# The South - The North



## keltin (Aug 7, 2007)

I’ve seen quite a bit of “that must be a suthuhn thang” or “dats a Yankee thang”. So I’m wondering just how different is the North from the South? Personally, I don’t talk with an accent….even though ya’ll huv sho’nuff seen bad accents on the boob toob.

Some vocabulary that surprises even me in the south is:

Hose Pipe – My DW is from Tennessee (NORTH of here), and she uses this term. What the…..OH, it’s a “Water Hose”.

I say “Ice Box” which is the fridge (so does Emeril!). When my DW and I first go together, we were unloading groceries one day, and I said to stick the butter in the “ice box”. Later, I went looking for it and couldn’t find it……she had stuck it in the FREEZER. Ice….Freezer…….ok.

Northern folk seem unaccustomed to “Sweet Tea”. Down south, we drink it both ways, sweet and un-sweet.

Northern folk call a carbonated beverage a pop. The last time someone asked me for a “pop”, I almost hit him!

Conversely, I’ve got a bad habit of using “coke” generically to mean any soft drink (Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, RC Cola, etc). Instead of saying I want a soda or a pop, I say I want a Coke, even though I don’t mean Coca-Cola but instead mean Diet Mountain Dew. 

Growing up on the Gulf Coast, I love seafood, but the further North I get, the less likely people are to be adventurous. Things like “muscles”, “mud bugs”, frog's legs, soft shelled crabs, catfish (especially "mud cat"), etc seem esoteric to some. Mention a mullet toss (nothing to do with the hair cut) and you’re often greeted with blank stares. Speak of “floundering”, “gigging”, or “trolling” and you get the same stares. Cast nets, trotlines, crab traps, crab boils, corn boils, etc……all foreign once you get a bit North of the Gulf Coast.

So, what are the oddities “ya’ll” see everyday that makes you “geographically different” from others?

Heh - Anyone else know what a "needle fish" is? I bet Uncle Bob does! How 'bout a Gar or "Nutra".


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## Katie H (Aug 7, 2007)

Fun thread, keltin.

As background, I was born in Nebraska and lived in Kentucky during my formative years.   My mother was from Minnesota (read that Yankee territory) and my daddy was from central Kentucky (read that "Southern").

When I was in high school, I was branded a Yankee because I didn't speak with the southern drawl.  Instead I pronounced my words clearly.  Just me.  Not slurred as some of my classmates did and also didn't speak rapid fire-style.

However, when I lived with my Minnesotan grandparents during my first year of college, my grandmother said she couldn't understand some of what I said.  She wanted to know what I meant when I asked for a "flash water."  I'd simply asked for the "flyswatter."  Guess I'd become more southernized than I'd realized.  I couldn't win for losing.

When I moved to the Washington, D.C. area many moons ago, I was considered to be a Yankee because of my speech style/patterns.

I've been back in Kentucky for 14 years and don't know if  I'm considered a Yankee or a native.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.


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## keltin (Aug 7, 2007)

Flash water……Fly Swatter! Honey child, that device is o’var…..in the hollar. LOL!  

That’s great! What do you call a “carbonated beverage” such as Pepsi? By name or some other nickname.

What about a “water hose” or “ice box”?


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## jpmcgrew (Aug 7, 2007)

I have lived in west and still do and in the south(Georgia) when I was younger 15 years old I picked up a southern accent instead of saying Hi I learned to say Hey Yall and so on,I thought a needle fish was a Gar Fish which looks really prehistoric with a long alligator like snout and alot of teeth also called an Alligator Gar , a Nutra is a water rodent which is quite nasty as it is very destuctive but from what I understand people down south will actually eat them.From all my observations you might be able to turn a Yankee into a southerner but you can never turn a southener into a Yankee.
Oh and yes its not ice tea but *** taih,oil is url.And in Texas sh#t is sheeyeet.


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## Katie H (Aug 7, 2007)

I call it Pepsi, darlin'.  As far as the hose and refrigerator are concerned, they're the hose and refrigerator/fridge.

My northern relatives called sodas/carbonated beverages, "pop."  Not too weird, "refrigerator."  Older adults said "ice box."


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## keltin (Aug 7, 2007)

OMG! 
 
I decided to joke on my DW. She was at the “ice box” and I asked her “where is that Flash Water”. 
 
Without bating an eye, and non-chalantly, she dug under the kitchen ink and handed me a fly swatter! LOL!  
 
I laughed myself to tears….she thought I was crazy of course…..but I’ve finally explained it. That was great!


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## keltin (Aug 7, 2007)

jpmcgrew said:
			
		

> I have lived in west and still do and in the south(Georgia) when I was younger 15 years old I picked up a southern accent instead of saying Hi I learned to say Hey Yall and so on,I thought a needle fish was a Gar Fish which looks really prehistoric with a long alligator like snout and alot of teeth also called an Alligator Gar , a Nutra is a water rodent which is quite nasty as it is very destuctive but from what I understand people down south will actually eat them.From all my observations you might be able to turn a Yankee into a southerner but you can never turn a southener into a Yankee.
> Oh and yes its not ice tea but *** taih,oil is url.And in Texas sh#t is sheeyeet.


 
The Needle Fish and Gar (Alligator Gar) are related I think. The needle fish I speak of are much smaller and less toothy, They love to come up to your light when you’re floundering. Harmless, but weird. 

Gars on the other hand will wreck a good fishing spot and chase the Bass off. The are also tough, and if hooked, most often break your line (if you were set for bass). A Nutra….water rat…..looks like a beaver in a lot of ways…….and yeah, I’ve seen that some people do eat ‘em. Then again, some people eat Opossum! I watched a show the other night (Dirty Jobs I think????) where they used wild Nutra to feed farm raised crocodiles (dead and frozen Nutra of course).

I’ve heard of stories in the ocean where sailors were speared through the middle by large jumping needle fish. Apparently, the fish tried to jump over the bow and stabbed an unwary seamen…….odd story…..I wonder of it’s true?


