Lingo

[Tina]

So, this is not really a game, but should be fun!

So, what is some of your local lingo?

For example here in Ohio we call:

Lollipops=suckers

vaccuuming the floor=sweeping the floor

report card can also be dubbed grade card

in my area we call the evening meal supper

Freeway=interstate

that's all I can think of right now, but I've been assured that we "talk weird" here! LOL!

[elizabethlmccoy]

I'm from Kansas & Ohio so we call it POP where in the south they call it COKE

[Tina]

duh, how could I forget POP!!!!!!!!!!

[Emma]

Hey y'all!
I grew up in Seattle where we say "you guys" instead of y'all

I'm fixin' to sleep now

I lived in Idaho where movies are shows and TV shows are programs...
and everything is "Dang fun!"

and they only drink soda, never pop like we have in Seattle, but here in TX it's definitely a Coke no matter what the can says!

[Amber]

Texas gal here.... everything is definitely coke wether you are drinking pepsi, coke, whatever!

Howdy ya'll!

[Kristen]

Here in Northern California, generically, it's soda. "Can I get you a soda? We have..." Several of us in the family are fussy enough that "coke" does not equal "pepsi." Neither does "7-up" equal anything else clear (although "sprite" is usually acceptable.)

[carrielcobb]

Also from Texas. One that really drives me crazy is fixin' used like this. We are fixin' to go to the store.

[dax]

I live in the deep South, in a rural area, and most of my neighbors call a sofa or couch a "setee"

[sondoras]

I live in Washington, DC and we call the refridgerator the icebox.

[loonyhiker]

I live in SC:
we "cut off" the light instead of turning it off,
we get gas at the "zippy mart" meaning convenience store,
and a place is "up yonder" for over there.

[LadyKitara]

I was born in Wisconsin, but live in Oklahoma now. BOY how language changes!

In Oklahoma, it's a sofa or couch (usually the latter one), but in Wisconsin, it's referred to as a divan.
A refridgerator in Oklahoma is a fridge.
In Oklahoma it's ya'll, but in Wisconsin it's you all.
And in Oklahoma it's usually pop, but in Wisconsin it's called a soda or soda pop.
Supper in Oklahoma is also known as dinner in Wisconsin.
Freeway or Interstate is known as a Highway in Oklahoma as well.
And some people in Oklahoma say that "things are did" instead of "things are done." That one gets to me EVERY time. hehe
Gas or fuel in Oklahoma is referred to as gasoline or petrol in Wisconsin.
And then there's always...Marriage=Wedding. Which my youngest is doing in March. :)
And can't forget Baby=Infant=Newborn.

Ok...going to stop now. My brain is hurting from thinking too hard. LOL

Be well and stay safe...
Kit

[valeri]

I am from Idaho.. born and raised.

Now, I am not sure where Emma lived, but I can assure you that I have NEVER in my life said the words "DANG FUN", lol!! I also go to movies and watch shows on the TV. Programs are on my computer! I was raised to drink "pop", but living in California for 5 years I got used to "soda" and now I can't undo it! lol

[Karen]

So, this is not really a game, but should be fun!

So, what is some of your local lingo?

For example here in Ohio we call:

Lollipops=suckers

vaccuuming the floor=sweeping the floor

in my area we call the evening meal supper

Freeway=interstate

that's all I can think of right now, but I've been assured that we "talk weird" here! LOL!


LOL here in New Zealand

vaccuming - luxing

evening meal - tea or if you're posh dinner :)

freeway - motorway

pop - soft drink or fizzy or if its Coke then Coke :)

gas - petrol

[Allen]

Tina, you're holding out on us. We're both from Southern Ohio. Granted Brown County is a step up from Adams County where I grew up but you're not completely exempt. For a full list of southern Ohio terms one would need to buy Jeff Foxworthy's "Redneck Dictionary".

