Foo - Favorite Regional Word?

Inspired by Serendippers quest to know his fellow Fooies better, do ya'll have a favorite regional word.

In Texas, we say "fixin" to mean getting ready to, as in, "I am fixin to go to the store", or "I am fixin to kick your @$$".

So Foovites, let's hear some of your favorite regional words.

Fixin is plumb boss, I tell you what. You know what I take high cotton for? Foam'n As in "that boy is fixin to get knee-walk'n, football bat, foaming drunk.

In Philadelphia, it has to be "y'uns", but I don't live in Philly. There isn't really a word that pops to mind for Harrisburg, but there is one grammatic habit that never fails to make the blood boil. People here think it is perfectly acceptable to say "my car needs fixed" or "my bike needs cleaned", instead of saying "my car needs to be fixed" or "my bike needs to be cleaned". Miraculously, I've yet to commit a felony in response to such blatant butchery of the mother tongue, but if I were a betting man, I wouldn't put any greenbacks down on my keeping a clean slate forever. A couple weeks ago, I heard my own daughter lapse, and I gave her a merciless verbal reprimand.

oh - and for the record, I consider myself a Foo-ster. :p

Mine is "going with". As in: "You're going to the store. Is anyone going with?", Instead of Is anyone going with YOU?

Again, being raised in a black neighborhood, our word was "finna" an alternative of "fixin".

Upon leaving after visiting someone, we would say "I finna go". Now it had evolved to "Ima"'. So now it would be "Ima go".

Of course we don't talk like that all of the time. It mysteriously shows up only when I visit the ol' 'hood.

Again, being raised in a black neighborhood, our word was "finna" an alternative of "fixin".

Upon leaving after visiting someone, we would say "I finna go". Now it had evolved to "Ima"'. So now it would be "Ima go".

Of course we don't talk like that all of the time. It mysteriously shows up only when I visit the ol' 'hood.
Ever come across the use of "liela". As in, Q:"you going to the store>?" A: "I liela"

Fixin is plumb boss, I tell you what. You know what I take high cotton for? Foam'n As in "that boy is fixin to get knee-walk'n, football bat, foaming drunk.Football bat is the only part i don't understand.

Having had to read it twice, my thoughts are... You'd have to be pretty drunk to take a bat to play football.

Instead of saying how's it going, I say howsit? not sure why. I also say bro and bra, basically the same word.

What kinda hillbilly joints are yooz from that you can't speak English right?

Instead of saying how's it going, I say howsit? not sure why. I also say bro and bra, basically the same word.


ummm Pheard? I don't know how many women would put a bro on their chest.


Oh man. I just realized I call you my bro. oh gross. ew.

ummm Pheard? I don't know how many women would put a bro on their chest.


Oh man. I just realized I call you my bro. oh gross. ew.
Give me a call if you want help with reading comprehension.:fight:

I'm bringing "wicked" to Buffalo. And stellar. Sometimes tubular. But then I feel like a ninja turtle.

from Wisconsin

biler-small kids high energy

bubbler-drinking fountain

POP-soda-coke

Down South I like hearing about all the Red light still don't know why so many were green when I got to them.

hoagie

no, "fixin" is what you put on a hot dog, hamburger, or use for sides with an entree.

In Philadelphia, it has to be "y'uns", but I don't live in Philly.

Ahem. Yunz is a Pittsburgh word.

I'm going to have to go with 'slippy' for Pittsburgh, mostly because I went through a great deal of education before I learned it wasn't a word.

I am often amused when I here people from certain neighborhoods Detroit say "ax" instead of "asked". Or "why come" instead of "how come". In the UP, they say things to the extent of "we Uper's don't use da best grammer ya know" which I find equally entertaining.

Mine is "going with". As in: "You're going to the store. Is anyone going with?", Instead of Is anyone going with YOU?

Damn, I hate that! Is it really THAT hard to say the "you" on the end of there???


