# "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:** 3
**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 23, 2011, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/41 "2011-03-23T14:07:15Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Finally, it strikes me that people who are _employed in telephone customer service_ would do well not only to tolerate and understand the widest possible range of accents and speech patterns, but also to cultivate their own voice to be comprehensible to the widest possible range of listeners. I speak with a neutral American accent and a soothing tone; I sound like the people on tv and have no trouble being understood. Not sure how this is relevant, but there it is. I understand a wide variety of accents; I don’t tend to have difficulty understanding anything except the thickest Indian accents (and even then I do better than most people, because we work with outsourced Indian reps on a fairly regular basis). But you seem to be saying that I should be happy and fluffy about every single possible accent that crosses my phone. Where the hell is this idea coming from? I’m not allowed to be bothered about shit that happens at work? I strongly dislike southern accents because I grew up listening to them. I can’t change what I like. Get off your judgmental high horse, plox. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/42 "2011-03-23T14:17:37Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Get off your judgmental high horse, plox. Hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/43 "2011-03-23T22:32:42Z")
As somebody who works on a phone all day, I’ll second hating “do what now?” It’s not just the phrasing, it’s also the tone that almost invariably goes along with it. It’s always a little, “do _what_ now?” as if I’ve asked something unreasonable by asking the customer to, say, read me the error message on the screen. Said customers also frequently give wrong information, have side conversations while on the phone, and are quite frequently calling to make unreasonable requests. Similarly, I can’t stand the phrase, “cut it on” or “cut it off” regarding services. Again, not the phrase’s fault, just the folk who tend to use it. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/44 "2011-03-23T22:44:44Z")
Lifelong NEPA resident (specifically Da Valley) here to present the joys of “heyna.” It’s an all-around useful conversation filler, with a meaning roughly equal to “isn’t it?” or " don’t you think?" It’s hot today, heyna? Gonna snow today, heyna or no? Heyna, am I right? Or all on it’s own as Da Valley version of “Yeah, right.” I also tend to hear a lot of the central/western PA-isms like “the electric” for electricity and “yinz” too ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2011, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/45 "2011-03-23T22:50:50Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > A gazillion years ago when I was an active pilot, I got into the habit of using “Say again?” It’s perfectly acceptable in the cockpit but not so much in the real world, and I tried to be very conscious of it. “Say again?” is alive and well around here, as is “Say what?” which is wonderful, as it’s so versatile - can me modified for any occasion. “Do what now?” is ubiquitous also, and I don’t even notice when people say it. It’s certainly nothing to get het up about. ---
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/46 "2011-03-24T01:53:25Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > 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. I’ve been in/around the military for 25 years, now, and say “Say again?” when I don’t understand something on the phone. I think it has to do with being conditioned to radio communications. ---
**Author:** ![goldmund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@goldmund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goldmund)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/47 "2011-03-24T02:27:29Z")
The “positive any more” grates on me. “Oh, that used to be my favorite restaurant, but the service is just terrible any more.” “Any more, I take the bus to work instead of driving.” _shudder_ ---
**Author:** ![MareIt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@MareIt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MareIt)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/48 "2011-03-24T02:39:46Z")
The only regionalisim (or perhaps decadism) of the spoken variety that annoys the daylights out of me is courtesy of my mother. “I am going to go ride bike” or “I rode bike yesterday” If you are going to use bike as a noun, that is fine, but it needs an article. If using an article disturbs you, please use bike as a verb. I sometimes wonder if is because she also rode horses, and she is trying to differentiate the two. I doubt it; since she never says “did you ride horse this morning?” ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/49 "2011-03-24T04:00:04Z")
[QUOTE=MareIt] The only regionalisim (or perhaps decadism) of the spoken variety that annoys the daylights out of me is courtesy of my mother. “I am going to go ride bike” or “I rode bike yesterday” If you are going to use bike as a noun, that is fine, but it needs an article. If using an article disturbs you, please use bike as a verb. I sometimes wonder if is because she also rode horses, and she is trying to differentiate the two. I doubt it; since she never says “did you ride horse this morning?” [/QUOTE] Did your dad drive truck? ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/50 "2011-03-24T04:04:46Z")
