Hey there! I’m John Green, and welcome to Mental Floss! Today, we’re diving into the world of regional slang. You know, those words and phrases that people use in different parts of the world that might sound a bit strange if you’re not from there. Let’s explore some of these fun and quirky terms!
Let’s start with something simple: what do you call a fizzy drink? In the Midwest, it’s “pop,” while in the Northeast, it’s “soda.” Down South, everything’s “Coke,” even if it’s Dr. Pepper! In Boston, it might be “tonic,” and in England, it’s “fizzy pop” or “soft drink.” Isn’t it amazing how one drink can have so many names?
Now, let’s talk about sandwiches. In New England, a long sandwich is a “grinder.” In Philadelphia, it’s a “hoagie,” and in New York, it’s a “hero” or even a “wedge.” Meanwhile, in Australia, having a chat is called “having a yarn.” And if you’re in Boston, “wicked” means “very,” like “wicked cold” when it’s freezing outside.
Speaking of cold, in Scotland, “baltic” means really cold. In Maine, the area of grass near your house is called “dard.” If you’re from Indiana, you’re a “hoosier,” though no one really knows why. In the South, a “toboggan” is a knit cap, not a sled. In Canada, it’s called a “toque.”
In Australia, a male kangaroo is a “boomer,” and a female is a “flyer.” In England and Ireland, asking “what’s the crack?” means “what’s the plan?” In America, this question might confuse people!
In Wisconsin, a “bubbler” is a water fountain. This term started with a company in Coler, Wisconsin. Across the U.S., streams have different names: “bayous” in Louisiana, “kills” in New York, “washes” in the Southwest, and “brooks” in New England.
In Australia and the UK, “holiday” means vacation. In the South, a bag of groceries might be a “sack” or even a “poke.” In Florida, a “turnpike” is a toll road, but in other places, it’s just a highway.
In Boston, a “traffic circle” is a “rotary.” In Australia, the car hood is a “bonnet,” and the trunk is a “boot.” In Canada, a $1 coin is a “loonie,” and a $2 coin is a “toonie.”
Going to the beach? In New Jersey, you go “down the shore.” In Canada, a garbage disposal is a “garburator.” In Ireland, “acting the maggot” means being silly or mischievous.
In Pennsylvania, a rubber band is a “gumband.” In the Midwest, it’s a “rubber band” or “binder.” In the South, a faucet might be a “spigot,” and shopping carts are “buggies.” On the East Coast, garage sales are “tag sales.”
That strip of grass between the sidewalk and street? In Ohio, it’s the “devil’s strip.” In Connecticut, it’s a “snowshelf.” And those colorful candies called “Smarties” in the U.S. are different from the ones in other countries.
In Philly and New England, “jimmies” are what others call “sprinkles.” In Rhode Island, a milkshake is a “frap.” In the UK, the toilet is the “loo,” and toilet paper is “loo roll.” In New England, people who visit to see the fall leaves are “leaf peepers.”
In Canada, powdered sugar is “icing sugar,” and donut holes are “Timbits.” In the Midwest, a “potluck” is a “carry-in” or “pitch-in.” In Minnesota, a casserole is a “hot dish.”
Thanks for joining me on this journey through regional slang! Remember, language is always evolving, and these terms are just a glimpse into the rich diversity of how we communicate. Keep exploring and learning new words!
Research and compile a list of slang words from your region or family. Write down their meanings and origins if possible. Share your dictionary with the class and see how many unique words you can find!
Using a map of the world, label different regions with the slang words mentioned in the article. Add any additional slang words you know. Present your map to the class and discuss how language varies across different areas.
In pairs, choose a region from the article and create a short skit using the slang words from that area. Perform your skit for the class and see if your classmates can guess the region based on the slang used.
Write a short story or dialogue using regional slang words from the article. Exchange your story with a classmate and try to translate each other’s work into standard English. Discuss any challenges you faced during the translation.
Create a piece of art (a poster, drawing, or digital graphic) that represents one or more slang words from the article. Include the word, its meaning, and an illustration that captures its essence. Display your artwork in the classroom.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to Mental Floss! This is a can of pop—here in the Midwest, or soda if you’re in the Northeast. If you’re in the South, it’s Coke, even if it’s Dr. Pepper. In Boston, it might even be tonic, and in England, this could be fizzy pop or a soft drink. Regardless, I can taste all 23 flavors, and those are the first seven regional slang terms I’m going to list for you today. Seven down, 100 to go—let’s do this!
