# "Do what" and other regionalisms that make you see red (too mild for the Pit) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 22, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616 "2011-03-22T15:56:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/1 "2011-03-22T15:56:22Z")
I talk on the phone at my job all day, every day. Something that peeves my pet is when a southern caller who didn’t hear something asks me to repeat myself. This only happens from callers with VERY drawly southern accents, which I tend to dislike already. Instead of saying “Excuse me?” or “Can you please repeat that?” they say “Do what now?” And it comes out as “Doo whuuuut nooow?” I DIDN’T TELL YOU TO DO ANYTHING! I asked you for your name, for fark’s sake. If I was telling them to do something, then I guess I would understand this terminology. Where did it come from? Why is this so prevalent? Why don’t I have to power to smack people through the phone line? aughgughugh ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/2 "2011-03-22T16:01:47Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > This only happens from callers with VERY drawly southern accents, which I tend to dislike already. Bless your heart, your bigotry is showing, and it isn’t pretty. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/3 "2011-03-22T16:07:12Z")
It’s not bigotry to dislike the way a person’s accent sounds. I have a ton of family members with southern accents, and grew up listening to country music. I freaking hate that twang, but it doesn’t make me a bigot. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/4 "2011-03-22T16:16:04Z")
My cousins did the “do what now?” thing and it drove me nuts. It just sounds really rude to me. “Wicked pissah” used to bug me, but I don’t hear it much anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/5 "2011-03-22T16:17:32Z")
Meh. I don’t hate regionalisms of any kind, usually. I tend to enjoy them, since they’re remnants of unhomogenized American culture. ---
**Author:** ![wonder\_lust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@wonder\_lust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonder_lust)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/6 "2011-03-22T16:39:28Z")
Pittsburghers say some absolutely absurd things, but one nonsense expression that makes me absolutely crazy is “I just sat there” It’s used only almost exclusively by people with thick accents (so, really, it’s “I jus’ sat dere”). And it has virtually nothing to do with sitting. Example (written in Pittsburghese): I was walkin’ dahn the street’n I ran inta my ex. I’as gittin’ ready to say hey, but she walked right past me. Can yinz believe’at? Like she don’t know me. She prolly hates me. I din’t care. I jus’ sat dere and kep’ walkin’ too. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/7 "2011-03-22T16:42:03Z")
I feel your pain…I actually kind of enjoy different regionalisms but there are limits. And yes, “southern speak” does grate on one after awhile. Worst of all is when it’s deliberately exagerated or when someone “puts on” a hillbilly accent to try to sound country. Years ago I had a buddy that would do this…he claimed it helped him meet women:dubious: I was kind of dubious about his claim and for that matter, the type of women that would fall for it. Larry the cable guy is one of my pet peeves…the guy is from _Nebraska_ for og’s sake! His “suthern twang” is strictly a put-on and doesn’t do a thing for me. I used to have a co-worker from Oklahoma who had developed the hyper-annoying habit of ending nearly every sentence with “if’n ya know what ah mean”. Spending a day with him used to drive me up a wall…and to make matters worse I’d even catch myself doing it:smack: SS ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/8 "2011-03-22T16:49:46Z")
> [@wonder\_lust](#): > > Pittsburghers say some absolutely absurd things Speaking of Pittsburghisms that have metastasized (and I know this has been covered elsewhere here recently), an oncologist (a presumably educated person) came by my office yesterday to get a biopsy diagnosis, and told me the patient “needs treated”. This usage needs eliminated, and salt sown on its grave. Give me good ol’ homogenized decent grammar any day. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/9 "2011-03-22T16:51:17Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > I used to have a co-worker from Oklahoma who had developed the hyper-annoying habit of ending nearly every sentence with “if’n ya know what ah mean”. Spending a day with him used to drive me up a wall…and to make matters worse I’d even catch myself doing it:smack: > SS Rural Oklahomans can have very thick accents, but in my thirty-five years of living there, I have to admit that I never heard one of them use that phrase except maybe in jest. The “if’n” part sounds more Appalachian or Ozark. And, yes, I can see how that would get old after a while. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/10 "2011-03-22T16:56:16Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > I used to have a co-worker from Oklahoma who had developed the hyper-annoying habit of ending nearly every sentence with “if’n ya know what ah mean”. I have a coworker who tries explaining things to me, but trips over her own words, then tries to clarify by asking if I know what she means. And I never do. “This document has to have, um, what do you call those thingies, with the doohickies on them, and the whatchamacallits next to the, um… Know what mean?” I never do. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/11 "2011-03-22T17:25:39Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Something that peeves my pet . . . for fark’s sake. Yes, these two would make me see red. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/12 "2011-03-22T17:35:05Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Instead of saying “Excuse me?” or “Can you please repeat that?” they say “Do what now?” And it comes out as “Doo whuuuut nooow?” I am from the south, sort of, and use the phrase, “Say that again..?” Apparently some people find that to be rude but I can’t stop myself. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/13 "2011-03-22T18:37:21Z")
A while back, all the kids were saying “Wha’ happen?” when they wanted you to repeat something. But they pronounced “happen” funny, like “hoppin”. I don’t know where it came from. But almost as soon as it arrived, it was gone. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/14 "2011-03-22T18:47:02Z")
> [@wonder\_lust](#): > > Pittsburghers say some absolutely absurd things, but one nonsense expression that makes me absolutely crazy is “I just sat there” It’s used only almost exclusively by people with thick accents (so, really, it’s “I jus’ sat dere”). And it has virtually nothing to do with sitting. I have lived here my entire ~38 years and I have never once heard anyone say this. And I live right near the heart of Yinzerville. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/15 "2011-03-22T19:04:49Z")
So… what’s wrong with “do what?” (And you did ask them to do something. You asked them to give you their name.) ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/16 "2011-03-22T19:07:44Z")
The Northwestern (Central CA & up) term “hella” (analogous to the Northeastern term “wicked”) used to annoy the crap out of me. I’ve made my peace with it in recent years, though, and even use it from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/17 "2011-03-22T19:12:51Z")
> [@cuauhtemoc](#): > > A while back, all the kids were saying “Wha’ happen?” when they wanted you to repeat something. But they pronounced “happen” funny, like “hoppin”. I don’t know where it came from. But almost as soon as it arrived, it was gone. Would this have been around 2003? It might have come from the movie _A Mighty Wind_. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/18 "2011-03-22T19:15:18Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > So… what’s wrong with “do what?” (And you did ask them to do something. You asked them to give you their name.) No, I didn’t ask them to do something. When people call me, they’re asking me to do something for them (namely, file an insurance claim), not vice-versa. Specifically, I would say “What is your name, sir/madam/alien species?” not “Can you give me your name?” I can’t file an insurance claim if they don’t give their name, so it’s not an optional question and I don’t phrase it like I can enter an optional answer. That’s too wishy-washy. (you insisted on getting technical so I brought on the pedantry, otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered) Unless their name is Do What, I don’t want to hear that freaking phrase. Oh and the reason I didn’t say “fucking” was because this isn’t the pit, and it’s really not a huge deal. I don’t set ants on fire over this issue. Just a pet peeve. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/19 "2011-03-22T19:31:30Z")
I call all over the country for purchasing and the one that grates on me the most is the New England accents. “Press one for the pahts depahtment” When I laugh they ask “Whaats so funny?” I say “You sound retahted.” ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/20 "2011-03-22T19:32:46Z")
Duuuudddde, Exxaaaaccctllllyyyy, what a hickfest! :rolleyes: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616.md?page=2)