So what do you call these things in TN? (Memphis: public school, law)

[MB2]

Originally Posted by JMT

I've been here for 31 years and have never heard that.

LauraC, I had to laugh when I read your post. When I was a kid, I remember very well fast food restaurants advertising their meal deals saying something like "comes with a medium Coke." My parents wouldn't let me drink Coke when I was a kid because of the caffeine, so I remember I'd always ask "Can I get a Sprite instead of Coke?" and the cashiers would always just stare at me as if I'd just asked something obvious like if the sun was always hot. I quickly learned that "Coke" refers to any carbonated beverage. Even if it's a Pepsi vending machine, we always say "Coke machine."

Those long sandwiches filled with deli meats and cheeses are called subs. I know the Bellacino's chain has entered Tennessee and refers to their subs as "grinders" but I think everywhere else calls them subs.

But since you're going to Oak Ridge, you might find others around there who understand your Northern vernacular since a lot of Oak Ridgers are from elsewhere. But when you venture into Knoxville, a pizza is a pizza, not a pie.

When I'm in Knoxville, I always order a whole "pizza", or slice...never a pie. I order apple, cherry "pie" everywhere else. I think the only people which call it a pie, are from NY or NY area, because I have never heard it anywhere else.
In PA we call it a "hoagie" (which was a bit confusing for me down here in FL, as well as TN! lol)
But, most of the time I have to rely on things like "whatchamacallit" and "you know...that do-hikkie", or "what do you call that ...(making gestures with hand and feet)
Trust me, as a foreigner, it is very entertaining to people, and very easy for ME to break the ice.
Have NO problem playing the clown....lol.

[jabogitlu]

Yep, I grew up in Greeneville (always pronounced it Green-vul). Well, out in the county (Greene county) there is a little place named Baileyton, but most of the locals pronounce it "Bell-ton"

Sorry to resurrect a bit of an old topic, but how neat. I grew up in Afton, but a few family members live in Baileyton (aka bellton).

What I love is when people come to Greeneville (even from Morristown and JC!) and attempt to pronounce Mosheim. "Moe-sheem...maw...zime..what???" (It's Mah-sime, or that's as close as I can approximate it...)


Oh, and someone asked about "do what" meaning "pardon me?" Yep, I use that too. When I stayed for a while in Washington (state) that was the one thing that got me funny looks. No one seemed to understand exactly what they had told me to "do"!

[sliverbox]

Good god... these stories remind me of what it was like when I lived in Boston for a few years ( I'll never do that again) Anyhow, manners are VERY important to Southerners. From the time I was a little kid, My mom and grandmother would always tell me to say please, thank you, yes mam, no mam, yes sir, etc etc. That and hold your fork the right way, open doors for women, etc etc.

People in Boston thought I was insane. Saying " yes Mam!" to a woman in most parts of the country find it offensive. I guess because "Mam" sounds like you're talking to an old woman.People thought I was being rude!

People up north had some really foreign, strange ways of referring to food and drink too. Sort of hokey, old-fashioned sounding names like " pop", "Soda" , "grinders" etc. We back home just called anything that was carbonated -coke. Even better- my grandad used to call soda "dopes" In fact, he called a lot of things "dope", like caulking for houses, soda, whipped cream.. anything that had that kind of consistency. So we'd go to Wal-Mart and he'd ask the sales person where they kept all the dope. Somehow they knew what it was. I heard more than one person say this, but this was all in Roane County, so who knows? A local thing? Then we'd go to the quickee-stop and get a " Big yellar' dope and a moon pie" - ( mountain dew and a moon pie)

People have interesting curse words too. My favorites include: " I'm gonna' whip the far ( fire) out of you!" or- the best one " well SH*t-Far!" ( crapping fire). Never thought about it at all until I moved to CA and got irritated while working on my truck and expressed my frustration. Guy helping me stood up and asked what the hell that meant. That's was the first time I actually thought about what it literally meant, which was disturbing.

Other everyday things that I said and try to say less out here are things like: " I Reckon", or Imallrightyouallright?"- one word. Anyhow.. interesting country we live in.

[MomsTn]

Thanks for the laugh. Reminded me of my Dad.

People are always saying to me... "you aren't from around here are you?"
I tell them no, how can they tell? They just laugh and say cause you talk funny.

Originally Posted by sliverbox

Never thought about it at all until I moved to CA and got irritated while working on my truck and expressed my frustration. Guy helping me stood up and asked what the hell that meant. That's was the first time I actually thought about what it literally meant, which was disturbing.

