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ShadeTreeMechanic512@reddit

If you say to someone "The stars at night are big and bright" and that person claps four times in rapid succession, you will know they are from Texas.

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Malarkay79@reddit

We learned that song in elementary school here in California in the 80s, and it just hit me right now that that's a bit odd.

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Yeah, I think the linguistic term is "intensifier". (Which I guess is a type of adverb usage.) It's synonymous with "very". "Wicked pissah" is the only adjectival example I can think of. Exception that proves the rule I guess.

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peppaappletea@reddit

Maybe the usage is generational. Growing up before anything was "awesome," we used to say, "That's wicked!" as well as, "wicked pissah."

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cosmicloafer@reddit

Wicked means very. They got a very sale down at the packy?

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Grandemestizo@reddit

I grew up using it both as an adverb and as an adjective. See, for example a wicked storm or a wicked migraine. See number 4.

Manhattan is both an island, and a borough of NYC. As a borough It has human defined borders to be within, so both “in” and “on” are correct, with some being arguably more correct depending on context.

^ This. Actually, now that I think about it, I’ve never heard anyone say “on Staten Island” either… I’ve always said “in Staten Island” (driving through it obviously because no one really hangs out there lol).

I think the “on” literally only applies to Long Island 😂

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Puzzleheaded-Bee4698@reddit

I lived on Long Island for 18 years, 6 in Queens County and 12 in Nassau County. I lived on Staten Island for 6 years, in Richmond County. Then we moved to Wisconsin; 35 years on Doty Island in the City of Neenah.

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Rolandium@reddit

That's exactly my point. We say "in Long Island".

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runfayfun@reddit

But you're not also on Manhattan

On typically only applies to geographic features, not political regions

on Manhattan Island, but in Manhattan (the borough)
on Block Island, but in Rhode Island

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SillyKniggit@reddit

That’s not true. My wife is from Jersey and her mother is from Brooklyn. They both say “on line”.

It’s mildly annoying.

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AwkoTaco76@reddit

I dated a guy from Boston, when I said water fountain he said " you mean a bubbla? A water fountain is what birds shit in"

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flootytootybri@reddit

He’s right lol, water fountains are for throwing coins into

A long those same lines I found that people I Milwaukee call ATMs where you get cash .

Those are tyme machines.

It's an acronym. Take Your Money Everywhere (TYME). They were one of the first networks that let you withdraw from more than your own bank.

"Bubbler" and "wicked" are present throughout New England.

I moved to mass and it took me a year to figure out what a bubbler is.

Also jimmys

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CrazyGround4501@reddit

Wisconsin also says bubbla?! I feel such a strong kinship, kid!

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Im_Not_Nick_Fisher@reddit

Some other comments mentioned also having the same bubbler branded drinking fountains in Oregon. But they don’t seem to call them a bubbler.

C4bl3Fl4m3@reddit

No mention of sweeper? :( How about "doll baby"? Or toboggan cap?

I'm 42, never lived in Pittsburgh (but my parents are from Washington County originally) (I grew up in South Central PA, which is why I say soda instead of pop!) and I say redd up for tidy up, sweeper for vacuum, gumband for rubber band and "the car needs washed" (instead of "the car needs to be washed" or "the car needs washing") And I DEFINITELY say slippy!

I know jagger bush but don't really have much occasion to say it.

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Alone_West1280@reddit

British here and we tend to say things like ‘the car needs washed/washing’ ‘I need to go shop’ instead of ‘I need to go to the shop/need to go shopping’

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Nonenotonemaybe2@reddit

I always knew jaggoff to be Chicago slang. Source: grew up on the south side of Chicago. Still live in Chicago and only natives ever use it.

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mlbugg9@reddit

Same. I grew up in the Chicago burbs and definitely used that word.

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Snickrrs@reddit

I’ve heard of some other Pittsburgh/Chicago dialect cross over. A lot of Pittsburghese originated from Scots-Irish dialect (including the term jaggoff).

This. As a Pittsburgher, no matter where I go, people immediately know.

Whoah. Verga is dick, cabrón in other places is fighting words. I know it’s not for Mexicans and they use it every other word.

Stuff like this changes with each country/ region.

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brianwski@reddit

"cabrone" ... she laughed very hard who then explained it's slang for "friend" which I get the sense is not the full explanation)

Cabrón is subtle, and it matters voice inflection and context. In other words, white people like me should stay ENTIRELY away from ever saying it.

It can mean "friend" in a familiar way. It can also mean "dumbass" or "you bastard" or "dude" or "that's awesome". The tone and familiarity with the person you are talking with matters. Like you might say to your best friend, "DUDE, you just saved my life!" Or you might say to a total stranger, "Dude, do you know where the bus station is?" or alternatively, "Dude, that's not cool."

I will never say "Cabrón" other than to discuss the etymology of the word.

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nosnevenaes@reddit

my wife and her family are all from jalisco. i am from LA. that word is casual here in so cal.

i cannot say it at home.

but when we go with her family everybody says it.

TheBimpo@reddit

A Michigander can be identified by asking where they’re from. They’ll use their left index finger to point at their right palm. There’s only 300,000 Yoopers and they’re as elusive as a Sasquatch, you’ll never meet one.

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klydsp@reddit

West Virginia too, but they use their hand with the middle finger up and point to where their from.

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queenlitotes@reddit

I wish everyone could experience the joy of being from a "hand state."

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TheBimpo@reddit

wtf

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DoinIt989@reddit

"Doorwall" (sliding glass door)

"Party store" (liquor store)

Instant giveaway that someone is from Michigan.

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Deinococcaceae@reddit

Devil’s Night is even more hyper specific, I don’t know that I’ve ever heard it from people not from metro Detroit.

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DoinIt989@reddit

They called it that in mid-Michigan when I was growing up, and Saginaw/Flint had similar "festivities" going on in the 90s/2000s.

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just_momento_mori_@reddit

Wow, I've never heard of doorwall and I wouldn't have guessed what it was.

