Post by fuddyduddy on Sept 14, 2012 15:35:49 GMT -5
After living in New England for over 1.5 years, I am still caught off-guard by some of the regional terminology. I was recently confused when my lab partner asked if I could grab a "Johnny" for her (I now know she was referring to a hospital gown).
What expressions or terms is your region known for?
Feel free to share any amusing ones you have come across, too.
The first summer I lived in New England I heard people ordering ice cream with "jimmies" I had no idea what that meant. Now I know it is sprinkles. I'm from IL and we always just called them sprinkles.
Post by fuddyduddy on Sept 14, 2012 15:47:23 GMT -5
Oh yeah, people give me strange looks here when I say "freeway" and "the [insert highway # here]." It's a habit I can't break from growing up in SoCal.
I live in North Jersey, and I grew up within 10 miles of NYC:
I say that I'm going "down the Shore" if I'm going to the beach.
The colorful things on ice cream are "sprinkles," the flavored ice is "Italian ice," and a big sandwich is a "sub" ... South Jersey/Philadelphia people will call them "jimmies," "water ice," and "hoagies."
French fries covered with cheese and brown gravy are called disco fries.
A sunshower is when there's light rain while the sun is shining.
Year-round Shore residents use the word "Benny" to describe annoying summer tourists.
Post by definitelyO on Sept 14, 2012 15:54:01 GMT -5
LOL at disco fries - that's a new one. I'm from Michigan and moved just a bit further west so I can't think of any other than the usual soda = pop= coke
Oh yeah, people give me strange looks here when I say "freeway" and "the [insert highway # here]." It's a habit I can't break from growing up in SoCal.
What do they say there? I guess it's a west coast thing, but I say it the same way you do.
Here in Vegas most of the terminology is betting related. "Comps" mean freebies, like free meals. "Toke" is another word for tip.
Growing up in Hawaii there were many words and phrases that differed from the terms used on the mainland. A few that come to mind are "rubbish" for trash or garbage and "slippers" for flip flops or sandals.
ETA: here's one. I've always said "tin foil" instead of aluminum foil. I'm not sure where I picked that up but I noticed it's "wrong" in many parts of the country.
Oh yeah, people give me strange looks here when I say "freeway" and "the [insert highway # here]." It's a habit I can't break from growing up in SoCal.
What do they say there? I guess it's a west coast thing, but I say it the same way you do.
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In MA we would say "Get on 495" or "take route 2". Never "the" to describe a highway unless it's "the Mass Pike", which is one specific highway.
The first summer I lived in New England I heard people ordering ice cream with "jimmies" I had no idea what that meant. Now I know it is sprinkles. I'm from IL and we always just called them sprinkles.
No no no.... Jimmies = Chocolate sprinkles! "Sprinkles" are the colorful ones. Another New England-ite chiming in.
Wikipedia agrees: In the Northeastern United States, sprinkles are often referred to as jimmies. Jimmies are usually considered to be chocolate and sprinkles to be the multi-colored variety.
Is a "roll with butter" just . . . a roll with butter? Or is it something else?
Yup, that's all it is.
A lot of delis and Quick Chek/Wawa stores (7-11 type stores) make buttered rolls and bagels in the mornings, wrap them in plastic wrap, and put them in baskets near the coffee counter. That way you can just grab it when you're getting your coffee.
Not sure if this is a regional thing or not, but a "Kaiser roll" is round and a "Portuguese roll" kind of looks like a vagina
Oh yeah, people give me strange looks here when I say "freeway" and "the [insert highway # here]." It's a habit I can't break from growing up in SoCal.
What do they say there? I guess it's a west coast thing, but I say it the same way you do.
They just say "highway." They aren't all free here! Paying for tolls is also something I had to get used to.
Instead of saying, "take the 93," they would say "take 93" or "take I-93."
Is a "roll with butter" just . . . a roll with butter? Or is it something else?
Yes, it's just a fresh baked kaiser roll, sliced in half with soft butter in the middle. But the roll is VERY fresh (think delivered daily from a bakery) and it's so common that they are wrapped and ready to go at the cash register for $1. Everywhere.
Post by mrs.spunky on Sept 14, 2012 16:01:48 GMT -5
Grew up in central NJ in the NYC metro, now live in the Philly metro. sandwich on a long roll = sub; where I live now = hoagie What I grew up calling Italian ice is water ice where I live (makes no sense either!) What I call a circle is also known as a rotary or roundabout in other areas. I call what you put on ice cream "sprinkles" Bennys are tourists who visit the Jersey Shore above LBI (Long Beach Island), Shoobees are tourists who visit the Jersey Shore below LBI (usually Philadelphians). A lot of our main roads have proper names like the NJ Turnpike (certain sections are I-95), Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway, not numbers.
Post by HoneySpider on Sept 14, 2012 16:07:19 GMT -5
All the NJ terminology is making me homesick :-(
Things are so different down here, yet I can't think of a single thing "unique" to south Texas. They say a lot of stuff in Spanish that I'm not used to.
What do they say there? I guess it's a west coast thing, but I say it the same way you do.
They just say "highway." They aren't all free here! Paying for tolls is also something I had to get used to.
Instead of saying, "take the 93," they would say "take 93" or "take I-93."
lots of Mainers say The _ Road. Take a left on to the Hogan road, then a right on to Stillwater Ave. and a left on to the Kelley road, cross Main Street.
Post by mccallister84 on Sept 14, 2012 16:18:14 GMT -5
I grew up on Long Island and now live in Maryland. To me it's cold cuts and sneakers instead of lunch meat and tennis shoes. And G was so confused when we were discussing how much pizza to order and I said lets just get a pie.
The colorful things on ice cream are "sprinkles," the flavored ice is "Italian ice," and a big sandwich is a "sub" ... South Jersey/Philadelphia people will call them "jimmies," "water ice," and "hoagies."
My NYC DH says Italian ice and it took a while to understand he meant shave ice. lol
Ditto the other Jersey girls. From Central NJ so had some SNJ influence, but mostly used northern NJ terminology. But we never called the beach the shore. Now I do. Too many years as a Benny