[Shenandoah]

Western PA location here, and we say pop, and either hoagie or sub, altho a hoagie is a hot sandwich, while a sub is a cold sandwich with untoasted bun and unmelted cheese. Pizza is pizza and a pie is a pie. You go in a restaurant and ask for tea, most times the waitress will ask you to specify hot or cold, if only to CYA. Small towns, you usually don't bother to lock your car or house. We're gun owners, but don't advertise it, other than the NRA sticker in the window. No break ins. We've got a border collie that would lick to death and annoy to no end with her friendliness anyone that broke in. They'd leave only because she'd keep bugging anyone to pet her constantly.
We call it a buggy, and calling a shopping bag a poke is common. Strawberry rhubarb pie is wonderful, I love grits, always have (with syrup), and occasionally have ramps in the summertime, and poke greens with vinegar and bacon bits. Even tho I come from the north, country isn't just a southern thing.

God bless, Shen

[jkmewright]

Yes when you ask your guest if they wants a COKE, you turn to your "fridge" and tell them what kind you have.... Dr Pepper, Sprite, etc.... lol

You can catch an old-timer saying chimley for chimney

You go "down" the street even if it's uphill

Someone mentioned fruit tea, the first time I drank it was in Oregon! and yes, it was HOT tea so I had to ask for a glass of ice.

Our chowder is pretty much like white gravy w/stuff in it so when we travel it's always a surpise to get "clear" chowder.

And I will also catch myself saying "Do what?" as much as I hate that!

Very funny thread ya'll!

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by sliverbox

People in Boston thought I was insane. Saying " yes Mam!" to a woman in most parts of the country find it offensive. I guess because "Mam" sounds like you're talking to an old woman.People thought I was being rude!

Even better- my grandad used to call soda "dopes" In fact, he called a lot of things "dope", like caulking for houses, soda, whipped cream.. anything that had that kind of consistency. So we'd go to Wal-Mart and he'd ask the sales person where they kept all the dope. Somehow they knew what it was.

Sliverbox! You have me laughing so hard I'm crying! Thank goodness you didn't show up in California asking where they kept all the dope!

First of all, I'm from Mass., but I think it is very irritating when northern women get angry when you call them "ma'am". I've had a few men tell me not to call them "sir" because they are not my father. Just ridiculous.

I'll never forget when Bo Bice, from "American Idol" was on "The View". Meredith Viera is a New Englander, too. Bo kept calling her "ma'am" and she kept telling him not to do that. He kept responding, "yes, ma'am" and she was really getting angry. He just really couldn't help himself. I felt so embarrassed about where I come from. That's why I live here.

Anyway, you can call me "ma'am" or "Miss Heidi" all you want!

[jenicanoelle]

Miss Heidi, you just reminded me of a funny story. I'm a New Englander myself, originally from NJ, but I lived in Indiana for 4 years VA 2 and TN 3 so I'm quite adapted. Here in Memphis I worked with a man from New Hampshire and his name was Dominic. He had never heard the Miss/Mr. "insert first name here" before so when people kept calling him Mr. Dominic he thought they didn't know Dominic was a first name. He asked if his name was so unsual here that people would mistake it for a last name. We had to fill him in on the whole thing, told him it was like Miss Daisy in the movie "Driving Miss Daisy".

Some other words that tend to vary state to state:

In NJ they're called sneakers, in Indiana they're tennis shoes or tennies, I think they're sneakers here but I'm not sure.

The emphasis on insurance and umbrella varies, In NJ it's inSURance and umBRELLa, in IN it's INsurance and UMbrella. TN I've heard both.

In Indiana it's sometimes see-ment not cement.

My all time favorite TN vernacular is, "I think I might maybe..." The first time I heard that I did a double take.

There's also an inordinate amount of sayings involving cats. Swinging dead cats, more something than a cat in a litter box, etc.

The other funny thing that's happen since we moved south is that people no longer understand my husband when he says his name is Bill. They always think he's saying Dale. He's tried pronoucing Bill as Bell to see if he'd get better results but no luck.

My pet peeve here is using real in place of really. Really is interchangable with very. Real is not interchangable with very, it's improper English if you use it that way. I guess I'm of the if you can't beat um join um clan though because recently I've caught myself saying, "Hey all y'all this food's real good, I think I might maybe have more!"

[MomsTn]

My Mamma always called them tenny runners....
and pajamas she called jammies...

Originally Posted by jenicanoelle

In NJ they're called sneakers, in Indiana they're tennis shoes or tennies, I think they're sneakers here but I'm not sure.

[beenaround]

From the Maryland mountains here... tire=tar; home=hame; hour=ahr; nine=nahn; creek=crick. A small stream is called a run. This is Appalachain country, so you will hear similiar sayings up and down the chain. But "y'all" never went mainstream here..mainly you hear you guys, but in the rural areas, you will hear you'ns. Coke is referred to as pop, but interestingly only in this part of Maryland...the rest of the state, it's soda. Sweet tea...probably half of the places have it, but cross the state line into PA, it's less common or non-existant.