You're not from around here, are ya?

[NickA]

The regional foods thread, and the tangent on Canadian English in the dating thread got me thinking: what words or phrases are used in your area that might mean something different or make no sense in other areas?
For example: a business acquaintance of mine grew up in Wisconsin before moving to Texas. While getting to know his future in-laws, he was asked "Who do you favor, your Mom or your Dad?" After a minute of confusion he answered that he liked them both about the same. Down here, "Who do you favor" is how we ask "which parent do you look the most like" :cool:

[breakingtime91]

I'm from Wisconsin also, I would of failed that question also lol

[Tamara]

Howzhermahmanem?

Where I come from, "How is your momma and them?" is a general inquiry after the well-being of your family, and is pronounced as all one word.

[TCinVA]

"Deed."

Not as in a piece of paper denoting legal title to a piece of property, an insufferable abbreviation of "indeed" that is often used as a sentence unto itself.

"Did Bob just hit that midget clown with a ukulele?"

"Deed!"

"What? Deed?"

"Deed!"

"Dude, what's 'deed'?"

"Dude, deed is deed!"

"Deed for land?"

"No, deed for yes!"

...well...you can see how this ends up.

[Drang]

"Pop", of course, may be the most well-known regional shibboleth.
But what about about what you call a (typically meat and vegggie, with condiments) sandwich on a long roll? I still think arguing about whether it's a submarine, a hoagie, a grinder, a...? is about as dumb as the two fellow recruits who got into it over what the last meal of the day is called. (Supper or dinner? To me, dinner is a more formal supper, but what do I know?)

[LHS]

Some years ago, my Dad taught a course for HRT, and some visiting SAS guys. One of the Brits wanted some of the yellow foam earplugs, and asked the nearest Bureau guy, "Hey, mate, you got any more little yellow fellows about?"

The Bureau guy happened to be Lon Horiuchi, who somewhat awkwardly answered, "Uh, no, I'm the only one."

[Bigguy]

Tank. I live in NE Texas now and know what a tank is. But lo many years back I was visiting my sister who lives near Canton. Her directions were take 19 South from I-30, and just before I got to I-20, I'd see her house on the left side of the road, right behind a couple of tanks. I asked her if there was military museum there. She laughed and no, these were water tanks. So then, wanting to be sure I could identify the correct tanks, I asked how tall they were and whether they were made of wood or metal. She then explained that what she was talking about is what I would have called a cow pond.

[NickA]

Some years ago, my Dad taught a course for HRT, and some visiting SAS guys. One of the Brits wanted some of the yellow foam earplugs, and asked the nearest Bureau guy, "Hey, mate, you got any more little yellow fellows about?"

The Bureau guy happened to be Lon Horiuchi, who somewhat awkwardly answered, "Uh, no, I'm the only one."

Now that's funny. The Brits have the best turns of phrase, which is fitting, I guess :p


Howzhermahmanem?

Where I come from, "How is your momma and them?" is a general inquiry after the well-being of your family, and is pronounced as all one word.

Yep, we've got that one, same pronunciation too.
I'm sure you've also heard the ever popular "shakin' like a hound dog $*! ++in' a peach pit" and "on it like a possum on a junebug."
A few more:
Like 40 miles of bad road- to describe either a long difficult process, or someone /something that's extremely ugly: "that dremel'd up 1911 looks like 40 miles of bad road" See also: "ugly as homemade sin"
A month of Sundays - a long time. Also usually said as one word: "I ain't seen ya'll in amonthaSundays"
"Fixin' to" - we're never "about to" do anything. "I'm fixin' to go shootin'"
Catty whompus - crooked or messed up: "That fence is all catty whompus"
Beat like a rented mule- "The Cowboys got beat like a rented mule" See also: beat like a red headed step child.

ETA : tump, which is one of my Mom's favorites. "Don't stack those any higher or they'll tump over" :D

[Chefdog]

Around here (DC metro) the regional colloquialisms are pretty varied, in my experience. With so many people moving to the area from all over, one can here multiple iterations of the same idea in one day (sub, grinder, hoagie etc.).
You can get a response of "hon," "dear," & "sugar" from 3 different ladies, in 3 distinct accents, all in the same store w/in minutes of each other. So it can be difficult to easily identify who's from around here and who's not, if the distinction even applies at all.

[LHS]

Holler is both a noun and a verb, to whit:

Go on up th' holler and get your uncle, your dad's hollerin' for him.

[JAD]

Around here, 'sirens' rhymes with 'bi queens.' 'Do whut?' Translates to 'repitirse por favor' or 'my family tree is all root.'

[cmoore]

So, is 'all you all' the plural of 'you all' (spelled and pronounced y'all where I come from)?

[xray 99]

In Massachusetts, they call soda "tonic."

