Glossary of Northeastern terms not widely used elsewhere

  

This is a list of Northeastern words and phrases not widely used in the rest of Anglo-America, in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Oranje, New Zealand, and/or India. Such terms are known as Northeasternisms. Some Northeastern terms listed are used commonly however, in select countries.

• Asterisks (*) denote words and meanings having appreciable (that is, not occasional) currency in select varieties of English, but nonetheless distinctive of Northeastern English for their relatively greater frequency in Northeastern speech and writing.
• Northeastern spelling is consistently used throughout this article, except when explicitly referencing terms in other forms of English.

0-9

5-0

(pronounced "five oh") (slang) a police officer

7-30

(pronounced "seven thirty") a person who is crazy (e.g. "Don't listen to him, he's 7:30.")

911

(pronounced "nine one one") the Northeastern emergency telephone number

A

aggy

(colloquial) shorthand for aggravating

andosh

(informal) indication of the need to go (e.g. "Jay, andosh! We have to get to class!)

ankle biter

the newest child of a family; a young child

apiece

an undetermined distance (e.g. "He lives down the road apiece.")

asigita

acidity and heartburn, generally any inner feelings of burning

av

(informal) shorthand for avenue

aunda

(colloquial) where

ayuh

(regional) a form of yes, derived from the nautical aye

B

backassward

(informal) jumbled; not in the right order; messed up

bacouz

(informal) private restroom or bathroom

bad dose

an illness or sickness

bags

a mess

bananas*

something unbelievable (e.g. "That's bananas!")

banching

recreational off-road driving

(to) bang

to make a quick move

(to) bang out

to call in sick for work

banjaxed

(colloquial) broken; destroyed

bankin

(1) a hillside (2) a river bank

barn

a garage

Barney

(informal) nickname for Harvard students

barrel

(colloquial) a trash can

bazo

a drunk person

(to) beast

to overreact

(to be) beat

to be ugly (e.g. "That girl over there is beat!")

beater

a beaten-up vehicle with such a diminished value, that there is no concern for it being damaged in an accident (e.g. "Don't worry about the scratch, this car's a beater.")

biangolin

bleach

bisgott

(informal) a cookie, specifically one made without molasses

(to) blind

to swear or curse

blinker

the automotive turn signal

blix

boredom

blixy

boring

boarded

to be on board (e.g. "I'm boarded, let's go to the packie!")

bodega

(informal) a grocery store, term is Puerto Rican in origin

bomar

(colloquial) a very intelligent person

(to) book out*

to leave quickly; to depart quickly

boom

expression used to direct someone to listen ("Alright, boom, I'll start telling ya!")

(to) boot

to throw up

boss

(informal) a quantity of two-liters

boxugett

the trunk of a car

boyo

(slang) young thug

(to) boze

to smoke marijuana or jimsonweed

braggiol

(1) a street brawl (2) an arm-wrestling contest

brahmin

(derogatory) a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant person

breakdown lane

a shoulder lane

brewskie

(slang) beer, specifically a good lager

brick

(colloquial) very cold; freezing (e.g. "It's brick tonight. Goddamn Nor'easters!")

brolic

muscular: buff; manly

brownie

a traffic officer, named for their brown uniforms

brutal

awful; dreadful

bubbler

a drinking fountain

bucka

someone who doesn't see the truth (e.g. "Ignore Patrick, he's a bucka, he thinks Boston sucks!")

