Words That Are Unique to Your Area

[BabyGirl Rosie]

Originally Posted by gemy

Parkways , freeways, we usually call them highways

Oh course excepting the Don Valley Parkway, which is truly a parking lot most days...

In Canada like the USA we have different idioms across the country

As a child moving to Toronto from Montreal, after church that first Sunday, we pulled into a five and dime store, the owner asked me if I wanted a "pop" at that time I had no idea what he meant; I looked to Mom and Dad .... and then they said he meant a soda.

I say a quarter to the hour (shades of our old british past) or a quarter past the hour.

With the advent of digital timepieces, that is going out of fashion.

We do not have a divan, or sofa. we usually use a couch

We have not great rooms' but rec rooms or family rooms.

Vinegar is not an unknown commodity in restaurants but *gasp* actually available at take out counters.

Kleenex and not a "tissue".

We go to the cottage or the country.

BBQ's and not cook outs - well except for certain sections of our maritime lands

And yes we do use "eh", but not nearly as often as shown on US programs, and never as hard an "eh". Usually softly at the end of the sentence, or sometimes abruptly and shortly put on.

We don't do grits.... I'm still not sure what grits are. We have homefries.

We call potatoe chips - potatoe chips not crisps

We spell things funny... lol

Wow I have more in common with Canada words then I thought! Lol. Oh but ours is the living room. Haha. And grits are just plain nasty. Lol.

[GuinnessStout]

It's not a word but I know my first trip to upstate NY they took me to a car show and at the food stand they had huge bladder things hanging from chains one was red, the next yellow and the last clear with like a brownish clear liquid... I guess I was standing there staring at it with a confused look till somebody asked what was wrong... Well red and yellow that's easy mustard and ketchup but umm what is the world is the brown crap I asked... I swear the looked at me like I was an alien and said vinegar!!

[sugarmamma]

In Michigan they pronounce words weird. I don't really share their accent because it always drove me nuts!!

Milk ~ Melk

Napkin ~ Nakkin

Grocery ~ Groshry

Caramel ~ Carmel (ok I say carmel )

Hamburger ~ Hamburg



And is "PARTY STORE" really a Michigan thing?? Not the kind you get hats and balloons from

[Marhcarter]

Originally Posted by MandiesMom

Oh I (I mean "We") do that here all the time, too. Only it's just a sweet sounding way of getting away with insulting someone.

Like: Well, she tried to do that right. Bless her heart.

Very true! You can say something really ugly but it is ok if followed by " bless it..."(must be drawn out in a Southern twang...blleeeeessss it)

[msyorktown]

Originally Posted by GuinnessStout

It's not a word but I know my first trip to upstate NY they took me to a car show and at the food stand they had huge bladder things hanging from chains one was red, the next yellow and the last clear with like a brownish clear liquid... I guess I was standing there staring at it with a confused look till somebody asked what was wrong... Well red and yellow that's easy mustard and ketchup but umm what is the world is the brown crap I asked... I swear the looked at me like I was an alien and said vinegar!!

Too funny...most likely malt vinegar!

[celstu1]

Originally Posted by gemy

Parkways , freeways, we usually call them highways

Oh course excepting the Don Valley Parkway, which is truly a parking lot most days...

In Canada like the USA we have different idioms across the country

As a child moving to Toronto from Montreal, after church that first Sunday, we pulled into a five and dime store, the owner asked me if I wanted a "pop" at that time I had no idea what he meant; I looked to Mom and Dad .... and then they said he meant a soda.

I say a quarter to the hour (shades of our old british past) or a quarter past the hour.

With the advent of digital timepieces, that is going out of fashion.

We do not have a divan, or sofa. we usually use a couch

We have not great rooms' but rec rooms or family rooms.

Vinegar is not an unknown commodity in restaurants but *gasp* actually available at take out counters.

Kleenex and not a "tissue".

We go to the cottage or the country.

BBQ's and not cook outs - well except for certain sections of our maritime lands

And yes we do use "eh", but not nearly as often as shown on US programs, and never as hard an "eh". Usually softly at the end of the sentence, or sometimes abruptly and shortly put on.

We don't do grits.... I'm still not sure what grits are. We have homefries.

We call potatoe chips - potatoe chips not crisps

We spell things funny... lol

My great parents were born in Canada, both sides... my grandparents and my parents and my siblings all born here, but we all sound basically like you do!

I do have to say... anyone who knows Boston knows how we talk:

Cah (car)
Pahk (park)
stoah (store)
fingahs (fingers)
bah (bar)
Blinkah (blinker, car directional)
etc..

