Tell me about a 'localism' in your state

[Taverner]

Me? California.

Out here we put salsa on our french fries (sometimes) and put avocados on our burgers

Also, we use AC in our cars on cold winter days, and have relatively no problem with someone smoking pot, but light up a Camel light, and you'll get a hundred people going out of the way to make you hear them cough.

[rurallib]

1. Small town in Iowa - We wave at every body

cars stop in the middle of the street to talk side by side.
Streets pretty much deserted at 8PM - all businesses locked up by nine.

[geardaddy]

2. In MN, when someone says "ish" they mean "ick"

Also, we tend to talk about the weather way too much.

[petronius]

27. You talk about the weather, we talk about the traffic (and especially routes):

"I tried that new deli in Santa Monica yesterday."

"Oh really? How'd you get there?"

"Jumped on the 22 to the 405 to the 605 to the 10 - straight shot from there."

"Not the 105?"

"Are you kidding? Not after 3 pm!"

:rofl:

[geardaddy]

60. You forgot that you in CA use "the" in front of any highway.

Here it would just be I-94 or 212

[petronius]

65. I thought about mentioning "the", but then I realized that it's the proper

way to identify a freeway (that's right, I said freeway) and it's the rest of the country with the bizarre localisms on that score...;)

[geardaddy]

67. Nah, it's just Highway 212 or whatever.

CA is the only place I know that uses the "the" when referring to a specific freeway. You don't say "the Rodeo Drive" do you?

;)

[Odin2005]

85. Freeway? We don't calls interstates "freeways" up north here!, fool!

:rofl:

[geardaddy]

95. We do sometimes here in Minneapolis.

:D

[dixiegrrrrl]

101. No "freeways" here. They are "4 lanes"

as opposed to "2-lanes".
Both of which describe freeway and highway, respectively.

Roads are prefixed by either "county", as in "wrecked his car on County. Road 9"
or by name
"on Sugar Hill road" ( altho Sugar Hill road may be a stretch of a "county road 9".

[Lydia Leftcoast]

58. Calling a hamburger with lettuce and tomato a "California hamburger."

Jelly omelets served in family restaurants.

The strip of grass between the street and the sidewalk is called a "boulevard."

A parking structure is referred to as a "parking ramp."

[geardaddy]

59. Jelly omelets?

I've never seen those. Interesting.

Oh and the little piece of pavement that goes through the boulevard to the sidewalk is the carriageway.

And in SW MN those roast beef or turkey sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy are "commercials" e.g. "beef commercial"

[Odin2005]

84. Yup, we LOVE talkin' about da weather, you betcha!

[taterguy]

3. Here we applaud folks for smoking Camels but toss you in the pen for 20 years for smoking pot

That used to be more the case 20 years ago. You could light up anywhere. They named high schools and hospitals after tobacco execs.

Most of our other localisms have died out due to the influx of Yankees.

One that persists is a bizarre feud between Eastern & Western style barbecue. Saying that you enjoy both brands you as a heretic.

[era veteran]

41. Sounds like Kentucky

Tobacco did surrender to whiskey as the power broker in Louisville. We did not name brand cities but when I was younger you would see acres of burley everywhere, a sight no longer seen. The weed used to grow wild all over the state but especially the Bluegrass which grew a lot of hemp years ago. When I first went off to college the police didn't know what it smelled or looked like. We did just lower penalties on possession this summer.

Speaking of the influx of Yankees, from working in the hospitality industry for decades now I have a message I share with them.
" We don't really give a fuck how you do it in New York" Sometimes I will substitute 'Coast' for New York.