[pdb]

Two that tripped me up after arriving in NC from Canada:

"Fixin'": Preparing to or will imminently do something. "Yeah, we're fixin' to go grab a bite." "That wheel is fixin' to fall off."

"Pickin'": Playful teasing. "Oh hun, I'm just pickin'."

And a special award to "Bless your heart." Which crudely translates to "I deeply regret that your poor breeding, absent and/or alcoholic parents, and poor schooling have made you so tragically unintelligent, but I do not hold you personally responsible.", but there are other levels of meaning there that only Southerners can begin to appreciate.

[TGS]

"Pop", of course, may be the most well-known regional shibboleth.
But what about about what you call a (typically meat and vegggie, with condiments) sandwich on a long roll? I still think arguing about whether it's a submarine, a hoagie, a grinder, a...? is about as dumb as the two fellow recruits who got into it over what the last meal of the day is called. (Supper or dinner? To me, dinner is a more formal supper, but what do I know?)

Well, if you use the old K-Rats as a guide, supper and dinner are two different meals:

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q758/Finkerfuggles/ksupper_zpsbbb95405.jpg (http://s1357.photobucket.com/user/Finkerfuggles/media/ksupper_zpsbbb95405.jpg.html)

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q758/Finkerfuggles/kdinner_zps2dd81f9e.jpg (http://s1357.photobucket.com/user/Finkerfuggles/media/kdinner_zps2dd81f9e.jpg.html)

I've always wondered what the difference is between supper and dinner. My grandpa always said supper. I figured it was just an old fashioned way of saying dinner.

[LHS]

Well, if you use the old K-Rats as a guide, supper and dinner are two different meals:

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q758/Finkerfuggles/ksupper_zpsbbb95405.jpg (http://s1357.photobucket.com/user/Finkerfuggles/media/ksupper_zpsbbb95405.jpg.html)

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q758/Finkerfuggles/kdinner_zps2dd81f9e.jpg (http://s1357.photobucket.com/user/Finkerfuggles/media/kdinner_zps2dd81f9e.jpg.html)

Back in the day, 'dinner' was often a synonym for 'lunch'. Hence workers taking a 'dinner pail' to work. Before they had the stamped steel lunchboxes, folks would take a literal metal pail to work with their dinner in it.

I've always wondered what the difference is between supper and dinner. My grandpa always said supper. I figured it was just an old fashioned way of saying dinner.

[JAD]

Growing up in Iowa, 'dinner' was served between 1 and 3, and 'supper' was served between six and you shouldn't be up that late.

[Paul D]

When I went to school in New Orleans, there was suburb east of the city called Chalmette. People who lived there were called Yats because a common greeting from them was: Whereyat? i.e. Where are you at.

[Tamara]

And a special award to "Bless your heart." Which crudely translates to "I deeply regret that your poor breeding, absent and/or alcoholic parents, and poor schooling have made you so tragically unintelligent, but I do not hold you personally responsible.", but there are other levels of meaning there that only Southerners can begin to appreciate.

A perfectly cromulent phrase.

I love the phrase used to ask if someone would like to accompany you to lunch: "Sgweet. Yaunt'too?" ("'S go eat. You want to?")

[Hatchetman]

I spend a fair amount of time in Kentucky, where I learned the the name of the city where I 64 and 65 intersect is "Lullvull." Calling it lou-ee-vill ID'd you as a damn Yankee.

[Slavex]

Up here I'd say the most used word is F..K. We use it more than Marines apparently (at least that's what Ernest told us a few years ago). It's hard to find people who don't swear like drunken sailors in BC, there are few, like kids who can't talk yet, dogs (mostly) and cats. But beyond that, the F word is our regional word.

[EMC]

I spend a fair amount of time in Kentucky, where I learned the the name of the city where I 64 and 65 intersect is "Lullvull." Calling it lou-ee-vill ID'd you as a damn Yankee.

I stayed in Paducah a few times, which is between Possum Trot and Monkey's Eyebrow. Both fine towns.

[Tamara]

I spend a fair amount of time in Kentucky, where I learned the the name of the city where I 64 and 65 intersect is "Lullvull." Calling it lou-ee-vill ID'd you as a damn Yankee.

But the middle "L" is a soft "L", which makes an effective shibboleth.

"Maryville" in Tennessee is "Murvle". "Marietta" in Georgia is "May-retta". "Powell" and "Blount" in east TN are "Pahwll" (with a sort of voiceless "W") and "Blunt".

"Ponce De Leon Avenue" in Atlanta is pronounced just like it's spelled; ask a local where "Pahn-say day Lay-ohne" is and they'll just look at you funny or laugh politely.

[Slavex]

That's like how people from Toronto say their city (this would be Canada again) Tarana, depending on how much they've had to drink it could also be Taaraaaana

[Hatchetman]

But the middle "L" is a soft "L", which makes an effective shibboleth.

