Montreal Anglos have some regionalisms of our own, many of them calques on French, of which the most notorious is “close the lights.”
What does this mean in American?
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.”
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.
You too, eh? Which one did you go to?
We used to say " 'round robin’s barn" - same idea.
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!
Hardly regional.
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.
In central Ohio, lots of people say “pry” instead of “probably”. I heard people also do this in other parts of the Midwest.
“Stay where yer to and I’ll come where yer at.”
“Oh, you’re from Newfoundland, are you?”
Hmm, I’m from the midwest and I always call dollar bills singles. I thought that was universal.
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
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.
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.
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.)
“I will in me bollix” and “I will in me shite” - I most probably will not.
“There you go,” which means pretty darn much the same as “You bet.”
“I sure like ketchup on my french fries.”
“There ya go!”
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