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## jpmcgrew (Aug 7, 2007)

I love all the different dialects in this country very interesting as far as soda goes it can be soda or pop depending on where you live.In Texas I once made a joke after my 2 month job I said I was glad the job was over and said (Im blowing this pop stand)they had no clue what I meant by pop if I had said soda they would have gotten it.


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## keltin (Aug 7, 2007)

Hey....here's a needle fish!

And here is a Gar.

An boy, do those Gar get big!


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## keltin (Aug 7, 2007)

jpmcgrew said:
			
		

> southerner but you can never turn a southener into a Yankee.
> Oh and yes its not ice tea but *** taih,oil is url.And in Texas sh#t is sheeyeet.


 
Just read more of your post!

Yes ma’am, I’ve heard many a’time you can turn a Yankee but brimstone and high water won’t wash off the southern! 

Url = Oil
Windurs = Windows
Wursh = Wash

Lordy, lordy! 

What of superstitions….I SWEAR my DW is going to kill me with all of these old school southern superstitions. Things I’ve never heard of like……”If you leave your house by one door, you must come back in the house by that same door or it’s bad luck”. HUH!?!?!?! 

Then there is the pocket knife thing….give it open, the guy you give it to should never close it before giving it back or it's bad luck for both.

So many…..glad I gots me a rabbit’s foot!


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## Katie H (Aug 7, 2007)

keltin said:
			
		

> ”If you leave your house by one door, you must come back in the house by that same door or it’s bad luck”. HUH!?!?!?!



Yeah, keltin.  I didn't know of the leaving by the "same" door superstition until I moved here in 1994.  Our house has 5 outside doors, so a person could easily be put into a sorry mental state if they don't leave by the door they came in by.


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## jpmcgrew (Aug 7, 2007)

That was one of my dreams as a little tomboy in Georgia to catch a Gar Fish Id seen some dead but man did I want to catch one on my bamboo pole I never did.Dang.I looked at your needle fish pic never knew those existed they look a bit scary but as a kid I would have sure wanted to catch one.


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## jpmcgrew (Aug 7, 2007)

I used to as a kid sneak down to somebodies pond to catch catfish or wait till the neighbor left for work and gather pecans and sell them.Yes I was a real rebel.


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## jpmcgrew (Aug 7, 2007)

Keltin,Ever heard of the red boots? A civil war thing.Dont know much about them but was told a little.


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## keltin (Aug 8, 2007)

jpmcgrew said:
			
		

> Keltin,Ever heard of the red boots? A civil war thing.Dont know much about them but was told a little.


 
Great stories JP! But, I've not heard of the "red boots". What is that?


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## keltin (Aug 8, 2007)

Katie E said:
			
		

> Yeah, keltin. I didn't know of the leaving by the "same" door superstition until I moved here in 1994. Our house has 5 outside doors, so a person could easily be put into a sorry mental state if they don't leave by the door they came in by.


 
Oh Lord, that one has made my life so much more difficult! I had never heard of it either, and we have 3 doors to the outside…….and DW patrols them!  
 
Heck, I’m a bit superstitious at heart, and it seems when I hear a new one, suddenly I own it even though I know better!


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## jpmcgrew (Aug 8, 2007)

Keltin,If I remember right it was some civil war rebels that would tromp thru the red clay of the south making their boots red to wreck havoc.I may need to to a search on internet to see if they come up.


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## Andy M. (Aug 8, 2007)

When I was a kid it was "tonic" then it was "soda" or a soft drink. Never heard anyone call it pop. Pop was the first half of a word that ended in "corn"

If you ask for a coke around here, you expect Coca-Cola. Not Pepsi or anything else.

It was an icebox when I was a kid. Now it's the fridge.

I drive my SO crazy when we're in the kitchen and I say, "Let's go inside." meaning go into the living room. It works in reverse if we're in the living room and I want to go into the kitchen.

The fish keltin listed are simply not available in the north. It's not that we are not adventurous, we just never see them.

If we order tea,we expect it to be hot.  Otherwise we order iced tea.  It comes unsweetened.


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## Dove (Aug 8, 2007)

*My MIL would say "he is in the house" if we were in the kitchen and I would ask where my husband was..meaning the living room...when she made fresh bread it was called Lite Bread..(North Carolina)

When he was stationed in Jackssonville Florida the older men he hunted with had their own language..
My dawg is over younder in the grater ditch..when he asked what was the grater ditch.."you city boy! where the grater came through..(where they were working on the road)  and then one said " That Jip over thar is mine." Paul asked why he called his dog a Jip..answer was "if we call her a B.... my wife would kill me" so they all called the female dogs a Jip.*


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## licia (Aug 8, 2007)

I'm a Florida native, born and bred within 35 miles of where I now live and I have never heard most of what I've read here about the way Southern people talk.


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## AllenOK (Aug 8, 2007)

I spent some time living in Norfolk, VA, when I was young and my father was in the US Navy.  They called it "soda", if I remember right.  When we moved here to OK, people called it "pop".

The term "pop" comes from when carbonated beverages first began to appear on the market, in glass jars with a levered closed.  When you opened it, it would "pop".

My grandparents did refer to the the refrigerator as an "icebox".

Most older folks call the "fridge" an "icebox", because at the turn of the 20th century, most folks had primitive refrigerator that had a large block of ice in top, that cooled the entire "icebox", and had a drip pan that had to be emptied regularly.

I have some pictures of both Alligator-nosed gar, and Needle-nosed gar.  The alligator-nosed is one I got off the internet a few years ago, and has a snout that is broad and flat, like a gator's snout.  The needle-nosed gas a smaller, narrow snout like what has already been posted.  The two pictures I have I took at a spot here in Tulsa when the Arkansas River was up a month or so ago from all the rain we got this spring.  I took about 97 pics, and had two that were really good, when the 5' long fish holding their heads out of the water.

Most folks here have a distinctively different accent that what is considered typically "Southern".  Probably the only really interesting is how we pronounce "wash" as "warsh".  Heck, I've even seen people use their fingers to trace the words "warsh me" in the dust on the back of someone's car.