[struggle4progress]

4. "If the car in front of me runs the red light, so can I"

This rule can be chained, and a dozen or more cars will run a red light once one does



"I'll start blinking now and decide later whether I'm actually turning left or right"

They really need to add an ESP-test section to the driving exam, cuz you can't navigate the roads safely without it

[taterguy]

5. That's a nationalism, not a localism

Sadly

[struggle4progress]

24. I've never seen long lines of cars do it anywhere except down here among the Tarheels

[TygrBright]

6. "Red or green?" State question. Asked by waitstaff at every restaurant. n/t

[abq e streeter]

9. Wondered if someone would beat me to it....

[MicaelS]

15. I have no idea what that means n/t

[TygrBright]

22. It refers to which kind of chile you want on your order.

If you want a little of each, you say "Christmas."

helpfully,
Bright

[Kali]

21. new mexico

love it

sadly, next door in AZ we just ask for your papers

[TheMightyFavog]

7. This device has a name here in Wisconsin:

It is called a "bubbler"

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

25. I got such a ration of crap at school when I called that thing a bubbler

after moving to Minnesota from Wisconsin (Milwaukee).

[mcctatas]

31. When I was in the UP they served tartar sauce with EVERYTHING

including mozzarella logs, yuck!

[Odin2005]

87. We do that in Fargo, too, but using BBQ sauce is popular, also.

[lukasahero]

38. We call 'em bubblers in RI, too

But not in CT or MA. :shrug:

[geardaddy]

61. That's also a New England thing.

[LiberalEsto]

78. Same in Boston nt

[Odin2005]

86. "Bubbler" sounds like a euphemism for a bong!

[u4ic]

8. There is little difference between summer and winter driving

a blizzard is just an excuse to speed up. (especially pertains to pickup trucks)

[sarge43]

56. "It's only a foot of snow. Go for it." n/t

[JohnnyLib2]

10. In Kentucky, we bleed red or blue.

U of Louisville vs. U of Kentucky

And take it very seriously.

JL2 blue blood

[era veteran]

42. Blue

[JohnnyLib2]

43. Yessir

:thumbsup: :toast:

[Maccagirl]

11. In Ohio we say "worsh" instead of "wash"

I catch myself doing it and I make myself cringe. We play a card game called "euchre" and a co-worker of mine years ago (she was from New Jersey) said "That's not euchre, it's whist." I have a question to Pennsylvanians-are Philadelphians and Pittsburghers totally different species. Here, Clevelanders and Cincinnatians couldn't be more different.

[femmocrat]

16. Yes, eastern and western PA could be two different states.

Pittsburghers pretty much "hate" Philadelphia. :)

[hifiguy]

64. When I worked in Philly for the better part of a year

my friends from there told me that "Pennsylvania is Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. With Alabama in between them." I have heard that since and have always wondered if they were right....

[GoneOffShore]

70. James Carville used the same quote during the Clinton campaign

Asked how they were going to deal with PA he supposedly said - We're gonna treat Philadelphia and Pittsburgh like the big east coast cities they are and the rest of the state like goddamn Alabama.

As soon as you get out of the greater Philadelphia area, you're in KKK land. We've apparently got the biggest collection of hate groups in the country.

[Curmudgeoness]

17. As one from closer to Pittsburgh, I will say yes.

Philadelphia is in another country. It used to really annoy me when I lived in Texas and whenever someone heard I was from PA, they thought Phillie. We feel really like stepchildren over here in the west.

And I don't know who has the idea that we say "yous guys" (maybe that is Phillie too), but we say "you guys"---to everyone.

And we have small streams called "cricks" and the shingles on the house are the "ruf". Crawfish are crawdaddies.

[femmocrat]

19. Also from western PA, but....

We call them "Crayfish"! Did you ever find them under rocks in the crick?

[Curmudgeoness]

20. As a kid, you bet I did. I still do some water quality testing

now that I am an adult, and there are fewer and fewer to find in the crick. Sad, since they are a sign of good water quality.

[tabbycat31]

48. I think you guys is a northeastern thing in general

I am from NY, now live in NJ and I say it all the time.

[geardaddy]

96. I thought you guys in W. PA said "yinz"

[dixiegrrrrl]

102. Do you also hear "red up the dishes"?

My grandmother ( born 1899) was from Ohio, rather her family was, they all moved to West Coast when she was 6.
She used to say "warsh" ( the clothes)
and "red up the dishes".
Meaning to stack them in the sink for washing later, or to rinse them off for later washing.

[mysuzuki2]

12. in central Illinois they put sauerkraut on pizza.

it's no where near as bad as it sounds.