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TheUnspeakableh@reddit

Da Turdy Point Buck? Nah, Chiquitos took it and flew it away. I found an antler in Shelter Bag.

My Swedish Compass has been no help in finding the rest.

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lilangelleftbehind@reddit

r/redditsings

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Calm-Rip-8570@reddit

I will have you know we got a deer last year…. By accident totaled Dan’s truck though

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I know about two dozen yoopers but only five people from mainland Michigan.

From CA, but currently in WA

I've always said 30-rack

Also, car tabs rather than tags. When I left WA state, I actually questioned whether we called them "tags" all along, and I'd just remembered/heard "tabs."

But nope, the WA DMV calls them "tabs".

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Marcudemus@reddit

Throws gauntlet to the ground after a moment of shock

I challenge thy claim to Midwesternness, sir/madam!

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starjammer69@reddit

It is odd, isn’t it. I’m not sure Indiana has ever been on Pop side of the debate. Most people I know just say soda or most often Coke, regardless of what brand/flavor referred too.

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Marcudemus@reddit

In Indiana?! 😮 The northern edge of Indiana seems to say pop or simply the name of whatever specific soft drink.

pjh3120@reddit

I have always said "coke" for any soft drinks.... Southern Indiana

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ruat_caelum@reddit

And then the Northern goes home and is like, "These southern people are sort of slow. Let me tell you about this conversation I had where they offered me something and then got mad when I accepted."

And the southern gossips after their norther friend has left, "Let me tell you are stupid these northerners are."

But just to be fair, if you fly in from [Outside the US] things make much more sense in the north than the south.

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TrickyShare242@reddit

I've lived across the south and it's a spotty one for coke as a generic term but I've heard it a few times.

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GeauxCup@reddit

I always see this listed, but I've never experienced this IRL. (And I've lived all across the south). Is it more of a rural thing? Maybe a specific state? (I've only lived in urban areas)

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Jen_the_Green@reddit

In my experience, it's more rural, generally. My family in Arkansas and TN live in the middle of nowhere and this is common. It was common in Atlanta, too, which makes sense since that's Coke's birthplace. In my experience, it's less common in North Carolina, Virginia, and Texas.

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DelRayTrogdor@reddit

You’re mixing up two things. In parts of the South, “Coke” can be a catch all for all soda. I’ll have a Coke. What kind? Sprite.

I've never once called a 'beanie' a toboggan or heard or anyone saying that, but maybe I haven't lived deep enough in the 'deep south' parts of Georgia.

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Curmudgy@reddit

These are beanies

This shows a kid wearing a beanie.

This shows a kid wearing a different type of beanie.

This is a ski hat.

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tlonreddit@reddit

A good chunk of your population is from Austin, Houston, Dallas, FTW, El Paso, San Antonio, Lubbock, etc., and a good chunk of those cities population is not from Texas, but moved there from New York, California, Illinois, etc.

Geographically, y'all are Southern. From a southeasterner's perspective, y'all are southwestern, akin to New Mexico.

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jephph_@reddit

I put a few factors into my thinking machine and it reported back this:

North Carolina is squarely Southern.. Some of Kentucky is.. and only a portion of Texas is the South

https://imgur.com/a/ptRZBZG

Devil strip for that bit of grass between the sidewalk and the road is an Akron thing.

Because it isn’t yours, but the city makes you mow it, so the devil can take it.

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KSamIAm79@reddit

Ugh I feel this in my core abs I’m not even from there. It’s definitely a devil strip

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KeyCold7216@reddit

Wait, what? I live in central ohio and always thought that was just a term everyone used. TIL

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Few_Recover_6622@reddit

Central Ohio and I'd never heard this until I saw it online.

vineblinds@reddit

Who pronounces it pee con

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SnarkingOverNarcing@reddit

I do, it’s how I’m used to hearing it (NorCal). Puh-cawn sounds stuffy, like I mentally read it in Thurston Howell III’s voice, then pee-can sounds like Larry the Cable Guy

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ashleton@reddit

In the southeast US you say "puh-cawn" or "puh-cahn," but most other places say "pee-can."

I say both.

Pee-can pie

sonofabutch@reddit

Peekin’

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Curmudgy@reddit

You better pronounce pecan correct in Texas.

Are there any places left where they’d still say correctly for this?

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dancingbanana123@reddit

thems fightin words

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yugohotty@reddit

In New Jersey we go “down the shore” instead of going to the beach.

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EloquentBacon@reddit

Not true for everyone. “Down the shore” is a term that Bennys use. Also used by people who may live near the beach now but used to be Bennys or whose family were Bennys in the past. People who live right there go to the beach not the shore.

I’ve always lived in Central Jersey in eastern Monmouth County within walking distance of the beach. We have always said that we’re going to the beach, never the shore. Not just my family but all of my friends and everyone who lives in this area. When I hear someone refer to the area with sand and water as “the shore”, I immediately know they’re not a local.

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zackh122@reddit

Grew up in Ocean County and always said we’re going to the beach. I always attributed people who said down the shore with New Jerseyans that don’t live near the beach.

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SolidStart@reddit

Yeah the area is the Shore. I bet you would say you live "Down the Shore" right?

I think the breakdown is pretty easy:

User	Getting to the Coastal Area	Going to the sand on the Coastal Area
NJ	Going down the shore (to NJ Coast specifically)	Going to the Beach
Non-NJ	Going to the Beach	Going to the Beach

YouCannotBeSerius@reddit

since when is TN not the deep south? i mean maybe technically geographically, but culturally, i've never met anyone from TN that's any less southern than the avg Georgian, or Alabaman, or SC etc

i feel like sneakers has entered the lexicon for most americans now because of how popular 'sneakerhead' culture is.

I say tennis shoes (quickly, all as one word) for what would be gym shoes (think new balance dad shoes) and I say sneakers specifically for things like Nike Dunks. But I still might call them tennis shoes (tennashoes).

I’d only call them gym shoes if they are, literally and specifically, the shoes I wear to the gym.

