Local idioms

[BigB08822]

I have never heard of bubbler in my life. For the record, people don't ONLY use the word lovely to describe something they don't like. It just depends whether they are in a sarcastic mood or not. Lovely is usually used in the way you would think, to describe something nice and pleasing.

[BigB08822]

Never heard of a bubbler before. Sounds like something I'd hear at a gay club.

Philadelphians like to say "do you know what I mean" at the end of every sentence. It's morphed into the word "jhadanawwhutimean?"

at the gay club comment.

I can not stand when people say "know what I mean..." My bf used to do it ALL THE TIME and I got so fed up with it that I would begin yelling and foaming at the mouth. He would get offended and take it personally but I told him that I took it personally that he had to check with me after every sentence to make sure I was able to understand his ultra sophisticated ways of speaking! I must look really confused when I am listening or maybe, just maybe, he had some awful speaking habits that needed breaking? They have since been broken.

[VALuvsMKwan]

I've never heard of "jug handle" before and am still not sure I understand what it means.

[Bostonfan]

I learned about Jug handles when driving through New jersey. I had to get on the other side of a highway and was driving in the left lane waiting to come to a light that would allow me to take a u-turn. Finally I got a red light and saw these cars crossing over from the right to get on the other side.

A "jug handle" is the visual term for exiting off right and looping around so you can cross a busy street and reverse your direction. I never heard of the term before then.

[cruisin]

I've never heard about the "bubbler" before. Plenty of "wicked" in Boston area though. Also, they say "roundabout" in NJ too.

I have lived in NJ my entire life, I never heard roundabout until the "British sounding voice" used it in the French Navigation device.

I've never heard of "jug handle" before and am still not sure I understand what it means.

In order to make a U turn or left turn on most NJ divided highways, you exit on the right and loop around left, to a traffic light to either cross over the highway or make the left turn (for a U turn)

A "jug handle" is the visual term for exiting off right and looping around so you can cross a busy street and reverse your direction. I never heard of the term before then.

It's also for left turns.

[KatieC]

A "jug handle" is the visual term for exiting off right and looping around so you can cross a busy street and reverse your direction. I never heard of the term before then.

So this involves a bridge? Is it the same as a highway exit - or off ramp?

The city next to where I live had little green drinking fountains that were called shortie greens or something like that. Don't know if any still exist.

Where I grew up we used the phrase "going into the creek" for going downtown. Not sure if it's still used, but outsiders generally didn't get it, or looked surprised when they heard it.

[rjblue]

I've never heard a fountain called a bubbler.

The county in New Brunswick that I grew up in has so many local idioms, and so many ex-pats, that someone started a website to catalogue and describe our colourful local dialect. If you listen to the audio, I have to say- we really do sound like that.

Here's a few :
Lunch box, pail- for us it is a "lunch bucket" or a "bucket"
Rubber boots are just "rubbers" and no one giggles.
Rubber bands for your hair are "elastics".
No one has a cottage, but most people have a camp.
We don't play badminton, we play bammington.

And everyone here knows what you mean when you say you left something out in the dooryard.

[PrincessLeppard]

I've lived in the Midwest since I was two and never heard "bubbler". What are you defining as Midwest???

Ditto. Actually, I've never heard anyone say it. I've read it, so I know what it is, but I have never heard it spoken. Ever.

[julieann]

I lived in Minnesota almost my whole life and I have never heard of a bubbler before.

Although I do get funny looks when I order a pop in Arizona.

[cruisin]

So this involves a bridge? Is it the same as a highway exit - or off ramp?

It is an exit. But it doesn't necessarily involve a bridge. It can be an over or underpass, but usually it is just a traffic light. You exit the highway about 500 ft. before the light. Drive around a loop to the left, and come to a traffic light. There you can go straight through (essentially making a left turn), or you can make a left (essentially making a u turn). Basically it is "all turns from right lane".

[milanessa]

Although I do get funny looks when I order a pop in Arizona.

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.

[mkats]

I've never heard of a bubbler (grew up just outside D.C.) I did have a friend in college from Pennsylvania who used to refer to Secret Santa exchanges as "Pollyannas"

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

[julieann]

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.

