Chicago Slang

[katcarasella]

This is how we talk here:

(grach'-key) Chicagoese for'garage key' as in, 'Yo, Theresa, waja do wit da grachki? How my supposta cut da grass if I don't git inta da grach?'

> 2. Sammich: Chicagoese for sandwich. When made with sausage, it's a sassage sammich; when made with shredded beef, it's an Italian Beef sammich, a local delicacy consisting of piles of spicy meat in a perilously soggy bun.

> 3. Da: This article is a key part of Chicago speech, as in 'Da Bears' or 'Da Mare' -- the latter denoting Richard M. Daley, or Richie, as he's often called.

> 4. Jewels: Not family heirlooms or a tender body region, buta popular name for one of the region's dominant grocery storechains.; 'I'm goin' to the Jewels to pick up some sassage.'

> 5. Field's: Marshall Field, a prominent Chicago department store. Also Carson Pirie Scott, another major department store chain, is simply called' Carson's.'

> 6. Tree: The number between two and four. 'We were lucky dat we only got tree inches of snow dat udder night.'

> 7. Over by dere: Translates to 'over by there,' a way of emphasizinga site presumed familiar to the listener. As in, 'I got the sassage at the Jewels down on Kedzie, over by dere.'

> 8. Kaminski Park: The mispronounced name of the ballpark where the Chicago White Sox(da Sox) play baseball. Comiskey Park was renamed U.S. Cellular Field(da Cell)

> 9. Frunchroom: As in, 'Get outta da frunchroom wit dose muddy shoes.' It's not the 'parlor.' It's not the 'living room.' In the land of the bungalow, it's the 'frunchroom,' a name derived, linguists believe, from 'front room.'

> 10. Use: Not the verb, but the plural pronoun 'you!' 'Where youse goin'?'

> 11. Downtown: Anywhere near The Lake, south of The Zoo (Lincoln ParkZoo) and north of Soldier Field.

> 12. The Lake: Lake Michigan (What otherlake is there?) It's often used by local weathermen, 'cooler by The Lake.'

> 14. Braht: Short for Bratwurst. 'Gimme a braht wit kraut.'

> 15. Goes: Past or present tense of the verb 'say.' For example, 'Den he goes, ' I like this place'!'

> 16. Guys: Used when addressing two or more people, regardless of each individual's gender.

> 17. Pop: A soft drink. Don't say'soda' in this town. 'Do ya wanna canna pop?'

> 18. Sliders: Nickname for hamburgers from White Castle, a popular Midwestern burger chain. 'Dose sliders I had last night gave me da runs.'

> 19. The Taste: The Taste of Chicago Festival, a huge extravaganza in Grant Park featuring samples of Chicagoland cuisine which takes place each year around the Fourth of July holiday.

> 20. 'Jeetyet?': Translates to, 'Did you eat yet?'

> 21. Winter and Construction: Punch line to the joke, 'What are the two seasons in Chicago?'

> 22. Cuppa Too-Tree: is Chicagoese for 'a couple, two, three' which really means 'a few. ' For example, 'Hey Mike, dere any beerz left in da cooler over by dere?' 'Yeh, a cuppa too-tree.'

> 23. 588-2300: Everyone in Chicago knows this commercial jingle and the carpet company you'll get if you call that number -- Empire!

> 24. Junk Dror: You will usually find the 'junk drawer' in the kitchen filled to the brim with miscellaneous, but very important, junk.

> 25. Southern Illinois : Anything south ofI-80. This is where Smothers' is from....

> 26. Expressways: The Interstates in the immediate Chicagoland area are usually known just by their 'name' and not their Interstate number: the Dan Ryan ('da Ryan'), the Stevenson, the Kennedy(da 'Kennedy'), the Eisenhower (da 'Ike'), and the Edens (just ' Edens' but Da Edens' is acceptable).

> 27. Gym Shoes: The rest of the country may refer to them as sneakers or running shoes but Chicagoans will always call them gym shoes!

> 28. Da Super Bowl: January 26, 1986 Chicago Bears vs Patriots

This is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Chicago.

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you live in Chicago

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Chicago

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Chicago .

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you live in Chicago

If 'Vacation' means going anywhere south of I-80 for the weekend, you live
in Chicago

If you measure distance in hours, you live in Chicago .

If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again, you live in Chicago .

If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Chicago.

If you carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you live in Chicago

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you live in Chicago

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you live in Chicago (and your on 355)

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you live in Chicago.

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you live in Chicago.

If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in Chicago

If you find 10 degrees 'a little chilly', you live in Chicago .

If you actually understand these jokes, you live or have lived in Chicago.

[DianaB]

Oh, Kat!!! Those were hilarious!!!! Is that really what Chicago is like?

[katcarasella]

Yea, that's how it really is here. If you heard me talk you'd know I was from here, I love Italian sassage with a cold canna pop!
You'll hear me when we have our phone call party.

[Janet]

That's funny, that's what Jeff says about Indiana and it's all true.