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WheezyGonzalez@reddit

That’s it. I call each shoe by its purpose (running shoe, gym shoe, beach shoe, etc). I’m clearly just out of touch 😂

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needsmorequeso@reddit

In Texas, at least a generation or two ahead of me, it was even “Tennies,” instead of “tennis shoes.”

Geminipureheart-57@reddit

Jeezum crow!

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SuperShineeCoinToss7@reddit

In Hawaii, we use “da kine” for something we can’t think of the word for:

“Eh, you brought da kine?” = “did you bring the whatchamacallit?”

Yeah, it was called Da Kine Bail Bonds. It closed back in 2019.

Can tell even without, just from the pidgin accent.

If I see someone wearing slippahs, I usually slip into the accent (but still in English) to check.

If they respond with the same cadence, I drop into full pidgin; stay mo garens fo spok weah dey stay from.

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Nostalgic_shameboner@reddit

Oooh, I like this one. How exactly is kine pronounced?

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picturesofponies@reddit

This is remarkably educational. Thanks

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aaa_im_dying@reddit

I did not grow up in Hawaii, but was born there and my parents lived there for long enough that da kine came home with us! It’s always just been normal to hear, but it’s sad I’ve never heard anyone else say it since it’s such a fabulous phrase.

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If you look at online ads in Utah, a bunch of them will say "for sell." We're not dumb (well, at least 40% of us aren't), that's just how we say "sale" lol. My non-Utahn partner also makes fun of me for how I say "melk" and "pellow."

What's also funny to me is that if you ask a Utahn what their accent is, the one thing they're guaranteed to say is that they don't say their T's (mou'ain). Which, not only is that pretty universally American, Utahns also insert a bunch of T's where they don't even go! The current leader of the Mormon Church is President "Neltson," you eat chips with "saltsa," you "cantcelled" your appointment because you came "acrosst" some new information. It's like everywhere there should be a T there isn't, and everywhere there shouldn't be one there is.

(And yes I know I do that too, it drives me nuts though.)

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Brilliant_Host_8564@reddit

I've also noticed that we Utahns tend to not have /ŋ/ when saying "-ing" verbs. There's either extra emphasis/aspiration on the "g" ("shopping" becomes something like "shoppinguh") or just drop it entirely ("shopping" becomes "shoppin")

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lateintake@reddit

More Utah pronunciations: picture becomes pitcher, north becomes narth.

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Sarcastic_Rocket@reddit

In my area another one was using 'was' instead of 'were' and other grammar issues.

Normally it's: We were doing yard work

It's: we was doin' yard work

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JGS747-@reddit

I’ve always attributed that to the South (especially AAVE) didn’t expect this to be in Utah

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Pit-Smoker@reddit

San you do that George Carlin style? Lol

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Sarcastic_Rocket@reddit

San

Who?

George Carlin style?

What's that

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UnihornWhale@reddit

My personal favorite is ‘Mother Faulkner’ having read William Faulkner in college

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JuniorEnvironment850@reddit

Cheese and rice!

That's one I picked up from LDS friends in school.

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_meshy@reddit

Gosh darn it.

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SilverStL@reddit

Dag nab it

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Frick is only used to replace fuck as an expletive. "Holy Fuck" becomes "Holy Frick" or just saying frick if you got into a fender bender or something instead of just saying fuckfuckfuck.

There's enough tongue and cheek phrases for sex they just use that. Although I will say, the Mormon influence is so strong in some places that even non Mormons don't have sex. The captain of the football team wasn't Mormon, he kinda had a frat personality to him and even he didn't have sex until college, the most he ever did was get a BJ from some of the cheerleaders/drill team. I wish I could say people said "I fricked this girl" but nobody I knew was fricking anyone.

However I will add I was before the time of soaking (look it up on urban dictionary if you don't know) and the thing was durfing, which was a slang term for dry humping while you're making out.

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YouCannotBeSerius@reddit

haha oh man, i love when people bring up soaking. it's hilarious when people are soooo religious that they think they can trick 'god'

"it's all a big misunderstanding, we didn't technically have sex, we were horsing around with my roommate and i ended up inside her"

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Sarcastic_Rocket@reddit

Yeah I wasn't in the church, nor Utah when that came to be popular. From what I understand from friends still in Utah its more of a meme than something people actually do and think they get past it. I bet some do, but not near as many as you'd think.

If they wanna break the rules, they break the rules, if they don't wanna break the rules, then they don't, 99% of the time

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luminousoblique@reddit

I spent a summer in Utah working and it was quite an experience..They are very serious about not taking the Lord's name in vain. In most of the US, "oh my god" is pretty mild...but not in Utah. It's the only place I've ever heard "Oh my heck!" And if they were really worked up, you might hear, Well, my Hell!"

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Substantial-Fish-652@reddit

“Oh my word”

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cool_chrissie@reddit

I associate that with Minnesotans as well

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Sarcastic_Rocket@reddit

Why?

Oof as a DMV native I was scrolling for my people and that analogy was wildly unexpectedly and it hit me. Thank you good person!

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not_mallory@reddit

As a lifelong Tennessean, I always forget that we have this backwards but I can’t wrap my mind around “caring” to do a chore, favor, etc. meaning that you want to do it.

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throwawtphone@reddit

Y'all could just say

Sure. Yes. Ok.

Person A: "Can you hand me that thingamajig?" PErson B: "Yes." Person A: "Thank you"

It is shorter and less confusing to the non-locals.

Calling a drinking fountain a bubbler.

There are two parts of the US that do that and they have very different accents/ways of speaking. Rhode Island/New England and Wisconsin (I believe).

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tlonreddit@reddit

It used to be that "y'all" and "ain't" were descriptors of someone from the South, but the rise of AAVE basically being Gen Z slang, and then spreading into the mainstream, has rendered that not true

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YouCannotBeSerius@reddit

which is pretty sweet for southerners. we've been mocked forever for saying ain't and y'all, but now its considered cool!

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oyukyfairy@reddit

As someone from California I grew up say "you guys" to both guys and girls. But then in college my friend became an RA was instructed to say "Y'all" since it's more gender neutral.