[idiotgardener]

28. That still leaves an awful lot of room

for bad ;-)

[MiddleFingerMom]

98. !!!!

.
.
.
:thumbsup:
.
.
.

[dixiegrrrrl]

103. Yayyyyyyyy! You are back with us!!!!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[WildEyedLiberal]

29. Where in central IL?

I was born, raised, and went to college there and God as my witness I don't think I ever saw a sauerkraut pizza.

I went to school at U of I and am from not too far from there, for reference. Maybe this is a Peoria or Bloomington thing?

[mysuzuki2]

50. In the Galesburg/Peoria area.

I was at U of I too - class of 1970. Didn't see kraut on pizza there either.

[WildEyedLiberal]

88. Ah, ok - I've never been to Galesburg and Peoria only once, so makes sense

Sounds interesting... I may have to track some down...

:hi: fellow Illini!

[WinkyDink]

13. Well, since this is Pennsylwania Dutchy land, say nah, vunst,......

P.S. You know that commercial where the doofus in Grand Central Terminal gets his "flash-mob" time wrong?

He begins the chant with, "We Are...." That is THE cheer for Penn State: "WE ARE!" "PENN STATE!"

Another "statism"!

[Patiod]

44. I noticed that, and thought it was a dig at Penn State

For some reason, even though I was a Nittany Lion who LOVED Happy Valley, I never loved that cheer. Always thought it was a little dopey.

[WinkyDink]

90. Class of '71 here, when football really was KING!

Spent all 4 years in East Halls.

[Patiod]

99. Football was still king in '82 when I graduated

A lot of things disappeared after I left: Dank's Dept store (which had a beauty shop in its basement), GC Murphy's (I can still see their lunch] counter, with 1950's-style "college" decor), the old Nittany dorms (with the single rooms in quanset-hut-like metal).

I lived in Pollack for two years, and then in South.

My brother was at Penn State in '72, but smoked way too much dope and had to drop out. I learned a lesson from this - not to avoid smoking, but to be sure to go to class, do my work, and party later!

[MicaelS]

14. Here in Texas we drink iced tea year 'round...

Even in the coldest part of winter. And at breakfast, too.

People put salsa (I do this) or tomato ketchup on their scrambled eggs at breakfast.

We eat biscuits and (cream) gravy for breakfast.

We eats grits for breakfast. A big bowl of grits with butter and salt, a couple of eggs on top, with a slice or two of bacon on top of the eggs is heaven.

[femmocrat]

18. PA -- ketchup on scrambled eggs.

I put avocados on turkey burgers, but we call that a "California Burger." :)

[Patiod]

45. Hahaha! "Put avocado on" in PA = 2 tiny slivers

Whenever I work in California, I order everything with avocado, because they actually put some on (lots cheaper there).

We call omelettes "carriers" because when my elderly dad has them, they are only carriers for boatloads of ketsup.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

23. "of the morning" . . . as opposed to . . . "in the morning." n/t

[southerncrone]

26. Tennessee

It's an unspoken law that we must say "y'all" at least once a day.
:evilgrin:

[AverageJoe90]

30. Raised in Northern TX...........

Some localisms I've seen(but mostly never heard)

1. "Hold your horses"-one of the most famous ones, I think.
2. "damnyankee"-Self explanatory. :-p
3. "walkin' in tall cotton"-The Texan version of being "on cloud nine"
4. "Fit to be tied"- REALLY annoyed.
5. "All hat and no cattle"- Exageration. Think of when gearheads say a car is "all show & no go".
6. "Coke"-All carbonated beverages.
7. "pole-axed"- knocked down with significant force.
8. "fixin' ta"-About to. =)

[Staph]

32. Me -- West Virginia.

Our local food is the pepperoni roll. Just like the name says -- it's pepperoni slices or thin sticks baked in a roll of slightly sweet bread dough. The western Pennsylvanians and the eastern Ohioans have probably seen them for sale in a convenience store.

http://www.bobheffner.com/pepperoniroll/

[MountainLaurel]

37. Mmmm, pepperoni rolls

Going home over Labor Day weekend and trying to figure out how many I can bring home in my suitcase, not to mention a gallon or so of sauce.