I'm bringing "wicked" to Buffalo

I think "wicked" is a Maine term, or New England... everything up here is "wicked good", "wicked bad" or just "wicked" (could mean either). Ever since I was little - and that was quite a while ago - wicked was something you heard up in Maine but if you went elsewhere and said it you got some really strange looks.

Also, the ever popular, Ayuh. Can be agreement, can be acknowledgement, can be I understand, can be I sympathize. Ayuh... a multi-funtional word.

Ahem. Yunz is a Pittsburgh word.
At right, in Philly, it's youse

Here in Chico, and I guess many of the other agricultural areas of Northern California, they grow what they call "ahh-monds". The farmers feel they have a right to call them this, even though the rest of the english speaking world calls them almonds, because they grow the majority of the world's crop here. I find this strange. When asked why (and even if you don't ask why :rolleyes:), they will tell you it's because you have to shake the 'ell out of 'em to get them out of the trees.:o

I like the use of the word "swank" for something one thinks is above par. I believe "hella" came from Nor Cal, as in "hella cool". Also, we have the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company here, and we call Pale Ale "Paleys".

Some words/phrases used around here that might be furrin to some.


Pickup = truck

Pop= soda

In college: Got a jag on = drunk.

Treed= hooked up.

Stubble = cut wheat, milo or corn field.

I'm going to have to go with "Aight"......short for "All Right?".

I don't really use it much myself, but hear it often enough.

I like "wicked" and "heinous", as I hear many Yankees saying, and I use "fixin' to" and "over yonder" as well. I have also sung Alabama songs karaoke whilst drunk.

Despite the movie GWTW southerners don't really use the word "varmint." :D

I like May Two-Four as Ontario shorthand for the Victoria Day weekend, which falls around the 24th of May. Two-Four also means a case of twenty-four beers. May 2-4 thus nicely describes both the date and standard activity of the Victoria Day holiday.

Wot = What

Wot, you like beef? (lets fight)
Wot, I owe you money? (why the hell are you looking at me)
Wot, you like go eat? (I'm hungry)
Wot, the waves too big, you cannot handle? (ha, ha, you're a wimp)
Wot, granny gear? (ha, ha, you're a wimp)
Wot, false-crack? (I'll sucker punch you/him)
Wot, wot, wot... (yes, we are going to fight)
Wot, can or wot? (will you do it or not?)

Like, everything's just sooo politically correct here, ya know?

In Texas I learned to say 'kin ah hep u?' and 'y'all'; In NYC, 'youse guys' and 'ain't'.

Dude - Depending on the inflection of your voice, it can take on many meanings. :)

When I got to college, I noticed that the NorCal guys & girls would say "hella" a lot. "It's hella hot outside." Dead giveaway they weren't locals. :p

+1 on Dude. Wikipedia has an article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dude) explaining some of the uses, but I've seen much longer lists before.

Fortunately it's not down here, but "hella"

"That's hella good"

This word is fine as being humorous, but stop using it all the freaking time....when I hear someone go on a hella-fest, in the same manner as the people that use like 50 thousand times in a row...it makes me want to see if I could pimpslap someone so fast that my hand emits a sonic boom.

Southern: Anything stretching a one syllable word to two or more syllables for emphasis, i.e. Day-yum! (Damn).

My favorite southern expression comes from my father's side (Ala-GA). They always used "hear" as an affirmative. As in: "I'm fixin' ta go to tha' store, hear?" Instead of "I'm about to go to the store, okay?"

"Hear" can be so romantic if used properly, as with all southern dialects. Ghetto/Trailerspeak irks me though. ("Irk" is southern for "vexes" or "gets on my nerves".)


Northern: Picked this up from my best friends in elementary( Boston Italians). Wa-tah (water).

I still say wa-tah to this day.:D

Miami speak:"Choice" meaning the best. Usage: "Dude, that Hosoi re-issue is choice!" Translation: Man, that skateboard is awesome!"

I say "hella" a lot too. Lots of NorCal buds have rubbed off on me, I guess.

In Bedford UK any male is referred to as an Old Boy, unless they are under 10 years old in which case they are a Young Old Boy.

One of my favourites though, when referring to you gf /wife, is to call her your 'Doris' regardless of her real name.