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## kitchenelf (Aug 8, 2007)

I have had friends that NEVER lived in the south use the term "warsh".  I think the southern accent that has been depicted here is a bit "extreme" and not the typical - but it certainly is used by some.  There are several distinct accents depending on a lot of things, that I won't get into here.  But I swear - those Canadians are sooooooo hard to understand    (Hey Alix, how's your roast cookin'? -  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





)

One of the phrases that I thought was interesting was when a neighbor was telling me his uncle came over last night - he used the term "My uncle came of the night".  

Well, I'm going to use the term - "I've got to go to work" - but I think that term is universal and pronounced pretty much the same everywhere!


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## Alix (Aug 8, 2007)

kitchenelf said:
			
		

> There are several distinct accents depending on a lot of things, that I won't get into here. But I swear - those Canadians are sooooooo hard to understand    (Hey Alix, how's your roast cookin'? -
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Be careful lady or you won't get any! (Its starting to smell pretty fine actually!)

OK folks, my two cents is that people get pretty irritated when other people start saying things about their "accent" and won't let up. I know it makes me mental when people I have never met tell me I must say things a certain way. So, this thread is staying nice but be aware some of us are sensitive creatures. (KE, ha ha...you have to work and I don't!  )


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## elaine l (Aug 8, 2007)

Ever hear of a frappe?


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## Barb L. (Aug 8, 2007)

I have, but have never had one !  They sound good though .

In Mi. we all say pop or by the name.  Hubby says warsh (drives me crazy).   My niece who only lives about 90 miles south of us in Ohio, always teases me about my Mi. accent and I hers !  She always says - Aunt Barb says "Ohioo", they say "Ohi-ah" !!


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## QSis (Aug 8, 2007)

I get a kick out the accents of the people around the North Dakota area.  Maybe Wisconsin, too. 

Like in the move "Fargo".  Like the character "Mrs. Pool" on that old Sandy Dennis sitcom.

Lee


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## Fisher's Mom (Aug 8, 2007)

I first heard of frappes when I lived in MA. I moved from Houston to a rather small town that seemed to be built around a junior college, which I lived across the street from. It was sort of a culture shock and big city vs. small town shock. I was at the White Hen Pantry one night (the only thing open after 9) and ran into a security guard from the college. He was bored and started talking about the really rowdy bunch of students they had that year. Dying to hear about anything interesting in town, I asked him what sort of things these bad kids were doing. He was really outraged because some of them kept putting potato chips in the frappe machines and it made a big mess and put the machines out of commission for a while! Everyone in that town also seemed to call cokes "pop". They also called anything in the basement "down cellar". I also went ot my first Irish wake there and wow, it was sure different from funerals and the like here in Texas!


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## GotGarlic (Aug 8, 2007)

licia said:
			
		

> I'm a Florida native, born and bred within 35 miles of where I now live and I have never heard most of what I've read here about the way Southern people talk.



That's because you have to go north from Florida to get to the South 

Try this, y'all: Are You a Yankee or a Rebel? - alphaDictionary * Southern Accent Test 

I was born in VA, but moved to MI at two and a half and lived there till age 22. Then DH and I moved to Norfolk (yes, he was in the Navy) and have lived there and next door in Portsmouth ever since. Yes, they do call it soda here; so do we now 

My mom was born and raised near Richmond and I remember her saying "Where's the arn?" meaning iron, and "pillah," meaning pillow.


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## keltin (Aug 8, 2007)

GotGarlic said:
			
		

> Try this, y'all: Are You a Yankee or a Rebel? - alphaDictionary * Southern Accent Test


 
Wah-Hoo! Long live the mutha' land!  

My results: 84% Dixie.  Do you still use Confederate money?


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## keltin (Aug 8, 2007)

That test brought up a few interesting questions. As young and rowdy teenagers (especially the boys I imagine), did you ever use toilet paper to “decorate" someone’s yard.....or have you at least heard of doing such? What was it called? Down here, we called it “Rolling”.

Also, the test mentioned a Drive-Thru Liquor Store! What the heck is that? I want one!!!! Where are those located?


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## GrillingFool (Aug 8, 2007)

I'm from Illinois, then NC, AR, OK and back to NC around 4th grade.
Spent 5 glorious years in Wyoming, where I met my wonderful wife.

I used to tell her about the South... speech, food, people, mannerisms,
good old boys, rednecks, Southern Gentlemen, Southern Belles, Old Ladies 
of the South, trailer trash, etc etc etc 

Then, we moved to NC. She became a high school biology teacher for
a while, got good exposure to both rural and urban middle NC...

Came up to me one day and told me I was right. There IS a South.
She was particularly approving of good Southern cooking! 

One difference I noticed was that in NC, groceries go in a bag. In WY,
it was a sack. And out where the horizon is distant, directions are
given in compass points, such as "go south for 2 miles, then head west on
Cow Patty Rd.." And it works!


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## elaine l (Aug 8, 2007)

Here in MA we call stores that sell liquor "package stores"  when a friend of mine was vacationing she asked someone where she could find a "package" store.  Her answer was "you mean like a UPS store?"


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## Barb L. (Aug 8, 2007)

GotGarlic said:
			
		

> That's because you have to go north from Florida to get to the South
> 
> Try this, y'all: Are You a Yankee or a Rebel? - alphaDictionary * Southern Accent Test
> 
> ...



41 % Dixie here !


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## Uncle Bob (Aug 8, 2007)

Surprise!! Surprise!!! It said I was 100% Dixie! Who'd a thought it??? 

It ask if Robert E. Lee was my grand-father  

No, but in a round about way I was named after him!


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## GotGarlic (Aug 8, 2007)

keltin said:
			
		

> That test brought up a few interesting questions. As young and rowdy teenagers (especially the boys I imagine), did you ever use toilet paper to “decorate" someone’s yard.....or have you at least heard of doing such? What was it called? Down here, we called it “Rolling”.


"We TP'd the principal's yard last night!"



			
				keltin said:
			
		

> Also, the test mentioned a Drive-Thru Liquor Store! What the heck is that? I want one!!!! Where are those located?