Also some of my girl friends have gotten mad at me before for saying "hey you guys" to them before because they're not guys.

obtusername@reddit

Lol I don’t really care one way or the other, ain’t can be in the dictionary for all I care, and yes, everyone knows what you mean.

But I would say it isn’t a normal, traditional “word”, it’s an inflection of “isn’t” and/or “aren’t” both of which are more proper.

I guess the idea here is that while you can use “ain’t” casually, it remains a joke to see it inscribed on anything in a professional setting.

EmmerdoesNOTrepme@reddit

Trying to explain to New Yorkers what "Uffda" means, the only thing I could think of to say was, "You know what 'Oy vey!' means, right?"

When they said, "Yes," i said, "Uffda is basically like 'Oy vey!' in Scandihoovian."

Drittslinger@reddit

If they offer you hotdish, tell them it tastes just like the one your grandma used to make for the Sons of Norway Saint Olaf Day picnic. You will be granted instant residency.

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velociraptorfarmer@reddit

"Here's your 16' 1980s Lund with a smokey old 2 stroke to help keep the mosquitos away and a case of Michelob Golden Light"

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EmmerdoesNOTrepme@reddit

Dont'cha mean your case of Grain Belt, Hamm's, or Miller High Life?

We might stretch over to Wisconsin for beer, if we're feelin' generous.

But I don't know a single adult who drank St. Louis beers on the regular, back when I was a kid--it was always Miller, Schmidt, Grain Belt, Hamm's, then once "fancy" beers came on the scene, it might be Summit or Leinies.😉

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velociraptorfarmer@reddit

Michelob Golden Light is the most popular beer in the state by a mile. Every bar has it on tap. Anheuser-Busch went on a massive campaign in the 80s to top Miller as the top selling beer in the state when they came out with MGL. You can hardly find it on tap outside of the state.

Hell, Michelob Golden Light is even the main sponsor for the Minnesota Wild.

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j_ly@reddit

Just make sure to reciprocate with your aunt Lena's lime jello, marshmallow salad.

We say ope in Ohio too

I think it's a Midwestern thing at this point

"Are you from Minnesota?"

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jb7823954@reddit

Also a Minnesotan and I consciously trained myself to say “bag, flag, rag, …” differently when I lived out of state for a while.

When people say Jawn. They’re from Philly.

do people in fla use the word freeway? i'm in ga, and everyone just says interstate or the number.

like you'd hear "hop on 75, then take 285 over to 85 and go north"

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anothera2@reddit

My 7 yo daughter & I were shopping at Target & she saw the Wicked merchandise & she looked at me quizzically & said “ But wicked what? wicked hungry? wicked cold? wicked excited?”

When someone says they’re going to a store, but put the word “the” in front of it, and add an S on end of the name of the store. “I’m going to the Belks”

That. Is. Fascinating.

I love it.

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Iuris_Aequalitatis@reddit

You can recognize a midwesterner easy, all it takes is a single ope.

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MAC_Zehn@reddit

'Please?' in lieu of 'I didn't hear you'....probably from Cincinnati.

Is this supposed to be Cincinnati? I don't know of anywhere else that does their chili with spaghetti, but I've never heard anyone call it that.

But maybe there are other weird chili towns!

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retardedpanda1@reddit

I went to Cincinnati a few months back. Mind you I'm from Virginia, so when I went to try the spaghetti I was staring at the menu long enough that the guy asked if I was from the area and I said "No."

Then he asked if I had ever had a three way before. I was like "Wait one damn minute, brother." because I thought homie and the cook were trying to get down and dirty with me, but I gave the menu a second glance and a three way is just spaghetti, chili, and cheese. Not a sweaty meat slapping bro-down with the restaurant staff.

The main dish is already odd enough, but they also gave me oyster crackers to eat with it.

The chili is... Unique... I didn't hate it but it was strange. 😂

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SnarkingOverNarcing@reddit

Chili and cheese on spaghetti sounds weird, and yet chilimac is so good

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runicrhymes@reddit

🤣🤣🤣

Zardozin@reddit

This isn’t true My car needs fixing or fix in’ My lawn needs mowing

What does the car need? To be fixed? A fixed interest rate? A fixed adhesive? ("Fixing" is a specific action in adhesive work.)

What makes statements like, "My car needs fixed," maintain their intelligibility is that the people who ignore the necessary "to be" when making those statements happen to be using an adjective that makes sense in context. But making sentences like this doesn't always work out so well.

Let's take "The bread needs shortened," as an example. I'm not sure who would say this, but let's just run with it.

The bread needs shortened.

This leads to a ton of questions:

Is the loaf of bread too tall? Does it need to be physically cut to make it shorter? Does the dough need to be re-proportioned across baking pans to make the loaves smaller?
Is the bread taking too long to bake? Does the baking time and temperature need to be adjusted for a shorter baking time?
Does the bread dough need shortening? "Shortening" is a baking ingredient after all. Shortening is generally used more for pie crusts, not a loaf of bread. But perhaps you were mistaken? Are we baking a pie? Perhaps this person's bread recipe is really unique? The question is still valid.

"You might could"

Her - what kind?

Me - what kind of what?

Her - what kind of coke?

Me - umm…I don’t know. Do you have cherry coke?

Her - no, but we have…then proceeds to list off every soda they have.

Me - (now so confused) I’d just like a coke coke.

Her - so a coca-cola.

Me - ummm…yes please.

Weirdest exchange I’ve ever had. I just wanted a damn coke! 😂

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XxThrowaway987xX@reddit

I live in Arkansas now, and my favorite coke is a Dr. Pepper.

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tracygee@reddit

People always say that, but I’ve lived in the South now for thirty years and I’ve never once heard a southerner do that.

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YouCannotBeSerius@reddit

it's a lot less common nowadays, but the further outside of a city you go, the more you'll hear it.

kashakesh@reddit

The way they pronounce, "Nevada." It's the A-sound from "apple" as opposed to the O-sound or Au-sounds that I often hear.

