WNY colloquialisms and accents (New York, Rochester: suburbs, bad areas, area)

[skbs]

Originally Posted by SteveT

"ain it" after every sentence

everyone referred to as "cuz"

also "dem is" or "you's guys "

terms like "i don't know nothin" or "it didnt say nothin about that"

I must say, this sounds more like an uneducated idiot rather than a Western NYer... Absolutely none of my friends or family talk like that...However, we are Most Definitely RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaachesterians. .. I admit it... but am not ashamed.

[ff18wife]

I just have to jump in here. Hubby is from Cheektowaga...still has tons of family there. He said the same thing...didn't hear the "accent" until I pointed it out to him. We lived in NJ until last year...now NE PA. I think he has more of a Jersey accent now after having lived there for 20 years.

Here's a bit of humor for ya :
You know you're from Buffalo..

"IF"....

You've ever bragged about your driving time to Toronto.
You've ever crossed the border just ...
to buy beer at Brewer's Retail, because you think it has more alcohol
than what's sold in the US
to buy cheese
to buy fireworks
to eat at a Chinese restaurant
to attend the "Canadian Ballet"
to buy gasoline (in the early 1980s)
to buy clogs (in the late 1970s)

You've ever called ...
Bon-Ton "AM&A's"
Kauffman's "Hengerer's"
Quality Markets "Bells"
Buffalo State College "State Teacher's"
Daemen College "Rosary Hill College"
TCI "Courier Cable"
Adelphia "International Cable"
Super Flea "GEX"

Half of your friends moved to Charlotte, North Carolina ... and the other
half went to Raleigh.

You call an apartment a "flat," just like the Brits do.

Your mother still has a metal "downtown charge plate" in her purse.

You've seen apartments listed in the paper by church parish ... and you
know where all of them are.

You use the word "the" before the numbers of expressways, like "The 290,"
"The 90," "The 400" and so on.

You save Canadian coins ... to use at toll booths and parking meters.

You've held a "waveathon" at four way stop intersections ("No, you go ...")

When someone a speaks of "family restaurant," you think of names like "The Olympus," "The Acropolis," and "The Agean," not Denny's or Perkins.

You can tell what part of town someone is
from because of their accent.
Especially dat der
Chickatavaga town der, an' de freggin' Wesside.

You've ever feasted on these treats ...
real chicken wings (not "Buffalo wings")
real beef on weck (and you call it "beef on wick")
real pizza, with no crust, cut lengthwise into strips
real horseradish
charcoal broiled hot dogs
Niagara Street clams
pierogies
placek
Weber's mustard
Texas hots
St Joseph's day bread
twice Baked double cheese potatoes

and washed it down with ...
Genesee Cream Ale, in a 16 ounce bottle ("'da pounder")
loganberry juice
Vernor's
OV
Visniak or Black Rock pop

You slam on the brakes and slow to a crawl whenever you see the "Village
of Kenmore" sign.

You watched Canadian television, just so you could see US shows a day or two earlier than they would appear in the States.

Your pockets are filled with old Metro Rail tickets.

You flinch when you hear the words "wide right!"

You think of a high school, not a cartoon, when you hear references to
"South Park."

Your house has a "Florida room" and an above-ground swimming pool.

You make fun of Amherst ...but say you're from there to impress women.

You go "hshhhhhh" whenever a story about a fire or the Bills appears on
the news.

You can make the coins land perfectly in the toll basket at 20 MPH or
higher.

You grew up watching "The Uncle Bobby Show," "The Beachcombers," "The King of Kensington" and Sesame Street in French ("un, deux, trois ...").

You think it's quite acceptable to take a day off work on ...
Dyngus Day
St. Joseph's Day
St. Patrick's Day
St. Stanislaus Day
Ash Wednesday
the Monday after a Bills victory

You use your garage as the living room during the summer, putting a big
screen over where the overhead door would be.