[BethyNixon]

I lived in 3 places in Ohio.
When you can't hear someone, they say,

Mid-state: "excuse me"
south: "please"
us Clevelanders: "huh"

I now live in the Northeast.
But my Ohio roots are still with me.
I saw sweep instead of vacuum.
Warsh instead of wash.
Pellow instead of pillow.
Melk instead of milk.

My Ohio roots are hard to shake! LOL

[Allen]

Too funny!
Some things I've never really understood are...
Exactly how "fur" is a piece? "it's just over there a piece"
Or, what's the difference between a "piece" and "yonder"? And apparently there are 2 different distances for yonder.
"it's just right yonder" or "it's over yonder".
And my personal favorite...(I'm ashamed to say my sister actually uses this phrase) "yaint et chet" for "you haven't eaten yet?

[Tina]

I lived in 3 places in Ohio.
When you can't hear someone, they say,

Mid-state: "excuse me"
south: "please"
us Clevelanders: "huh"

I now live in the Northeast.
But my Ohio roots are still with me.
I saw sweep instead of vacuum.
Warsh instead of wash.
Pellow instead of pillow.
Melk instead of milk.

My Ohio roots are hard to shake! LOL

wow! those are familiar! and yep, we are "pleasers"... some say excuse me, but many please. Myself and my mom do it a lot.

I dont warsh tho. Nope, never have.

yaint et chet" for "you haven't eaten yet?




OMG Allen, you almost made me spit pop on that one. I dont say that either. I do reckon tho. Do y'all reckon?

[Tina]

oh and are you Either or Ither people? I say Ither but I say NEEither not NITHER. go figure.

Oh, I hear we Ohioans end our questions in unnecessary prepositions too.

Like instead of "Where is my coat?" which is a full and complete scentence we say "Where is my coat AT?". yup, VERY guilty of that one!

[Stacey]

I'm south central Pennsylvania, born and raised.

we also say "Where's my coat at?" or "What did you do that for?"
we sweep the floors
we drink soda
we eat supper
either and neither, not "Ither" or "nIther"
wash, not warsh
creek, not crick
I never say ain't (hate that word!)
you guys instead of y'all

[Stacey]

I lived in 3 places in Ohio.
When you can't hear someone, they say,

Mid-state: "excuse me"
south: "please"
us Clevelanders: "huh"

LOL!!!!! I say "huh?" a lot and "nu-uh"

[Stacey]

We also drop our "g's" quite often. Playin' instead of playing, goin' instead of going, lyin' instead of lying, etc.

[Allen]

OMG Allen, you almost made me spit pop on that one. I dont say that either. I do reckon tho. Do y'all reckon?

I reckon I do reckon. Margie gives me a hard time over that one. :)
How about this one. "You-uns" "what are you-uns doing? (I don't even know how to spell that)

[hoskinsjan]

Ha, like the sound of this. Ok, I'm in Australia in outback NSW.

Evening Meal is called tea (or dinner if your upper class)
Fizzy drinks are called soft drinks
Anyone that is not born in this town is 'from away'.
Sandwich is called a sanga.
Sausages are called snags
American jelly is called jam
Breakfast is brekky
Diapers are called nappies
Pacifiers are called dummys
Potatoes are called spuds
Confectionary is called lollies
Cookies are biscuites
Flip flops are called thongs
Oh and underwear is called undies
That's all I can think of for now.

[elfina]

I have lived in California, Massachusetts, Illinois, Oregon, Southern Missouri and New Mexico. California and Illinois, I don't remember much. When I moved from Mass. to IL I got teased for saying cellar instead of basement. Pahk instead of park, etc. When I moved to Oregon from Southern MO I was really teased because in MO we say:

it was sodie pop dagnabit!
Out yonder and down the road a piece are common directions.
You might go huntin' in the back 40.
we're fixin' to go to the store soon.
Hows come you did that
And don't forget to water the dawg!

In New Mexico, no matter whether your statement needed a response or not, you always hear "is iiiiitttt?"

