Have you ever traveled to another part of the country and thought, “What the heck are these people talking about?” Or perhaps you know someone from the Midwest or East Coast and they use some pretty strange phrases that don’t make any sense.
There are all sorts of words that are common to a specific region but sound downright silly to all of us here in Southern California. Take a look at this list and see if you’ve heard any of these before. They all sound pretty strange to me.
- Hotdish
flickr/i believe i can fry My hubby calls this a hotdish. I have no idea what he’s talking about because he’s from the Midwest. This will always be a casserole to me and the rest of us here in SoCal.
- Bubbler
flickr/Oregon Dept Of Transportation Ever had a nice refreshing drink of water from a bubbler? Of course you haven’t, because that’s a water fountain, folks!
- Parlor
flickr/peter alfred hess “Come have a seat in my parlor” sounds a little too stuffy for us SoCal folks. We’ll just stick with “living room” in our neck of the woods.
- The Coast
flickr/wendell My friends in Oregon head to the coast when they want to be near the ocean for the day. Here in Southern California we just call it the beach.
- Dropped Eggs
flickr/katherine lim If you’re in New England you might be offered some dropped eggs and toast for breakfast. I think I’ll pass on eating anything that has been dropped and just stick with my poached eggs, thank you very much.
- Buggy
flickr/lzee not-really-all-here Your friends from the South might disagree, but here in Southern California we only call something a buggy if there’s a baby in it. So no, this isn’t a buggy, it’s a shopping cart.
- Washroom
flickr/stephen harris In Chicago and other parts of the Midwest this is a washroom. But here in SoCal we will look at you like you’re from the 1800s if you call it that. It’s a bathroom, or even a restroom, but it’s not the washroom.
- Alligator Pear
flickr/SFriedberg photo This is obviously an avocado, right? But in certain parts of the South this is called an alligator pear. Have you ever heard that one before?
- Clicker
flickr/matt clark If you know someone from Boston don’t be surprised if they point at the remote and call it a clicker. Go ahead and look at them like they’re crazy because we know it’s really called a remote.
- Jimmies
flickr/mazaletel Philly and New England may not agree, but here in SoCal we know that cupcakes with jimmies on top don’t sound nearly as delicious as cupcakes topped with sprinkles.
That’s some crazy stuff! Have you ever heard anyone use those words here in SoCal? Which words are new to you? If you have some other ones you’ve heard that aren’t on this list please post them in the comments so we can all have a good laugh.
flickr/i believe i can fry
My hubby calls this a hotdish. I have no idea what he’s talking about because he’s from the Midwest. This will always be a casserole to me and the rest of us here in SoCal.
flickr/Oregon Dept Of Transportation
Ever had a nice refreshing drink of water from a bubbler? Of course you haven’t, because that’s a water fountain, folks!
flickr/peter alfred hess
“Come have a seat in my parlor” sounds a little too stuffy for us SoCal folks. We’ll just stick with “living room” in our neck of the woods.
flickr/wendell
My friends in Oregon head to the coast when they want to be near the ocean for the day. Here in Southern California we just call it the beach.
flickr/katherine lim
If you’re in New England you might be offered some dropped eggs and toast for breakfast. I think I’ll pass on eating anything that has been dropped and just stick with my poached eggs, thank you very much.
flickr/lzee not-really-all-here
Your friends from the South might disagree, but here in Southern California we only call something a buggy if there’s a baby in it. So no, this isn’t a buggy, it’s a shopping cart.
flickr/stephen harris
In Chicago and other parts of the Midwest this is a washroom. But here in SoCal we will look at you like you’re from the 1800s if you call it that. It’s a bathroom, or even a restroom, but it’s not the washroom.
flickr/SFriedberg photo
This is obviously an avocado, right? But in certain parts of the South this is called an alligator pear. Have you ever heard that one before?
flickr/matt clark
If you know someone from Boston don’t be surprised if they point at the remote and call it a clicker. Go ahead and look at them like they’re crazy because we know it’s really called a remote.
flickr/mazaletel
Philly and New England may not agree, but here in SoCal we know that cupcakes with jimmies on top don’t sound nearly as delicious as cupcakes topped with sprinkles.
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