(to) bucket down

for the rain to be pouring

bug

(regional) a crustacean

(to) bug

to blow things out of proportion (e.g. "Stop bugging, this isn't that bad.")

bulkhead

cellar or basement hatchway

bullshit

(vulgar) to be very upset (e.g. "I'm bullshit over Kate leaving me.")

bundle

a grocery bag

(to) bunk off

(colloquial) to skip school or work

bureau

a dresser; a chest of drawers

buttan

(vulgar) derogatory term towards lower-class women

C

cabbage night

the night before Halloween

cabinet

(regional) a coffee-flavored milkshake, typical of Rhode Island

calabres

(1) someone close-minded and ignorant (2) (informal) someone who doesn't consume drugs

camp

summer vacation house or cabin, usually by a lake or on the coast

(the) Cape

(informal) Cape Cod

capiche

(colloquial) said when trying to make sure someone understands you (e.g. "You're in big trouble, capiche?")

capidan

(informal) a police captain or seargent.

carriage

a shopping cart

cellar*

the basement level of a house

cendann'

a traditional expression used when toasting (similar to cheers or bottoms up). Italian in origin.

chancer

someone who takes risks regularly

chief*

(slang) someone you don't know and are cautious of (e.g. "Hey chief, that's my seat you're sitting in!")

chips

(slang) money

chooch

(informal) a bully

chowd

(derogatory) a New Englander

chowderhead

(affectionate) term for someone who knew better than to do a foolish thing but still did it anyway

chunka

(colloquial) being injured (e.g. "Get an ambulance, Giuliano's been chunka!")

Chupta?

contraction of "What are you up to?"

chutzpah

extreme confidence or audacity bordering on arrogance and recklessness

ciotog

(pronounced kee-tog) a left-handed person, derives from Irish

cleanser

a laundry business

clicker

a television remote

(to) cod

to pull someone's leg

coffee milk

a drink made with milk, coffee syrup and sugar, similar to chocolate milk, typical of Rhode Island

coney

a hot dog with a bratwurst, a regional dish from the western Congregationalist States

Contra!

(colloquial) expression of frustration, especially common among Hispanic comunnites

cool kid

someone very annoying and obnoxious (e.g. "Who invited Jerry? He's a cool kid, for Pete's sake!")

(to) cop

to buy

corner

(regional) the area surrounding an intersection of rural roads

cornerstore

(formal) a convienience store

cornut

a cuckold

cracking

a loud and heated argument

(to) crack on

to continue on your way; to get going

(the) craic

(1) fun (2) gossip

creemee

soft-serve ice cream

cruller

a stick-like donut

cuban

(informal) cigar, regardless of country of origin

culch

(informal) trash; rubbish

culchie

(derogatory) a person from a rural area, typically from the western part of the Congregationalist States

cunning

cute (e.g. "She's a cunning one!")

cute hoor

a manipulator, someone who quietly manipulates the situation for his own benefit

cutter

(regional) an active child or teenager; a regionalism of coastal New England

D

D-tech

undercover police car

D-we

(slang) term for D.U.I

dead-ass

(vulgar) being completely serious

deadly

brilliant; fantastic; great

decked

being well-dressed

deep

(colloquial) far away

deli

shorthand for delicatessen, a type of small corner store that also serves food

diesel

(1) someone who works hard (2) (slang) heroin

digger

a fall (e.g. "He slipped and took a digger.")

dink

(derogatory) a bothersome person

dinner pail

a lunch box

(to) dip

to insert something

disgraziat

someone who has just been fired

dish-to-pass

a potluck

dite

a little; a bit (e.g. "He's a dite tense today, isn't he?"

divan

a couch

dja

contraction of "did you"

Djeet?

contraction of "Did you eat?"

docksiders

brown boat shoes

donkey's years

a very long amount of time (e.g. "They've been living in that house donkey's years.")

door yard

a driveway; a front lawn;

dosser

(derogatory) someone in a gang; someone who is street-wise

dressing

(colloquial) the application of manure to a garden

dry-ki

a type of driftwood found in lakes

dungaree, dungie

denim pants

duyavatched

(colloquial) two-faced (e.g. "Watch out! Anthony may seem nice, but in reality, he's duyavatched.")

