Funny Local Expressions

[sodascouts]

lol! That's great!

That reminds me of one I use:

whiny-poo-poo: a whiner who brings everybody down. Seems like all you ever wanna do is complain. Stop being such a whiny-poo-poo.

[AzEaglesFan]

Everytime my grandson would whine I would call him a whiny butt, his Mother just loved that.

[MikeA]

When you are working on a project that is all laid out but something goes wrong, you experience a "Hitch in the Giddyup!" I have no idea where I picked that up but its use has cracked co-workers up, lightened the mood and helped us get focused on the task at hand once more.

We've also had problems with projects where little to no progress is being made, described as having a "Flat Tire" or really bad ones being "In The Ditch". Really bad problems are a "Train Wreck".

[Brooke]

These are great and many mentioned are used around here, too.

I don't think I've seen this one:

He/she/they are an "accident waiting to happen". Someone doing something they shouldn't be like an elderly person driving and you know they have terrible vision or hearing.

[eaglesvet]

Okay, I keep putting this topic off cuz there are soooo many Oregonisms, but I gotta put this one in.. Ill add more later.. but this isnt so much a saying as it the CORRECT pronunciation... (this is important people, practice...)

it's pronounced 'OR-EEE-GUN
not OR-UH-'GONE

makes me madder then a wet hen when a buncha Californicators start yakkin' about OR-UH-GONE when they dont even know their head from a skunk hole!


now I'm gonna think about those colloquialisms some more.. Im sure I can come up with a few...

Shoot.. gotta go get Sarah to bed, she's running around like a chicken with it's head cut off....

Hey, Ticky, until I went to college and met someone from your fair state, I was as guilty as the rest of the country. However, for the past 25 yrs, I thought I was correctly pronouncing the way she told me...OR-uh-gun...the middle syllable was almost nonexistent as she slurred over it, but the "gone" was gone, replaced by the short "u". Is that not correct?

[eaglesvet]

Troub and Kate, I love those! Keep 'em coming!


If anyone travels to Wisconsin (especially Northern Wisconsin) this dictionary may prove helpful:

Ain-a-hey: Placed at the end of a profound statement, means, "isn't it" "Cold out. aina hey?"
Born in a barn: Sarcastic question. "Youse guys, it's freezin' outside and you left the door open, were ya born in a barn?"
Borrow: used in place of "lend". "Could youse borrow me a couple, two-tree bucks, yahhey?"
Brat: A sausage. In Wisconsin it has nothing to do with a spoiled child.
Bubbler: A drinking fountain. "I'm thirsty, where's da bubbler?"
Budge: To cut in line. "Don't you budge in line for a brat, I was here first!"
Cheesehead: A Wisconsinite
Cheddarhead: See-Cheesehead
Cheese curd: A tiny piece of cheddar cheese-a Wisconsin delicacy. If it squeaks when you bite into it, it's fresh.
Comeer once: To request the presence of a Cheesehead. As in, "Commer once and help me lift this beer barrel."
Cripes or Cripes Sake: A Wisconsin expletive. "Oh, cripes sakes, da Bears beat da Packers last Sunday."
Couple, two, tree: more than one. "Delbert and I drank a couple two tree beers."
Fleet Farm: A Cheddarhead's answer to Bloomingdale's.
Fish Fry: A Friday night dining ritual in Wisconsin.
Frozen Tundra: Lambeau Field (in Green Bay-where the Packers play)
Hey: Placed at the beginning or end of a sentence for emphasis. "Hey, how bout dem Packers" or "How bout dem Packers, hey"
Leaker: Someone who lacks physical or mental stamina. "John went home at midnight, da leaker!"
Polka: The official dance of Wisconsin. Often combined with a religious ceremony as in "See youse guys Sunday at the Polka Mass."
Start wit me last: To forfeit your turn. "I dunno how to play Sheepshead so good, so start with me last."
Stop N Go Light: A traffic light.
Uff-Dah: Oops!
Un-thaw: To defrost or thaw. "I'm goin' fishin' once the lake un-thaws."
Up-Nort: Where Wisconsinites go on vacation (Northern part of the state)
Yah-hey: Affirmative or added to reinforce a statement "The Brewers stink lately, yah-hey!"
Youse: A second person pleural. "Where are youse guys from?"
Yooper: Someone from even farther up nort!

Molly, I absolutely LOVED your list! I know someone from vet school from Toledo, OH, who said "Cripes!" a lot...he also used the expression "Cool beans!" when something was exciting... go figure. I really liked "Un-thaw" and especially "Start wit me last"--priceless!

[eaglesvet]

Then there is the phrase, dimes to doughnuts... means you are sure about something. "Dimes to doughnuts Tim will sing ICTYW"

I'm not sure where you live, LTL, but we must have a higher cost of living here in Jersey...we say, "Dollars to doughnuts..."

[eaglesvet]

I really love the British expressions, Troub. I think I've mentioned that for many years, my boss was British, from Yorkshire. I learned all about 'the loo' early on! My two favorite expressions of his, mainly because of the mental pictures they invoke, were:

" She's got her knickers in a twist." --She's all upset/mad about something.

"You need to get your ducks in a row."--You need to get yourself/your project organized. (The thought of lining up ducks, when I first heard him say this, made me laugh out loud!)

[eaglesvet]

Boy, to think this is only one thread to catch up one after vacation! It just happened to catch my attention...I've always loved the differences between parts of the country (and now the world), so I figured I would start here. I do have a lot more to add in other threads, but I'm sure it will take a bit of time...

To settle the soda/pop debate...it's definitely soda in NJ. And you definitely clarify exactly what type of soda you want. If you order a Coke, and the restaurant only serves Pepsi products, most of them will ask you if a Pepsi is OK! If you want orange soda, ask for orange soda; or gingerale, or 7-Up, or root beer. We're very specific here.

How about the 6- or 12-inch long sandwiches you can order from the deli? In North Jersey, they are subs (short for submarine sandwiches); while in South Jersey they are hoagies. We have more than once been met by blank stares when we have tried to order a sub in another state (most recently on vacation in Wyoming), and then realized we needed to translate into South Jersey mode and ask for a hoagie...and all was right with the world!

A couple of my favorite expressions from vet school in Ohio, that I still love today:
"He's in La-La Land." --He's not all together 'with it' upstairs, either due to lack of sleep, chemical alteration, or just plain absent-mindedness.
"You snooze, you lose."--If you don't pay attention to what's going on around you, opportunities will pass you by.

I will try to think of some more specific Jersey-isms later...if only I could add the accent you hear on the Sopranos!

[MikeA]

For something that is "officially scheduled" we might say it is "set (or etched) in granite". For something that's rumored, it's "etched in jello".

"Move it or Milk it!" to someone who is holding up a line or holding up traffic by moving to slow. Or, the more vulgar version "SH*T or Get off the Pot!"

"Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey!"