-ton. SoHo is the neighborhood that is South of Houston Street, btw.

You also never "stand in line"...you stand on line (like tkts in Times Square).

Finally, my absolute favorite from NYC - street signs that prohibit parking don't say "No Parking Zone", they say "Don't Even THINK About Parking Here!"......those are awesome and portray the NY attitude perfectly.

Yeah. You want a whole pizza, you have to say you want a "pie". Because if you ask for a pizza, they assume you just want a slice. You want a deep dish pizza, you have to ask for Sicilian.

We now have NoHo(north of Houston), and GoHo(governor's home) and there is also DUMBO(Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass)

As for the street signs. I haven't seen the "don't even Think about parking here" sign. The last time I saw that was in Little Rock, AR.

There is also one my husband picked up. "It is what it is."

"Yo" is a big one too.
A big one the police are actually succeeding in implementing. "If you see something, say something."
And "Stop-and-Frisk" "empty your pockets"


I forgot about the "dirty dogs." Hot dogs from a street vender.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Yeah. You want a whole pizza, you have to say you want a "pie". Because if you ask for a pizza, they assume you just want a slice. You want a deep dish pizza, you have to ask for Sicilian.

We now have NoHo(north of Houston), and GoHo(governor's home) and there is also DUMBO(Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass)

As for the street signs. I haven't seen the "don't even Think about parking here" sign. The last time I saw that was in Little Rock, AR.

There is also one my husband picked up. "It is what it is."

"Yo" is a big one too.
A big one the police are actually succeeding in implementing. "If you see something, say something."

And "Stop-and-Frisk" "empty your pockets"

"Yo!" - I remember that too.

I found myself speaking semi-Yiddish without realizing it until I returned to the midwest, like saying schmuck or schlep.

Oh, and the midwest calls roof a "ruff", but New Yorkers call it a "rooof".

The signs I saw were in midtown Manhattan. I loved them.

 

[Rakhel]

"Yo!" - I remember that too.

I found myself speaking semi-Yiddish without realizing it until I returned to the midwest, like saying schmuck or schlep.

Oh, and the midwest calls roof a "ruff", but New Yorkers call it a "rooof".

The signs I saw were in midtown Manhattan. I loved them.

You remember, "Yeah, Yeah yeah" you don't have time to listen to them finish
and "Yadda, yadda yadda" as in there is more to the story but I don't have time to finish.(Seinfeld)
And, yeah, most NYers probably speak more Yiddish then they even realize.

 

[Rakhel]

There is also, in the more violent neighborhoods, "Not for nothing..." and "I'm just saying"

 

[MysticSang'ha]

There is also, in the more violent neighborhoods, "Not for nothing..." and "I'm just saying"

I heard them in some parts in Queens, from what I remember.

 

[Panda]

I like "blootered" means drunk

 

[Revoltingest]

If yer from da upper peninsula, yer a "Yooper".
But if yer from below the Mackinac Bridge (eg, from Revoltingistan), yer a "Troll".

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

If yer from da upper peninsula, yer a "Yooper".
But if yer from below the Mackinac Bridge (eg, from Revoltingistan), yer a "Troll".

I've been to Michigan just enough to know the correct way to pronounce "pastie".

 

[Vinayaka]

One day I'll get there ... my son married a second generation one ... that wedding was 'creative' when some of her uncles had a bit ... Newfie Phrases

 

[Kathryn]

Ayuh, it's a northern New England thing. Sadly, as more people from Mass migrate into NH, the further north the old Northern New England slang retreats. Ask for "Jimmies" south of the lakes region and they won't know what you want (unless they are older or from the north-country too).

Moxie and Red Hotdogs for life! At least I can still get those in Southern NH. :jam:

wa:do

What the heck are Moxie and Red Hotdogs??????