You do have to be specific if the situation calls for it but if I'm at someone's house and they ask what I would like to drink I say pop. The term pop/soda just comes up in normal conversation just as coffee would. I normally just say coffee instead of a double mocha chai latte just to make it easier. If more clarification is needed, they will ask me.

But I still would say soda, I refuse to change my pop roots are too deep.

[znachki]

Here's a dictionary of regional english. http://dare.wisc.edu/

In Seattle, you can always tell a Californian beause they'll say "the 5", when speaking of the Interstate, which we call " I 5". Locally Mt. Rainier is just "the mountain".

Also, what do you call the little dust balls under your bed? That's often very regional.

[milanessa]

You do have to be specific if the situation calls for it but if I'm at someone's house and they ask what I would like to drink I say pop. The term pop/soda just comes up in normal conversation just as coffee would. I normally just say coffee instead of a double mocha chai latte just to make it easier. If more clarification is needed, they will ask me.

Got it. When you said order I immediately thought of a restaurant.

[milanessa]

Also, what do you call the little dust balls under your bed? That's often very regional.

My little pony just fainted.

[HisWeirness]

The one that always gives away a New Yorker is that they say "on line" instead of "in line," as in, "I was waiting on line to buy a movie ticket." Never heard anyone else use that phrase that way.

I am originally from NY and I never realized that this was an unusual way of speaking. Oh, and as crusin said, you always go to the City.

Living in NC now, my classic test between NC natives and transplants is to ask them what toboggan means.

Technically (in an engineering sense ) a roundabout is a different type of circular intersection from a traffic circle/rotary.

From wiki:

In the U.S., traffic engineers use the term roundabout for intersections in which entering traffic must yield to traffic already in the circle, reserving the term traffic circle for those in which entering traffic is controlled by stop signs, traffic signals, or is not formally controlled.
...
In the U.S., many people use the terms "roundabout", "traffic circle", and "rotary" interchangeably, and they are defined as synonyms in dictionaries. Many old traffic circles remain in the northeastern US. Since many of the older junction forms have unfavourable safety records, transportation professionals are careful to use "roundabout" when referring to newer designs and "traffic circle" or "rotary" when referring to ones that do not meet the criteria listed above.

Oh, and a NJ Jughandle and a Michigan Left are not the same thing, but they are both types of "alternative intersections" that provide ways of dealing with those pesky left turns drivers make . This article does a decent job of explaining alternative intersections and has links demonstrating jughandles and michigan lefts (as well as the Diverging (or Double Crossover) Diamond interchange).

[GarrAarghHrumph]

Wicked is definitely not local to Boston. I've heard it used in various parts of North America for decades, and as someone else said it's common in the UK too.

The people in eastern Massachusetts use the term "wicked" in unusual ways, and far, far more often than I've ever heard anyone outside the area use it. Although it is used outside of Mass., in Mass., it's used a wicked, wicked lot. I've never heard it used as wicked often as in that region. On a scale of one to wicked, seriously, it's, like, a wicked pissah word to use.

We refer to NYC as "the City". Every other city gets a name. Subs are subs, not grinders or hoagies. Sloppy Joes are ground meat with a ketchup sauce on a hamburger bun, they are also triple decker sandwiches with meat, cheese, cole slaw and russian dressing, on 3 slices of rye bread.

When we used to go in to Boston, we went "in Town". In Boston, a "triple decker" is actually a specific type of house with three apartments in it, one on each floor.

[GarrAarghHrumph]

Also, what do you call the little dust balls under your bed? That's often very regional.

Dust bunnies.

[cruisin]

In Seattle, you can always tell a Californian beause they'll say "the 5", when speaking of the Interstate, which we call " I 5".

In NJ we'll just say - take 78W/E or take Rt. 78W/E.

Also, what do you call the little dust balls under your bed? That's often very regional.

Dust bunnies

This article does a decent job of explaining alternative intersections and has links demonstrating jughandles and michigan lefts (as well as the Diverging (or Double Crossover) Diamond interchange).

I love the jug handle video, especially the one at night.