Regionalism's

[AmyO]

Let's see: tonic, frappe, wicked pissa, barrel, bubbler, packie, jimmies, dungarees...
Oh and calling everything by some abbreviation that was thought of 200 years ago.

These words are dying out. Nobody I know has a Boston accent and none of my friends use these words. Once in awhile I slip one in to confuse my husband.

I tried in vain to make my kids call a Coke "tonic". I won't give up, though.

I have a "bad" Boston accent, but my kids don't. I agree that most of these things are getting lost.

Interesting show from WBUR's "Radio Boston" about the accents in eastern Mass....http://www.radioboston.org/index.php...-accent-2.html

[tc1]

You wait in line. On line applies to computers only.
Get a Starbucks means get a coffee.
The freeways are, for example, I-5, or 5 if you are really lazy. NEVER "the 5".
Microsoft is the evil empire.
I'm trying to remember all the ones that stumped my friend from Iowa, but my mind is fried after 26 miles on the bike and 2 hours of yardwork.

[KnottedYet]

Get a Starbucks means get a coffee.

I grew up here and remember when Starbucks was one little herb and tea shop (no coffee) at Pike Place. I usually say "get some coffee."

(maybe cuz "a" coffee is never enough? )

ETA: I sort of view Starbucks as the evil empire... they have bought out so many other coffee companies, they own their competition! Seattlite trivia: who remembers what SBC stood for BEFORE its name was changed to Seattle's Best Coffee? I'll give you a hint: their logo was a cat.)

[OakLeaf]

You wait in line. On line applies to computers only.
The freeways are, for example, I-5, or 5 if you are really lazy. NEVER "the 5".

That's funny, because I think of your versions as standard, and the variations as regionalisms.

"On line" to mean what you're standing in - my DH is the only person I've ever heard that from, and I've lived on both coasts, the Great Plains, the Great Lakes and Appalachia. He's mostly NJ with a little AZ. I suspect AZ, since I've known several people from NJ who stand "in line."

"The 5," exclusively California.

Am I wrong?


ETA: we don't get "some" or "a" coffee, we just "get [or go for] coffee"

[Becky]

Let's see...

"Y'all" is actually pretty popular here, especially as you head south. Delaware has a split personality. We get a lot of Philly influence, but there's parts of the state that are most definitely deep south.

"On line", e.g., "I'm on line at the grocery store- be home soon" is something that I picked up from my hubby, who's from northern NJ. I think it's a NJ/NY thing, 'cuz our friends in southern NJ don't use it.

Darn...there's got to be others.....I'll post if I think of them.

[crazycanuck]

R U N O F T ??? Can you explain that one?

[Tuckervill]

It's from the movie "O Brother, Where Art Though?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1C2gCXo4Gs

It's based on the epic "The Odyssey".

My ex-husband looks just like Delmar. It's my favorite movie, too, in spite of that little fact!

(R U N N O F T -- that's how you spell "She done run off!")

Karen

[divingbiker]

When I lived in North Carolina, people would always say "might could," as in "Would you fix the sink?" "I might could do that."

Fixin' as in "I'm fixin' to go to town" was a big one also.