# Do What Now? And Other Regional Phrases **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 5, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781 "2010-01-05T19:34:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/81 "2010-01-07T03:12:54Z")
Montreal Anglos have some regionalisms of our own, many of them calques on French, of which the most notorious is “close the lights.” ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/82 "2010-01-07T03:49:40Z")
> [@winterhawk11](#): > > I love Britishisms […]I also like “What’s that when it’s at home?” […] What does this mean in American? ---
**Author:** ![Pray\_for\_peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pray\_for\_peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pray_for_peace)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/83 "2010-01-07T04:14:04Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > Montreal Anglos have some regionalisms of our own, many of them calques on French, of which the most notorious is “close the lights.” My college roommate, who was from a NJ suburb near NYC, used to say “close the lights,” and “stand on line” (instead of in line), and she referred to one dollar bills as “singles.” I grew up in Pittsburgh, and I must say that when I was there I never heard anyone say “redd up” anything. There’s a regional difference within Pittsburgh in use of “yinz” and “you’ns,” although no one said either one in my neighborhood growing up. Apparently I had a LOT of unusual regional pronunciations, though, like dropping one letter of most double consonants - “cold” sounded more like “code.” There were unusual vowels, too, like no difference between Dawn and Don. My linguistics professor in college was so interested in my accent that during office hours he recorded me reading a couple of passages (he said he collected accents). I did make a fool of myself at an office job in D.C., too, when I asked my secretary for a “gumband.” I had no idea that wasn’t a universal term. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/84 "2010-01-07T04:33:02Z")
> [@melodyharmonius](#): > > Sure - cream, 2 sugars! Ayuh. I don’t even drink coffee and I know a regular has 2 sugars. I’m sure there are a ton of regionalisms used here, but I don’t notice them until they’re pointed out. I was in 12th grade before anyone told me that wicked was a regionalism - no one in my class knew until a teacher from NJ asked us what it meant. Who knew that it didn’t mean really/very to other people? - Ayuh - I agree. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/85 "2010-01-07T10:50:25Z")
> [@melodyharmonius](#): > > Actually, it was Cynthia - who I thought was from Pennsylvania, but after looking it up it appears she was from California. You’re right, I’m seeing it now in my memory. She was from the Bay Area. (My brain is a frightening repository of trivia about the first ten casts of The Real World. I hate my brain.) > [@Bacon\_Salt](#): > > Never heard this one, although I think I have heard someone fully say out “fixin’ to start my period”. I guess I don’t associate with demure women? Well we were good girls, at our good Christian college. You wouldn’t say the “p word” anywhere that boys might hear you, or think of hearing you. In fact you wouldn’t talk about it at all except in oblique terms and in hushed tones. FTS was, in retrospect, a very regressive way of explaining normal variances in mood and blaming them on our darned female hormones. G-d forbid that we might just, you know, be mad or sad. > [@tdn](#): > > Ever hear the phrase “Run all the way around Robinson’s barn”? I’ve heard “all the way around Robin Hood’s barn” to describe an overly/wastefully circuitous route somewhere. “We finally got to the store but we went all the way around Robin Hood’s barn to get there.” ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/86 "2010-01-07T14:08:20Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > You’re right, I’m seeing it now in my memory. She was from the Bay Area. > > (My brain is a frightening repository of trivia about the first ten casts of The Real World. I hate my brain.) Yeah, I watched several seasons back in the day. Couldn’t tell you one bit about it these days - but I watched through Boston or something. > [@tumbleddown](#): > > Well we were good girls, at our good Christian college. You too, eh? Which one did you go to? > [@tumbleddown](#): > > I’ve heard “all the way around Robin Hood’s barn” to describe an overly/wastefully circuitous route somewhere. “We finally got to the store but we went all the way around Robin Hood’s barn to get there.” We used to say " 'round robin’s barn" - same idea. ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/87 "2010-01-07T14:37:21Z")
> [@Belrix](#): > > I’m moderately proud, though, that in neither southern state did I adopt “y’all” any more than I adopted “yinz” as a kid. Interesting, I’ve lived in Manitoba all my life and, while it seems that most of our speech matches the Midwest (or at least No Dak and Minn according to this thread), I use y’all quite often, actually more than I believe I use “eh”. I blame it on a friend of mine (and occassional Doper) who I used to correspond with online all the time. She’s from the south (Arkansas if I recall) and used “y’all” about as often as y’all might expect her to use it. It then entered my speech. Curses! ---
**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:** [January 7, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/88 "2010-01-07T15:05:23Z")
> [@Ignatz](#): > > “Me and my wife went to…”. That’s as wrong as “Me went to…”. “My wife and I went…” is proper. Hardly regional. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/89 "2010-01-07T15:12:44Z")