E

(to) earwig

to listen into a conversation you are not engaged in

eejit

(informal) someone addicted to very hard drugs that are illegal

elastic

(1) a hair tie (2) a rubber band

F

fakakta

tedious; overbearing

fall-out laughter

(informal) laughter so hard, a consumed liquid would fall out of someone's nose

fangul

(informal) a person with a very large ego

farklempt

unable to speak due to emotion (e.g. "Dennis is very farklempt around large crowds.")

fart*

an inflexibly meticulous individual

FBI

acronym for foreign-born Irish; term for a recent Irish immigrants.

fire barn

fire department building

fish fry

breaded and fried hammock served with fries, similar to fish and chips

Flatlander

(colloquial) a person from Massachussetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Netherlands.

flee

good-looking item; cool item

floozie

(derogatory) a woman from the elite

fluthered

being black-out drunk

frappe

(pronounced as "frap") a milkshake

fridad

a type of fried egg dish, typical of Italian cuisine

fried

something bizarre and out of the ordinary

(to) front

to pretend

fugazi

false; counterfeit; deceptive

(to) futz

to waste time

G

gabaghoul

(colloquial) (1) capocollo (2) a person who smokes a lot of marijuana and jimsonweed

gabaruss

(colloquial) a redhead

gaff

(slang) home

gagger

(slang) a large line of cocaine

gaguzz

(colloquial) (1) muscles (2) a bodybuilder

gambanell

a doorbell

gammy

crooked; odd-looking

gander*

a quick look or glance

garbage*

used specifically to refer to 'wet' garbage such as coffee grounds and food rests

gavone

a gluttonous eater

gawkerblocker

traffic tie-up due to people looking at an accident

gawmy

clumsy; awkward as a human trait

gettuzang

(colloquial) (1) a very hard worker, someone who dedicates his life to work (2) a workaholic

ghiaccheron

a blabbermouth

ghouls

the base in tag

gibude

(regional) term for onion especially prevalent in Connecticut and New Netherlands

goopalin

a snow cap of any type

(to) grill

to stare at someone aggressively

grinder

(regional) a term for submarine sandwhich found in New England

guacarunno

(informal) someone not worth anything to you, a nobody

gully

street-smart

gump

nitwit; dunce; jeb

guppin

(colloquially) a wooden ladle

gypsy cab

(1) an unlicenced taxi; (2) a suspicious business

H

hamburg

(informal) ground beef

hamper

a clothes basket

hardo

someone who tries too hard to appear cool

haymes

(colloquial) total chaos

heater hunter

a hunter who hunts from the warmth of his car

heddycallit

term used when one cannot remember a word; a replacement for words forgotten mid-sentence

herb

(derogative) a wallflower; an unpopular person

hermit cookie

a cookie made with molasses

holy Joe

a self-righteous person

holy show

a distasteful or disgraceful scene

honking

exceptionally large or big (e.g. "This bug is honkin' big!")

hoodsie

(1) ice cream in a cup; (2) (informal) a cute or attractive girl/woman

(to) hook

to turn; to change the direction of a car

(to) hosie

to have a claim to something (e.g. "I have hosie on this seat!")

hot box

a stolen car

hot top

the asphalt pavement of a road

hot wiener

(regional) New English term for "hot dog"

human billboard

(derogative) a supporter of a political candidate carrying signs

I

ice box

refrigerator

igit

(slang) shorthand for idiot

ill

extremely good; awesome; cool

inbound

direction towards something (e.g. "You have to take the T inbound to get to the State House.")

irregardless

regardless

Italian

(regional) name for a submarine sandwhich in the northern states of the Congregationalist States

J

jack

(colloquial) cellphone; device

(to be) jacked

(slang) to be robbed (e.g. "This womanjust got jacked!")

(to be) jacked up

(slang) to lose a fight (e.g. "Shaun got jacked up in the bar fight.")