[Timmysmum]

following on from Jan in Aussie and picking up from the fact that I am originalling from England


The quilt on the bed....
Is called a Duvet in England.... Doona In Aus and I think Quilt or comforter in US
In the Garden .... Is Out Back !
Yep took me a while to learn what thongs versus flip flops were lol

Sweets are Lollies
Chocolate is Choccy
Coke is Coke and Soda is Soda....

I am from Manchester so will say Where is ME clothes/shoes/things rather than my... something me son has picked up lol
I haven't met very many Aussies that Say Gday.... more like Hi or Hello ....
but I have heard grown men in business suits say Fair dinkum which means 'really ??' or for real !!

The middle of wup wup... is the middle of now-where or back of beyond......


runners or sandshoes are - trainers/joggers

togs and swimmers are your swimsuit

[hoskinsjan]

Oh yeah; and
Ooroo means good bye.
Gidday means hello.
Bugger mean Oh no.
Agro means angry.
Airy fairy means vague.
Barney means a fight.
Cackleberry is a chicken egg.
Daks mean pants (although not in New Zealand, lol)
Galah is someone being silly.
Kip is a short nap.
Loo means toilet.
And that's all I can think of for now.

[hoskinsjan]

Oh, and just a few more;
Chook is a chicken
Over yonder can be a short or long distance
Grog means beer (or any alchohol really)
Tucker is food
Flannel is a face washer
Tin lids is rhyming slang for kids (or rug rats or ankle biters)
And I think that's about all I know for now.

[Tara]

Do you guys "take a shower?" How about "find a parking space"? I had a friend from Idaho that used to say something really funny (from a California point of view!) for these two phrases but I can't remember what she used to say.

And that thing that tells people you are going to change lanes...do you call it a turn indicator, a turn signal or something else???? I say "turn indicator" but my friends make fun of me for it!

[hoskinsjan]

Yeah; take a shower, or have a shower. Find a park. For turn indicator (whew mouth full), we say blinker.

[Stacey]

LOL, Tara! We take a shower, find a parking space and use a turn signal :)

[elfina]

LOL we say take a shower, parking space, and blinker or turn signal.

[Tina]

And that thing that tells people you are going to change lanes...do you call it a turn indicator, a turn signal or something else???? I say "turn indicator" but my friends make fun of me for it!

I use my blinker!

[Katie M]

:) I'm from Ireland , and here......

Crack means great fun!!! ( spelled craic )
Vacuuming is hoovering
We live IN a street , not ON a street
Pop is fizzy drink
We use a 'fridge
An ice-lolly is an ice-pop
Food is grub
Mother is mammy or ma
Dad is the oul' fella
We take a shower ( honestly , we do!! )

Most of hoskinsjan's lingo applies here too :D And of course we have eejit , omadawn and klipe which all mean a bit of a fool. If we slag you , we are poking gentle humourous fun at you.

[valeri]

Tara.. i am from southwest Idaho.. not sure about your friend, but we don't have anything weird for those sayings that I know of and I have lived here almost my whole life! lol Yes we take a shower, find a parking spot, and turn my blinker on.. :)

[Karen Bowers]

i live in silicon valley, you know home of the successful nerd, and the expression "i'm geeked" is not from here! i've only heard that phrase on DSP!

[Tina]

Karen! I've been saying geeked for a couple years now! I dunno where I got it- not around here, Ohio not that with it. lolol ;)

[hoskinsjan]

:) I'm from Ireland , and here......

Crack means great fun!!! ( spelled craic )
Vacuuming is hoovering
We live IN a street , not ON a street
Pop is fizzy drink
We use a 'fridge
An ice-lolly is an ice-pop
Food is grub
Mother is mammy or ma
Dad is the oul' fella
We take a shower ( honestly , we do!! )

Most of hoskinsjan's lingo applies here too :D And of course we have eejit , omadawn and klipe which all mean a bit of a fool. If we slag you , we are poking gentle humourous fun at you.


