Steelers: Pittsburghese 101
I thought my PA friends here might enjoy my blog entry for today...
Steelers: Pittsburghese 101
It’s officially Steeler Fever here in Pittsburgh (although it’s a year round fanfest here), but more about that tomorrow. Today I’m going to give yunz a little lesson on Pittsburghese 101. This might come in handy if you’re watching TV on Sunday night (Have you heard yet? There’s a big game!). Who knows, they might interview one of those many Pittsburgh natives and after yunz lesson here you’ll actually know what they’re saying. I’m not poking fun, as I’m officially a Pittsburgher now. Their very friendly and inclusive here…after a mere 8 years living here, I’m now an official Pittsburgher. Yeah, each city I’ve lived in has their own slang, but it’s very pronounced here and this is not a very transient town, it’s mostly natives, so you hear it a lot. Pittsburghese is mostly VERY fast talking and they just smash all the words together.
My very first week here, I kid you not, we were talking to a carpenter who works for our builder and then I told him we needed to get somewhere, and as fast as you can say it he asks us “Da-boat-a-yunzes-g’n-dahntahn?" Now say THAT three times fast (if you can, you’re a Pittsburgher). We had no clue what he said, so DH-Mr.SA politely asks him “Please?" Dear Lord! This is the Cincinnati word for (DH grew up there and we lived there for a year) “HUH? or “What?" (very polite people, those Cincinnatians…Please?...they use it for EVERYTHING. Just sayin’….you might need to know this if the Bengals ever make it back to the Super Bowl.) So I’m standing there in the long pause between these two dialects, with neither one knowing what the other one just said. So I politely as our carpenter “What did you ask?" He repeats at a more normal pace, which must have seemed like super-slow-mo to him “Da…boat..a..yunzes…g’n…dahntahn?"….pause…we smiled and without a response we waved goodbye as “The both of us (you) were going downtown."
I won’t bore you with the million or so slang abbreviations they have for locations in Pittsburgh, as you probably don’t know them (the Mon *wink*), but you need to know they (oops we) call our city The Burgh. Here’s the ones I’ve personally heard. Study up…you only have a few days left…
*Anat-A combination of two words that means and that.
*Anymore-A rather confusing construction which doesn't mean any, or more, or even anymore. Instead, it means nowadays, or currently, or these days. It almost always occurs as the first word of a sentence, as in this example: "Anymore, the traffic on Liberty Avenue moves so slow, it's quicker to walk."
*Crick-The way a Pittsburgher says creek.
*Comere-A Pittsburgh "quickie". Come here, said quickly, is comere. See also: Gahed.
*D-Pittsburghers have a lot of strange likes and dislikes. One dislike is the letter D, especially when it is in the middle of a word, next to another consonant. Being non-violent, for the most part, Pittsburghers do not rely on force to eliminate those offensive D's; instead they simply invoke one of the laws of English pronunciation and make the D's silent. Hence, couldn't becomes cooun't, wouldn't becomes wooun't, and everyone's all time favorite, didn't becomes din't.
*Da-boat-a- The both of. As in “Da-boat-a-yunz g’n dahntahn." (my personal fav now) *Dahntahn-The way a Pittsburgher says downtown.
*Djeatyet? Nodju?-Polish? Ukrainian? No, it's those Pittsburghers again, spitting out syllables as fast as they can and losing half of them in the process. It really means "Did you eat yet" "No. Did you?"
*Drug-It's not something we should "just say no" too. It's simply the past tense of the word drag
*Gahed-Say it quick in Pittsburgh and it's not go ahead, but rather gahed. See also: Comere
*Gumban-A word which, if said slowly, would be heard as gum band, which is what everyone else in the world calls a rubber band.
*Hafta- Have to. I haftago to the baffroom!
*Ink pen-Although there's really no reason to announce what's inside a pen, Pittsburghers do anyway. Instead of asking for just a pen, they ask for an ink pen.
*Ketch-What the Steelers offense should be doing. *You might need to know this one!
*Redd up-To clean up, or tidy up.
*Tubes-Pittsburgh slang for tunnels.
*Worsh-As a noun, it's the stuff that goes into the washing machine when it gets dirty. As a verb, it's what you do to the stuff once it gets into the washing machine.
*Yunz-The word that sets Pittsburghers apart from everyone else in the world. It means the same as all of you and is sort of a northern y'all. Yunz is singular, with yunzes usually reserved for the plural.
Steelers: Pittsburghese 101
It’s officially Steeler Fever here in Pittsburgh (although it’s a year round fanfest here), but more about that tomorrow. Today I’m going to give yunz a little lesson on Pittsburghese 101. This might come in handy if you’re watching TV on Sunday night (Have you heard yet? There’s a big game!). Who knows, they might interview one of those many Pittsburgh natives and after yunz lesson here you’ll actually know what they’re saying. I’m not poking fun, as I’m officially a Pittsburgher now. Their very friendly and inclusive here…after a mere 8 years living here, I’m now an official Pittsburgher. Yeah, each city I’ve lived in has their own slang, but it’s very pronounced here and this is not a very transient town, it’s mostly natives, so you hear it a lot. Pittsburghese is mostly VERY fast talking and they just smash all the words together.