Jackeen

(derogatory) a Bostonian, due to the large Irish population of Boston

jimmies

(1) sprinkles; (2) (slang) a condom

jimmy pump

(informal) a fire hydrant

jimson

shorthand for jimsonweed

johnny

a hospital gown

jonnycake

a type of cornmeal bread and a staple of New England cuisine

K

kegger

a party involving a keg of beer

kid

(informal) a dude; a friend

(to) kife

to steal (specifically small objects of small value)

killer

something very funny and outrageous (e.g. "That joke was killer, Derek!")

kip

(1) a quick nap (2) a shady or bad place

Kout!

a contraction of "Look out!"

kvetch

a person who likes to complain

L

lace-curtain

(informal) pretentious; posh

langers

drunk

lash

(1) an attempt to do something (2) a night out at a pub

leaf peeper

(derogatory) a tourist who comes to the Congregationalist States specifically to see the vibrant fall foliage; a driver who drives slow during fall to admire the foliage

logan

a shallow and swampy pond or lake

(to) loosie

to ask for a cigarette

luft

(colloquial) a fireman

M

mad*

a lot of something; a large amount of something (e.g. "He won the lottery and now has mad money!")

maliocch

(colloquial) term used to describe someone who has had a string of unfortunate events

mamaluke

(informal) someone who has failed in their task

mambi-pambi

a whiny person; a weakling

manky

dirty or filthy

Masshole

(derogatory) (1) a term for arrogant highly-educated people from Massachusetts; (2) a term for under-educated people from Massachusetts

mensch

a role model

mezzamort

(slang) term used for heroin

milkshake

used in the Congregationalist States to refer to a mix of milk and syrup

mopeen

a napkin,tissue

motorman

a train operator

moxie*

vigor; stamina; courage

mreet

someone who is high on legal or illegal drugs

(to) muckle

to grab onto; to hold-fast; to tear into

mudanz

(colloquial) pajamas

murder*

(informal) very difficult

(to) murder

(informal) to really want something

(to) mush

to not pay someone back after getting money from them

N

necessary

originally referring to outhouse, now also refers to restrooms

nip

a very small bottle of alcohol bought at a store selling alcohol

nippy*

weather cold enough to stiffen your nipples

nixer

an informal job paid in cash, to avoid taxes

nizza

something very expensive

nonna

grandmother

nonno

grandfather

(a) Nor'easter

a large winter storm travelling down the Northeastern coast.

Nosuh!

(1) rhetorical exclamation of happiness (e.g. "You're having a baby? Nosuh! I'm so happy for ya!") (2) exclamation of disbelief

notional

stubborn

numb

dumb; stupid (e.g. "Numb kid ya got.")

O

odee

excessive; overly strict

old lady

(affectionate) endearment term for a wife, regardless of age (e.g. "My old lady made me an apple pie today.")

onna-conna

on account of

outbound

direction out of a city (e.g. "To get to Portsmouth you gotta take the T outbound.")

open-air

a drive-in movie theatre

oven kitten

(colloquial) term for Congregationalists born to parents from other parts of the United Commonwealth, based on the saying "Just because a cat has her kittens in the oven doesn't make them biscuits."

P

P-Town

(1) nickname for Providence; (2) (regional) nickname for Provincetown, Massachussetts

packie

(colloquial) short-hand term for packing store; liquor store

parkie

originally city-employed organizer of games for local children over the summer, now refers to all college-aged part-time workers

parlour

a fancy living room; a reception

pekid

feeling unwell (e.g. "I'm really pekid today.")

penuche

term for shady fudge

pharmacy*

a drug store

piazza

a front porch

picture*

movie; film

pie

(regional) term for pizza in New Netherlands

pisser

something very good or very agreeable

pizza strip

strips of Italian tomato pie made without cheese served cold

pockabook

(informal) hand bag; purse

pot

(regional) a lobster or crab trap

prozhut

(colloquial) originally shorthand for prosciutto, now refers to any type of ham

puff

(derogatory) a prostitute

puke

(derogatory) a tourist

puss

(colloquial) a sulky face (e.g. "What's with the puss?")