That's so true Katie! That's funny because we used to call my dad 'old boy', lol.
We also say 'How ya goin' instead of 'how are you', 'what cha up to' instead of 'what are you doing'.
And we call people that are being a bit stupid a 'nitwit' or 'twit' (one of my favourites).

[boobearsmama1]

well I used to live in the south (alabama) and now I live in maryland.

-most people from MD, VA, or DC all say they are from DC.
-soda is soda and never coke unless you want COKE
-in alabama it was fixing to go... here it is I am about to go or I'm going
-buggy = cart (my DH used to harass me over saying buggy when we would go shopping)
-I have never said ain't but that is very abundant in the south
-when you say over yonder it means miles and miles away
-we normally say we are taking the beltway instead of interstate or freeway
-in the south almost no one speaks proper english if you live in the back streets (which in the south is not called back streets but dirt roads)
-here we say you guys even if we are talking to women
-in the south alot of people say "wha..." like "what the.." or it can sometimes be "uh well"
-in the south mcdonalds is the place to go for the family fun night :)
-every one owns a truck, a 4wheeler, a dirt bike, or all of the above in the south. I dont think my DH ever rode a 4wheeler before meeting me :)
-crick = creek
-southerners will swim almost anywhere there is water. northerners SO WILL NOT lol


thats enough for now

[hoskinsjan]

Yeah, we say 'guys' wether we are talking to a group of females or males. I say it all of the time, even here in the forums.
And we say 'out the sticks' for pretty much any place that isn't a city or highly populated.

[Katie M]

Yeah, we say 'guys' wether we are talking to a group of females or males. I say it all of the time, even here in the forums.
And we say 'out the sticks' for pretty much any place that isn't a city or highly populated.

Gosh , we are so similar , lingo-wise! We say "guys" for everybody too , and How's it goin' lol lol. I guess some of it it comes from a LOT of Irish people ending up over there long ago , and a lot of the lingo here comes from the USA now. A lot of our TV programmes are from America rather than Europe.

[Kristen]

How about giving directions? And freeway/highway names?

"Take the 101 south across the Golden Gate Bridge into the City. Go down 19th until it becomes the 280, and keep going south until you reach the 101 again, then straight on til you reach LA."

The City is, naturally, San Francisco. As far as I know, it's the City for most of Northern California. I know we say that here in Santa Rosa, Mom said it growing up out in Stockton, and Grandma said it up in Redding. "Going downtown" was local - "going into the City" meant San Francisco.

The only "local" freeway that doesn't get "the" attached to it is I5.

[Samara]

I live in a desert suburb of Los Angeles. We are "higher" than the city. When we speak of going into LA, we call it "going down below."

[arlene6]

Here in Pittsburgh:

Rubberbands are gumbands.
Kitchen cabinets are cupboards.
When there is ice on the roads, it's "slippy out there".
And it's all POP.

[hoskinsjan]

Gosh , we are so similar , lingo-wise! We say "guys" for everybody too , and How's it goin' lol lol. I guess some of it it comes from a LOT of Irish people ending up over there long ago , and a lot of the lingo here comes from the USA now. A lot of our TV programmes are from America rather than Europe.

Oh for sure Katie, lol. My mums great grandparents were Oleary, lol. Yeah, I would say atleast 75% of our TV programmes come from America. When I was growing up I used to call Santa Claus 'Father Christmas'. But with all of the American television my little girls call him Santa now. And quite often call biscuits 'cookies'. It's a strange old world, lol.

[Katie M]

:D Lol lol.........and getting smaller all the time , Jan!! Especially with the www!

[narrell]

Oh yeah; and
Ooroo means good bye.
Gidday means hello.
Bugger mean Oh no.
Agro means angry.
Airy fairy means vague.
Barney means a fight.
Cackleberry is a chicken egg.
Daks mean pants (although not in New Zealand, lol)
Galah is someone being silly.
Kip is a short nap.
Loo means toilet.
And that's all I can think of for now.