MargaritasAndTacos@reddit

Agreed, but I think it depends on where in the south you are - and how it’s said?

“Awwwwww, bless their heart” (actual sympathy) vs “well, bless their heart” (not sympathetic, and if you’ve done something really stupid, they follow it up with “but she’s so so pretty”)

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DoublePostedBroski@reddit

I scrolled way too far to find this

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arkstfan@reddit

This is a mommy blogger myth.

JGS747-@reddit

Not west coasters - Bay Area, California specifically

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Rude_Perspective_536@reddit

Dude, why you gotta attack us like that? 🤣

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WalkingOnSunshine83@reddit

He’s a hella dude.

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rocketblue11@reddit

Hella is from the Bay Area. Many people use it to mean "very" but the correct usage is to indicate a high volume. That's because hella is short for "a hell of a lot of." (Which is also why you'll sometimes hear children say hecka instead of hella.)

There's hella bears in Tahoe. There's hella traffic on the bridge. There were hella people at the festival. And so on.

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brianwski@reddit

is from the Bay Area

I have to stop and point out the use of "Bay Area" here. I get it, I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for years and it makes sense if you are standing in that region. I used the term myself often.

I worked with a guy (in Dayton) who grew up in Boston and had lived in the Bay for a while.

Finna

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QuinceDaPence@reddit

Fi'n'a

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Marcudemus@reddit

At first, I thought it was a mistype for "gonna" because the f and the g and the I and the o are so close together on the keyboard and "gonna" pretty much fits in every sentence I've ever seen it used in.

DappyHayes@reddit

"Hey y'all! Watch this!!!"

North Carolina. Every damn time.

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cabbagesandkings1291@reddit

As a Midwestern transplant to the south, the things I’ve noticed:

You get your picture made.

You mash the button.

Toledo, Ohio, and the metro area. "Op". The "o" is somewhere between a long "o" and the and the "u" in "up".

You know it when you hear it. When I hear it I always turn toward the speaker to listen for more clues!

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gpo321@reddit

Porkroll, egg, and cheese on a roll

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scb225@reddit

Lemme just squeeeeeze past ya

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MultilpeResidenceGuy@reddit

Bless your heart. I love the passive aggressive South. My mom could say it and unless you were stupid, you got what she meant.

I also love the way Southern folk say it. They are being extremely judgemental but the delivery says it all! We act like we’re not being mean.

An interesting thing is places that places that have them tend to call them lighting bugs where as places that don't tend to call them fireflies.

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FrumundaDeez@reddit

I was on here looking for a fellow hoosier and no i don't mean people from Indiana

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divinedeconstructing@reddit

It took so long for me to find Hoosier!

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peoplearejustok@reddit

Where'd you go to high school?

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leannmanderson@reddit

I tried to convince my nephew that Imo's is good.

He has terrible taste in pizza.

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retardedpanda1@reddit

I'm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia..

Fixin' to - About to

I reckon - I suppose so

Lawd, hunny - Oh my goodness!

Holler Hunny - someone from the mountains that doesn't get out much and doesn't know how to act when they're around people.

Britches - Pants

Vittles - Food

Might could - could probably

Jeet - did you eat?

Ain't got a pot to piss in - you're poor

Sorry - useless

Like to - I almost ex: I like to piss myself when that car rounded the corner. Bastard almost hit me!"

On'ry - Short for ornery. Super common here. If someone thinks you're no count and worthless, they'll call you on'ry.

I ain't particular - I'm not picky

Right near - close by

That dog won't hunt - that doesn't add up

Tore up - 1. Super drunk or 2. brokenhearted

Don't let your meat loaf - I honestly have no damn clue, but I hear it a lot.

They're likely not specific to this state, but more the Rural/Appalachian South.

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Few_Recover_6622@reddit

The "Please?" is definitely very Cincinnati. I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned more.

I feel like gym shoes is pretty interchangeable with tennis shoes and sneakers here in central OH, but that may just be the influence of my Cincy-raised partner.

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Can confirm

From Idaho

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theresuscitator@reddit

Dang gone it!.... Southern US

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AmorphousSolid@reddit

Devil’s beating his wife.

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aucool786@reddit

Omitting "to be" in a phrase like "needs to be done." The phrase becomes "needs done" or "he wants left alone" or "needs taken out." That's a Pennsylvania Dutch thing from PA Dutch Country. Funnily enough, most people in the area don't actually recognize that it's a regional thing. They think everyone does that.

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WoodpeckerTrick28-20@reddit

Wicked. You’re wicked smart, kid.

E.g. you see a guy in a red rusted out 2001 F-150 throw 3 bags of garbage into the woods. You say “what a Hoosier!”

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boston_biker@reddit

Wicked

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CrazyGround4501@reddit

Wicked. Masshole here xo

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EmmalouEsq@reddit

eastern Dakotas/ Minnesota/Wisconsin:

"Uffda!" "Let me just scootch right past ya here" Bringing any sort of "salad" with candy bars to a potluck Slapping your leg and saying "welp, I guess!" to start the leaving process when you're visiting someone else's house

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Fairbanksbus142@reddit

Had to scroll so long to finally find uff da! I also submit: “ish da” and less commonly “fy da”

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CharacterSea1169@reddit

I still say rubbish. We say elastic, we say tonic, we say rotary...

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mcmircle@reddit

In Chicago people say pop, but when I moved to Peoria my neighbors said sody.

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jldovey@reddit

Red up = tidy —> Pittsburgh and south central PA

Turn out the light or outen the light —> PA Dutch

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Mysterious_Mango_3@reddit

It's a horse apiece

Warsh the dishes

And not an idiom, but a food that shows up at every holiday and to this day I don't understand why: the jello ring. That's right, lime jello, carrots, and mayonnaise. WHY???

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lorazepamproblems@reddit

Sometimes, I'll see people write, "The car needs washed," and I think that's Pennsylvania? Not sure. But it's very noticeable.

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jldovey@reddit

WaRshed*

Step 5: Chat at the door.