You can recite Metro Rail announcements from memory
(nosmokingeatingdrinkingplayingof-
radiosortapeplayersinalNFTAvehiclesandstations,
Theatrestationthisisthelaststopinthefreefarezone, etc).

You still go to all the neighborhood and ethnic festivals, even though
they're really all the same.

You don't really think there's anything wrong with Pat Gambino Ford
commercials.

Your next door neighbor has a huge sign on their lawn reading "Abortion is
Murder."

You know the punchline to the joke "what's the difference between a V Canadian and a canoe?"

Your apartment has a real dining room.

You know the lyrics to ...
"You Know We're Gonna' Win That Cup"
The Bills "Shout" song
Any song by Rush
"Talkin' Proud"
The Crystal Beach "pay one price" jingle
The Tops "Tops never stops saving you more" jingle
The Sattlers "998 Broadway" jingle, even if you weren't alive when they
were still open

You've nearly gotten into fights over topics like ...
Malecki vs. Sahlen vs Wardynski vs. Shelly vs. Redlinski (weiners)
Anchor Bar vs. Duff's (chicken wings)
Bocce Club vs. Leonardi's (pizza)
Tops vs. Wegmans (supermarkets)
the fastest way to drive to Washington, DC

You watch reruns of the Paul McGuire Show on the Empire Sports Network ...
in May.

You go to Niagara Falls for the outlet shopping and the Italian food, not
the scenery.

You spend hours planning drives to avoid toll booths.

You think the characters on the Saturday Night Live "Da' Bears" skits eat
lightly.

Your snowblower has more horsepower than your car ... and use it about as
often.

You've ever sarchastically said "Fun? Wow!"

Your personal ad in the Buffalo News mentions ethnic preferences ...
Polish, Italian or Irish.

One of your friends claims to have known Ani DiFranco or a Goo Goo Doll
from high school.

You can identify what neighborhood you're in through smell alone.

You think "Lesbos" is a new family restaurant on Transit Road.

You have more than one shovel in your garage.

Your car has more rust than exposed paint.

You stocked up on Malecki hot dogs after you heard the company was going
out of business.

You've ever gotten a speeding ticket on the Youngmann Expressway ("Da'
Tooninney") ... but still drive insanely fast on it.

While living out of town, you've said to your friends ...
"back home, you could get a case of Labatts for twelve bucks!"
"back home, this house would go for only 80K!"
"back home, you could get a large cheese and pepperoni pizza for seven
bucks!"
"back home, the bars close at 4:00 AM!"
"you call this snow?"
"you call this cold?"
"you call this a supermarket?"
"you call these wings?"
"you call this pizza?"
"you call this Italian food?"
"you call these taxes high?"
"they're closing the schools for this?"
"no, I didn't forget to wash my face - haven't you ever heard of Ash
Wednesday?"

You've never been to New York City.

You know that "uppers" and "lowers" aren't drugs.

You take real chicken wings and pizza back with you after a visit home to
Buffalo.

You add an apostrophe-s to the names of most businesses - Blockbuster's,
Rite Aid's, Olive Garden's (not that you would eat there), Wal-Mart's, and
so on.

You don't let a blinding snowstorm stop you from driving 70 MPH down the
Thruway during rush hour.

You hate Genesee Cream Ale, but crave it when you're in another state.

You don't put away the winter clothes.

You've fallen asleep waiting for the light to change at the intersection
of Niagara Falls Boulevard and Sheridan Drive.

You live on a street that ...
changes names at every block
has a very "ethnic" sounding name
isn't plowed until spring
is bumpier than a jeep trail in the high Rockies

You think the idea of "California pizza" is as sacrilegious as cheering on
the Miami Dolphins.

You ever lived in a house or apartment where the bedrooms are directly off
the living room or kitchen.

You watch the Bills on TV with the sound turned down, and the radio turned
to the game.

Rosie O'Donnell really doesn't seem fat to you.

You ask "so, what are ya?" or "So, what is that?" when someone tells you
their last name.