Seems like you've covered it for us aussies...but there is one thing that really gets my goat. I grew up in NSW but have moved to QLD and everyone up here, (businessmen,doctors and kids alike) all put the word "ay" on the end of each sentence..
eg:That was a great game ay!
:(

[narrell]

I just thought of some more...
we get petrol not gas, and we get it from a service station or a servo
we also say beg yours or beg your pardon if we don't hear what people say, and occasionally we say HUH.
I NEVER drink pop cause thats what I call my grandfather. I call my dad my "old Man"
we call soda, soft drink, or we call it by the brand name eg:coke ,pepsi or sprite. kangaroos are roos, and crocodiles are crocs.
And even though people think we aussies walk around saying g'day...I've hardly ever heard it used. We watch Tv in the lounge and we sit on the lounge or sofa. We are never Fixin to go anywhere,(If we're fixin it, then it must be broken.) We often go"down the road" to the "shops".
I turn off the lights and the TV , but my husband who was born in France "closes" them.
Oh what a wierd and wonderful world we live it!!

[hoskinsjan]

Yeah, here where I live we put 'ay' or 'hey' after a sentence as well. And I must admit, that I have never really heard anyone say gidday before either. It seems to be a pretty old slang word that isn't used anymore (and I live out bush, lol).

[Tina]

here ya go - most of this is true. Maybe not the food group part tho. ew.



> >Jeff Foxworthy on Ohio
> >
> >All I have to say is "Go Bucks!"
> >
> >You might be from Ohio (pronounced O-hi-uh), if:
> >
> >You think all Pro football teams are supposed to wear orange!
> >
> >You know all the 4 seasons: winter, still winter, almost winter and
> >construction.
> >
> >You live less than 30 miles from some college or university.
> >
> >You know what a buckeye really is, and have a recipe for candied ones.
> >
> >"Toward the lake" means "north" and "toward the river" means "south."
> >
> >You know if other Ohioans are from southern or northern Ohio as soon as
> >they
> >open their mouths.
> >
> >You can spell words like Cuyahoga, Olentangy, Bellefontaine, Tuscarawas,
> >Wapakoneta, and you know which letter is doubled in Cincinnati.
> >
> >"Vacation" means spending a day at Cedar Point in the summer and deer
> >hunting in the fall.
> >
> >You measure distance in minutes.
> >
> >Your school classes were canceled because of cold.
> >
> >Your school classes were canceled because of heat.
> >
> >You've had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
> >
> >You know what should be knee-high by the Fourth of July.
> >
> >You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition.
> >For example: "Where's my coat at?"
> >
> >You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both
> >unlocked.
> >
> >You think ! of the m major four food groups as corn, pork, beer, and
Jell-O
> >salad with marshmallows.
> >
> >You carry jumper cables in your car.
> >
> >You know what 'pop' is.
> >
> >You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
> >
> >Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with
snow.
> >(Amen!)
> >
> >You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and a flannel nightgown.
> >
> >The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page
but
> >requires six pages for sports.

[hoskinsjan]

Lol, this one was a scream.

[laurarid]

Just adding for the Aussie slang...

we call McDonalds Maccas
cell phones are mobiles
and we say aren't instead of aint

[laurarid]

oh and we watch the tele instead of the tv

[sempson]

This has been a fantastic read. I have been laughing so hard....and it is so interesting....

I also am from the great state of Texas but have lived in Wyoming for 10 years almost.....

In the south......

Coke is anything.....usually Dr. Pepper which we commonly referred to as Dr. P. Don't ever ever ever ever ever ever confuse that with Mr. Pibb as northerners usually do...IT IS SO NOT THE SAME! LOL!

If you say ....SWEEEET!.....that means cool, far out, awesome, etc.......

