southernese

[bwoods]

Since I have moved to Tennessee, I have found Craigslistings here to classify appliances, etc. ina way a little different than up North. Here area some examples:

"Roll Dry Washer" (= wringer washer)

"Wooden Stereo" (= console stereo)

"BIG Stereo" (= console stereo)

"Dishwasher with Countertop" (= portable dishwasher)

"Over and Under Washer and Dryer" (= unitized washer/dryer)

"Front End Dryer" (= front loading)

"Newly Used Washer" (????)

I was also a little taken aback when I was in Krogers and one of the employees asked if I wanted a "buggy". (buggy = shopping cart, apparently, in the south.)

 

[whirlcool]

Here are a few others:



Men's Wallet = Billfold
Haven't = Hadn't (in some cases)
Solderless Connectors = Wire Nuts

 

[norgeway]

Wire Nuts!!!

I have never heard them called anything else, same for the grocery buggy!and Ive ALWAYS carried a billfold, if you really want to learn Southern, buy an original Foxfire book, that will LEARN ye all ye need ta know!

 

[danemodsandy]

My Favorite:

"Momminem," meaning "Mama and them."

As in, "Don't forget to say 'Hi' to your momminem for me."

Not that other parts of the country are blameless - my Noo Yawk fave is "A nominal egg," meaning "An arm and a leg," as in, "It cost me a nominal egg."

Oh- and to all you New York folks in places like Great Neck, Roslyn and Five Towns - I know what a lawn is, but what the Hell is a gyland?

 

[ptcruiser51]

@danemodsandy

It's the place where everyone's grass is cut by a service. Lawn Guy Land.

 

[danemodsandy]

ptcruiser51:

I think you got me, LOL!

 

[frigilux]

A college friend from the south (that she ended up in Moorhead, MN always amazed me) would order a Co-Cola (known to us as a Coca-Cola) in restaurants.

 

[dynaflow]

my favorite

when u want something out of the refrigerator u say Im going to get (say mayonaise)
out of the Frigidaire

 

[circlew]

My relatives in the south always call a shopping cart a "buggy".

They also call the top range burner elements "eyes".

 

[angus]

The term "frigidaire" for refrigerator was pretty common and is more generational than regional. My mother and aunts - all Newark and Brooklyn born and raised constantly referred to the "frigidaire" even though none of them owned a Frigidaire branded appliance.

They also might say on laundry day that they had to "make a wash" - less common, but still noticeable and Aunt Jennie might say that she had to run upstairs and "take the wash out of the Norge". Finally hanging clothes was sometimes "putting out the wash" and my mother would stop whatever she was doing to "blue the water" for rinsing clothes.

 

[whirlcool]

The term "frigidaire" for refrigerator was pretty common and is more generational than regional. My mother and aunts - all Newark and Brooklyn born and raised constantly referred to the "frigidaire" even though none of them owned a Frigidaire branded appliance.

Same when I was growing up here with the refrigerator. Sometimes they'd just call it a "Fridge". I have heard it called the same thing down here too.

In Louisiana I have heard people call Mayonnaise "Mon-Azz"

 

[bwoods]

I guess I can't say too much about southern talking. When I was growing up I, and almost every everyone I knew said, "warsh" instead of "wash." This must be a southern Ohio thing.

I think I was in high school before I realized there is no "r" in wash. I finally broke myself, my mom, dad and sister from saying, "warsh." (and even worse, "warsher")

 

[jeb]

My grandmother always called her washer a Laundromat. "I have to run and take the clothes out of the Laundromat and put them in the dryer".

 

[foxchapel]

@bwoods - Ack! Ack! Please do not confuse illiteracy with Southernese. Those Craigslist ads are just sad. Most of us do not talk like that. Really. The wording would clue me in ahead of time, though, on the demographics of the authors.

What I love about The South is that one can order a "Co~Cola" and the server will ask "what kind?" The answer could be Pepsi or Mountain Dew, or whatever. Co~Cola is often used as a generic term here for carbonated beverages. We called it "soda" in my youth, when living up North.

@bwoods - you will also find that we drink iced tea year-round here.

 

[tomoldcars]

I offered a newly arrived Southern friend an avocado from my tree several years ago. He looked rather quizzical until he saw it and exclaimed “Oh, alligator pears”

 

[perc-o-prince]

warsh and extra r's

People from here (Boston area) are known for this as well as adding r's to many other words that don't have/need/require them. Now, if you want to see something a bit more amusing, check auction listings for a '4 draw bureau' or something similar. Of course they mean 'drawer' but it's a common misspelling/mis-pronounciation here.

Then again, you could try getting a fribble or frappe here. Everywhere else it's known as a milkshake (milk, ice cream and flavoring). If you order a chocolate milkshake, you're likely to get chocolate milk (milk and chocolate syrup) depending on where you are.

I do know that shopping carts were also called buggys in some stores when I grew up outside Buffalo, and billfold/wallet were used interchangeably.

The one that drives me right up the wall here is the use of a negative for a positive. For example:

Me: I had the worst week at work last week.
Other Person: So didn't I.

No. It's so DID I, not didn't! You DID have a bad week, moron!

Chuck

 

[bwoods]

@foxchapel Yes,those ads are sad.

However the descriptions people use are nothing compared to the horrendous spellings. We had a discussion sometime back on AW about Craigslist spellings. For example: "water softner," "refridgerator," "ringer washer," "Whorlpool," etc.

Illiteracy seems to be national, hehe.

We drink ice tea year 'round in Ohio, too. However, sweet tea seems to have a bigger following down here in the south. I mean REAL sweet tea.

 

[danemodsandy]

Ahem!

Um, it's "iced" tea, not "ice" tea.

"Iced" tea is tea that has been iced to make it cold. "Ice" tea would be tea made of ice, which sounds like it would be a very weak brew indeed.

Don't even get me started about "wax" paper. The process that would be needed to make paper out of wax boggles the mind. "Waxed" paper is a perfect descriptor of the product - it is paper that has been waxed.

 

[hydralique]

Hmmm . . .

I was using some of that paper product yesterday, and the box that I have is labeled "Wax Paper"; whether or not that's adequately descriptive is another question.

 

I had no idea "billfold was considered Southern, to me it's always just been a synonym of "wallet".