You think a 150,000 square foot supermarket is small.

You've ever fallen victim to
the "Genny screamers" or the "Labatts splats."

Here's a few other links to explore:
You Know you're from AMHERST "IF"...

You Know you're from CHEEKTOWAGA "IF"...

[JFRRACING]

I Moved Here 6 Years Ago And I Live In The Mohawk Valley. For Those Of You That Don't Know Where That Is Utica Rome Area. The Funniest Thing I've Herd Is The Saying ( Not For Nothing ) What That Means I Have No Idea.

[JayReev]

I've been reading about all of this and pronouncing my A's real hard I thought was normal lol and I do kind of exaggerate on my A's and R's and O's but some people think I'm from NYC... I've met all types of dialects and "accents" in Rochester... some sound down south, others sound midwest, or from nyc its really weird I don't just see ONE accent in particular where I live at least in the 14621 area... By the way I've see some people say that Rochester is very nice and it is but the crime and the statistics are very bad considering per capita because of our population size... the inner city isn't all that "Great" but the suburbs and other parts outside of the city are really nice. There's some very interesting historical facts and statistics as well as disturbing events about the Rochester area.. some of you should check it out.

Rochester, New York - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[artyst]

i just returned home from a visit to upstate ny. i was surprised by how much the people there sounded like the people i grew up with in milwaukee, wi and my relatives in the twin cities!! it's a very similar dialect.

[Jansu]

I am a New Englander, transplanted to Rochester 17 years ago. The "isms" that I have noticed are "acrosst" for "across," "French" cooking in diners-- as in "chicken french" or "artichokes french," and has anyone else noticed that every tv and radio weatherman always says "the white stuff" instead of snow??? Drives me crazy!!

[gold dust]

Originally Posted by Jansu

I am a New Englander, transplanted to Rochester 17 years ago. The "isms" that I have noticed are "acrosst" for "across," "French" cooking in diners-- as in "chicken french" or "artichokes french," and has anyone else noticed that every tv and radio weatherman always says "the white stuff" instead of snow??? Drives me crazy!!

ha ha .... yep I know what you mean .... the "acrosst" drives me nuts. I don't say it that way. I can deal with the saying of "the white stuff" though! I never even realized that they said that .... I am so used to it, and well, that stuff is white!

[Finger Laker]

i'm from a little more south in the southern tier and our accent is a little different - but after living in mpls, upstaters sound nothing like MN - not even close

highways still get "the" treatment - i just don't know how else I would say "take the 17 to the 390 into rochester"

i drop an occasional "eh" as do a lot of people in my town - but it's usually used in a sarcastic way

another kind of canadian-ish trait is sentence pacing - in our area we tend to break our sentences half way through, pause and then finish and start the next sentence

there is a hard A and a tendency to correctly pronounce things - i remember someone from the city asking for directions to camble and I had no idea what they were talking about - although there was a campbell near by, you know like Camp Bell

sometimes "R"s end up in places they shouldn't - like warsh

i think the accent is pretty subtle though on the whole - i've been pegged a couple times, but nothing what my MN wife gets or some of the accents I came across in Philly

[minibrings]

Can someone please tell me what the heck is a Canadian ballet? I lived for about 18 years in NYC and now I'm in Toronto. I think one of the surprises that I've had moving up here is I've actually seen Rochester and Buffalo and actually liked both cities. When you are in NYC and you hear BUF or ROC.. you think snow and dying cities. I've found beautiful neighborhoods, nice museums, good food. My only beef is I hate the word pop. Its still and will always be soda to me!

[faithfulFrank]

Well, I can tell you what it is.......but I assure you, I do not know from personal experience.
The "Canadian Ballet" is slang for the boys going to the Canadian strip clubs.
Some guys at work go up there for this reason and always talk about it.

Me, I feel like of you own a pool, you don't go to the beach....I have not stayed happily married for 29 years by doing dumb things.....

Frank D.