Regional Dialects/Odd Sayings

[candor]

I grew up in California, which is a "Coke" state. Then I moved to Oregon, which is a "pop" state. I felt like I was in Mayberry. They call the carnival at the Rose Festival "the fun center." Is that cute or what?

[Google]

 

[Chickngirl]

When I first got married, I said a particular small town was "out in the state", and my husband said that was a stupid saying (what can I say, he's a Yankee). A few months later on the evening news, a newscaster said it and I turned to my husband. "See, that's what we say around here. If it isn't HERE, it's out in the state."

[giz]

When I was a kid, my dad always used to say something in good order was "ship-shape and Bristol-fashion". When I grew up I lived in Bristol, and they said that was a totally 19th century term! I'm saying it to my kids, so that when they go see the relatives in Bristol they can seem even more out of it than I did. No, I thought it would lend them sort of a quaint-factor with the English. Now I've married an Englishman I've adopted all sorts of English expressions. "Sick as a parrot", "drunk as a lord", "two bricks short of a load" (for someone stupid) etc. People here don't always understand what we're talking about, so it's like we've still got a bit of a private language which is nice.

[TARfan_Carrie]

My son played "Duck, Duck, Grey Duck" at school today. I would never have thought that Minnesotans (or anyone, for that matter) would change the name of "Duck, Duck, Goose"! What's the point?

[Estquer]

I never even realized it was called "Duck Duck Goose"

(I'm minnesotan)

I always thought that "grey duck" never made any sense... lol

[TARfan_Carrie]

This is the only explanation I could find...

Duck, Duck, Gray Duck

A regional variant of this game, "Duck Duck Gray Duck," is played in the north central part of the United States, specifically Minnesota and surrounding areas, and is considered a cultural marker for that region. In this variant, the "picker" will often describe the "ducks" as different colors or adjectives -- for example, "blue duck, white duck, lazy duck". It's more of an educational game than an alteration of the "original", in that one not only recites colors, but also tries to say "gray duck" as casually as possible, hoping to deceive the gray duck and gain time (a technique that is less successful in the classic version). It's more complicated and doesn't involve any potentially suggestive "goosing."

[Broadway]

Heh... to revisit, possibly, an old discussion: another large regional difference that I found when I moved to the Northeast was the term for athletic shoes.

Growing up in Michigan we've always called any form of athletic shoes "tennis shoes." When I moved to New York and Connecticut they'd always laugh at me because out there they call them "sneakers."

What do you all call them?

[Gutmutter]

I'm finding my kids and students have no idea what I mean when I say "tennis shoes". I don't know if it is a regional thing or a generational thing. I think they are more specific now - basketball shoes, running shoes, etc.

[giz]

I think its mostly runners on the west coast. (versus sneakers or tennis shoes). I England they call them "trainers".

[gabriel]

Originally Posted by Gutmutter

I'm finding my kids and students have no idea what I mean when I say "tennis shoes". I don't know if it is a regional thing or a generational thing. I think they are more specific now - basketball shoes, running shoes, etc.

I think "tennis shoes" or "tennies" is just an old person thing that we have Gutmutter because in our day remember all we had was our "good" shoes or our "tennies". Everytime I say tennis shoes I get this *sheesh what an old bugger* look from people.