Well, it's a convenience store that has a sort of tunnel through it. You drive in, someone comes to take your order, bring your stuff, take your money, and off you go  There are some in northeastern NC: Would you like a Bud with those fries sir? - The Oyster

Look like they offering franchises: Brew Thru World Famous Outer Banks t-shirts beer wine beverages 

Someone tried to open one in Virginia Beach, but the city council voted it down, because they want to promote a "family-friendly" beach.

This reminds me: My mom told me that the reason Norfolk, and sailors, got a bad reputation in the '50s and '60s is because restaurants and bars were not allowed to sell liquor by the drink - customers had to buy it by the bottle. Then, the sailors stationed on ships were not allowed to bring liquor on board, so they had to either drink it all or throw it away. Which do you think they chose?


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## Fisher's Mom (Aug 8, 2007)

87% Dixie for me. And Uncle Bob, I actually do have a friend named Robert E. Lee. (I'll bet you do too. It's almost like a family name for southerners.)


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## Alix (Aug 8, 2007)

"52% Dixie. Barely in Dixie"


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## jpmcgrew (Aug 8, 2007)

39% dixie which is funny since Ive spent more time in Georgia and Florida not Michigan and the great lakes


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## keltin (Aug 8, 2007)

elaine l said:
			
		

> Here in MA we call stores that sell liquor "package stores" when a friend of mine was vacationing she asked someone where she could find a "package" store. Her answer was "you mean like a UPS store?"


 
We call ‘em package stores too! We also call them liquor stores or ABC stores (because some of them are run by the State......Alabama Beverage Control, and they list ABC on the doors to show it is state operated).

Here’s a little anecdote about differences.....not just South to North but languages worldwide. I’ve got a friend in Germany, he was born and raised in Hamburg and still lives there today, and he speaks very good English. We were talking about something, and I asked him if such-and-such should be done. Since there was no clear cut and definitive answer, he said “Well the best answer to this would be, YO!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Then he explained that in the German language (at least amongst his friends and peers anyway), when they have a “maybe” situation like this, they often say “Jein”! This is a combination of “Ja” for yes and “Nein” for no. So, he tried the same thing with yes and no in English and came up with YO!


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## Uncle Bob (Aug 8, 2007)

Well for all ya'll that scored sub 100% Just give er a little time and it'll rub off on ya even more! In the mean time ya'll..

Have Fun & Enjoy!!!


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## keltin (Aug 8, 2007)

Uncle Bob said:
			
		

> Surprise!! Surprise!!! It said I was 100% Dixie! Who'd a thought it???
> 
> It ask if Robert E. Lee was my grand-father
> 
> No, but in a round about way I was named after him!


 
Uncle Bob for president!!!!


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## Fisher's Mom (Aug 8, 2007)

keltin said:
			
		

> Uncle Bob for president!!!!


I second that!


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## jpmcgrew (Aug 8, 2007)

keltin said:
			
		

> Uncle Bob for president!!!!


Hey you beat me to it.Yes he should run for President if he declines than he can be President of DC.Get it?  Washington,DC or our DC.


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## Barbara L (Aug 8, 2007)

keltin said:
			
		

> We call ‘em package stores too! We also call the liquor stores or ABC stores (because some of them are run by the State......Alabama Beverage Control, and they list ABC on the doors to show it is state operated).


Then why does South Carolina also have ABC stores?  LOL  I didn't know what ABC stood for, so I just looked it up.  It stands for Alcoholic Beverage Control.  All I know is, from what I have heard, all the ABC stores here have to have red dots painted on them.  Not sure why.  In California we called stores that sold liquor--liquor stores.  

As far as the accents here being extreme, I have been in areas of the south where the accent is truly that extreme.  But in most places, of course it is not.  What most people not in the south don't realize is that there is not just one southern (or northern, midwestern, etc.) dialect.  There are hundreds, maybe thousands of them.  In my college linguistics class we learned that there are at least 10 dialects in Boston alone.  The small southern town I live in has a few dialects, but the town I lived in before this one (70 miles away) had quite a few very distinct dialects.  It took a while but some of the people here are beginning to lose their accents (LOL--translate that to, I am learning to listen with a southern accent!).

 Barbara


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## Renee Attili (Aug 8, 2007)

I moved from Indiana to Florida to South Carolina and then back to Florida. I never had an accent until I moved to South Carolina. 
When you are inundated with Y'All's and greeted at the fast food drive thru with "Hi Y'all, may ey hep ya?" it does rub off. When I moved back to Florida, my friends picked on me unmercifully about my "Suthern" accent.(Even though Florida is further south.) I had to make a very conscious effort to fix it.
Which brings up the expression "Fixin'" like in "I am fixin' to go to the store"
Southern translation "I am getting ready to go to the store"
Northern translation " I am repairing to go to the store" What the.....?


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## Fisher's Mom (Aug 8, 2007)

Renee Attili said:
			
		

> I moved from Indiana to Florida to South Carolina and then back to Florida. I never had an accent until I moved to South Carolina.
> When you are inundated with Y'All's and greeted at the fast food drive thru with "Hi Y'all, may ey hep ya?" it does rub off. When I moved back to Florida, my friends picked on me unmercifully about my "Suthern" accent.(Even though Florida is further south.) I had to make a very conscious effort to fix it.
> Which brings up the expression "Fixin'" like in "I am fixin' to go to the store"
> Southern translation "I am getting ready to go to the store"
> Northern translation " I am repairing to go to the store" What the.....?


Oh Renee, I forgot about "fixin' to"! Probably because it's part of my vocabulary.  But what about this: Do any of you find yourself beginning to drawl when you spend some time speaking to others with an accent (or a thicker one than your own)? It kills me but I find myself "mirroring" people's accents as I talk to them. I'm always afraid they will notice and think I'm poking fun at them. What about ya'll?
Terry


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## keltin (Aug 8, 2007)

Barbara L said:
			
		

> Then why does South Carolina also have ABC stores? LOL I didn't know what ABC stood for, so I just looked it up. It stands for Alcoholic Beverage Control. All I know is, from what I have heard, all the ABC stores here have to have red dots painted on them. Not sure why. In California we called stores that sold liquor--liquor stores.


 
*O.....M......G! *

My inner red-neck has finally busted through.

