# English words you think are unique to your country/region. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 6, 2007, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268 "2007-09-06T18:03:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/21 "2007-09-06T20:13:53Z")
There’s plenty of regionalisms up here: “Surety”: the money you put down when you rent an apartment. What the rest of the US calls “security deposit.” I grew up using the word “boughten” to differentiate between store-bought and homemade. The first time I used “boughten bread” in a sentence to my husband he looked at me like I was from Mars. A lot of people are of Finnish ancestry up here. There’s a trace of Finn in our English - we tend to drop articles and prepositions: “We go Green Bay” instead of “We’re going to Green Bay.” I’m sure I can come up with more, but that’s what first spring to mind. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/22 "2007-09-06T20:16:39Z")
[QUOTE=Omega Glory] I think Chiavettas is local. It’s chicken that has been soaked in Chiavetta marinade. When charities around here advertise for their summertime chicken dinner fundraisers, they’ll often just say they’re selling Chiavettas or Chiavetta dinners. I’ve never heard lawn fete either. [/QUOTE] Maybe it’s a Catholic thing? (Of course, that theory would be shot down if it turns out you are Catholic). You’ll see them listed in the Gusto fairly often during the summer. Here’s a web site for a [lawn fete](http://www.olbsdepew.org/Main/News.cfm?NewsID=22) in Depew (also featuring chiavettas, spelled incorrectly of course). ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/23 "2007-09-06T20:22:36Z")
[QUOTE=Jodi] Also, to harass or bother someone is “to chew (or bite) their ankles,” presumably like an obnoxious little dog does. Not sure that’s used elsewhere. [/QUOTE] I remember hearing the term “ankle biter” in southern Ontario. It referred to an irritating child. I also remember “this aft” well enough. One I do recall from living in Toronto was that Toronto had ends: West End, East End, North End. No South End, since that was the lake. But where other cities had “sides” (West Side, for example), Toronto had “ends.” Also in Toronto, street directions always come after the street name: Queen Street East, Bloor Street West, and so on. Never “East Queen Street.” These examples may not be unique to Toronto, but they do seem unusual for many North American cities. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/24 "2007-09-06T20:24:16Z")
> [@](#): > > I see that “Chile” can be an alternate for “Chili” but everything I’ve ever heard uses “Chile” only for the country and “Chili” for both the pepper and the dish. My guess, and purely a guess, is that regions where peppers are called _chile_ are cultures heavily influenced by the Spanish language. _Chile_, in Mexico, refers to either the pepper or the sauce made out of the pepper. It would not surprise me if Chile, the country, is named for its skinny pepper-like shape. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/25 "2007-09-06T20:35:50Z")
[QUOTE=Spoons] I remember hearing the term “ankle biter” in southern Ontario. It referred to an irritating child. [/quote] That one’s used in Britain, also as a dismissive term about a short person. > [@](#): > > One I do recall from living in Toronto was that Toronto had ends: West End, East End, North End. No South End, since that was the lake. But where other cities had “sides” (West Side, for example), Toronto had “ends.” London has west and east ends (not north or south). ‘The West End’ is the parallel to ‘Broadway’ in its theatrical context. Some other British cities have ends, too, Glasgow coming to mind (again, just east and west). The southern part of a village in Essex grew into the seaside town of Southend-on-Sea. There’s also Preston North End football club. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/26 "2007-09-06T20:40:36Z")
[QUOTE=Jodi] In Montana a country bumpkin or yokel is a “yodar” – YO-dar [rhymes with car] – presumably from the common Mennonite/Hutterite (and Amish, though no Amish in MT) name “Yoder.” I’ve never heard the term outside Montana. Also, to harass or bother someone is “to chew (or bite) their ankles,” presumably like an obnoxious little dog does. Not sure that’s used elsewhere. [/QUOTE] I thought it was a sixth sense that a person is fluent in urban italian- or african-american speak. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/27 "2007-09-06T21:05:33Z")
[QUOTE=olivesmarch4th] It would not surprise me if Chile, the country, is named for its skinny pepper-like shape. [/QUOTE] [This article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile) lists several possible origins for the country’s name, but none of these theories involve the pepper. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/28 "2007-09-06T22:05:10Z")
[QUOTE=Ultraviolet] Is anyone else familiar with the term “gonch” or “ginch” (no idea of the spelling), meaning underpants? My family used this term, and I think it’s a Western Canadianism, but it may be more widespread. Or, hey, maybe my family is the only one that used it 🙂 [/QUOTE] I’m a B.C. boy, but I’m nearly certain that that expression is more widespread. (Though I haven’t heard it in twenty years or more.) One of the first jokes I remember being told (c. grade one, 1976) is: Q: What does “GWG” stand for? A: “George Washington’s Gonch!” HAHAHAHAHA! As for the spelling, [this underwear retailer](http://www.ginchgonch.com/) uses both. (Warning: dudes in banana hammocks.) ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/29 "2007-09-06T22:11:17Z")
[QUOTE=Bayard] Do people in the Milwaukee area say “bubbler” (drinking fountain) all that often anymore? My father-in-law does now and then. [/QUOTE] I grew up saying “bubbler” (New England). In Indiana, a Hoosier is a good thing. In Missouri, a hoosier is a redneck (one of them Jefferson county folk). ---
