Jersey'isms (Allentown: agriculture, town, culture)

[blueheaven22]

Talking about exits - I grew up in Fords and when people asked where that was I would say "Do you know where routes 1, 9, 35, the Parkway and the Turnpike all intersect? Well right in the middle of there!!"

And I moved away from Jersey about 30 years ago and the thing that really strikes me is the foul language!! LOL!! Where I live now (the deep South) people don't talk like that and as soon as I get off the plane in Newark I tell my husband I can tell we're back in Jersey!!! Of course that was just how we talked growing up and didn't think twice about it.

[nicolem]

Originally Posted by HawaiiLover

Someone mentioned Colorforms....wow, I used to love playing with them.

Too funny- I loved Colorforms too! I wonder if they even make them anymore?

[young(ex)jerzeyguy]

hey anyone here from good ol' belleville, next to north arlington,nutley, bloomfield. i moved to the deep south about 6 years ago..and it was the biggest mistake of my life!!. no snow...no taylor ham...no decent bagels...no buttered rolls...and everyone waits 5 sec. to go after the light turns green. i'd love to see them do that in jersey...lol

[monack]

Oh, gosh. I love this thread. Here are some things that I have not seen mentioned that I didn't even realize were a Jersey Thing until I finally met folks who were not from NJ.

When I was in college, I was having some friends come up to visit who lived in Virginia. I had only met them online (and mind you, this was in, I want to say, 1993 or so), and they had never come to the NJ/NY area before. So I gave them directions that eventually lead them to Rt. 1 in Edison. They were doing fine with the directions, they said, until I told them to take the Jughandle for Plainfield Ave. They had no idea what a jughandle was, and it was at that moment, I learned what a conveluted state I lived in, and how it was NOT normal that you can't make a left turn in this state.

My parents had a Ford Torino - they actually had two of them. But the first one met an unfortunate end when it exploded. At a gas station. Oh, fun times.

And I didn't learn to pump my own gas until I left the state in 1996 after I got married. My husband forced me to learn. Now I"m glad I know, but I'm still perfectly happy using full serve.

I've really enjoyed this thread - we should keep it alive

[theS5]

I could not get through the entire post, so I don't know if these have been mentioned.
When ever we chose sides for a game we used "one potata two potata three potata four....."

My parents did not use olive oil, they used olive earl.

When we were with friends and bought a soda we would quickly use thumbs down so we did not have to share, but, it they put thumbs up first, it became a community soda.

Curb ball, Babies, stickball, ringalerio.

Good times

[monack]

Oh yeah - There was calling a Drawer a "Draw". I generally do not have an accent, but there are certain words... that once I became aware that I was saying with them with an accent i worked hard to get rid of it. I was working my first job after college, which was in south central NJ (Cranbury). most of the folks I worked with lived in the 609 area code, and therefore, had a bit of that philly accent in their speak. Anyway, I can distinctly remember asking someone if they wouldn't mind getting something out of the "Draw".

"The what?"
"The Draw."
"The WHAT?"
"You know. The Draw. What you put stuff in."
"Mona. DrawER. With an ER at the end of it..."

So that is something I pretty quickly managed to get out of my regular speech habits.

[beowulf7]

What happened about that NJ movie someone mentioned many pages ago?

[young(ex)jerzeyguy]

let's see heres something i don't remember seeing is it window or winda....washer or worsher?...lol

[HawaiiLover]

Originally Posted by young(ex)jerzeyguy

let's see heres something i don't remember seeing is it window or winda....washer or worsher?...lol

HAHA, for years people would laugh at me because I always (not anymore) would say Worshington and worsh.

I hate when people say Qpons, instead of Coupons!

[sligogirl]

Originally Posted by nicolem

I am sooo glad you remember. As I said-my husband does not remember. He says he never heard of them or had one. He pretty much remembers all the other stuff when we talk about growing up in the 70's and 80's in NJ. Is it possible this was a central/southern NJ thing? Did anyone in northern NJ have them and love them as much as Wiley and me?

How about the pink marshmellow "Snowballs", ate them 'em mass. Think of them today, and want to puke...