As my bud the U of L archeology prof. sez "you gotta pronounce it like you have a walnut in either cheek."

I'm reminded of another regional language tic: when living in Wisco and encountering another male in late fall the standard greeting was "Getch'yer deer?"

[Drang]

I'm reminded of another regional language tic: when living in Wisco and encountering another male in late fall the standard greeting was "Getch'yer deer?"
I thought that was a Yooper thing.

Netflix has (or used to have) Escanaba in the Moonlight available for streaming...

[LHS]

But the middle "L" is a soft "L", which makes an effective shibboleth.

"Maryville" in Tennessee is "Murvle". "Marietta" in Georgia is "May-retta". "Powell" and "Blount" in east TN are "Pahwll" (with a sort of voiceless "W") and "Blunt".

"Ponce De Leon Avenue" in Atlanta is pronounced just like it's spelled; ask a local where "Pahn-say day Lay-ohne" is and they'll just look at you funny or laugh politely.

Let us not forget Ver-sales...

[BN]

I live in uh hi uh

[da6dspanburg]

I thought that was a Yooper thing.

Netflix has (or used to have) Escanaba in the Moonlight available for streaming...

I have that on DVD! I thought I was the only one who had ever heard of it.... Loved it, especially since I'm an Apple-Knocker who spent 2 years in the Yooper going to school.

da6d

[TCinVA]

That's like how people from Toronto say their city (this would be Canada again) Tarana, depending on how much they've had to drink it could also be Taaraaaana


http://youtu.be/CGws43awAQg

[SGT_Calle]

..ask a local where "Pahn-say day Lay-ohne" is and they'll just look at you funny or laugh politely.

Lol, then we're back at "well, bless your heart."

[NickA]

Speaking of town names with weird pronunciations: Mexia, Texas. Variously pronounced Meks-eeya, Ma-hair, or Ma-hay-ya (the way we always said it). There's even an old joke about it:
Two traveling salesmen arrive in Mexia.
One says “Look, we’re in mexia” (mex-ee-uh)
The other says “No, it’s pronounced mexia” (mu-hay-uh)
"No, it’s mexia” (mex-ee-uh)
“NO, it’s mexia” (mu-hay-uh)
They decided to settle the argument by asking a local citizen so they stopped at the first place they came to and went inside. A young lady approached and asked if she could help. “Can you very slowly pronounce the name of this place?” asked one of the men. “Sure,” she replied, “it’s D-A-I-R-Y Q-U-E-E-N.”

Mexia is also known for being the hometown of one Anna Nicole Smith, who allegedly worked at the DQ.

[JeffJ]

Speaking of town names with weird pronunciations: Mexia, Texas. Variously pronounced Meks-eeya, Ma-hair, or Ma-hay-ya (the way we always said it). There's even an old joke about it:
Two traveling salesmen arrive in Mexia.
One says “Look, we’re in mexia” (mex-ee-uh)
The other says “No, it’s pronounced mexia” (mu-hay-uh)
"No, it’s mexia” (mex-ee-uh)
“NO, it’s mexia” (mu-hay-uh)
They decided to settle the argument by asking a local citizen so they stopped at the first place they came to and went inside. A young lady approached and asked if she could help. “Can you very slowly pronounce the name of this place?” asked one of the men. “Sure,” she replied, “it’s D-A-I-R-Y Q-U-E-E-N.”

Mexia is also known for being the hometown of one Anna Nicole Smith, who allegedly worked at the DQ.

You've had it right all along, any other pronunciations should be promptly blamed on folks from California or Michigan who came down looking for jobs. Bless their hearts...

[Shellback]

New Mexico has it's own thing going on… Tschhhh, not even eh! And the videos are not an exaggeration.


http://youtu.be/IucBp1yrr7A


http://youtu.be/N5Yy0iWVC00

[Default.mp3]

Anyone actually know people from PEI? I'm curious if they actually talk anywhere near like this (NSFW):

http://youtu.be/1EDZMkrkGn0

[Hatchetman]

Of course there are two sides to this coin:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcHKm0cm-jI

[will_1400]

I have that on DVD! I thought I was the only one who had ever heard of it.... Loved it, especially since I'm an Apple-Knocker who spent 2 years in the Yooper going to school.

da6d

Same here. Last time I saw it with some friends, I had to explain most of the jokes, though.

[1slow]

Very rural SC.
Jeet yet, gwant to. ( Did you eat yet,want to.)
Paid for, freebie. so and so is paid for or a freebie. Translation individual has done something such that they can be killed with no legal repercussions. Got this from old duputies in the 1970s.

In the mountains of Va.
Son if I was you, I wouldn't do that. Translation, this is your last warning and you may not survive doing that.