It stands for Alcoholic Beverage Control......not Alabama.

That’s what I get for not paying attention and letting my fellow rednecks convince me Alabama was the center of the US!


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## Uncle Bob (Aug 8, 2007)

keltin said:
			
		

> Uncle Bob for president!!!!


 
I do thank you kind sir for your encouraging words of endorsement!!


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## Uncle Bob (Aug 8, 2007)

Well it's kinda early, but I'm fixin to pour me a drink! It looks like it's coming up a cloud and the bottom is gonna fall out in a minute!  


Ya'll Hve Fun & Enjoy!


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## oldcampcook (Aug 8, 2007)

How come nobuddy mentioned burlap bag, tow sack or tater sack? I took a sack lunch to school when I wuz a kid. Brown paper bag, that was.
I figgers y'all knows what bob war is? (barbed wire) or tar far (tire fire). And in Oklahoma, we pronounce Miami (in the northeastern part of the state) as Miamah.
It's funny to listen to a new tv newscaster try to pronounce the Native American names we have. We have Nowata, but we also have Lottawata.
Town of Pink is pronounced "Pank". Town of Achille is pronounced Ashley.
Have fun, y'all.


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## muzzlet (Aug 8, 2007)

When I was much younger, I had a roommate who was from Maryland. I'm from OH. She got so upset everytime I mentioned "pop", the accepted Midwest term. She'd scream: "Pop is married to your Mom. It's soda!"


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## Katie H (Aug 8, 2007)

One term I'd never heard until I moved here was what the wheeled "vehicles" the grocery stores have for your goods.  I always called them grocery carts.  Here, they're called "buggies."  Grocery bags here are called "sacks" as someone has already mentioned.


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## Uncle Bob (Aug 8, 2007)

katie E said:
			
		

> I always called them grocery carts. Here, they're called "buggies."


 
Ya mean they ain't buggies?? What's the world comin too!


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## Andy M. (Aug 8, 2007)

We call them shopping carts


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## Constance (Aug 8, 2007)

I took the test, and I'm 52% Dixie. That sounds about right. I've lived in southern Illinois most of my life, except for a couple of years in Texas, and a couple more on the bayou in southern Louisiana. Where I live is only an hour and a half from Kentucky, while we're 6+ hours from Chicago, so I'm closer to the south than I am to the north! The yankees up there call us "hillbillies", and the people down south call us Yanks. Oh, well.

One thing I have noticed as I've traveled around...Texans, Cajuns, and native Floridians are really not "Dixie". They have their own accents. Actually, they pretty well have their own countries.
Kentuckians have more drawl than any of the afore mentioned. I had an aunt and uncle who lived in Madisonville, Ky, and my aunt was born and raised in that area. One day, she "carried" us out to their country club. They called daylight savings time "fast time", and even one person was "y'all". 
My dad was from Iowa, and he called a burlap bag a toe sack. Up there, what we call soda is pop. They call a concrete road, like the interstate, a "hard road", and an asphalt road is "the black-top".

Some of the older people around here used to say "You'ins", while the younger ones tend to say "You Guys". I spent enough time in the south that I say "you all", but "y'all" never came naturally to me.
In Texas, I learned about "bad mouthin". I learned a lot of other things there, too, but that's not for discussion here.   Down there, they called me "yank", and got a big laugh out of the fact that I thought that school would be out the day after my birthday. In Illinois, we celebrate Lincolns birthday on Feb 12. They don't celebrate Lincolns birhday, but Jefferson's Davis' birthday is a state holiday. Oops!

When I was in my teens, I met a boy from Chicago while my family was on vacation in Wisconsin. Richie and I had a mad, passionate puppy love, and since my aunt and uncle lived in Chicago, and my parents went back to the fishing lodge in Wisconsin every year, we were able to see each other now and then. Dating a northern city boy was a big education for me. Sometimes I had no idea what he was talking about, and it blew my mind that he had to get out a map to find out how to get someplace in his own home town! Anyway, he had a "poypul" (purple) cahhh (car), and called me "Cahhnee". 

I had a friend who had lived in Minnesota for many years, and we used to tease her about her accent. She used to say things like "You BET'cha" and "yah".

Those from places like California, Colorado and New Mexico have so little accent that is is an accent of it's own.

Isn't it cool, that we are all so different, and yet have so much in common.


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## keltin (Aug 8, 2007)

Uncle Bob said:
			
		

> Ya mean they ain't buggies?? What's the world comin too!


 
Amen! It's a buggie!

Just asked DW what they are called, and she said "cart" or "shopping cart".

Huh? So I asked again, and blow me down, she called it a "cargo cart". What the.........? Where'd that come from?????????

Again I asked and she said........."Buggie"?

Yes dear, it is a buggie? 

Dang....and we've been married 7 years already.........we gots to have a talk!


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## Uncle Bob (Aug 8, 2007)

......And what part of the South is she from Keltin?

I agree! Ya gotta have a long talk with that girl!!


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## keltin (Aug 8, 2007)

Uncle Bob said:
			
		

> ......And what part of the South is she from Keltin?
> 
> I agree! Ya gotta have a long talk with that girl!!


 
Agreed! Odd thing is, even though I knew there were differences in our vocabulary (hose pipe??????), this thread has been a focal point of humor and, believe it or not, learning….she’s got even MORE that I’ve never heard of…..a cargo cart? What is that?

She’s from Tennessee….and she has informed me of an old farmer’s thing called the “Dead Wagon”. Have you (or anyone else) ever heard of the Dead Wagon? 

Apparently, back in the day, on farms with large animals, if you had a large animal such as a hog or horse to die, then you could call a guy (for free) that would pick up the carcass and haul it off in his “Dead Wagon”. 

Never heard of that one, but we did have a Vet when I grew up that made house calls for shots and such…….dead wagon?????? Sounds like a Stephen King novel!


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Aug 8, 2007)

I was born a Yankee and was taught the spoken work by a fastidious mother who abhored poor language. Our speech was corrected regularly. I was also an advanced reader, perusing university level text in 6th grade. I have an extraordinary vocabulary, and have studied more subjects than I can ever hope to understand, and so I learned a little about a great lot.