Step 6: But I really need to go.

Optional Step: more hugs

And then you finally leave.

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Agitated-Hair-987@reddit

Ope, just gonna sneak on bye ya know. Oh you betcha

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squarerootofapplepie@reddit

Everyone says ope.

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RobertSaccamano@reddit

Yup. From CA and said it growing up.

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huazzy@reddit

This needs to be stickied. It's common everywhere.

I’m from the Midwest, I say “doh”

Worsh.

People from Maine use the phrase "wicked" a lot.

Fixing to.

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rocketblue11@reddit

I'm from Michigan but grew up in Ohio, and the Ohio slang was insane to me when we moved there.

"Getting your ears lowered" to mean getting a haircut
"Clear" as a measure of distance (He had to drive clear across the county)
Put something up instead of put something away
Set instead of sit (I'm gonna set down for a while)
They start saying "Have a nice night" at like 2pm
Roof is pronounced "ruff", creek is pronounced "crick", trash is pronounced "traish" and wash is pronounced "warsh"
If someone is suspected of lying or exaggerating, other people would point at both of their eyes and say "Yurp!" in a high-pitched voice.
I never really heard the word "ornery" until I moved to Ohio, but it's used a lot

There used to be public water fountains that would have the water constantly bubble up in the center rather than pushing a button or pulling a lever. Modern drinking fountains where a button has to be pushed being called bubblers is technically incorrect, but her who’s counting.

The first picture with the dog here is one such device:

https://www.jsonline.com/picture-gallery/life/green-sheet/2020/02/25/look-milwaukees-bubblers-drinking-fountains-you-through-years/4824726002/

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ADB_BWG@reddit

Wicked good. Rhode Island

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Angsty_Potatos@reddit

Jawn- Philly.

EntranceFeisty8373@reddit

Yeah, no, yeah.

No, yeah, no.

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CaliforniaHope@reddit

That's 100% California

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Few_Recover_6622@reddit

Except it's not.

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Challahbackgirl48@reddit

Then it doesn’t make it regionally distinct enough, because we do say this in CA as well

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Few_Recover_6622@reddit

Correct. It's not regionally distinct.

A pretty specific one. If you would say,

"I'm done my homework"

Rather than,

"I'm done with my homework"

invinciblewalnut@reddit

deep inhale

BACK HOME AGAIN

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invinciblewalnut@reddit

“Indy” refers to the city of Indianapolis, not the state of Indiana. I’ve heard some people out of state refer to Indiana as Indy, which just isn’t right

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BanTrumpkins24@reddit

If you hear “you can’t say that!” Or “I’m telling on you” among adults, then you must be in the Bay Area.

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bseeingu6@reddit

Maine’s got a bunch.

Or excuse me or something awkward happened or I’m filled with existential dread at the precise moment of this unexpected occurrence

It used to be called pop all over the Midwest and northern areas in the 40's. Over the years, half the Midwest converted to soda.

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pmax2@reddit

If Central Jersey does exist, it is pork roll

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EloquentBacon@reddit

Thank you for at least considering the existence of Central Jersey.

I consider it as being between the Driscoll Bridge and 195/the border of Monmouth & Ocean Counties and including Monmouth County, Mercer County and parts of Middlesex County.

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PineapplePza766@reddit

Toboggan apparently to the rest of the world That thing is a sled lol 😂 is nc and va that’s a winter beanie with or without a Pom Pom on top lol 😂

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SassyMoron@reddit

Hella = California

Wicked = Massachusetts

Aight = New York

"Wudder" (for water) = South Jersey/Philly

Dontcha know = Minnesota

Yinz guyz = Pittsburgh

When they say "get down" to mean "get out of". Usually in reference to getting out of a car.

mauro_membrere@reddit

Nebraskan will wear nebraska tshirt anywhere

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Agitated-Hair-987@reddit

"The Devil is beating his wife again" when it starts to rain but the sun is shining = you're from the south.

"Pop" for soda indicates the individual is from the northeast, but usually not from the tri state area.

I lived in the South for ten years, and the most "yinz ain't from around here, is you?" was when I was in Pittsburgh and asked where the soda machine was.

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KDtheEsquire@reddit

If somebody gives your driving directions and says, "get on the 5 south..." they're from southern California. Its never, "take 5 South" Southern Californians always add the "the"

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sean8877@reddit

MA has a ton of phrases I've never heard anywhere else: "Packie", "Grinder", "The Pike", "Pisser", etc.

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hatchjon12@reddit

Ayuh as a positive acknowledgment.

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MisterGarak@reddit

“Fixing’ to” = planning on doing

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MontEcola@reddit

If they are wicked cool, they must be from Maine.

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AuthenticallyMe28@reddit

Or upstate NY

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MontEcola@reddit

Maine is wicked good. UpState is just wicked! /sarcasm.

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af_cheddarhead@reddit

Do you know what a bubbler is and use the term bubbler? You are from south-central Wisconsin, probably not far from Madison.

Bubbler = Water Fountain

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Commercial_Cat_1982@reddit

Bless your heart! You didn't know this already?

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CountChoculasGhost@reddit

Ope

Not a specific state, but a very midwestern thing.

If you went to the "paki" to buy your alcohol you're from New England.

Short for package store.

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KuromanKuro@reddit

“I fuck with” feels very nyc to me. “I’m fixin to” is Texan.

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IHaveALittleNeck@reddit

“Down the shore” in NJ “Jawn” in Philly.

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imalittlefrenchpress@reddit

Jeet?

Even white Gen Zs in Baltimore say y'all now in my experience, when growing up y'all vs you guys switched around rt 50

Probably the most noticeable exception to the trend of southernisms losing ground in the state in the 21st century

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jephph_@reddit

I’m not convinced ain’t is AAVE in origin but I know one thing for sure,

Ain’t ain’t Gen Z slang

If you go out causing trouble on Mischief Night, October 30, you're very close to New Jersey.

MattieShoes@reddit

I've heard "FM road" too in Texas (farm to market).