Flip Flops are sandles....

Thongs are underwear.....some call them FLOSS as well....I will leave it at that....

In the south at least at my church we called the heads of the church...Brother before their name.....Brother Gary, Brother Don, Brother John, etc.

Small little man made lakes are callend TANKS not ponds.

When a person is at a loss for somthing to say next...in Texas...they will say..........'Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell'

A loveseat is a smaller version of a couch usually for two people.

Yep means Yes.

Huh means what.

If you swerve of the road....it is called.... going into the ditch.

chiggers are little red bugs that live in the grass and make you itch REALLy badly.

You have breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

If you have no clothes on you're are not naked, you are not nude....you are NECKED!!


That is all I can think of right now.....this is fun!! LOL :)

[Donut]

I am living in NZ but grew up in Uk, and without realising it I have come up with a few shall we say 'hybrid' words, that friends tease me about!
In uk its Cling Film, here its Glad wrap - I call it Cling wrap
In Uk its cool box Here its chilly bin - I say cool bin
Uk is Flip flops, here is Jandals, we all say jandal sandals
There are others but I can't think of them!
Also here in the north we Vacuum not Lux like Karen does in the south, and we have bachs for holiday homes not cribs.
sweets are lollies,
ice-lolly is iceblock - (took me a while to get that one, I put an iceblock in my cool bin!!)
Garden is back yard
and yes i had the same problem as Sue with the thongs...!! luckily here they are more often jandals!!

[kiwi2us]

I laughed my way through this thread. I recognized some of the many variation here. As an Australian born kiwi temporarily located into the US (having lived in both Michigan and Ohio), I have had some interesting exchanges myself. For some items I know 3 or 4 variations. Who knew English could be so different in so many places...

One of my kiwi friends made the mistake of asking for a rubber in an office supply store in Cincinnati. He was told in no uncertain terms that he was in the wrong place. After insiting that there should be one somewhere in the shop, the shop assistant called him a pervert and told him to leave. Here in the US what we kiwis call rubbers are only called erasers. And the term rubber is reserved for the oh so necessary contraceptive device.

When I started working in the hospital in Cincinnati, I refered to one of the patients as going to theatre. My attending looked startled and then said, thats nice they gave them a pass to go and see a movie. Not thinking about the language gap, I said, no he went to theatre.(his time with emphasis). After a blank stare I realized I should have said he went to the OR.

Another time I asked at Subway for capsicum on my sub. The person serving said, we don't have that madam. I could see it right in front of me so pointed to it. Apparently green pepper is never called capsicum here.

One night on a recent road trip, I asked a friend to pass the torch. She had no idea what I was talking about. Apparently in the US a torch refers only to the flaming variety, not to the battery powered flashlight.

[Timmysmum]

oh my goodness I am falling off my chair laughing so hard.....
SAMARA
your freeway directions When we speak of going into LA, we call it "going down below."
__________________
anyone saying this in Uk and Aus would be a coal miner or someone very rude !!!!

Tina you had me in hysterics with your Ohio seasons

One of my Mancunian favourites (thats Manchester in England)

You are doing me Head in..... I can't even think of the translation maybe the closest would be ... driving me nuts !!!/crazy...

one that still makes my aussie hubby giggle is when i say ... turn off the BIG light .....the main light switch

What a Plonker- idiot !!!!!

and yes i take a shower.. and turn my blinker on

[Donut]

Something that Sue just said got me thinking, ..."You are doing me Head in" ...I say that, and the other day said it to one of my kids when a (kiwi) friend was here - she fell about laughing saying "you're doing my head in...hehehehe!!!" I thought at the time she was laughing just because I had said it as my daughter was going on and on about something, maybe it wasn't, maybe kiwis dont say it at all..???My uncle lived in the North of England, and i remember him saying " Eeey lass, you're a right rum lass!" I was never quite sure if that was a good or a bad thing to be!!!lol!!