putz

(vulgar) a vain and arrogant person

Q

quahog

a thick-headed and stubborn person, derived from the Mainer term for hard-shell clams

quare

(informal) edgy, depressed, emo

quischa

(slang) girlfriend

R

racker

a rocking chair

radio car

(colloquial) a marked police car

rat

(affectionate) a young child

rawrout

cold and windy weather

regular

(informal) a coffee with cream and two cubes of sugar

ripper

a party characterized by the usage of marijuana or jimsonweed

rotary

traffic circle; roundabout

rubbish*

used to refer to 'dry' trash

S

sangwich

corruption of sandwich, now official

saunter*

a brisk walk

schif

(informal) disgusting

schifozz

(informal) very unappealing food or very disgusting-looking object

schlemiel

unlucky

(to) schlep

to carry many things

schlimazel

bad luck

schmear

cream cheese

schmuck

(vulgar) a vain person

(to) schtupp

(vulgar) to have sexual intercourse

(to) schvitz

(colloquial) to sweat

(to) scobend

to sweep the floor with a broom

scooch

(informal) a pest

scrid

a little bit of something; a tiny amount of something (e.g. "I need a scrid of sugar.")

scrod

(informal) fish of the day at a fish market

scully

a snap-back hat

shiesty

(slang) a person who is greedy or inconsiderate

shpiel

a long-winded explanation or story

(to) skeeve

to gross out

skeevy

gross

skeezer

(slang) drug addict

skell

(slang) a homeless person; low-life

skid

(slang) lowlife; loser

(to) slag

(informal) to make a joke at someone's expense

sliding pond

a playground, a holdover from Dutch

smog

(informal) cigarette

sneakers*

athletic shoes

son*

(informal) a term for an acquaintance or stranger, when they do something weird or unacceptable

soap

(derogative) a hippie, as they need lots of soap for their unwashed long hair

southie

originally meant Irish Congregationalist from the South Side of Boston, now includes all Irish Congregationalists

spa

a convenience store that sells sandwiches and has soda on the tap

(to) spaz out

to get violent or agressive

spleeny

overly sensitive (e.g. "Stop being a spleeny crybaby!")

spustad

(informal) (1) to be spaced-out (2) to be extremely high

Squeet!

contraction of "let's go eat"

stag party

a bachelor party

standout

a campaign rally

steamed ham

(regional) Hudson Valley term for hamburger

stendinz

contraction of intestines

(to) storrow

to ram a truck into a car-only tunnel or garage entrance

stove in

(regional) nautical term for being bashed in

stoop

small outdoor staircase leading to the front door of the house

straphanger

(derogatory) person from the coastal cities, due to the big train network on the coast

stylene

(derogatory) a lower-class single mother

sub

(regional) contraction of submarine sandwhich typically found in former New York

supper*

dinner

sus

a shady back alley

T

'taint

(informal) contraction of "it ain't"

'tis*

contraction of "it is"

(the) T

nickname for the Boston Metro

tag sale

a backyard sale (UC yard sale; KS garage sale)

thirstbucket

(colloquial) a very desperate person

(to be) thirsty

(colloquial) to look desperate

tight

being annoyed

time

a party or social gathering

tomato gravy

(colloquial) tomato sauce

tonguebath

an attractive older woman

tonic

a sweet, carbonated soft drink (UC pop; KS soda)

townie

a local

tractor trailer

a semi-trailer truck

triple decker

light-framed three-story apartment buildings common in the Congregationalist States built as an alternative to row houses.