I don’t know if it’s regional or if it was a trend that was just starting at the time but I never heard anyone refer to their young male children as “buddy” until I moved to Florida. I also had never heard people,when talking to their children, refer to other adults as"Miss \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_" although I now know this is common all over the south. I really dislike both of these things, as I do most regionalisms. ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/90 "2010-01-07T15:19:51Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I don’t know if it’s regional or if it was a trend that was just starting at the time but I never heard anyone refer to their young male children as “buddy” until I moved to Florida. I also had never heard people,when talking to their children, refer to other adults as"Miss \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_" although I now know this is common all over the south. > > I really dislike both of these things, as I do most regionalisms. i never used to use the ‘miss’ and ‘mister’ thing - but now I have succumbed. It makes it easier for my SO and I anyway - because my godson calls him “Mr. Dewey” since he’s not technically his god-uncle or what have you. And I find it goes down well in the office when I say goodmorning to folks, especially as the newbie/temp (I’m a consultant). Shows I’m being respectful but friendly. ---
**Author:** ![Webner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/0ea827/32.png) [@Webner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Webner)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/91 "2010-01-07T15:38:46Z")
In central Ohio, lots of people say “pry” instead of “probably”. I heard people also do this in other parts of the Midwest. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/92 "2010-01-07T16:07:48Z")
“Stay where yer to and I’ll come where yer at.” “Oh, you’re from Newfoundland, are you?” ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/93 "2010-01-07T16:14:45Z")
Hmm, I’m from the midwest and I always call dollar bills singles. I thought that was universal. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/94 "2010-01-07T16:20:51Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I also had never heard people,when talking to their children, refer to other adults as"Miss \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_" although I now know this is common all over the south. > > I really dislike both of these things, as I do most regionalisms. I don’t _dislike_ it, but _my_ first name happens to be “Bill”, and there are still too many people around who remember the SNL clay “cartoon” character who used to get his ass kicked by Mr. Sluggo, and just can’t seem to make their sorry asses keep from adding “Oooooh noooooo, Mr. **Bill**!” To which I usually reply (in Mr. Bill’s voice): “Oooooooh noooooo! (Mr \_\_ Ms\_\_) has a _death_ wish! Ooooooooh nooooo!”) Which results in a sick looking smile running off their face. I like it when the _little_ young 'uns call me that, and when I meet someone older than myself I’m apt to use it (except when their name happens to be Bill). Q ---
**Author:** ![gang\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f07891/32.png) [@gang\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gang_green)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/95 "2010-01-07T17:16:02Z")
I’ll confirm that in Texas, at least, a drive is usually referred to by how long it will take, rather than how many miles it is. For example, it’s 6 hours to my parent’s home. This is a very common way to describe a distance. I actually have to think to figure out that it’s 400 miles to my parent’s house. You even see it used for short distances. “How far away is that store?” “About 15 minutes.” One that’s falling into disuse is “do it to it.” It means the same thing as Larry the Cable Guy’s “git 'er done.” I prefer the former. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/96 "2010-01-07T17:23:50Z")
I was right - you people really do talk funny. 🙂 We measure distance more in hours than anything else in Canada, which makes sense when you think about it (we like to drive A LOT). My sister lives about six hours away; Edmonton is about a three hour drive; Lethbridge is about two hours away; my mom lives seven hours away. I couldn’t actually tell you the kilometerage of any of these places. I’m sure we have plenty of regionalisms, but I can’t think of any. Well, hoodies are called bunnyhugs in Saskatchewan, but that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/97 "2010-01-07T17:27:29Z")
I know ‘wicked pissah’ was mentioned already - but it occured to me that in the 80s we often said ‘wicked ahwsome’ instead (plus, our 'rents objected to anything with the word piss in it.) ---
**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:** [January 7, 2010, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/98 "2010-01-07T17:35:02Z")
“I will in me bollix” and “I will in me shite” - I most probably will not. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/99 "2010-01-07T17:35:09Z")
“There you go,” which means pretty darn much the same as “You bet.” “I sure like ketchup on my french fries.” “There ya go!” ---
**Author:** ![Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diver)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781/100 "2010-01-07T18:25:56Z")
NH versus TX; So don’t I = so do I Go straight ahead of yourself = go straight ahead Go down cellar = go down in the basement Change up = change your clothes Paper bag = paper sack Go food shopping = go to the grocery store Carriage = shopping cart Frappe = milk shake ? = malt (They didn’t know what a malt was when I lived in NH) Elastic = rubber band [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-what-now-and-other-regional-phrases/523781.md?page=6)