[Karooch]

G'day
In Australia we speak a whole different language, where

candy = lollies
ketchup = sauce (or dead horse in slang)
the country = the bush
something that's really good = grouse
Something that's really bad = crook

And I'm sure other Aussies can add to the list.

[kiwi2us]

Oh I missed the one difference that make me cringe...
I just about die when fast food restraunt personel say "here is your nappy" meaning serviette or napkin. Every good kiwi knows that nappys serve a purpose on a babies rear end.

[Vallie]

Just as well you aren't in Australia, you'd be speaking another language mate!!

[Vallie]

Forgot to mention the old thong. Here you wear em on your feet, not as an item of underwear! And I wont even say what fanny means!

[hoskinsjan]

Here are a few more;

Putting on an act: pretending to be sick.
Aerial ping pong: Australian Rules Football
Couple of beers short of a six pack: Not right in the head.
Smoko: a short break (wether you smoke or not).
Give it a bash: Have a try at something that you have never tried.
Blue Heeler: Police
Went over my head: When you haven't understood a joke, or can't understand what someone means.
Zonked Out: Fast asleep.
Chuck a wobbly: Throw a tantrum, or lose your temper (over something trivial).

[CeeMJay]

If you live in an area with sidewalks, what do you call the grassy area between the sidewalk and the street (where the fire hydrant is)? My friend from Seattle, Washington, calls it a tree lawn. In parts of Ohio it's called the devil strip--and everyone has a favorite story as to how it got its name!--but no one can prove it.

While we're there, what do you call the fire hydrant--the red, yellow, blue or green object that fire hoses are hooked up to for water? I've heard fire hydrant and fire plug--any others?

Chris

[hoskinsjan]

I don't really know what we call the grass on the sidewalk. I suppose it's just called a front lawn or the councils lawn here. Yeah, and we just call the fire hydrant a 'hydrant'.

[sempson]

I have always heard anything beyond the sidewalk referred to as "the curb" and the fire hydrant is also just a hydrant here in Wyoming as well.

[carolyn-r]

Hi, I'm a new member from Cornwall in the far south west of the UK (don't say England, we Cornish folk don't like to think of ourselves as English!)

We say "I'm feeling wish" (or "wisht") meaning "I'm not feeling well".
"Drekly" is a bit like "mañana" without the sense of urgency.
"Crowst" is a mid-morning snack.
"I can't clunk that" means something is hard to swallow, e.g. a large pill.
A typical greeting when you see someone is "All right then, me 'andsome?"

[sempson]

My old roomate was from Alabama....she used to call a big huge giant car a 'HOOPTY'....I had never heard that in my entire LIFE. I just called big cars boats......anyway! Just thought I would add that...LOL! :p

Carolyn I love your greeting...makes me want to visit Cornwall!! :p

[sugarplum]

hehe... nice game! i'm sure you would indian slang very funny...
i can't even begin to make a list - almost 50% of the words we use to represent something are different from the ones you would use in the US.
for example:

some very old people call teachers = 'masters' (funny?)

coffee table = teapoy (probably an english version of a hindi word)

i guess what we call underwear = underpants in the US...?

cupboard = godrej (which is just an eponym... goldrej is the name of a company that manufactures locks, furniture... and as you can guess, cupboards!)

and in case you didn't know, we don't restrict the term 'uncle' and 'auntie' to uncles and aunts... kids generally use them to address people much older than themselves whom they may or may not be familiar with...

[sempson]

I am enjoying this thread immensley it is so interesting! I have a question ???

If someone were to come up to me and says " Wotcher, Stephani ". What does that mean ????? Is it slang for 'what's up' ????? I was wondering because J.K. Rowling has one of her charecters say that several times in her 5th HP book and I don't know what it means!!!! :p

[Donut]

I am enjoying this thread immensley it is so interesting! I have a question ???

