Regional Phrases

One thing I noticed very quickly when I first got up to college is that everyone stared at me blankly if I asked them to take a trip to the 'package store', or 'packie' for me. My roommate, from the Boston area, confessed that she thought I was talking about something like a UPS store. It hadnt occurred to me that outside of where I grew up (and a few select other places), liquor stores weren't called 'packies'.

After college, I would then confuse friends at home when I talked about a '30-rack', or just a 30 pack of beer.

I know there are some others out there... like 'Craw' Fish vs 'Cray' Fish, depending on where you are. Can you think of any words or phrases you've used in other parts of the country, and gotten blank looks?

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The Bostonian didn't know what a "packie" is?! She can't call herself a Boston native!

We're just brimming with stupid regional shit up here. We "bang a u-ey" when we want to reverse direction. We order grinders ("grindahs") and drink from bubblers ("bub-lahs") which are subs and water fountains respectively.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Wait, wait...your roommate was from the Boston area and didn't get what you meant by packie?

Are you SURE she was FROM Boston? YOU SUCK SASS

BANG A U-IE TO RUN FROM THE STATIE

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

She was originally from North Reading, now lives in Lowell and nope, didnt know what a packie is.

Actually Sass, you reminded me of another one with 'Grinder'. Ordering a 'Hogie' will get you a few looks outside of New England, I think it is. Or is 'Hogie' more of a New York word? 'Hogie', 'Grinder', 'Sub'... all the same damn thing.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Hoagie is pretty much all over the NE of America and Canada.

I was speaking idiomatically.

What about "jimmies" for sprinkles? I know all over NY and NJ we say sprinkles, but the moment you hit Pennsylvania they call it jimmies. I have no idea what other places say it as well.

How ya doing, buddy?

Isn't the hoagie traditionally from Philadelphia, though?

There's not a whole lot of sayings I'm familiar with from my area, though I have become painfully aware of my tendency to prefix any highway with either I-whatever if it's an interstate or Route if it's a state road. People out here in California seem to love pointing that out (as well as my use of highway instead of freeway).

I also say water as wuter, but that's more accent than anything else.

FELIPE NO

For some reason, New Englanders call goulash "American Chop Suey." I visited my late grandfather's second wife, Dolores, in June, and she cooked up a pot of American Chop Suey. I figured it'd have onions, rice, broccoli, peppers, etc., and instead of beef and pork chunks, she'd be adding hamburger. Okay. But the end result wasn't anything close to the Chop Suey I can get here in NY. It was just goulash. Tasted fine but Dolores had never heard the word goulash when I asked.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Don't even get me started on this.

Between the smoking and the drinking and all the freshmen coming in from all over the world a whole lot of lingo gets thrown around. Much fighting ensues.

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We say "jimmies" here in New England. Apparently it's a very racial term.

And American Chop Suey to me is elbows with tomato sauce, onion, peppers, and hamburger mixed in. Goulash has always been for a beef tip kind of stew (a little thicker) in my family. ?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Most towns and cities on the south coast of England have their own local version of rhyming slang, generally made out famous people's names. What would be a pint of Nelson in one town might be called Winnie, Uri or just good old Wife Beater somewhere else. I was quite surprised when I went to Uni that nobody else in the country called each other a strap-on as an insult, especialyl given the phrase's massive adapability and ease of elaboration. I also noticed that after three years living in Manchester I started calling people pal instead of mate, something my mates still laugh at me for when I do it. The differences in words between the north and south of England are huge though, all across the board.

I have to say though that "Hanging a u-ey" is probably one of the most well used phrases for turning round in the world, that's not regional at all.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Shin

I have to say though that "Hanging a u-ey" is probably one of the most well used phrases for turning round in the world, that's not regional at all.

We bang it. Apparently on the west coast, they FLIP it.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

In the south, it's common to say you're "fixing" to do something, like "I'm fixing to go to the grocery store; are you coming?" I didn't realize it was a colloquialism until I got blank stares when I used the word in Maryland. There's also livermush in the south versus scrapple just about everywhere else.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I have heard the phrase "big eats"* in a local commercial before. I don't know anyone who says big eats seriously, but there must be someone.