In Bedford UK any male is referred to as an Old Boy, unless they are under 10 years old in which case they are a Young Old Boy.

One of my favourites though, when referring to you gf /wife, is to call her your 'Doris' regardless of her real name.
I wonder if that's a UK thing in general. One of my best friends is from (and lives in) Leeds and I've heard him say that a lot too.

My favorite southern expression comes from my father's side (Ala-GA). They always used "hear" as an affirmative. As in: "I'm fixin' ta go to tha' store, hear?" Instead of "I'm about to go to the store, okay?"
I think you mean "here" which indicates location, not "hear" which indicates auditory response in the ears.

I think you mean "here" which indicates location, not "hear" which indicates auditory response in the ears.
Actually, he does mean hear, as in auditory...ya he-uh! I lived in the Hills of TN for about 15 years and TN and N Ga southern and Alabaman is different from the Tampa Bay area as far as southern speech goes. Tampa has the Greek and Midwestern Snowbird influence.

Actually, he does mean hear, as in auditory...ya he-uh! I lived in the Hills of TN for about 15 years and TN and N Ga southern and Alabaman is different from the Tampa Bay area as far as southern speech goes. Tampa has the Greek and Midwestern Snowbird influence.
OK....then its doubly weird!

Y'all come back now, heah!

I remember some places in England when I was there used "mate" like nobody's business. Almost every word was postfixed with "mate".

If I asked for directions:

OK, mate, it's like this mate.
Go down this street behind here, right, mate?
Then turn at the street with the green sign, mate.
Go down until you see the bright blue gas station, right mate?
It's just behind there, mate.

Friend of mine from Liverpool came here and couldn't understand why he got slapped for asking a girl her address so he could come by an "Knock her up"! (Means knock on the door for the nonLiverpudlian speakers)http://www.yatoula.com/gif/smiley_2/smiley_853.gif

Edited to correct spelling, I gotta proofread better before I post!

I think "wicked" is a Maine term, or New England... everything up here is "wicked good", "wicked bad" or just "wicked" (could mean either). Ever since I was little - and that was quite a while ago - wicked was something you heard up in Maine but if you went elsewhere and said it you got some really strange looks.

Also, the ever popular, Ayuh. Can be agreement, can be acknowledgement, can be I understand, can be I sympathize. Ayuh... a multi-funtional word.

Wicked is definitely New England. Especially Boston, where it's wicked pissah if you want extra emphasis!

My own personal favorites have got to be Cockney:


Allo me old china - wot say we pop round the Jack. I'll stand you a pig and you can rabbit on about your teapots. We can ave some loop and tommy and be off before the dickory hits twelve.

And Geordie:


And up wi' Geordie, Kirrn milk Geordie,
He has drucken the maltman's ale,
But he'll be nicket ahint the wicket,
And tugget ahint his grey mare's tail.

Friend of mine from Liverpool came here and couldn't understand why he got slapped for asking a girl her address so he could come by an "Knock her up"!

So did they end up snogging?

Ahmo: I am going to, or I am fixin to do something. Used in a sentence. If ya'll don't stop, ahmo hafta kick your @$$!

Well, my favorite, and one I use, has got to be "ammana" as in Ammana fixin' to go to the stower instead of I'm about to go to the store. However, a close second is "might could" and "useta could". As in "What you might could do..." instead of "What you might be able to bo..." and "I useta could surf" instead of "I used to be able to surf". And I use them all.

In college, a friend of mine was from Pennsultucky. I was visiting, and when I got there, his mother asked me, "Jeet jet?"

It took me a while to realize she was trying to say, "Did you eat yet?"

Later on, I learned that "Garn t-thwarsh" meant they were "going to the wash" aka the local swimming hole.

Actually, they wound up married!http://dune.servint.com/uploads/f_eyebrows.gif

I like chillin's too... when I come downstairs in the morning and all the rattie kids are at their cage doors I ask them How's my little chillin's doin'?

Around here, we don't drink soda, we drink pop. I think they say the same thing in Illinois.