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distrucktocon@reddit

Feeder road is more of the colloquial term for a type of road. FM roads are usually different than the access/feeder roads. There’s FM and RM (ranch to market) roads, as well as CR (county road). Most of these roads were built or existed before the highways. And sometimes the highway follows alongside these roads. But the “feeder roads” were the roads that were built alongside the highway with the sole purpose of “feeding” onto the highway from those surface roads.

This really depends what part of Jersey you live in and what part you and your family are from.

"Making groceries," "Yeah you right," "neutral ground," "where yat?" The last one does not mean what you think it does.

I hope they still say these things in my former city.

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BanjoPiper@reddit

In Chicago, you're likely to hear different terms for money. $5 Bill is a fin. $10 is a sawbuck. $20 is a double sawbuck.

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ImaginaryFriend123@reddit

20 we always say dub , also from Chicago.

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HeyT00ts11@reddit

Saying whenever instead of when, as in, "Whenever I lived in the Midwest, I spoke like this" vs. "When I lived on the West Coast."

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shill779@reddit

Y’all doin alright?

Bless your heart

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_Hye_King_@reddit

“Bless your heart” - “You’re stupid” OR “My condolences/sympathies”

“The devil beating his wife” - Sunshower

“Buggy” - Shopping cart

“Coke” - Soda

“Fixin’ to” - Going to

“Supper” - Dinner

“Fix supper” - Make dinner

“Making groceries” - Shopping for groceries

“Y’all” - Contraction of “you all”

“Hold your horses” - “Stop right there” or “Calm down”

“I reckon” - “I imagine/suppose”

“Pretty as a preach” - “Attractive, beautiful, pleasing”

“Yes ma’am” OR “No sir” - When answering older people

If you hear anyone use the above phrases and sayings in my non-exhaustive list, odds are they are from the land where people live in streets filled with magnolia trees; fly Confederate flags; drink sweet tea like it’s water; dine in restaurants such as Bojangles, Cook Out, and Zaxby’s; eat biscuits and gravy for breakfast; and dress up for college football game days.

I was drinking when I wrote this

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Team503@reddit

Proper Cajun, then.

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enkilekee@reddit

"Is the mountain out ?"

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Smaddid3@reddit

Any of these words/phrases places you in the southeastern U.S.: Bless your heart; Y'all; Buggy (grocery cart); Might could.

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Kudahbhang@reddit

I'm from Texas but I live in Arizona. Back home when someone goes to the grocery store they say "I have to go make groceries".

When my coworkers heard me say this they were like "do you have to literally manufacture the groceries because why are you saying it like that?"

So maybe "making groceries" is only a Texas thing. Lol

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Pleasant-Pattern7748@reddit

“hella” and its PG variant “hecka.”

All I need to do is look at their feet. If they're wearing rubber flip-flops (slippahs) even in late fall weather, I'm almost certainly looking at a fellow Hawaii expat.

If they hang loose (shaka sign) or bust out the pidgin accent, it's a cinch.

Ask someone to name the city where the Kentucky Derby is run.

Non-native: LOO-ee-vill

Native: LOO-uh-vull (also acceptable: LOO-vull)

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fuckthisshit____@reddit

“Pop” for soda. Also saying “might should”

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MtHood_OR@reddit

Oregon: Any use of logging lingo, particularly “cull” to describe anything undesirable, “crummy” work truck or rig, and “reprod” younger tree planting after clear cut.

Chinook and silver salmon instead of king or coho.

Referring to an ATM as a MAC machine saying I am going to tap MAC is very Philly/ South Jerz.

Also, going down the shore and of course jawn.

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CajunGrits@reddit

You all vs Y’all

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S0LBEAR@reddit

Hella (hell of /a lot of / very) for only Northern California.

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Horror-Box-6014@reddit

Philadelphia here. Yo! Wanna drink of woulder? Wanna get a hoagie? Yo Mama! D'jeet? Nojet? D'you? IYKYK. Lol

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UranusMustHurt@reddit

When people say the word "bubbler" they are highly likely to be from Wisconsin.

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DoublePostedBroski@reddit

Ohio / Midwest things:

ending sentences with an unnecessary preposition: where’s my coat at?
adding S to store names

If you refer to rain while the sun is out as "the devil is beating his wife"

Normally means north alabama or southern tenessee.

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Certain-Monitor5304@reddit

Michiana mannerism. Benton Harbor MI to South Bend IN.

Region 1. This is area specific but the silent stare down from several feet away. Especially in grocery stores. The eyes speak volumes. * Not afraid to loudly call out bullshit. *

Region 2. Again area, affluency and gender specific, the pretending that no other people exists within a space. Completely ignores all strangers outside of their immediate bubble and won't make eye contact or answer any basic questions. Like "Could you please move your grocery cart?" They either will or won't.

When I moved out of state, I was surprised to see friendly strangers who were genuinely kind. Even the biggest ass hats have great public manners. I can instantly spot people from Michiana and guess their region based on these two mannerisms.

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kindall@reddit

Adding `s to store names etc is very Michigan or generally Midwest. "I'm heading to Meijer's, need anything?"

Also "and shit" for "etc" I heard a lot in Detroit, "we're gonna go get some beer and shit." Of course that was like 30 years ago, maybe they don't do that so much anymore.

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IDreamOfCommunism@reddit

Oddly specific but, if someone says “behind the eagles” instead of “in jail” I know they’re from Cherokee County, Georgia. It’s definitely not as common as it once was, but anyone from there over 30 will know exactly what you’re talking about.

The story behind the phrase is that the old courthouse had the jail upstairs and there were a row of marble eagles along the front of the windows that the inmates saw when they looked out.

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Cincoro@reddit

Dude...for everything...person, place or thing...male of female.

That's Southern California. 😁

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PhysicsEagle@reddit

“Can I have a coke?” “Sure, what kind?” “Dr. Pepper.”

