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13 Regional Slang Terms That Will Leave You Scratching Your Head

The history of regional slang and sayings can be traced back to the early days of American settlement. As people migrated from different parts of the world to various regions of the United States, they brought with them their own languages, customs and traditions. Here are 13 regional slang terms that might leave you scratching your head, were you to visit.

ice cream expressions in new England

Gym Footwear

Chartres, France - Spetember 2, 2019: Image of a pair of All Star Converse sneakers on an urban black and white chess table
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Growing up in the suburbs of New York City, we always referred to the shoes you would wear for gym class as sneakers. However, my Midwest cousins called them tennis shoes โ€” even if you werenโ€™t playing tennis. Then there were my neighbors who were from the United Kingdom. They called them trainers. What do you call this kind of footwear?
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High Speed Roadways

regional slang and words featured image
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I can always tell someone from California. There, every multilane road is a freeway. However, in other parts of the country, there are big differences between a parkway, highway, thruway, expressway, interstate or turnpike. What do you call the roadway where people travel at high speeds?
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Referring to a Group of People

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Regional slang and sayings can include colloquialisms, idioms and dialects that are specific to a particular area. For example, saying โ€œyโ€™allโ€ in the south versus โ€œyou guysโ€ in the Northeast versus โ€œyinzโ€ in Pittsburgh. Theyโ€™re all referring to a group of people. What phrase do you use?
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Flying Bugs That Light Up in Summer

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I use lightning bugs and fireflies interchangeably. However, people living elsewhere in the United States may not. What term do you use to describe the flying bugs of summer that light up in the evening and which you might have caught in jars as a child?
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Ice Cream Topping

background of colorful sprinkles, jimmies for cake decoration or ice cream topping creams
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When you want a certain topping on ice cream, youโ€™d better ask for โ€œjimmiesโ€ in parts of New England whereas in other parts of the country, youโ€™ll just ask for sprinkles. And if you want a specific kind of jimmies or sprinkles, then you should add the qualifier โ€œchocolateโ€ or โ€œrainbowโ€ to your order. What term do you use?
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Carbonated Beverages

cola with crushed ice in glass and there is water droplets around. cool black fresh drink.
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Soda is the fizzy drink you get in the Northeast and Midatlantic. However, in Maine, you might have to say tonic. Then, youโ€™ll have to ask for pop in the Midwest. Heading down South? Everything is referred to as โ€œCoke.โ€ So if you wanted orange crush to drink, you would ask for orange crush coke. How do you order a carbonated beverage?
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A Drink Made with Ice Cream

milkshakes chocolate flavor ice cream set collection with cherry on top isolated on white background
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If you want a milkshake โ€” aka a drink made with ice cream โ€” youโ€™d better ask for a frappe (pronounced frap) in Massachusetts and other places in New England. Or, if youโ€™re visiting the regional chain Friendlyโ€™s, it will be a Fribble. In New England, a milkshake is just milk with syrup. It does not include ice cream. On the other hand, in Rhode Island, you would call a milkshake a cabinet. What do you call a drink made with ice cream?
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Sandwiches in a Long Bun

long baguette sandwich with lettuce, slices of fresh vegetables, ham, turkey breast and cheese
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Weโ€™re all familiar with the sandwich shop chain Subway, but not everyone refers to those sandwiches as subs. Theyโ€™re a grinder in New England, subs or heroes in the Northeast, Italian sandwiches in some pocket of Northern New England, a hoagie in and around Philadelphia and po boys in the South. How do you describe this kind of sandwich?
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Selling Stuff on Your Driveway or Front Lawn

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Selling stuff on your lawn or driveway or in your garage? Most Americans call this a garage sale. Interestingly, a small portion of Wisconsin calls these a rummage sale. However, in most of New England, these are yard sales. Then there is the Connecticut River valley of Massachusetts and Connecticut. People there tend to call these outdoor sales a tag sale. What do you call it?
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A Circle in the Middle of the Road to Keep Traffic Moving

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There are three common terms for a circle in the middle of an intersection, usually installed in place of stoplights and as a way to keep traffic moving. A rotary, traffic circle or roundabout. Even Waze and Google Maps refer to these differently. What term do you use?
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A Place to Rest Your Feet

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When you want to put your feet up and youโ€™re not sitting in a chair with a foot rest, what do you call the piece of furniture you want? Is it an Ottoman, footstool or, in the New York City area, a hassock?
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A Place to Drink Water

Free drinking water or drinking fountain for traveler in the departure of the airport. Public drinking water concept.
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In school, if you were to stop in the hallway to get a drink of water, what do you think youโ€™ll be using? Is it a water fountain, the term I used growing up? Or do you call it a bubbler, as they do in Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Some people call them drinking fountains. Now that these fountains have been replaced with water bottle filling stations, I wonder if these phrases will go away altogether in the future.
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How to Describe Something Amazing or Great

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Photo credit: Leah Ingram.

On the West Coast, there are a couple of ways people might describe something as amazing or great. Thereโ€™s gnarly, as in โ€œThe dude caught a gnarly wave.โ€ And there is hella, as in โ€œThat concert was hella fun.โ€ On the other side of the country, in New England, youโ€™ll hear the term wicked. Wicked is used for good things, like โ€œThatโ€™s wicked cool,โ€ but also for bad things, like โ€œThat was a wicked Norโ€™easter.โ€ What phrase would you use?

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