Also, 'doins' is another one that gets mocked around here. As in, "there are doins a-transpirin'!"

Liquor stores are 'party stores' around here, but I really doubt that's a local thing only.

Apparently everyone in this part of the state says "Fat Tuesday" instead of "Shrom Tuesday" which is what they mean, because we do not celebrate Mardi Gras except in college town bars.

There is also 'high falutin', which means fancy. As in, "ain't you so high falutin'?" I don't know what it means to falute.

* big eats = food available at an event

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The first (and only) time I heard "party store" was in Indiana, and the phrase still cracks me up.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by a lurker

Also, 'doins' is another one that gets mocked around here. As in, "there are doins a-transpirin'!"

Are you sure you didn't pick that up from another's parents? That's a very Sussex word although it's used slightly differently round here. Mainly older folk who live out in the countryside would use it and it'd be something like "You be goin' up the doin's at the pub on saturday" or "I can't be bothered with all the doin's ga'rn on bout these parts" or possibly even "What was all that doin's last night? Caused a hell of a rumpus it did".

Also:



You're practically British.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Shin

Are you sure you didn't pick that up from another's parents? That's a very Sussex word although it's used slightly differently round here. Mainly older folk who live out in the countryside would use it and it'd be something like "You be goin' up the doin's at the pub on saturday" or "I can't be bothered with all the doin's ga'rn on bout these parts" or possibly even "What was all that doin's last night? Caused a hell of a rumpus it did".

Also:



You're practically British.

Laughing so hard forever. I'm just going to move in with some old people who call me 'love' all the time, it's going to be awesome.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Temari

Ordering a 'Hogie' will get you a few looks outside of New England, I think it is. Or is 'Hogie' more of a New York word? 'Hogie', 'Grinder', 'Sub'... all the same damn thing.

Hoagie is a Philly expression, as RacinReaver pointed out. New Yorkers will order a Hero as opposed to a sub or a grinder. I've hated that name since I got here, and always feel like my Bostonian roots are slowly slipping away when I order one.

One thing I picked up on here in NYC is that people wait on line instead of waiting in line. That confused me working in a retail environment where they had computers with internet access all over the store. My first few days there, customers would say "where do I go to wait on line?" and I'd stare at them blankly till I figured out what they were trying to say.

Here's a question. Do they still call hamburgers "Steamed Hams" in upstate NY?

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What is up with the east coast and steaming hamburgers? Jesus christ it's like you guys don't have tastebuds.

I hear hoagie all the time in western Canada, so it can't be that regional of a term.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

It pops up in spots all over the place.

Pittsburgh's big on it, too.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

So, if you buy food to bring home, what do you fellows call it?

In the Philippines, we have a choice between "dine in" and "take out". In Singapore, they call it "having here" or "take away". I understand Americans call it "eat here" and "to go" - is this applicable nationally or are there regional differences?

I was speaking idiomatically.

Man, I don't think I would be able to communicate with the natives if I ever went to New England. I would need a native guide to translate for me.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Zergrinch

So, if you buy food to bring home, what do you fellows call it?

In the Philippines, we have a choice between "dine in" and "take out". In Singapore, they call it "having here" or "take away". I understand Americans call it "eat here" and "to go" - is this applicable nationally or are there regional differences?

"Dine in/take out" or "eat here/to go" are both common, along with "carry out".

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Zergrinch

So, if you buy food to bring home, what do you fellows call it?

In the Philippines, we have a choice between "dine in" and "take out". In Singapore, they call it "having here" or "take away". I understand Americans call it "eat here" and "to go" - is this applicable nationally or are there regional differences?

I've seen all of these. I don't think there's a general preference.

edit: response made useless, courtesy of nuttyturnip.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I was told by a friend that it's a South/midwest thing to say "Went and did/got" or the like, such as: " I went and got a burger." It doesn't sound too strange to me, but apparently it's a double-something-or-other, because I could have simply said, "I got a burger."

Another thing that Texans say is "Access Road" for the road that runs parallel to the highway. In California we always call those "Frontage Roads." After a few years I've run into some people here who recognize the term Frontage, but when my dad asked for directions he was told "access road" and was quite confused. Also, turnarounds. We don't have those in California.

Jam it back in, in the dark.