# 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:** 5
**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 8, 2007, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/81 "2007-09-08T19:47:15Z")
[QUOTE=elfkin477] **Bayard’s** “Cornhole” caused some uproar at work last fall. [/QUOTE] I’m not sure I like the sound of that. ---
**Author:** ![pprgrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f6c823/32.png) [@pprgrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pprgrl)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/82 "2007-09-08T20:12:37Z")
As a teenager I spent some years in eastern South Dakota where the word [loptarded](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Loptarded) is used with some frequency. No one that I’ve run into outside of that region has ever heard it before. In Florida, [Baker Act](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Act) has become a verb in common usage, as in “Someone take those pills away from her before she gets herself bakeracted,” or “Didja hear? Johnny’s parents bakeracted him after they found that gun.” ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2007, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/83 "2007-09-08T20:47:29Z")
I say [uff da](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=uff+da) at least once a day. More so on my particularly clumsy days or very cold or hot days. ---
**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 8, 2007, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/84 "2007-09-08T21:26:50Z")
[QUOTE=Azeotrope] Me either, it’s what my grandmother called them “because that’s what they always called 'em.” Another good NEPA-ism is “Heyna” (or “Hain’t it”) which is roughly equivalent to “don’t you agree?” and stuck on the end of random sentences. As in “Mary’s daughter is adorable, heyna? Really hot today, heyna? I hope I hit the lottery so I can quit this job, heyna?” [/QUOTE] My Floridian family members use a version of this that sounds like heyna without the “h” or ayna. When they use it, it can mean both “don’t you agree” and “I agree with you” (ex: saying ayna as a response to “wouldn’t it be nice to win the lottery?”). > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **AskNott** > A bluegill here is a delicious variety of sunfish. In other places, they’re called shell-crackers, and anglers think they’re a trash fish. > > A crappie (CROP-ee) here is known elsewhere as a papermouth or a calico bass, among other things We use those names here in NY too. ---
**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:** [September 8, 2007, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/85 "2007-09-08T21:34:21Z")
[QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] An Gadai writes: \> I’ve been told that bold in the usage “the bold child broke the windows” is \> unique to Ireland too although it can also have the other meaning. So what does the term “bold child” (or maybe just "bold’) mean in this context? [/QUOTE] bold child = misbehaving child ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/86 "2007-09-09T00:07:42Z")
> [@](#): > > **vetbridge** said: > Pittsburghese includes “redd up” as well as “yinz” for the plural of “you”. We also have chipped ham, jumbo, gutchies and our city has both sides **and** ends. Yinz kin git yer jumbo n islay’s chipped ham on da nor’side, da sa’side, in da wes’end or da eas’end, but only if yinz redd up your room, n’at. Yinz bin leavin yer gutchies all over fer da nebby neighbors ta see, n’at. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/87 "2007-09-09T00:30:06Z")
I can’t believe no one from the Bay Area has chimed in. That’s _hella_ ridiculous! ---
**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:** [September 9, 2007, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/88 "2007-09-09T01:40:57Z")
duplicate post ☹ ---
**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:** [September 9, 2007, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/89 "2007-09-09T01:39:52Z")
but because of pop culture\* hella \*is used elsewhere innit? ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/90 "2007-09-09T01:59:58Z")
[QUOTE=TheLoadedDog] 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”? [/QUOTE] It gets quite a lot of usage in NZ too, although it also gets used for no aparent purpose. ‘How was the party?’ ‘Aww, yea, nah, it was okay’ ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/91 "2007-09-09T03:09:00Z")
In NYC and environs we have the “Affirmative Negative,” which usually crops up when one person states an opinion to another, who wishes to express agreement. It consists of a largely meaningless “No,” followed by an affirmation of the opinion offered. _Person A:_ I think wind-up travel alarm clocks make way better paperweights than novelty salt and pepper shakers. _Person B:_ No, you’re absolutely right. I’ve never heard this anywhere else, nor have I figured out where it could have come from that “no” turns out to mean “yes.” ---