My very first week here, I kid you not, we were talking to a carpenter who works for our builder and then I told him we needed to get somewhere, and as fast as you can say it he asks us “Da-boat-a-yunzes-g’n-dahntahn?" Now say THAT three times fast (if you can, you’re a Pittsburgher). We had no clue what he said, so DH-Mr.SA politely asks him “Please?" Dear Lord! This is the Cincinnati word for (DH grew up there and we lived there for a year) “HUH? or “What?" (very polite people, those Cincinnatians…Please?...they use it for EVERYTHING. Just sayin’….you might need to know this if the Bengals ever make it back to the Super Bowl.) So I’m standing there in the long pause between these two dialects, with neither one knowing what the other one just said. So I politely as our carpenter “What did you ask?" He repeats at a more normal pace, which must have seemed like super-slow-mo to him “Da…boat..a..yunzes…g’n…dahntahn?"….pause…we smiled and without a response we waved goodbye as “The both of us (you) were going downtown."
I won’t bore you with the million or so slang abbreviations they have for locations in Pittsburgh, as you probably don’t know them (the Mon *wink*), but you need to know they (oops we) call our city The Burgh. Here’s the ones I’ve personally heard. Study up…you only have a few days left…
*Anat-A combination of two words that means and that.
*Anymore-A rather confusing construction which doesn't mean any, or more, or even anymore. Instead, it means nowadays, or currently, or these days. It almost always occurs as the first word of a sentence, as in this example: "Anymore, the traffic on Liberty Avenue moves so slow, it's quicker to walk."
*Crick-The way a Pittsburgher says creek.
*Comere-A Pittsburgh "quickie". Come here, said quickly, is comere. See also: Gahed.
*D-Pittsburghers have a lot of strange likes and dislikes. One dislike is the letter D, especially when it is in the middle of a word, next to another consonant. Being non-violent, for the most part, Pittsburghers do not rely on force to eliminate those offensive D's; instead they simply invoke one of the laws of English pronunciation and make the D's silent. Hence, couldn't becomes cooun't, wouldn't becomes wooun't, and everyone's all time favorite, didn't becomes din't.
*Da-boat-a- The both of. As in “Da-boat-a-yunz g’n dahntahn." (my personal fav now) *Dahntahn-The way a Pittsburgher says downtown.
*Djeatyet? Nodju?-Polish? Ukrainian? No, it's those Pittsburghers again, spitting out syllables as fast as they can and losing half of them in the process. It really means "Did you eat yet" "No. Did you?"
*Drug-It's not something we should "just say no" too. It's simply the past tense of the word drag
*Gahed-Say it quick in Pittsburgh and it's not go ahead, but rather gahed. See also: Comere
*Gumban-A word which, if said slowly, would be heard as gum band, which is what everyone else in the world calls a rubber band.
*Hafta- Have to. I haftago to the baffroom!
*Ink pen-Although there's really no reason to announce what's inside a pen, Pittsburghers do anyway. Instead of asking for just a pen, they ask for an ink pen.
*Ketch-What the Steelers offense should be doing. *You might need to know this one!
*Redd up-To clean up, or tidy up.
*Tubes-Pittsburgh slang for tunnels.
*Worsh-As a noun, it's the stuff that goes into the washing machine when it gets dirty. As a verb, it's what you do to the stuff once it gets into the washing machine.
*Yunz-The word that sets Pittsburghers apart from everyone else in the world. It means the same as all of you and is sort of a northern y'all. Yunz is singular, with yunzes usually reserved for the plural.
Band_Groupie My Blog "The Sweet Spot" HERE
Proud member of the Century Club...100+ pounds gone forever!
I'm now in the middle of a Normal BMI.
*My new adventure; At the suggestion and support of many LBers, I'm now writing a LB book.
as someone born and raised in the Steel City... we always used yunz guyz for the plural.
Worsh could also be a verb...mother to son -- I gonna worsh your mouth with soap!
I haven't been in Sliberty for years.
I put out da lights. Do the worsh and still go dahntahn and I haven't had any pop since 1/30/2008. My sister shops at Gi'nt Iggle.
Wonder if Isaly's chipped ham is ok to have (LOL - i doubt it!)
Go Steelers..waiving my terrible towel in the Pocono's!
Worsh could also be a verb...mother to son -- I gonna worsh your mouth with soap!
I haven't been in Sliberty for years.
I put out da lights. Do the worsh and still go dahntahn and I haven't had any pop since 1/30/2008. My sister shops at Gi'nt Iggle.
Wonder if Isaly's chipped ham is ok to have (LOL - i doubt it!)
Go Steelers..waiving my terrible towel in the Pocono's!
Waving back at ya Jayne! Good ones...I forgot about 'pop' as that's an Ohio word too. I was constantly teased for it when I first moved to Philly from OH. Some waitresses had no clue what I was ordering LOL. I'm making Isaly's chipped ham turkey wraps as part of the party spread (found on a LB site), but I'm pre-band.
