Local idioms

[John 3 17]

My grandfather was raised in Chicago itself and he had expressions we didn't use in the suburbs. He would say, "chuck it" for "throw it out/away".

I should add that my grandfather more than likely got "chuck it" from his Irish parents (I've read Irish books with the expression in them), but with so many Irish in Chicago, sometimes there's no difference between something from Ireland or something from Chicago

[Lurking Skater]

I've lived in southern Illinois all my life and have never heard of a bubbler, it was always a water fountain or maye a drinking fountain. The large, decorative fountains are just called fountains. We have soda down here. It become pop somewhere northern in the state.

[Wiery]

I live in Alabama, and a lot of people here say "I"m fixin' to..." instead of "I'm going to," or "I'm about to..."

...and I have heard the term "bubbler," but it was specifically in reference to my 8 year-old's bathtime activities.

[stanhope]

The Midwest does have a wide range of idioms. I grew up saying "pop" and "sack" instead of "soda" and "bag." Also, in some areas of the Midwest you bring a "casserole" to a potluck and in other areas you bring a "hot dish."

[Jenny]

Anyone else ever tried to use FSUisms in real life? And then you have to explain that it came from a figure skating forum?

I use tiff and void all the time, and my husband has picked them up too ("the cat is voiding around upstairs," and "I'll be home at 6:30 so there's time to get tiffed up before we go out").

Buffalo English is well documented. One of my favorite bits is how to pronounce Toronto. If it's more than one syllable, you're doing it wrong. An episode of Alias referenced Buffalo State, which exactly no one calls it. Buff State.

Actually it's two syllables - Traw-no or Traw-na That is how natives pronounce it, as well as our neighbours across the falls.

[Susan1]

I've heard it regularly in IL, WI, and MN. http://www.law.wisc.edu/blogs/wisbla...e_bubbler.html

Maybe it's just an upper Midwest thing

Could be. Never heard it in Ohio.

[Susan1]

How does one order a pop? Don't you just say "I'll have a Coke/Sprite/Pepsi/Dr Pepper/Mountain Dew/anything else"? Or do you say "What kind of pop do you have?"?

I'm pretty sure that double question mark is wrong but it seems so right.

Now that so many fast food restaurants have self service "pop" stations, I just order a medium drink (and get the cup). If you are at a sit down restaurant, you order the specific thing off the menu. And if I'm not looking at a menu, I think I usually say "What kind of soft drinks do you have?". But in general terms, I call it all "pop" (Ohio). On my grocery list I will write "decaf pop".

(p.s. I'm a "grammartician", and I still forget how to use punctuation marks with quotation marks!!!)

[AnnieD]

I should add that my grandfather more than likely got "chuck it" from his Irish parents (I've read Irish books with the expression in them), but with so many Irish in Chicago, sometimes there's no difference between something from Ireland or something from Chicago

I'd say "chuck it" or "chuck it in the bucket" to throw something away. Don't know if it's a Scottish or Irish thing!

[cruisin]

Another one from my childhood is "jimmies". I don't hear it that much anymore. But it's the same as "sprinkles" that you put on icecream. I'd go to DQ and ask for a vanilla cone with "rainbow jimmies". IIRC, Rhode Island's word for sprinkles is "shots", but I don't know if I'm remembering that right.

Usually, here (NJ) we say sprinkles, but jimmies is acceptable too.

I've always lived in the South, and I don't think that's true everywhere. I use the word "lovely" with its actual meaning. It can be used with sarcasm, but mostly it just means what is says.

I think lovely with sarcasm is pretty universal. There are lots of superlatives that can be used with a sarcastic tone that end up meaning the opposite of what their definition is.

"Catty-corner" as in "Their house is catty-corner from ours," means it's not directly across but more diagonally across.

I don't know if that is so much regional, as it is old fashioned . My grandmother said catty corner, my Mom did sometimes, but you rarely hear it said anymore.

A beauty operator is a hair stylist. This one must have fallen out of use because my daughter laughed like crazy the first time she heard me use the term.

I would say stylist, that's what they are. How about beauty parlor as opposed to salon? Again, I think beauty parlor is just an old fashioned term, salon is more current.

My best friend is from Appleton, Wisconsin, and said bubbler when we met in college. She also said "ralph" as a verb for throwing up, and on one memorable instance she "ralphed in the bubbler" which became a catchphrase

I think words like that are typically college words. "Ralph", "blow cookies", "pray to the porcelain Gods" - all things I first heard in the dorm.

Other phrases we say differently are: we say "garbage can", he says "trash can", we say "basement" and he says "cellar" (well, not so often anymore, even he says basement more often than not -- we've gotten to him!). Regional phrases are fun to learn about
-Bridget

I'm with Prancer on this one - trash can or waste basket in the house, garbage can is the big one (in the garage) for outside pick-up. We say basement. To me cellar is an older term or used for an underground storage area - e.g. wine cellar.

My grandfather was raised in Chicago itself and he had expressions we didn't use in the suburbs. He would say, "chuck it" for "throw it out/away".

I know in MN as well as where I'm from we say "scoot" for "move", as in "scoot over so I can sit next to you", or "scoot, you're in the way!"

Chuck it is not common here, but if you said it, it would be understood. I say scoot over. I just think it sounds nicer than move over .

[emason]

Cellar may be more common in New England; almost everyone there has a cellar. No one has a basement.

[flyingsit]

My husband grew up in the New Orleans suburbs and the people there use "coke" for all kinds of soda. "What kind is coke do you want?"

They also say they are making groceries instead of going grocery shopping.

[Myskate]

Do you have a couch, a sofa or a settee? I think the Midwestern term is a couch.

[stanhope]

Do you have a couch, a sofa or a settee? I think the Midwestern term is a couch.

Yes, in the Midwest it is a "couch." I have also heard "Davenport" or "sofa."

[Grannyfan]

Do you have a couch, a sofa or a settee? I think the Midwestern term is a couch.

My mother always called it a divan, but I haven't heard that term in a long time.
Most people I know say couch.

[KikiSashaFan]

I grew up in BC, Canada. We say pop, couch, dinner, flip flops, sprinkles and basement. I've never heard of bubbler or jimmies.

[El Rey]

I live in Texas. If someone asked me where they could find a bubbler, I would think they they were looking for a marijuana pipe. Typing "bubbler" into google shows the same thing.

[Ozzisk8tr]

I live in Texas. If someone asked me where they could find a bubbler, I would think they they were looking for a marijuana pipe. Typing "bubbler" into google shows the same thing.

Many (very very many) years ago I called mine a bubble-o-matic...
now I just call it a bong

[Wiery]

Another charming Alabama/blue collar southern idiom is "where you at?" instead of "Where are you?" Picture Larry the Cable Guy saying it; that's just how it sounds...

[NinjaTurtles]

Yes, in the Midwest it is a "couch." I have also heard "Davenport" or "sofa."

My mother always called it a divan, but I haven't heard that term in a long time.
Most people I know say couch.

There's a good clip of Brian on Family Guy not knowing where to place a set of keys, as he's directed to the "davenport", "divan", and "chesterfield".

Here is one my husband was talking about last night: sub vs. hoagie vs. grinder vs. hero vs. bomber vs. po' boy.

[cruisin]

We say couch or sofa. Husband's from western PA. A few colloquialisms there. One that always makes me is "they come over last night" instead of they came over last night. They also put accents on different syllables in words.
For instance: umbrella - they put the accent on um, we put the accent on brel.