[Rhythm]

111. You'd better come see us while you're in town...

:hug:

[Bladian]

33. Yup, all that stuff sounds about right. n/t

[Syrinx]

34. why do you use AC when it's cold?

Otherwise, sounds good.

[grntuscarora]

35. "Reddin" up the house

means you're going to clean it.
I never heard it 'til I moved to Pennsyltucky 25 years ago....

[Patiod]

46. Definitely a Pennsyltucky localism! And "that shirt needs ironed"

which may actually be more Pittsburgh than Pennsyltucky.

[Curmudgeoness]

74. What's wrong with "that shirt needs ironed"????

I'm in W PA and I am so used to this that I don't see a problem. OK, English teachers, help me out.

[Rochester]

80. I would expect...

"that shirt needs ironing" or "that shirt needs to be ironed" to be correct, although I'm no English teacher.
That type of sentence is common here (Ill.) too.

[Curmudgeoness]

107. Oh, of course. "to be" or "not to be". nt

[grntuscarora]

77. Oh, YEAH!

Leaving out "to be"---what's with that??
I'm so used to it now, though, I don't really notice it much anymore.

[MerryBlooms]

36. I'm from Portland Metro area

and recently moved to Chicagoland.

Portland - hookah bars, micro brews, coffee, slow pace/mellow - 55 degrees and we're in shorts, sandals and a sweatshirt.

Chicagoland - People love their car horns here and life is much faster and intense. Locals are very serious about their team sports, pizza, Italian beef san's and hot dogs. lol, I think there are laws about what's allowed on a hot dog.

I really miss Oregon, but I'm falling in love with the Chicago area.

[lukasahero]

39. I grew up in RI, everything's a localism

"Throw the kid down the stairs a cookie." "Next time you cut through my yard, go around."

I had a friend who went to college in MN come back and tell us for the first time in his life he realized the words were "soda" and "cider" not "soder" and cidah".

We drink water out of "bubblers" and a milkshake/frappe is called a "cabinet". We sprinkle "jimmies" on our ice cream cones (not sure - that may be more New England than just RI).

We pack a lunch if we have to cross Rte. 195 or if we're traveling from one end of the state to the other (the entire state is just 40 miles long).

We have our own clam chowder but no one here eats it.

[bigwillq]

40. I love avocado on burgers.

YUMMO! :)

[Raffi Ella]

47. Well,

I was born and raised in the south so just think Jeff Foxworthy: "You might be a redneck if..."

In and around Atlanta it's not really like that but they do serve iced tea in every restaurant and boiled peanuts are common everywhere.

And if you're from here it's common to drop the g from words that end it(rainin', dancin' gardenin').

[Dulcinea]

52. And you have to specify "sweet" or "unsweet."

I've lived in Atlanta 22 years & will not, will never, drink tea with sugar in it. It's disgusting!

Wherever I go, I say "unsweetened iced tea," even though in the rest of the nation you get it unsweetened.

But I do like boiled peanuts! They're surprisingly good!

[Raffi Ella]

53. I know! They were my favorite snack as a kid

little salty fat bombs! mmm :9

[tabbycat31]

49. Buttered rolls at convenience stores for breakfast

Not sure if it is a NY or NJ thing (from metro NY, now live in central NJ) but when I go on the road (I am a campaign worker, I've worked in KY and WI) I stop at a convenience store on the way to work and there's nothing suitable for breakfast there.

It's a crime not to have buttered rolls. So simple yet so good.

[distantearlywarning]

51. The "Pittsburgh Left"

This is when you are sitting at a red light, waiting to turn left against oncoming traffic and there is no left-turn arrow. When the light changes, the oncoming traffic will allow the first left-turner to make a left (but generally not anyone else in line unless the traffic is very congested). It is a very common practice here despite technically being illegal. I even see cops do it all the time, and most transplants eventually pick up the habit as well.

If you are new to Pittsburgh and don't understand the social norms here it could cause you a serious problem. If you are the left-turner you may irritate the oncoming traffic by not going and making them wait for you. A bigger issue is if you are the first person in the line of oncoming traffic and you don't notice or yield to the "Pittsburgh Left" there could be an accident.