As a Pittsburger, how do yinz guys say the last day of the week–commonly called “Saturday?” I call it something approaching “Sarrrday.” Can’t help myself. I need to red up my pronunciation before someone snaps me with a gum band. ---
**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 24, 2011, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/51 "2011-03-24T12:06:00Z")
I was reading the latest responses to this thread, and a tech just now came to my door and asked “Dr. Jackmannii, did you set up the cryostat or does it _need cleaned_?” I don’t think she realized why I started laughing. We have a surgeon here who dictates his consults and procedures using the phrase “bless her heart”. “The patient is an 89-year-old woman, bless her heart.” It comes out sounding like a synonym for “circling the drain”. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/52 "2011-03-25T04:14:29Z")
Dialects don’t annoy me unless they are fake. Things that do annoy me: 1. The mistaken idea that a dialect is a reflection of intelligence 2. The mistaken notion that language must be literally logical to be grammatically correct 3. People who think they don’t speak a dialect 4. Failure to capitalize Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western (or North, South, East, and West) when discussing an area of the country: If you are talking about the direction you are going, then you don’t capitalize. 5. Nonsense statements such as: “I strongly dislike southern accents because I grew up listening to them.” So did millions of other people who find Southern accents pleasant. So that, in itself, cannot be a cause. Maybe you grew up surrounded by ignorant knuckle-draggers who never bathed and who coincidentally used this dialect. The association of the dialect (a neutral characteristic) with these unpleasant characteristics would be understandable. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/53 "2011-03-25T04:31:29Z")
I notice in America it’s common to reply “uh huh” when you say “thank you”. It grinds my gears, I generally expect a “you’re welcome” or “no problem”. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/54 "2011-03-25T05:24:58Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Get off your judgmental high horse, plox. umad ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/55 "2011-03-25T13:57:10Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > This simply shows that you don’t understand it. 99+% of the time, in any given context, “Bless your heart” is offered with absolute sincerity. No sarcasm, no irony. It’s mostly an expression of empathy. Actually, it’s sincere 100% of the time. “Bless your heart” is an expression of commiseration with someone’s afflictions or trials and tribulations. It’s just that sometimes the affliction is that they’re an utter and complete asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/56 "2011-03-25T14:28:06Z")
I don’t like “Do what now?” either. I supervised an employee who responded to my assignments in such a way. I found it disrespectful and slightly passive aggressive. Often the question was something like, “Hey, would you like to go to lunch today?” “Do what now?” I wasn’t telling you what to do; I was asking you out to lunch! I am also not a fan of “I’ve got to ‘fix’ dinner.” Your dinner isn’t broken. You don’t need to fix it. You are probably going to _prepare_ dinner. Another regionalism that makes me stabby is “sittin’ there.” A lot of my Ohioan friends and family preface stories this way. “So we were sittin’ there and Sally said to me…” ---
**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/57 "2011-03-25T14:51:57Z")
I have an actual physical reaction when people pronounce, ask or asked like axe or axed. I don’t know if that is a regionalism or a dialect thing. In Northern Virginia, we get a mix of everyone. But it just grates on me. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/58 "2011-03-25T15:03:40Z")
One more: When I was a CSR for a car rental company in South Florida, I noticed that people from NY often started their calls with, “I rented a car from you people.” I don’t know why, really, but I find “you people” to be terribly rude, confrontational, and adversarial. Or it could just be I was dealing with pissed off customers 8 hours a day and they were confrontational and adversarial before they even dialed the phone. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/59 "2011-03-25T16:00:48Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > Hella is hella lame. I, a civilized person from Southern California, never say hella. Terrific. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and after living in the SF Bay area for several rules for school, I returned home and at one point used the term “hella” to which my friend responded with half-serious outrage. “I’m sorry – hella? Did you just say… _hella_? You’ve abandoned your roots!” ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-and-other-regionalisms-that-make-you-see-red-too-mild-for-the-pit/575616/60 "2011-03-25T17:21:35Z")
Some southerners use “mash” as a verb when referring to using a phone’s dial pad - not dial, or hit, or even tap (touch screens). “Mash 867-5309.” A subset of the same group calls this \* not a star or asterisk but “the splat”. So you can occasionally hear someone say “mash the splat”. Casserole seemingly does not exist in Minnesota. They say hot dish. For everything. Tuna/noodle hot dish. Green bean hot dish. Then there’s their pronunciation of karaoke, which they call “cur row key”. [Previous 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) [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=4)