I lived in Memphis for a year, and Southern California for ten years. I also lived in the Spokane Washington area for a year.  I was in the U.S. Navy and was able to visit a good number of Pacific areas, including Australia.

All of this travel made me a changed man when I returned to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I had tried new and wonderous things, explored new activities, and made freinds from all over the U.S. and several coutries.

What I discovered is that there are many dialects and lifestyles in this world. I call a carbonated soft drink either a pop, or soda pop, depending on the company I am with. I learned horse skills from a Texan, a great freind. When with him, I quikly learned new phrases and words that allowed us to communicate freely. 

Growing up, I always felt that the dialect from my area was the one closest to the universal American English taught to news-anchors, and the professional journalists. And, I foolishly thought that it was the correct English. But I eventually learned that my little piece of Heaven had its own colloquialisms, such as improperly using the word ignorant to mean rude, i.e. "He was so ignorant to her when she had simply asked him to dance." My Grandmother called her sofa/hide-a-bed a davenport. And she conjugated the phrase - pretty near - to pertineer, as in "I was pertineer exhausted by the time I climbed six flights of stairs."

I don't eat mud-cats as I don't enjoy the flavor of catfish from muddy water. I do eat catfish caught in the pristine waters of Lake Superior. Up here, we love a mess of brookies caught from a stream, or some good walleye (pickeral in Canadian lingo). I find some southern phrases to be at the best, condescending, as when a person says something like - "That poor woman has gained twenty pounds over the summer, bless her soul". As if gossiping about the weight gain of another is somehow made Ok by adding "...bless her soul".

I love some of the Southern customs and the easy grace of the south. But I admire the toughness and tenacity of one who can camp in a tent, in sub-zero weather, just to catch a few pike through a diminutive hole in the ice. I;ve done winter camping, and as  a child, have played in the winter until the cuffs of my mittens were frozen with a ring of ice, so that I couldn't get them off of my hands until they thawed. I've been so close to frost-bite so many times, I can't count them. And yet, I am able to endure pain, and tieredness that sends most into their warm and comfortable homes. It gives you a kind of mental toughness.

I have to admit, that just as I call my Southern California Wife a "cold-weather-wimp", I am just the opposite. When the mercury climbs to the upper 80's, and into the 90's, it saps my strength and can even make me nauseous. The only time I seemed to be immune to the heat was when I was dirt-biking in Southern California.

I love aspects of the South, and of the North. But I'm a northerner through and through, not necessarily a Yankee, but a Northerner.

As far as the labels go, to me, they are just labels. I choose to take the best of wherever I may be, and count myself lucky to find so many good people in so many places. A person who accepts labels, or defines hem/hersself by a label, be it racial, regional, religous, or whatever, accepts limits. I accept no limits and consider the world my playground, and all the people in it prospective freinds.

I am proud to be a northerner, for the toughness that a northern lifestyle can nurture. I choose to live in the north because I melt in the south.

The thing that suprised me, in my home-town, was the level of predjudice that existed here, that I never knew about as a child. And the speech tendencies of many I know border on pigeon English, especially among some of my Native relatives and freinds who live in the very rural areas. The stubborn refusal to learn correct pronunciation and usage of language drives me crazy. You just couldn't believe how some people pronounce words around here, especially those of hispanic origin. anything having to do with queso is con queso, pronounced - kon-kwayso. Tortillas become prononunced as they are spelled, with the L-sound distinctly heard - tor-till-uhs. Itallian is often heard - hi-tal-yun, with a long I sound.

 I could go on.

I love the subtle nuances of the French language, but love English for its versatiltiy. I love the customs and foods of every region of the world I've had the opportunity to visit.

I love to poke fun at Texans, but admit, I've had some very, very good freinds from that state.

And besides, down south, you guys just can't get maple syrup from your back yard. How can a guy live in a place where he can't get maple syrup from his back yard? But then again, I can't go crabin' or enjoy a shrimp or crab boil. We do have corn boils though. Corn grows perfectly well up here, thank you.

And you don't have Goodweed's pancake breakfast every spring, with freshly boiled maple syrup!

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## kitchenelf (Aug 8, 2007)

Always Right Goodweed of the North said:
			
		

> How can a guy live in a place where he can't get maple syrup from his back yard?



Having lived on the Canadian border in Vermont I have to admit you have a valid question here   Or go snow skiing on May 23rd?


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## Fisher's Mom (Aug 8, 2007)

keltin said:
			
		

> She’s from Tennessee….and she has informed me of an old farmer’s thing called the “Dead Wagon”. Have you (or anyone else) ever heard of the Dead Wagon?
> 
> Apparently, back in the day, on farms with large animals, if you had a large animal such as a hog or horse to die, then you could call a guy (for free) that would pick up the carcass and haul it off in his “Dead Wagon”.
> 
> Never heard of that one, but we did have a Vet when I grew up that made house calls for shots and such…….dead wagon?????? Sounds like a Stephen King novel!


I used to work at an emergency veterinary clinic in Houston. We had a large chest freezer behind the building that held the remains of critters that didn't make it. One of my duties was to note the freezer contents. When it was full, I was to call Dead Dog Homer. He would come and clear out the freezer, putting the bagged bodies in the back of his pick up. (I don't know where he took them.) I always said "thanks" to Homer until one day he told me that his name wasn't Homer, that's just what a dead animal guy is called. I thought he was teasing me since he often played little tricks on us (you don't want to know), but when I asked several of the vets there, they all confirmed that at every place they had ever worked, there had been a Dead Dog Homer. Keltin, please ask your wife if she's heard of Homer, too.


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## sparrowgrass (Aug 9, 2007)

A southern Illinois phrase that I just learned, said about a child pitching a fit in a store:  "I do believe his slappin' has come undone."

Meaning, the kid needed a firm swat to the bottom (or some other form of strict discipline.)


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## AllenOK (Aug 9, 2007)

Man, this thread sure became popular!

When I lived in MI, there was a drive-thru liquor store in a neighboring small town (what they call a "village").