TOUCHDOWN WRAPS
For one wrap....
2 tablespoons cream cheese, low-fat whipped
2 teaspoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes or 1 1/2 sundried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped
3 basil leaves, chopped
1 large whole wheat flour tortilla
3 ounces Islay's chipped ham (or turkey)
1 lettuce leaf, green leaf, bibb or romaine, shredded
In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sundried tomatoes and basil.
Lay the tortilla out and spread 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center. Place the ham or turkey on the tortilla and spread the remaining cream cheese mixture on top of the turkey. Sprinkle the shredded lettuce on the tortilla and tightly roll each tortilla into a cylinder, ending with the seam side down.
(The wrap can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
Cut the wrap in half on the diagonal and serve.
TOUCHDOWN WRAPS
For one wrap....
2 tablespoons cream cheese, low-fat whipped
2 teaspoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes or 1 1/2 sundried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped
3 basil leaves, chopped
1 large whole wheat flour tortilla
3 ounces Islay's chipped ham (or turkey)
1 lettuce leaf, green leaf, bibb or romaine, shredded
In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sundried tomatoes and basil.
Lay the tortilla out and spread 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center. Place the ham or turkey on the tortilla and spread the remaining cream cheese mixture on top of the turkey. Sprinkle the shredded lettuce on the tortilla and tightly roll each tortilla into a cylinder, ending with the seam side down.
(The wrap can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
Cut the wrap in half on the diagonal and serve.
Band_Groupie My Blog "The Sweet Spot" HERE
Proud member of the Century Club...100+ pounds gone forever!
I'm now in the middle of a Normal BMI.
*My new adventure; At the suggestion and support of many LBers, I'm now writing a LB book.
This is a great list that will come in handy if I ever travel to that part of the state or if I need it while watching the game.
Djeatyet is also common in Philly.
I live in Bethlehem or Bethlum to the natives, which is filled with Moravians and Pa Dutch folks and the word SAY often comes after a sentence to be sure the listener understands.
for example, You drove here from old route 22, say?
Working in customer service, I used to hear all kinds of things, but the one that I NEVER understood was when dealing with a southener, and they didn't hear and/or understand you, they would say "Do what, now?" I used to giggle every time I heard that one!
I live in the land of sprinkles, hoagies, soda, and water (though my mother from Philly used to say WAH ter).. crik rears it's ugly head around here sometimes, too... depending on who you are talking to.
It is so crazy the different ways people talk depending on where you live. I think a post of 'ism's is about to appear from this!!!
Djeatyet is also common in Philly.
I live in Bethlehem or Bethlum to the natives, which is filled with Moravians and Pa Dutch folks and the word SAY often comes after a sentence to be sure the listener understands.
for example, You drove here from old route 22, say?
Working in customer service, I used to hear all kinds of things, but the one that I NEVER understood was when dealing with a southener, and they didn't hear and/or understand you, they would say "Do what, now?" I used to giggle every time I heard that one!
I live in the land of sprinkles, hoagies, soda, and water (though my mother from Philly used to say WAH ter).. crik rears it's ugly head around here sometimes, too... depending on who you are talking to.
It is so crazy the different ways people talk depending on where you live. I think a post of 'ism's is about to appear from this!!!
My tracker
hers 
Ha! Yeah, I'm going to blog on the food anomolies too! When we moved to Philly (lived there too) the whole office got me with ordering scrapple at our work breakfast out...I don't even want to know what's in it! Some mighty strange things here too!
Band_Groupie My Blog "The Sweet Spot" HERE
Proud member of the Century Club...100+ pounds gone forever!
I'm now in the middle of a Normal BMI.
*My new adventure; At the suggestion and support of many LBers, I'm now writing a LB book.
Now, now Victoria, you're close enough to Fulladulfya to be a "soda" girl! I'm sure your Latrobe relatives don't greet you with a 'YO!" (just teasing) -BG
Band_Groupie My Blog "The Sweet Spot" HERE
Proud member of the Century Club...100+ pounds gone forever!
I'm now in the middle of a Normal BMI.
*My new adventure; At the suggestion and support of many LBers, I'm now writing a LB book.
I absolutely love it!!!! I am from Monroeville: I will definately be trying that recipe, too !!!
Thanks for sharing, and making me laugh
Thanks for sharing, and making me laugh
Stop by and talk to me....
http://talktotiff.com/
Hi,
I love this list. When I went to college at Pitt, my out-of-state friends also didn't know:
MAC machine = ATM
tenners = tennis shoes
GO STILLERS !!!
I love this list. When I went to college at Pitt, my out-of-state friends also didn't know:
MAC machine = ATM
tenners = tennis shoes
GO STILLERS !!!
HW/SW/CW/GW 340/329.2/164.4/155 5'8 1/2" 32 yo
Memorial Day Challenge Goal: 158# (Not reached 164.4#)
Labor Day Goal: 155# (hoping for post-op swelling to be gone)
Extended Abdominoplasty and Brachioplasty: 03/25/10
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