"Tell your story walking" - A general New Yorkism? (neighborhoods, live)

[Lorielicious]

The first time I heard this expression I was something like 15 years old listening to "Triumph" by WuTang Clan, and immediately incorporated it into my vernacular. It combined my need to be dismissive of people with phrasing that was somewhat amusing, and didn't bother to euphemize (this is a word now) my impatience. Sadly, I encountered many a blank stare when I employed this phrase in casual conversation, and after many years of struggle, let the phrase die with the preference for getting my point across outweighing my need to popularize a phrase I'd come to love.

Many years later I read "Motherless Brooklyn" and one of Frank Minna's Minnaisms, as described by the narrator, was he encouraged people to tell their story walking. Aye, so perhaps Cappadonna didn't invent this phrase himself after all, which I never really believed he did, hence my frustration with no one knowing what I was talking about. Seems like if I ever get so lucky to meet someone who doesn't look at me like I'm talking crazy again (which is fair enough, because I do frequently talk crazy), they're from New Yorkish.

Sure, yeah, I've been to NY several times, but it's hard to peg down every regionalism from a few visits where you spend the majority of your time with your (foreign) family who has regionlisms of their own.

So...? Thanks.

[Airborneguy]

Never heard it in my entire NY life.

[Fred314X]

New Yorkers will also tell someone to take a long walk off a short pier.

And let's not forget fuhgeddaboudit, which is NOT a funny way of saying "forget about it." It's a euphemism. (Don't worry; you'll figure out what it's a euphemism for, before long!)

[bluedog2]

Originally Posted by Lorielicious

The first time I heard this expression I was something like 15 years old listening to "Triumph" by WuTang Clan, and immediately incorporated it into my vernacular. It combined my need to be dismissive of people with phrasing that was somewhat amusing, and didn't bother to euphemize (this is a word now) my impatience. Sadly, I encountered many a blank stare when I employed this phrase in casual conversation, and after many years of struggle, let the phrase die with the preference for getting my point across outweighing my need to popularize a phrase I'd come to love.

Many years later I read "Motherless Brooklyn" and one of Frank Minna's Minnaisms, as described by the narrator, was he encouraged people to tell their story walking. Aye, so perhaps Cappadonna didn't invent this phrase himself after all, which I never really believed he did, hence my frustration with no one knowing what I was talking about. Seems like if I ever get so lucky to meet someone who doesn't look at me like I'm talking crazy again (which is fair enough, because I do frequently talk crazy), they're from New Yorkish.

Sure, yeah, I've been to NY several times, but it's hard to peg down every regionalism from a few visits where you spend the majority of your time with your (foreign) family who has regionlisms of their own.

So...? Thanks.

Have lived in many neighborhoods in all boroughs except Staten Island.Have never heard this expression uttered by anyone.