I had some real culture shock when it came to availability of beer and booze.  Now, I consider myself a Native Okie, although I wasn't born here, but I have lived here most of my life.

Here in OK, low-point beer is available at gas stations, grocery stores, etc.  High-point beer, wine, and liquor is only available at "liquor stores", which are privately owned, but have to buy their wares from the State.  They aren't allowed to open up on Sundays, Holidays, and election days.  A drive-thru liquor store is unheard-of here, in the "Buckle of the Bible Belt", as we call it.

Up in MI, EVERYTHING is available in grocery stores, and a type of store they call a "party store".  Some groceries, lots of junk food, beverages, beer, booze, etc.  But, a party store doesn't sell gas.  Heck, I don't think any of the gas stations in the city I lived in even sold beer.

Here's a question for any of you folks that live in the Norfolk area.  When I was a kid, I remember going to "High's Ice Cream".  Do they still have those?  There was one in a strip-mall just north of Military Circle Mall, if I remember right, as well as one inside that mall.


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## healthyfoodie (Aug 9, 2007)

jersey girl, born and raised (and no we don't say "joisey", only people in staten island say that  ).  the first time someone said to me "do you want a sack for that" in the grocery store, i think i looked at them like they were nuts.  i think it was around that time i realized that the difference in dialects wasn't just about the accent.  here's a few i don't think i saw yet:

market / grocery store (I say grocery store)

macaroni with gravy / pasta with sauce (my father says macaroni with gravy, he grew up in brooklyn, i called it gravy until i realized when the rest of the population says gravy, they mean the brown stuff, not the red stuff).

subway / t / bart / metro / el / trolley - every city has a different name for their mass transit.

the other thing i sometimes realize (mostly after a few drinks) - i say things like:

dolla'  = dollar
foun 'ain = fountain
wooder = water
draw = drawer

the list goes on...  
this quiz is similar to the other.

by the way, drive thru liquor store???  i don't think i've ever heard of that.


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## Fisher's Mom (Aug 9, 2007)

sparrowgrass said:
			
		

> A southern Illinois phrase that I just learned, said about a child pitching a fit in a store:  "I do believe his slappin' has come undone."
> 
> Meaning, the kid needed a firm swat to the bottom (or some other form of strict discipline.)


I LOVE this phrase, sparrowgrass. I've never heard it before but I'll sure be using it! 

Has anyone heard the phrase "open up a can of whoop-a**" on someone? Means to physically assault someone whom you feel "needs" it.

In Texas, when we hear about a shady character meeting an early end, you'll often hear "He needed killin'."


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## GotGarlic (Aug 9, 2007)

AllenOK said:
			
		

> Here's a question for any of you folks that live in the Norfolk area. When I was a kid, I remember going to "High's Ice Cream". Do they still have those? There was one in a strip-mall just north of Military Circle Mall, if I remember right, as well as one inside that mall.



It appears there is one left: ARTICLE: Whatever happened to... High's, the onetime ice cream giant? (The Virginian-Pilot - HamptonRoads.com/PilotOnline.com) 

Now that all the supermarkets, and even 7-11s, sell premium ice cream, there is apparently no need for a stand-alone ice cream parlor. Too bad. DH and I used to ride our bikes to one a few miles from our house.


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## keltin (Aug 9, 2007)

Fisher's Mom said:
			
		

> I LOVE this phrase, sparrowgrass. I've never heard it before but I'll sure be using it!
> 
> Has anyone heard the phrase "open up a can of whoop-a**" on someone? Means to physically assault someone whom you feel "needs" it.
> 
> In Texas, when we hear about a shady character meeting an early end, you'll often hear "He needed killin'."


 
Oh yeah, I’ve heard, and used that expression! We even shorten it to “I’m about to open a can” or “I’m fixin’ to pop the top”. We also use the term “blanket party” which is where you wrap someone in a blanket and beat them with a large blunt object.....the blanket keeps them from developing visible bruises........so you say “You’re about to get invited to a blanket party”.....or “It’s time for a blanket party”.

Then, of course, there are trips to the woodshed!

We have a saying around here that involves Texas! Mostly it’s for playing cards, but is often used for other actions committed by another that you find incredulous. We say “Man, pull that crap in Texas and you’d get shot under the table”.

Speaking of punishment, as a kid, or when you have to discipline your kids, were your “put on restriction” or “grounded”.....or is there another term? We were always “on restriction”.........hmmmm, that reminds me that I got put on restriction for the rest of my life once!  

I guess, in most cases, being on restriction was better than having to “pick a switch”. Anyone else have to pick a switch???? But really, I wasn't _that_ bad a kid!


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## Fisher's Mom (Aug 9, 2007)

keltin said:
			
		

> Speaking of punishment, as a kid, or when you have to discipline your kids, were your “put on restriction” or “grounded”.....or is there another term? We were always “on restriction”.........hmmmm, that reminds me that I got put on restriction for the rest of my life once!


My parents called it restriction, too. I think it was a Navy term - maybe generic military. I call it grounded now with my kids and I think that's an Air Force term. As far as being on restriction for the rest of your life, I think that's called marriage!


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## keltin (Aug 9, 2007)

Fisher's Mom said:
			
		

> My parents called it restriction, too. I think it was a Navy term - maybe generic military. I call it grounded now with my kids and I think that's an Air Force term. *As far as being on restriction for the rest of your life, I think that's called marriage!*


 
LMAO!  

Good one!


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## Katie H (Aug 9, 2007)

keltin said:
			
		

> Speaking of punishment, as a kid, or when you have to discipline your kids, were your “put on restriction” or “grounded”.....or is there another term? We were always “on restriction”.........hmmmm, that reminds me that I got put on restriction for the rest of my life once!
> 
> I guess, in most cases, being on restriction was better than having to “pick a switch”. Anyone else have to pick a switch???? But really, I wasn't _that_ bad a kid!



My family didn't call it "being grounded" or "restriction."  Instead, we were "campused."  I always thought that was weird because we didn't live on any campus and the only school, at the time, I attended was high school.

As for the switch thing, yep, I've heard of it.  I only made the mistake ONCE to pick a flimsy switch.  I also learned to never try to outrun my daddy when he had a switch that was intended for me.