**Author:** ![Micro\_Dot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Micro\_Dot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Micro_Dot)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/30 "2007-09-06T22:25:15Z")
stob - a stump, especially said of plants like harvested corn stalks, that make it hard to walk through a field. Seems to be local to border states. ---
**Author:** ![Micro\_Dot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Micro\_Dot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Micro_Dot)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/31 "2007-09-06T22:25:55Z")
stob - a stump, especially said of plants like harvested corn stalks, that make it hard to walk through a field. Seems to be local to border states. (Kentucky, Tenn) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/32 "2007-09-06T22:42:45Z")
[QUOTE=Ultraviolet] Is anyone else familiar with the term “gonch” or “ginch” (no idea of the spelling), meaning underpants? My family used this term, and I think it’s a Western Canadianism, but it may be more widespread. Or, hey, maybe my family is the only one that used it 🙂 [/QUOTE] We used to say “gocchies” for underwear when I was a slightly-older kid in Whitby, Ontario. I wonder whether that’s related. I always thought it was an Italian word. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/33 "2007-09-07T00:57:15Z")
[QUOTE=delphica] Maybe it’s a Catholic thing? (Of course, that theory would be shot down if it turns out you are Catholic). You’ll see them listed in the Gusto fairly often during the summer. Here’s a web site for a [lawn fete](http://www.olbsdepew.org/Main/News.cfm?NewsID=22) in Depew (also featuring chiavettas, spelled incorrectly of course). [/QUOTE] I technically am Catholic, but my family moved onto other things before I could have any real memory of it. Of course, now they’ve come full circle and have gone back…but anyway, that could be it. I’m not actually in the city itself, so that could also be an explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/34 "2007-09-07T02:14:06Z")
[QUOTE=Bayard] Do people in the Milwaukee area say “bubbler” (drinking fountain) all that often anymore? My father-in-law does now and then. [/QUOTE] We sure do! From Milwaukee up to the UP! Glad to hear it’s in Australia too! ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/35 "2007-09-07T02:24:11Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Mudd] I’m a B.C. boy, but I’m nearly certain that that expression is more widespread. (Though I haven’t heard it in twenty years or more.) One of the first jokes I remember being told (c. grade one, 1976) is: Q: What does “GWG” stand for? A: “George Washington’s Gonch!” HAHAHAHAHA! As for the spelling, [this underwear retailer](http://www.ginchgonch.com/) uses both. (Warning: dudes in banana hammocks.) [/QUOTE] I first heard of ‘gonch’ when I moved to BC from the East. Not sure how far it spreads. How about _toque_, a Canadianism for a warm winter hat, or _bunnyhug_, a peculiar Saskatchewanism for a hoodie. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/36 "2007-09-07T02:30:11Z")
The primarily Southern U.S. word “tump” is rare in that it fills a much needed niche succinctly for a such a commonly needed usage and yet it isn’t mainstream. There are several near synonyms like overturn, turn over, spill, or tip. However, the word tump combines the idea of spilling something with the idea of it being accidental or wreckless. ex: “Stop that kid before he tumps over my vase”. You can say the same thing in standard English but it is rather awkward. I know several Yankees, including my wife that were exposed to the word tump and kept it for themselves because it tends to be pretty useful. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/37 "2007-09-07T02:48:18Z")
I’m usually wary of these things - inevitably some little place somewhere overseas uses things i think are local to my area - I have even heard “G’day” is used in some places in America - but I’d need clarification on that. Do people anywhere else start sentences with “Yeah no”, meaning “I see where you are coming from, but I politely disagree”? ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/38 "2007-09-07T02:51:40Z")
[QUOTE=TheLoadedDog] Do people anywhere else start sentences with “Yeah no”, meaning “I see where you are coming from, but I politely disagree”? [/QUOTE] Adam Sandler did that a lot in _Punch Drunk Love_. Is it common in Australia? Maybe the writer or director of that movie was Australian? I haven’t heard many Americans saying that in normal conversation, though. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/39 "2007-09-07T02:57:30Z")
I’ve never heard of that strange g-word for underwear. I was surprised to learn that ‘keener’ is a Canadianism, in the sense of a person who is especially keen, almost to the point of being made fun of. ---
**Author:** ![Emeria](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@Emeria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emeria)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/40 "2007-09-07T03:04:24Z")
Where I come from we have a few unique words … in fact, a whole [dictionary](http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Newfoundland-English-Second-supplement/dp/0802068197) of them. I suppose many of them are regionalisms, unique to one particular area and not truly island-wide. Also, many of the words in the book are not widely used today (indeed were never widespread to begin with), which is maybe the reason someone thought it would be a good idea to write them down. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268.md?page=3)