Let’s get the controversial one out of the way first. In New England, this is a grinder; in Philadelphia, it’s a hoagie; and New Yorkers know it as a hero. Some New Yorkers may even call it a wedge. In Australia, when you talk to someone, you’re having a yarn. The word “wicked” is used to mean “very” in Boston and much of New England. For instance, it’s wicked cold, which is a perfect example because it is always cold. Speaking of cold, in Scotland, “baltic” can mean very cold. In Maine, “dard” refers to the lawn near the house.
To be from Indiana is to be a “hoosier,” although most people here proudly identify as hoosiers. The word’s origin is unknown. In the South, when you hear “toboggan,” the person is probably referring to a knit cap instead of the sled that many of us picture. In Canada, this is a toque. Mark is Canadian, and he says it’s toque. In Australia, a male kangaroo is a “boomer,” and a female is a “flyer.” In England and Ireland, asking “what’s the crack?” means “what’s the plan?” Here in America, the answer to “what’s the crack?” is often misunderstood.
A “bubbler” is where you get your water when you go to the park in Wisconsin. This term was invented by a water fountain manufacturer in Coler, Wisconsin, who named one type of water fountain a bubbler, and the rest was history. You may also hear that term in Portland, Boston, or Rhode Island. “Water fountain” is more likely to be heard in the eastern part of the country, but “drinking fountain” is more common in the western and Midwestern regions.
If you think that’s confusing, what we call streams varies widely. Louisiana uses “bayous,” New York has “kills,” the Southwest calls them “washes,” and some streams in the Southeast are referred to as “swamps.” Wisconsin calls them “branches,” and New England has “brooks.” They’re often called a “run” in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
In both Australia and the United Kingdom, “holiday” can refer to any time off for vacation. We just found out that Mark says “holiday” too, but it doesn’t matter because vacations are not allowed here. This bag of groceries is often called a “sack of groceries” in the South or even less commonly a “poke,” as in “pig in a poke.” In Florida, a “turnpike” is any road containing a toll, but in Delaware and many other places, turnpikes are just highways; they call their toll roads “toll roads.”
What much of the U.S. might refer to as a “traffic circle” is called a “rotary” in Boston and some parts of New England. Speaking of cars, in Australia, the hood of the car is the “bonnet,” and the trunk is the “boot.” In Canada, the $1 coin is the “loonie,” and the $2 coin is the “toonie.” “Rabbit on” in Ireland means to talk on and on, and the same thing might be called “hanging” in Scotland.
If you’re going to the beach, you might be going “down the shore” in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, “to the coast” in Oregon, or even “down the ocean” in Baltimore. Yes, that is true even if you’re going north. A living room is called a “parlor” in some parts of New England as well as Pennsylvania and 18th-century England. In Canada, the garbage disposal is the “garburator.” In Ireland, someone who’s “acting the maggot” is messing around or being rambunctious.
Pennsylvanians might call this thing a “gumband,” while Northerners are more likely to call it an “elastic,” and Midwesterners might refer to it as a “rubber band” or even a “binder.” Australians equate “knock” with “criticize.” In the Southern U.S., a faucet is often called a “spigot,” and less commonly a “spot.” I actually called it a spigot growing up; I didn’t know that was uncommon. Also, Southerners sometimes call shopping carts “buggies.” On the East Coast, garage sales are often known as “tag sales.”
That little bit of grass between the sidewalk and the street in Northeast Ohio is often referred to as the “devil’s strip.” In other parts of Ohio, it’s called the “tree lawn.” Other Midwesterners think it’s a “boulevard,” and Californians might call it a “parking strip.” Those in Connecticut call it a “snowshelf,” or if you’re like me, you didn’t even know that there was a name for that thing.
If you’re in America, these are “Smarties.” Anywhere else, these are “Smarties.” Speaking of delicious snacks, “jimmies” is the commonly used term in Philly and New England for what the rest of the country calls “sprinkles.” In Philadelphia, “wood ice” means a slushie or Italian ice. A “frap” is a milkshake in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and you are more likely to hear “caddy corner” in the Southern United States and “kitty corner” in the Northern United States.