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## Barbara L (Aug 9, 2007)

muzzlet said:
			
		

> When I was much younger, I had a roommate who was from Maryland. I'm from OH. She got so upset everytime I mentioned "pop", the accepted Midwest term. She'd scream: "Pop is married to your Mom. It's soda!"


How funny!  We have had this conversation, in reverse.  My mom was born in Illinois and raised (since age 7) in El Cajon, California (pronounced el ca-hone, btw).  She and I have always said "pop" but my daughter (influenced by her friends) calls it soda.  Like my mom always said, if you ever asked her to buy you some soda at the store you were going to get a box that said Arm & Hammer on it.  

 Barbara


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## keltin (Aug 9, 2007)

Katie E said:
			
		

> As for the switch thing, yep, I've heard of it. I only made the mistake ONCE to pick a flimsy switch. I also learned to never try to outrun my daddy when he had a switch that was intended for me.


 
LOL! I learned the exact same lessons myself! Seems our parents read the same child rearing books.  

But I’ve never heard of “campused” before. That’s a new one on me!


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## Buck (Aug 9, 2007)

Goodweed of the North

I could go on.

  [/quote said:
			
		

> You do, love, you do.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Aug 10, 2007)

Barbara L said:
			
		

> How funny! We have had this conversation, in reverse. My mom was born in Illinois and raised (since age 7) in El Cajon, California (pronounced el ca-hone, btw). She and I have always said "pop" but my daughter (influenced by her friends) calls it soda. Like my mom always said, if you ever asked her to buy you some soda at the store you were going to get a box that said Arm & Hammer on it.
> 
> Barbara



What a small world!  My wife grew up on the El Cajon/Lakeside border.  I met her while stationed at Coranado Island (North Island Naval Air Station) while I was in the Navy.  I lived in Sand Diego, on Coranado Island, in Santee, Lakeside, and El Cajon while there (I was in for ten years and nine of them were in that area).

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Aug 10, 2007)

Buck said:
			
		

> You do, love, you do.



Whadaya mean?  I'm the most succinct guy here.  Why, once when I was a kid, my mother told me to be quiet.  Well, I shut my yap and wouldn't speak for two weeks.  I nearly starved to death.  When I'm told to Shut my yap, I shut my yap.  (Borrowed from a Looney Tunes cartoon featuring our favorite rooster who can't ever keep his mouth shut - Foghorn Leghorn.  Thank you, thank you.)

Seeeeeeee Goodweed of the North


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## AllenOK (Aug 10, 2007)

I've never had to "open a can" on someone.  I am old enough to remember the song about an "Attitude Adjustment", by Hank Jr.

My dad was Navy, but I always got "grounded".  And I got grounded A LOT!

I've never had to "cut my own switch".  I had a healthy respect for my mother's wooden spoon.  My little brother (17 years younger than I am) broke that spoon over his knee when he was 3.  That's when my Mom started telling me to "go cut a switch for Zac".  After I moved out, he had to cut his own!

Man, there's only one High's left?  Come on over to this part of the country.  I'll introduce you to the joy of "Braum's".

That's another thing I remember about MI.  There were several ice cream shops around, some Baskin-Robbins, and a bunch of mom-and-pop places, and they all charged about twice what I would expect to pay down here at a Braum's.  I guess the big guys can afford to sell cheap.

Another thing, is all the ice cream places closed up shop sometime in November, and wouldn't open up until Spring.


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## texasgirl (Aug 10, 2007)

keltin said:
			
		

> That test brought up a few interesting questions. As young and rowdy teenagers (especially the boys I imagine), did you ever use toilet paper to “decorate" someone’s yard.....or have you at least heard of doing such? What was it called? Down here, we called it “Rolling”.
> 
> Also, the test mentioned a Drive-Thru Liquor Store! What the heck is that? I want one!!!! Where are those located?


 
86% Dixie. Do you still use Confederate money?

We have them all over the place in Texas. There is one up the street from us it is called the Beer Barn. It has beer, cigarettes, wine and coolers and snacks, that's it. Drive in, tell them what you want, they carry it to you, you pay, drive off.

BTW, it's freezer, fridge and water hose here too.

DH drives me nuts with some of his words. 2 in particular are battery and pecan. 
I pronounce batteree and pecon, he pronounces battree and peecan. We were both raised within 2 miles of each other. He is more backwoods than I am though. LOL How do yall say these?


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## keltin (Aug 10, 2007)

texasgirl said:
			
		

> I pronounce batteree and pecon, he pronounces battree and peecan. We were both raised within 2 miles of each other. He is more backwoods than I am though. LOL How do yall say these?


 
I’m with you texasgirl, it’s bat-uh-ree for battery and puh-con for pecan.
 
So, the drive in stores are down in Texas then? Ok, time for a road trip!!
 
Oh, and do Texans really call armadillos “speed bumps”?


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## texasgirl (Aug 10, 2007)

keltin said:
			
		

> I’m with you texasgirl, it’s bat-uh-ree for battery and puh-con for pecan.
> 
> So, the drive in stores are down in Texas then? Ok, time for a road trip!!
> 
> Oh, and do Texans really call armadillos “speed bumps”?


 
Unfortunately, most do. What is really sad, too many people will get the ones that are not total road kill and put them on their backs and put beer bottles on them to look as though they are drinking while lying there on the side of the road.


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## keltin (Aug 10, 2007)

texasgirl said:
			
		

> Unfortunately, most do. What is really sad, too many people will get the ones that are not total road kill and put them on their backs and put beer bottles on them to look as though they are drinking while lying there on the side of the road.


 
Wow, that’s worse than cow tipping!


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## carolelaine (Aug 10, 2007)

I am 68% Southern according to the quiz. Hmm.  I was born in the South and have lived in Tennessee or Alabama my whole life.  I always say coke which drives my DH nuts. We say fridge.  My grandmother called milk sweet milk as opposed to buttermilk and she called children young uns. I have been know to say fixin to.  I have noticed in traveling through different parts of the South, that nothing is the universal norm for anything here.


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