We have Rotaries not round abouts (I've heard that in other parts of the country)

[Wallee]

Teeehee...I have one..when visiting a friend in Colorado I asked where the "washroom" was..he looked at me like I was nuts. You want to wash clothing out here on the mountain?lololol...Apparently I should have asked for the "restroom" or the "toilette"..lol

[chachi]

Any type of soda is a pop to me

[linz06]

Originally Posted by gemy

Parkways , freeways, we usually call them highways

Oh course excepting the Don Valley Parkway, which is truly a parking lot most days...

In Canada like the USA we have different idioms across the country

As a child moving to Toronto from Montreal, after church that first Sunday, we pulled into a five and dime store, the owner asked me if I wanted a "pop" at that time I had no idea what he meant; I looked to Mom and Dad .... and then they said he meant a soda.

I say a quarter to the hour (shades of our old british past) or a quarter past the hour.

With the advent of digital timepieces, that is going out of fashion.

We do not have a divan, or sofa. we usually use a couch

We have not great rooms' but rec rooms or family rooms.

Vinegar is not an unknown commodity in restaurants but *gasp* actually available at take out counters.

Kleenex and not a "tissue".

We go to the cottage or the country.

BBQ's and not cook outs - well except for certain sections of our maritime lands

And yes we do use "eh", but not nearly as often as shown on US programs, and never as hard an "eh". Usually softly at the end of the sentence, or sometimes abruptly and shortly put on.

We don't do grits.... I'm still not sure what grits are. We have homefries.

We call potatoe chips - potatoe chips not crisps

We spell things funny... lol

I've got more to add here but maybe it's more for us in Western Canada!

We normally have "supper" instead of "dinner"

Gravy is a normal thing to eat with fries, and at any restaurant when you order fries, they ask if you want gravy with it. I had one friend ask for gravy on her fries in New York and they looked at her like she had two heads.

To add to the couch.... my grandma and some older people call it a chesterfield.

Here in Saskatchewan, a hoodie is a "bunnyhug" lol.

Also just for Sask, chocolate milk used to be known as Vico. I believe that's from a company that was around when I was younger but it has not been around for years. I don't think anyone calls it that anymore!

A lot of us just say brand names instead of what something actually is... such as the Kleenex you mentioned, or Ski-doo or Sea-doo, no matter what brand it actually is!

Oh and there is no ice-skating or ice-hockey. It's just plain skating and hockey. Most of us don't know any kind that doesn't happen on ice lol!

[linz06]

Originally Posted by Wallee

Teeehee...I have one..when visiting a friend in Colorado I asked where the "washroom" was..he looked at me like I was nuts. You want to wash clothing out here on the mountain?lololol...Apparently I should have asked for the "restroom" or the "toilette"..lol

For some reason I HATE asking for the "toilet" lol. In Europe and Australia, everyone calls it a toilet. Washroom? Bathroom? Those don't sound like places to go pee in I guess lol.

[stovesj]

My Canadian cousin calls older people "Blue Hairs"

[yorkietalkjilly]

We use that expression in Texas, too, with Botox in front - Botox Blue Hairs. Except now, so many of them are platinum or wear wigs! I know a 92 year old woman who just had plastic surgery and looks fantastic - kid you not. Hardly a wrinkle or sag. Skin is great. Doesn't have those wrinkled or spotted arms. You would take her for late 50's or 60, 61. She's trim and athletic. And rich.

[Lil Sis]

lol... this reminded me....

this week end I had to go to home depot to try and find a new lid for our toilet (I dropped and broke the one we had) ... anyway I had to ask 4 **yes 4 ****sale clerks where the toilets were... they kept directing me to the restrooms!!!!!!!

[jadabug]

I was sure glad I wore my step-ins today I took my new grandson to his pediatrician visit this morning and when we got back home, my granddaughter Kerra said, nana I can see your underwear!! I said what??? My very favorite pair of worn our Levi's had developed a rip at the back pocket haha. Imagine my embarrassment if I had not put on my step-ins and Kerra said ...Na Na I can see your butt cheek

Ps.. Step-ins old mountain term for underwear

[P-Nut Mom]

Originally Posted by brezofleur

In Savannah, they say "yes Miss" to older woman and "yes ma'am" to the younger girls, lol.

Here in the Bay Area, we refer to San Francisco as "The City". We use a lot of 70s terms ("groovy") and surfer terms ("rad", "gnarly", "dude") and of course of a lot of "Valley Girl" ("Like", "so", "whatever").

"Hella" is also really popular ("hella gnarly", "hella cold", "hella sick", etc).

Duuuuude, we also use "cool" like a little too much, it's hella retro, yet never seems to go out of style. And going "over the hill" means we're going to the Santa Cruz area. Yesterday, I answered a text with "groovy" and a friend who lives in The City signed an email "dig it." And I do!