[Jeff]

In parallel to the "Grammar Pet Peeves" thread, please list your favorite, or the most annoying, local idioms.

Let me start off with a few of my personal Texas favorites.

* When one has an attack of hives, the resulting rash is often described as whelps: "Look at this; I've got whelps all over my arms."

* When one is exhausted: "I had a long day and I'm real tarred."

* When one has traveled a significant distance: "I come a fur piece."

* When describing a person who boasts: "He's all hat and no cattle."

* When something may be possible in the future: "I might could do that for y'all."

* When rainfall is imminent: "It's fixin' ta come a toad choker."

TEST: Can any of y'all damnyankees define an all patch?

Edit: Not to be outdone by Leslie's Maine signature...

 

[Leslie]

Some of my Maine favorites:

He's good with his hands, but numb as a hake.

You can't get there from here.

He drives me wicked up the wall.

I only drink when I'm alone or with somebody.

If you don't like the weather, wait a minute.

There are two seasons in Maine: winter and July.

There are only two things to do in Maine, f*** and fish, and in the winter, there ain't a whole lot of fishing going on.

 

[mom133d (aka Liz)]

When we lived near Gettysburg, folks there would always say "its all". My sister and I finally figured out that they meant "its all gone". Why couldn't they just say that?!

 

[Angela]

In parallel to the "Grammar Pet Peeves" thread, please list your favorite, or the most annoying, local idioms.

Let me start off with a few of my personal Texas favorites.

* When one has an attack of hives, the resulting rash is often described as whelps: "Look at this; I've got whelps all over my arms."

* When one is exhausted: "I had a long day and I'm real tarred."

* When one has traveled a significant distance: "I come a fur piece."

* When describing a person who boasts: "He's all hat and no cattle."

* When something may be possible in the future: "I might could do that for y'all."

* When rainfall is imminent: "It's fixin' ta come a toad choker."

TEST: Can any of y'all damnyankees define an all patch?

Edit: Not to be outdone by Leslie's Maine signature...

Woo Hoo Jeff! I am livin in tha middel of a all patch an woke up purdy tared this marnin! lol

 

[Jeff]

Woo Hoo Jeff! I am livin in tha middel of a all patch an woke up purdy tared this marnin! lol

I've missed you, Angela.

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

There are two seasons in Maine: winter and July.

There are only two things to do in Maine, f*** and fish, and in the winter, there ain't a whole lot of fishing going on.

A lot like Hibbing, MN except that they say:

We have winter and the 4th of July (we were there one year and they had to postpone the 4th of July parade for a week since it was too cold on the 4th.)

and they have ice fishing in Minnesota in the winter. Watch Grumpy Old Men for the definitive ice fishing scenes. Maine needs more lakes.

In San Diego, they say "the" before the highway name: "Did you take the 5?" (Interstate 5) and call accidents crashes on the news. "There's a crash on the 805."

In the Washington, DC area, most people are from somewhere else so there aren't a lot of DC colloquialisms. My dad was from the Pittsburgh area (Go Steelers), and his mother would say "reach me the pepper" and "put out the light."

Betsy

 

[Angela]

I've missed you, Angela.

Thanks, Jeff... I have missed you, too! Had a few rough weeks with computer trouble, out of town trips, allergies/cold/flu and a death in the family. I am feeling much better and looking forward to getting back into a more normal routine.

 

[Leslie]

In the Washington, DC area, most people are from somewhere else so there aren't a lot of DC colloquialisms. My dad was from the Pittsburgh area (Go Steelers), and his mother would say "reach me the pepper" and "put out the light."

Betsy

I put out the light. What you do you do with it? LOL. Turn it off, I suppose. Here in Maine, many folks "close the light." Those are the same folks who "front up the car" (pull into a parking space).

If you don't want to give yourself away as "being from away" (or worse, being a flatlander), when you go to Ken's Place, make sure to order your fried clams in crumbs and ask for the homemade tartar sauce.

Speaking of interstates, a few years ago they changed all the exit numbers on the Maine Turnpike to reflect the mile of the exit. Trouble is, we Mainers are having a hard time learning the newfangled numbers and still give directions with the old numbers ("When you get close to Portland, take exit 7 to 295") which is very hard on the flatlanders, since exit 7 is now way back in York somewhere and the old exit 7 is now 40-something (I don't know the exact number. LOL).

L

 

[Angela]

We turn off the lights in East Texas and we get "in the bed" and tell the kids to get "out of the floor."

Some of our local speak is generational:

My car has a trunk, but my mom's car has a turtle-hull.

My kitchen has a fridge, my mom's has an ice box.

I use a cart at Wal-Mart, she uses a buggy.

 

[paisley]

The first thing that comes to mind:

Being from the DC area, we rarely use the word "Washington." It's the district, DC, or quite simply downtown for us. If I hear the word "Washington" I think of two things: Seattle and tourists visiting DC. LOL

 

[Gables Girl]

Here in Florida we have Snowbird Season, Hurricane Season and Tourist Season.  Some of them overlap.

 

[tlshaw]

I have lived all my life in Virginia and North Carolina. When visiting someone, my dad, when preparing to leave says "Y'all come on and go with us." instead of goodbye. My grandfather and uncles used to say the same thing.

 

[Angela]

I have lived all my life in Virginia and North Carolina. When visiting someone, my dad, when preparing to leave says "Y'all come on and go with us." instead of goodbye. My grandfather and uncles used to say the same thing.

My grandad used to say the same thing!

 

[chobitz]

I am confused mess of northern and southern.

To turn of the light I say I "hit the light" (philly)
If I am talking to a bunch of people I might say "ya'll"(southern) or "you guys"(philly)

My inlaws are full blooded cajuns so I have slowly added some french. Sometimes if I describe something small I have said 'le petite' whatever. I caught myself calling a young niece "fille douce"(sweet girl). Now I do not speak much french what I picked up is from the inlaws.

 

[sandypeach]

Down here in the south, when we get on an elevator, we either punch or mash the button for our floor, we never press it.

 

[tlshaw]

My grandad used to say the same thing!

That is interesting. Where are you from?

 

[Malibama]

I grew up (in Los Angeles) eating Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

I've learned (spending much of my time at our ranch in lower Alabama [the other LA] over the past few years) that many call the three meals Breakfast, Dinner (Lunch) and Supper (Dinner.) Took a while to learn that people were inviting me over in the middle of the day for dinner!

I'm sure I'll think of more examples...

 

[Angela]

I am confused mess of northern and southern.

To turn of the light I say I "hit the light" (philly)
If I am talking to a bunch of people I might say "ya'll"(southern) or "you guys"(philly)

My inlaws are full blooded cajuns so I have slowly added some french. Sometimes if I describe something small I have said 'le petite' whatever. I caught myself calling a young niece "fille douce"(sweet girl). Now I do not speak much french what I picked up is from the inlaws.

I'm a bit like you... I had cousin from Nebraska that got me saying "you guys" and they started saying "y'all" and my grandad was a cajun and altough I never quite picked it up, my bother uses "dis" (this), "dat (that) and "dos" (those). Papa couldn't even pronounce my name and instead of Angie it always sounded more like Aundy.

 

[Angela]

That is interesting. Where are you from?

His family came to Texas from Kentucky when he was a baby, and of Irish decent.

 

[KimmyA]

I'm in South Carolina. I've heard people say 'pull the door to' which means close it.

I'm also familiar with the 'y'all come and go with us'.

Did y'all see the episode of American Idol where the guy said 'be careful'? We do that a lot here. Usually we'll say be careful on your trip, be careful going home, etc.