Although this sounds like a bizarre traffic norm to outsiders it actually sort of makes sense here. With lots of narrow old hilly streets and outdated traffic lights, traffic backups are a terrible problem here. A lot of times if you can just get that one irritating left-turner out of the way the overall flow of traffic can be better maintained and everyone can get on their way. It's actually a very functional and polite thing to do as a driver (assuming that everyone is on board with the concept, which most Pittsburghers are). After living here 7 years, I see the value in it and I kind of wish they would actually make it law in the city. Also, most drivers here are generally very polite and willing to let other drivers merge in and out of heavy traffic, so it's just an extension of the general driving social norms in Pittsburgh.

On Edit: It can be a little hard when you live and drive in Pittsburgh and then go somewhere else, though! My husband almost caused an accident a few months ago - he was on autopilot and tried to make a Pittsburgh left driving a rental car in Florida and it didn't work out too well! For some reason the Floridians didn't seem to grasp the concept. :evilgrin:

[Iggo]

54. Three cars go through. Three cars go through. THREE CARS GO THROUGH!

Left turn on a fresh red light, California.

[sarge43]

55. Maple sugar candy.

Guaranteed to melt teeth.

Parking in the middle of the rud (that's road) to gossip with next door neighbor.

[Fornit_Some_Fornus]

57. In KY, we pull over to the side of the road and stop when a funeral

procession goes by. It's a show of respect.

[Staph]

62. We pull over and get out of the car for funerals

in West Virginia as well. And I have seen the same thing at a family funeral in rural Indiana.

[GoneOffShore]

71. Here in Philly very few drivers will break into a funeral procession.

The hearse and the funeral car have their 4 way flashers and high beams on as does the rest of the procession (along with those little magnetic signs saying funeral). The whole parade will just generally go right through an intersection even after the lights turn red.

[Demoiselle]

76. Last year I broke into a funeral procession...

It was ramming its way through red lights at the Art Museum Circle Circle in Philadelphia. The Circle (I was entering from the right and HAD THE LIGHT ON MY SIDE,DAMN IT!!!) makes it impossible to see a line of cars with their lights on, or to see the "funeral" sign placed in the rear windows of said cars. I'm still kind of pissed about it, and I grew up in Philly. (And I'm old!)
Fortunately, I was able to stop in time.

[dixiegrrrrl]

105. That happens here, too, even on 4 lane roads ( but not freeways)

I was amazed the first time I saw it...all 4 lanes of cars stopped dead still until the procession had passed.
Sometimes, like around 3 pm getting off work "rush hour" they cars may just slow to a crawl, tho, on the one busy 4 lane coming into town. On 2 lanes, dead stop, always.
We have 4-5 funeral homes in the town, so often there are processions.

[geardaddy]

63. Some in MN say "yet" when they mean "still"

"There's some coffee yet in the pot"

Or say "by" when they mean "at" or "to"

"We're going by grandma's today for lunch."

[hifiguy]

66. No matter what direction you are going

in geographic terms, one always "goes up to the lake."

[geardaddy]

68. lol

So true!

I think that's true of going to "The Cities," too. Even if you're in Rochester you say "down to The Cities."

[GoneOffShore]

72. Or "Down the Shore".

[Kali]

69. "It's a dry heat"

at least in the southern part of the state and at least until July/August

[fizzgig]

112. we say that up here in noco a lot, too

[CottonBear]

73. Goooooooo Dawgs! Sic 'em! Woof, woof ,woof!

Heard at football game kickoffs at University of Georgia football games in Athens and at tailgates and football parties statewide!

I'm so close to the UGA stadium that I can hear the crowd (90,000+ people) cheer on the Dawgs!

I LOVE GA FOOTBALL! (I really do! I lived here and went to school here in the Herschel Walker era!

[hack89]

75. Rhode Island - coffee milk. nt

[LiberalEsto]

79. Maryland - put on your left blinker and they speed up

"because NOBODY, damn it, NOBODY has the right to change lanes in front of ME".

And in my experience Marylanders don't even know what the blinkers are used for. I moved here from NJ 21 years ago and I am still astonished by the mercilessness of Maryland drivers.