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Butter_mah_bisqits@reddit

Everyone’s address was Route 9 in our small TX town. Travel directions to my house: when you’re in town, go over the main railroad tracks until you hit the big tree on the right - not the left. When you hit that tree, look kitty corner and you’ll see a barn. Don’t turn there. Go up to the next big tree on the left and take the curve. You’ll come up on the smell of manure and see Mr Smith’s dairy farm. Take a left, right, left and you’ll see my mailbox on the left.

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suzer2017@reddit

Imma fin to carry y'all to the A&P.

ItisEclectic@reddit

Well Bless your heart when someone is being particularly thick is a deep south expression

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BiggestShep@reddit

Ope.

Sharkhawk23@reddit

Gym shoes. You’re either from Chicago or Cincinnati (and a few other cities). For athletic shoes

Front room (or funch room) in Chicago. The room in the front of the house. Usually a. Living room in other places

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GemarD00f@reddit

my family says front room here in OK, but if i recall its because my mom and grandparents spent some time in chicago or therebouts for a while, and just picked it up.

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Bridey93@reddit

Saying wuter instead of water seems to be a Philly(?) thing, maybe Jersey/mid-atlantic? I have a cousin who occasionally says that by mistake and her dad's family is from NJ/Philly fans.

"Warsh" instead of wash seems to be a mid-Atlantic/southern thing? I could be wrong, I know someone from MD who says it, and I've heard it on occasion from southerners/midwesterners.

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Grouchy-Display-457@reddit

Y'all in the south, y'uns in Central Appalachia

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Turdulator@reddit

When they drive terribly, you know they are from Maryland.

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Bridey93@reddit

Ehhh I think every state makes that argument about other states or their own. There is a reason we call them Massholes... and having lived in SoCal, I'd argue Massholes don't have anything on Californians in terms of bad driving. (In CT, you just go 10 above always even the state troopers)

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sultrie@reddit

Washateria, shopping basket, fixin ta, the said as thuh, kolaches, and calling semi trucks 18 wheelers means someone is from Texas

Putting in the dog

It’s a southern (think confederate states) that means showing off.

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Redneck-ginger@reddit

What do you consider confederate states?

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sweetgypsy1966@reddit

"Red up" as in clean up the house. "I'll get you that glass of wooder as soon as I red up the kitchen". Very commonly said here in south central PA

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Jelopuddinpop@reddit

Lots of phrases and idioms, but no talk of mannerisms...

Americans as a whole will lean on things when standing around as opposed to just standing there.

Massachusetts:

"Bang a U-ey" - make a U-turn

"Cruisah" - police car

"Tonic" - soda

Saying something is “wicked” -New England area for sure

Saying “bruh/bruddah/sis/cuz/unc” “talk story” Definitely Hawaii

Saying “y’all or bless your heart”- Down south

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Guinnessron@reddit

Yinz

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picklepajamabutt@reddit

Door wall for sliding door. You are from metro Detroit, but not everybody says it.

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Not so much anymore but when Delaware only had a highway between Wilmington and Dover and the road to the beaches was dinky - those of us in LSD (Lower Slower Delaware) would say below the Duals. Meaning the Dual highway.

littleyellowbike@reddit

The sentence structure "needs ______ed" (the car needs washed, the floor needs swept, etc) is from the lower Midwest and parts of Appalachia. It sounds so normal to my ears that I never even noticed I use that structure until about three years ago when I started seeing it mentioned on the Internet.

sto_brohammed@reddit

A couple of Michigan shibboleths, Michibboleths if you will.

We call the place you buy alcohol a "party store"

Making a possessive out of business names if it is remotely possible that it's a last name. Kroger's, Meijer's, etc.

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Optimal_Designer4342@reddit

“I gotta tap Mac” to say you need to get money out of the ATM. Not sure if it’s all of Pennsylvania, think it maybe just be more of a Philly/Southeast PA thing?

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MacaroonSad8860@reddit

“Ayuh” = they’re from middle to northern Maine

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Grimmbros1214@reddit

calling any soda “coke” is common in the south

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Comfortable-South397@reddit

If the refer to a ATM as a Tyme machine or a waterfountain as a bubbler they are from Wisconsin.

Feralmedic@reddit

Ope

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sapphic_vegetarian@reddit

“Buggy” for cart, phrases like “bless your heart” “aren’t you just a sweet little thang”, and any iteration of “aren’t you ___ as a __ on a __(probably rhyming word) ___” (example: aren’t you just snug as a bug in a rug?” or “this weather has me sweatin like a sinner in church”) screams southern American

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HendriXXXLaMone@reddit

Anyone from Indiana that doesn’t know why it is called the crossroads of America is figuring it out after reading thru this thread lol. The speech here is a big mash up of the different regions colliding.

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Ninetwentyeight928@reddit

I think one here in Michigan that I haven't seen mentioned is adding "s" to the end of the name of businesses, particularly retail stores. So we'll say Meijers, Krogers, etc. it's even said that people will say Fords to mean their local dealership, or Kmarts, though I've never heard those personally. But it doesn't apply to every business. You just kind of have to grow up here to learn which you apply this rule to. lol

causa__sui@reddit

“Hon” is an immediate tell that someone is from Baltimore or the surrounding areas.

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DotComprehensive4902@reddit

Bless your heart....straight away when I hear that I know they are from the South

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Content_Sorbet1900@reddit

“Mm-mm I tell ya, that man is all hat and no cattle”

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RockyArby@reddit

Referring to pizza as "pie".

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El_gato_picante@reddit

Y'ins instead of y'all. not 100% where its from but I guess is Pennsylvania

Y’all

Where I’m from, two types of folk: those who ain’t, and those who are knee-high on a grasshopper. Which type ain’t you ain’t?

!Scranton, PA!<

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Prometheus_303@reddit

I used to work as an RA while at university.

One year when checking people in at the start of the year, this one kid uses the word "jawn" when he was checking in at the table In was working at.

I said something about how he was from Philadelphia and that totally freaked him out. Do you know me? How did you know I'm from Philly then?!?

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throwfar9@reddit

NYC and elsewhere ( don’t know boundary): standing ON line instead of in line

If someone adds an article to an Interstate number, they're from California.