If someone were to come up to me and says " Wotcher, Stephani ". What does that mean ????? Is it slang for 'what's up' ????? I was wondering because J.K. Rowling has one of her charecters say that several times in her 5th HP book and I don't know what it means!!!! :p

Watcha is like saying Hi! or hey there! as in if you bump into a friend and say "Watcha Stephani!" When i was at school it was the thing to say, As I dont live in UK anymore I am not sure if it is used too much now or if its considered 'old'!!! Hope that helps.

[sempson]

Thanks Donut that does help! I appreciate it! :p

[karen_76123]

If you live in an area with sidewalks, what do you call the grassy area between the sidewalk and the street (where the fire hydrant is)? My friend from Seattle, Washington, calls it a tree lawn. In parts of Ohio it's called the devil strip--and everyone has a favorite story as to how it got its name!--but no one can prove it.

While we're there, what do you call the fire hydrant--the red, yellow, blue or green object that fire hoses are hooked up to for water? I've heard fire hydrant and fire plug--any others?

Chris

I grew up in Southern Louisiana and we call the grassy area between the sidewalk and the street the neutral ground.

[MarsOlson]

I live in BC, Canada.

Nanaimo bar is a sweet square named for the town of Nanaimo, British Columbia
Chips instead of french fries, potato chips are the crispy snack in a bag.
Timbits are donut holes
Canadians ask for the bill not the check
Brown bread is whole wheat bread
Homo milk is whole milk
Loonie is slang for Canada's dollar coin
Toonie is the slang for our 2 dollar coin
Anglophone is someone who speaks English as a first language.
Francophone is someone who speaks French as a first language
Runners instead of sneakers
We refer to the USA as "the States"
Pop is the generic name for soft drinks. Individual brands go by their brand name.
Canuck is slang term for "Canadian"
hydro is electrical service
washroom - The term "toilet" is generally considered somewhat indelicate.
gotch, ginch, gonch are slang words for underwear
A tuque is a knitted woollen cap. It rhymes with kook.
Skookum is a term meaning strong
A mickey is one of those curved, flat, small bottles of booze
A housecoat is a robe
Poutine is a Canadian "delicacy" of French fries covered in cheese curds and gravy.
Canadians use "dick" to mean "absolutely nothing," as in, "Last weekend I did dick all."
A Canadian college is different from an American college or a university. Most can only grant diplomas, although many colleges now grant degrees and are actually called university colleges.
A sofa is a chesterfield or a couch
Lawyer is used for attorney,barrister and solicitor
I call a pacifier a soother
All candy bars are called chocolate bars
Snowbird is a Canadian who spends the winter in the USA (usually Florida)
Canadian bacon is what Americans call back bacon
Canadians turn on the tap instead of the faucet
Kerfuffle refers to a flurry of agitation
serviettes instead of napkins
Pissed in Canada means drunk. If a Canadian is annoyed, she is "pissed off"
To deke is to feint, although you also deke out if you slip away unnoticed.
Click is Canadian slang for kilometre. "I drove 50 clicks."
Kitty Corner means diagonally across from.
Zed: the proper way to pronounce the last letter of the alphabet

[GwendalinAivli]

This is such a great thread! It has put a big smile on my face. I'm from California, and I have only been out of state 4 times: once to Oregon, once to Wisconsin, once to Las Vegas, and once to Tijauanna, Mexico (sp?).

I wish I had something to contribute, but I just can't think of anything off hand. Something will undoubtedly pop into my head when I'm trying to sleep at 3 am.

One thing I can think of though (and I don't think is is "local area slang", just personal term of endearment), my husband and I refer to each other as "dude" in casual conversation. For example: "Hey dude, can you get me water", or "love you, dude". And when we say goodbye on the phone or leaving the house we say "Later, love". To me that's pretty stereotypical "Californian".

Even though I am a 32 year old woman I still say "awesome" and "cool" and "sweet!" when something is good. I dropped "radical" and "wicked" though, after high school. Go figure.