[LeftyMom]

82. You guys use your blinkers?

We do here in Sacto (but not until we're halfway through changing lanes) but in the Bay Area they regard it as a sign of weakness and close the gap in traffic.

[LiberalEsto]

89. I do because I'm from NJ

but as I said, the vast majority of Marylanders have NO IDEA what blinkers are for.

[LeftyMom]

81. Distance is measured by wildly optimistic driving times.

The answer to "How far is it to Reno?" is "an hour and a half." You can only get there that fast if you drive 100 mph the whole way, and it's a windy road through the mountains and there are cops so if you're lucky you might do 85, but if you ask ten Sacramentans how far it is to Reno all ten of them will measure it in drive times and none of them will ever tell you it takes more than two hours, even if there is a chain control, road construction has shut down two lanes of traffic over the summit and drivers are being attacked by bears.

[Odin2005]

83. In Minnesota: Cream Cheese Wantons

We use the Scandinavian exclamation "uffda" instead of "oy vey".

If something is expensive it's "spendy".

[hifiguy]

91. Uff da

Being a good Minnesota boy, born and bred, I have been known to say "uff da" even though it's a Scandinavian expression and I am as German as schnitzel mit spaetzele und bier. Going to law school in Boston I once said "uff da" in the presence of a Jewish friend from Lawn Guyland. He looked at me oddly and asked "what's with this 'uff da" anyway??" I told him it was Minnesotan for "oy vey." He got the point. :)

[TheMightyFavog]

92. Cream puffs are considered fair food.

The Wisconsin Bakers Association makes them during the State Fair.

[MorningGlow]

93. Oh, that's an easy one

Western New York: white hots and Genny Cream Ale. :puke:

A heat wave is 33 degrees or above--you will see beefy frat-boy types in shorts when temps break the freezing mark. And they're not being ironic.

[Tracer]

94. "I'm goin' down the cape."

Meaning "I'm going to go to Cape Cod."

(and in MA, it's "Bubblah" --- not that I've seen any working bubblahs in a long time).

[graywarrior]

100. via the Cape Cod Tunnel

[KamaAina]

97. Northern Cal: "hella" = New England's "wicked"

As in, everything's hella expensive out here!

Salsa on fries? Seriesly? That I have not seen (though it's been only two years), but it might actually be worth trying. :-)

[LeftyMom]

108. That's hella true.

And the one true fry topping is garlic.

[geardaddy]

104. Emphasizing the "yeah" in "yeah it is"

I kind of sounds like you're disagreeing with the person, but you're really agreeing.

"It's hot outside today, isn't it?"

"YEAH, it is." not "Yeah, it IS"

[dixiegrrrrl]

106. "Ma'am" and "sir" is a given.

Forms of southern address can be subtle, but EVERY young child is automatically corrected by the parent, even in public, if they do not use the right form.
And every adult is addressed as Ma'am or Sir, by anyone younger than than them.

I also rarely hear children interrupting adult conversations. If they do, anyone can give them The Look and they stop.

People in the South are ready willing and eager to give a helping hand.
Approaching a stranger in the grocery store, for instance, and asking them to reach an item on the top shelf,
is normal, and the stranger will do it with courtesy, then ask, "do you need me to get anything else for you?".

Note: this is my experience in many of the smaller towns. The 4 big cities in the state may be different.

[Denninmi]

109. Let's see, what localisms do we have here in Michigan/the Motor City?

We have "coney islands" - restaurants that serve coney dogs (hotdogs with chili and onions) and other fast food. I guess they don't actually have "coney islands" on Coney Island in NYC.

We have Vernor's ginger ale, and Vernor's floats. Personally, I get queasy at the smell of it -- any time a kid was sick, out came the ginger ale in my house, yuck!

Pop is what we call the sparkling beverage known as soda in the rest of the US.

[Rhythm]

110. Welcome to wild, wonderful West Virginia...

Home of the pepperoni roll!


Also, it seems to be almost illegal to go into a Morgantown WV bar and NOT hear this song at least once during the evening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gX1EP6mG-E&ob=av2e