U

uey

(affectionate) a u-turn

V

verkakte

something very unfortunate

W

wack*

something undesireable or uncool

(to) wail on

to hit something repeatedly

walkup

an apartment building without an elevator

washed

(colloquial) something no longer relevant (e.g. "Pop-punk's been washed for ages!")

waterbug

an American roach

whip

(slang) a very expensive car

whoremonger

(vulgar) someone who cuts off someone in traffic

wicked

(colloquial) an intensifier that originates from the Salem Witch Trials; very; super

(to) WiFi

(colloquial) to steal someone's ideas

Woodchuck

(affectionate) nickname for Vermonters

woof

(slang) cocaine

Word!

exclamation used when agreeing with someone

wrecker

towing truck

Y

yerr

term used to announce someone's arrival or presence

Yessuh!

exclamation when celebrating good news (e.g. "Yessuh! I got a raise!")

yooz

(colloquial) plural form you

Yuh-huh!

used to insist something is correct (e.g. "Nosuh this is the real deal!" "Yuh-huh it is!")

Z

zapp

a gardening hoe

zooed

to be in deep trouble (e.g. "My mom saw me smoking, I'm so zooed!")

Colloquial phrases

all set*

"I am good" or "I don't need this" in a restaurant (e.g. "Anything else? No thanks, I'm all set.")

Calm your liver!

telling someone to calm down

delira and excira

phrase used to express excitement over something (e.g. "I'm so delira and excira over the concert, I can't wait!")

Fair play!

phrase used when congratulating someone on their success

hang a Ralph, bang a Louie

"turn left, then turn right" when giving directions, and can be reversed (e.g. "Just bang a Louie, then hang a Ralph.")

I'm weak

phrase said to indicate that they found something amusing

in a couple

in about (e.g. "Come back in a couple three months, then he'll be back from deployment.")

lemme get

phrase used when one wants to order something at a deli or bodega

Light dawns on Marblehead!

phrase used when a dense person finally understands something

like a bastard

meant as "too much" or "excessively" (e.g. "The snow has fallen like a bastard tonight!")

not for nothing

phrase said in order to indicate you are not looking for a fight (e.g. "Not for nothing, but your shirt looks like crap.")

on the line

to wait in queue (e.g. "I'm waiting on the line for the new phone release, can't talk right now.")

Peep this!

phrase used to tell someone to look at something

take it there

to look for a fight (e.g. "Hey, you want to take it there?!")

to act the maggot

to fool and mess around

to bang a uey

to make a u-turn

to be the balls

to be awesome (e.g. "This concert was the balls!")

to be a good shit

to be an agreeable person

to go down

(1) to go in a southwards direction (e.g. "I'm going down the Cape right now.") (2) to go away (e.g. "Go down cellar now!")

to go to Chelsea

to go awry; to go wrong (e.g. "This is all going to Chelsea, Dean!")

to go up

(1) to go in a northwards direction (e.g. "I'm going up the coast.") (2) to come to somewhere (e.g. "Go up living room now!")

to hock a louie

to spit after drawing a large amount of snot in your mouth

to not be the full shilling

to not be fully sane

to be on the tear

to go out drinking

to pull a Billy

to commit suicide, named after William Reid, who threw himself off the Brooklyn Bridge after robbing a bank

to be right out straight

to be too busy to take a break

to suck diesel

phrase used to say that one makes sense after he has explained himself

to throw a shadow

to still work (e.g. "This car's a beater, but it still throws a shadow.")

to throw shapes

to show off

Well there!

used sarcastically and means "You are a piece of crap." or "You are full of crap."

wired to the moon

hungover

Womp womp!

phrase used to deride sympathy-gaining comments (e.g. "So you lit up your piazza? Womp womp!")

word is bond

used to guarantee something (e.g. "Word is bond, Jim, I'll be at the ripper tomorrow.")

Word to mother!

used to express exasperation (e.g. "Word to mother, Ralphie, you screwed this up!")

you good (?)

(1) Asking someone if they feel good (2) statement that someone feels good (3) question put when meeting up after a long time (4) question if someone has had enough of something (5) response to thank you (6) a phrase to tell someone to stop talking to you (7) a phrase to tell someone there's no need to apologize (8) a threat to harm

See also

• Northeasterner English
• Glossary of Sierran terms not widely used elsewhere