**Author:** ![Eolbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Eolbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eolbo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/92 "2007-09-09T05:08:19Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] We sure do! From Milwaukee up to the UP! Glad to hear it’s in Australia too! [/QUOTE] I just did a quick impromptu survey of Australians. None of us have ever heard of the word ‘bubbler’ for drinking fountain. It might possibly be peculiar to parts of Australia but it doesn’t seem to be general if its used at all. ---
**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:** [September 9, 2007, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/93 "2007-09-09T05:23:02Z")
[QUOTE=Spoons] 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. [/QUOTE] Winnipeg has ends too, and I think street directions are the same. In Montreal the street directions are definitely at the end, but of course we have interference from French so it’s hard to pin down. As for Quebec English, obviously our biggest feature is lexical borrowing from French: both words (autoroute, terrasse, cinq à sept, vernissage) and constructions (close the lights). But there are other features: unlike the R.o.C., we tend to say “soft drink” instead of “pop,” for example. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/94 "2007-09-09T05:23:57Z")
I grew up hearing about bluegills and crappies, here in (sorta) northern Illinois. And my mother used ‘bubbler’ for drinking fountain, although I think she pretty much restricted that usage to the ones that actually bubble up, not the ones that shoot water into the air. It’s not a single word, so maybe it doesn’t count, but Ohio and Pennsylvania seem to have it, and not anyone else. They say something needs washed, rather than needs washing. Not just that verb, but that’s the one I’ve heard most often. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/95 "2007-09-09T05:54:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Here in Northeast PA I’ve heard older people refer to green bell peppers as mangos. Never understood (or been able to get an explanation) why. I heard this one a lot growing up in rural northern Indiana. Another one was “of an evening” (or morning, afternoon, etc) for during the evening…e.g. “We usually sat on the porch _of an evening_, watching the world go by.” Here in my adopted home of middle Tennessee, it’s the use of the verb carry. “After I _carried_ the kids to school today, I went back home for another cup of coffee” meaning that I enjoyed that expresso after I _took_ the little \*ankle biters \* off to class. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/96 "2007-09-09T06:12:20Z")
[QUOTE=thirdwarning] It’s not a single word, so maybe it doesn’t count, but Ohio and Pennsylvania seem to have it, and not anyone else. They say something needs washed, rather than needs washing. Not just that verb, but that’s the one I’ve heard most often. [/QUOTE] However, it is not all Ohio. It is a pretty tightly focussed usage that runs from Pittsburgh through Youngstown to Canton. You occasionally hear it in Summit County (Akron), but the speaker nearly always turns out to have lived in Canton in their formative years. It is exceedingly rare in Cleveland (although it is slowly spreading). ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/97 "2007-09-09T06:14:42Z")
[QUOTE=missred] Here in my adopted home of middle Tennessee, it’s the use of the verb carry. “After I _carried_ the kids to school today, I went back home for another cup of coffee” meaning that I enjoyed that expresso after I _took_ the little \*ankle biters \* off to class. [/QUOTE] I heard “of an evening” and carry in North and South Carolina. Also “tote” in place of carry. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/98 "2007-09-09T06:17:45Z")
In my corner of Kentucky, you actually don’t hear “y’all” used that much among the older folks whose accents developed independent of television. The more common second-person plural is “younz”, slurred so it’s almost like 1.5 syllables. It isn’t far from the Middle Atlantic’s “yinz”. (For the second-person singular, like just about every Southerner I’ve ever known, we use “you”.) I don’t know if it’s peculiar to my area, but I’ve noticed that “license” is more often that not treated as plural. “No count” is a shortening of “no account” and is used to mean something isn’t any good. It’s usually the back end of a double negative, as in “Those tomatoes weren’t no count.” ---
**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:** [September 9, 2007, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/99 "2007-09-09T06:23:54Z")
[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] It’s definitely a Westernism. It caught us by surprise when we moved to Winnipeg and, having left, we seem to have completely left it behind (except for the aforementioned manufacturer of fine gitch products). > [@](#): > > klempt - hungry “I wa fur klempt” I’ve heard _verklempt_ as Yiddish meaning “uptight, irritated, alarmed,” etc. As for “yeah, no,” a possibly related usage is “No, yes,” meaning “I agree with the negative statement you just made.” ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268/100 "2007-09-09T06:31:46Z")
Skive: meaning to avoid work or be just downright pig idle [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-you-think-are-unique-to-your-country-region/418268.md?page=6)