A funny thread----Boston'isms (Gloucester, Hingham, Cohasset: high school, shop, teacher)

[Janeywan]

I was in Norton last month house huntingand several people asked me about my "accent" as if it pegged me as a foreigner - I live in Maryland and have lived all over the States (except New England) so I thought my speech was mostly vanilla. We are moving up in two months and I hope I don't stick out too badly!

[angiemcc]

Cah directionals are also "blinkahs"
When they’re all on, they’re "hazahds"
Frappe = ice cream + milk
Shake = milk + syrup

The “Cahmin” = Boston Common + Public Garden, because...
The “Gahdin” = The TDBank North Garden or whatevahthihell it's called these days

Thank you to a previous poster who mentioned JIMMIES! Sprinkles are the foofy multicolored things.

“Scrahd” is the generic fresh catch of the day, not a type of fish (not limited to Boston but seems to be limited to New England?)

Police cahs = “Croozahs”. Their lights are “blue-ies”

Hair bands, rubber bands = “elastics”

“Franks” are found only at Fenway and in France. Here, they’re hot dogs.

“Bahstin Pause” = slow roll through a stop sign

No matter what year it is, “The Blizzahd” refers to only one storm.

[neil0311]

bubbler = water fountain

[haberstroh]

I started this thread a long time ago after looking at the NJ site, and although they have us beat by a lot more entries, I have to thank all of you for contributing. I make my husband (he is from Florida and can imitate fake accents real good, including mine German accent ;-)) say all these little phrases and the kids get such a kick out of it (yes they are still young).
Keep them coming....maybe we can still beat the NJ board.

[in_newengland]

I'm a MA native, but from WMass so I say grinder and water fountain, etc.
Maybe this isn't amazing to anyone else but I saw an actual SIGN today in a grocery store aisle for TONIC. Big sign. (medicine?) I know it means soda but most people would think medicine. This was on the north shore.

[CaseyB]

Tonic (for soda) is more a North Shore term. My grandfather used to say tonic all the time (he was born in Gloucester) so I used it when I was a kid - but I don't think my own kids would even know what it meant.

[Kazz]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

Tonic (for soda) is more a North Shore term. My grandfather used to say tonic all the time (he was born in Gloucester) so I used it when I was a kid - but I don't think my own kids would even know what it meant.

Not just the north shore. I grew up in Cambridge,and we called it 'tonic'.

[hppycmpr]

This thread has me laughing out loud!

When we went to bed we snuggled under our 'puffs' not comforters. My dad was always losing the clicker (not the remote).

I think the closer you get to the city the more you hear, especially from the old-timers.

[in_newengland]

When we went to bed we snuggled under our 'puffs' not comforters.

OMG. My mother used to call it a puff and I've never heard the term anywhere else or from anyone else. I'm certainly not from Boston and neither was my mother. Maybe it's an old term from (where?)

[Matholomew]

This may not be EXCLUSIVELY Bostonian, but "butts" as a term for cigarettes was completely alien to Californians.

Hahaha, and "K of C" can create an interesting misunderstanding:

Me: "What's up? Did ya heah Damian got married?"
West Coast Chick: "Oh yeah? Where was the wedding?"
Me: "Oh, it was just a small ceremony at the Whitman K of C."
West Coast Chick: "Seriously? I didn't know KFC did weddings. Must've been kinda weird." True Story.

Has anyone else used the word "M*******" not as a pejorative, but as a matter of personal pride to avoid being called a Yankee by a Southerner, as in "I'm not a Yankee; I'm a M*******"?

"West of 495" refers to the two-thirds of the state that is sparsely populated and almost completely ignored by the third east of 495, excepting of course, for the occasional vacation to "the Berkshizz".

Speaking of travelling, no one from Masssachusetts goes to Cape Cod. They go "Down the Cape".

Lastly, what's with some Bostonians inserting R's where they don't belong? I've heard pizzer, Talbert's (retailer based out of Hingham), idear, and most famously "Cuber" (thanks, Jack).