British people refer to the toilet as the “loo” or the “bog,” and a “loo roll” is toilet paper. In Boston and parts of the Southern U.S., that is a “clicker.” Bostonians may also refer to their car’s turn signal as a “directional” or a “blinker,” although it doesn’t matter because they never use them anyway. Also, in New England, the people who slow down all the traffic by visiting to look at the leaves changing colors are called “leaf peepers.” You’re also more likely to hear “cellar” there than “basement.”
I’m starting to think New Englanders just want to be different. In Louisiana, a closet is sometimes known as a “locker.” If you put something on the long finger in Ireland, you’ve procrastinated. “Pavement” is sometimes preferred to “sidewalk” in Pennsylvania. While most Americans use the term “lightning bug,” Northerners use it interchangeably with “firefly.” Midwesterners sometimes call green bell peppers “mangoes.” You may also hear a Southerner call an avocado an “alligator pear,” and in the South, a “tater” is a potato.
In Canada, powdered sugar is called “icing sugar,” and a donut hole is called a “Timbit,” even though it is clearly a donut hole. “Seesaw” and “teeter-totter” are both used in the U.S. to mean the same thing, but in Massachusetts, you can also call it a “tilt” or a “teeterboard.” Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay has another name for them: “dandy boards.” In Maine, you might hear trash being called “sculch.” In British slang, “flat” means “apartment,” and people who live on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are called “yoopers.” Yoopers have their own dialect; for example, “bakery” refers to all baked goods, and you might also hear the word “panking” to refer to padding or compacting something down.
A “potluck” is called a “carry-in” in parts of the Midwest. Here in Indiana, we often call it a “pitch-in.” Our neighbors in Illinois call it a “scramble dinner,” and even further north in the Midwest, people call it a “covered dish meal.” In New York and Pennsylvania, you might hear “tureen dinner.” To use it in a sentence, the best thing to bring to a tureen dinner is half-eaten corn dogs. If you eat enough of them, you will have gigantic muscles like half of this guy.
If you invite a Minnesotan to your carry-in dinner, they might bring what they call a “hot dish,” which is another word for casserole. An “e-trough” refers to a gutter, and you’re most likely to hear it in the North and Western United States. People from Pennsylvania and New Jersey are more likely to call it a “rain spout.” A Northern American is more likely to describe something as a “pail” that a Southerner would call a “bucket.” Snowmobiles are referred to as “snow machines” in Alaska, and lastly, Australians do not set up appointments so much as they “tee them up.”
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Slang – Informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker’s language. – In English class, we learned that “cool” is a slang term often used to describe something interesting or impressive.
Drink – A liquid that can be swallowed as refreshment or nourishment. – During our social studies project, we discussed how tea became a popular drink in England during the 17th century.
Sandwich – A food item consisting of two pieces of bread with a filling such as meat, cheese, or vegetables between them. – For lunch, I made a sandwich with turkey and lettuce, which is similar to what people might have eaten during the Great Depression.
Cold – Having a low temperature, especially when compared to the temperature of the human body. – In geography class, we learned about the cold climate of Antarctica and how it affects the wildlife there.
Animal – A living organism that feeds on organic matter, typically having specialized sense organs and nervous system and able to respond rapidly to stimuli. – In our science class, we studied how the animal kingdom is classified into different groups based on characteristics.
Water – A transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth’s streams, lakes, and oceans. – We discussed in social studies how access to clean water is a critical issue in many parts of the world.
Vacation – A period of time spent away from home or business in travel or recreation. – During our history lesson, we talked about how vacations became popular in the 20th century as more people had leisure time.
Driving – The control and operation of a motor vehicle. – In our social studies class, we examined how driving laws have changed over the years to improve road safety.
Beach – A pebbly or sandy shore, especially by the ocean between high- and low-water marks. – For our geography project, we created a model of a beach ecosystem to show how different species interact in that environment.
Food – Any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink to maintain life and growth. – In our social studies class, we explored how different cultures have unique food traditions that reflect their history and environment.
