<p>Growing up in California “back east” referred to anything east of the Mississippi. When I went to work “back east” (upstate NY) after college I learned for the first time that New England was a very specific region (and did not include NY!) and that Ohio was “western”. It is all relative.</p>
<p>I think native West Coasters tend to learn what a friend calls “newscaster English”, fairly devoid of regional inflections–unless the parents hail from somewhere with a distinct regional twang or another original language. Although I grew up in California my parents were midwesterners and people would occasionally ask if I was from somewhere in the midwest. Certain words tend to be giveaways–roof, rinse…</p>
Ah, that rings a bell, sjmom. It must be an Irish-ism? As my father, aunts and uncles all used it and they were Irish-American.</p>
<p>
I spent 4 years in Boston and suburbs and never heard “wicked” as in “wicked good,” “wicked hot”, etc. until arriving in Maine. I cringed when my S brought it home from school. It sounds so uneducated to me (is my elitism showing)? The other Maine-ism that always catches me up short:</p>
<p>“He’s not here. He’s over to Maude’s house”, as opposed to “He’s at Maude’s house.” Sounds so wrong to my ear.</p>
<p>kathiep, “so don’t I” would be more of a response. For instance, I might say I really like the New England Patriots and the person would respond “So don’t I”. It took me a couple of times of hearing this expression before I realized that it means the opposite of what it first appears to mean.</p>
<p>I have a friend from Ohio who says “The floor needs swept” meaning the floor needs to be vacuumed. Also says “the car needs washed”.</p>
<p>Friend from Kentucky refers to the big spring dance for h.s. kids as “going to prom” rather than THE prom and when referring to visiting schools "we 're going to campus " rather than THE campus.</p>
<p>Where I grew up:
any soft drink was just a “drink” </p>
<p>Coke was “co-cola” </p>
<p>small pkg. of peanut butter crackers was “a pack of nabs”</p>
<p>green beans were “snaps”</p>
<p>Your mother’s sister was your “Aint”</p>
<p>a little ways off was “over yonder”</p>
<p>going to the church service on Sunday where the minister spoke was "going to preachin’ as opposed to going to the Bible study class held earlier which was always called “Sundy School” no matter what your age.</p>
<p>My Mom’s from Boston and I spent four years of college in the area. I first heard wicked when my New Hampshire nephews and nieces became pre-teens.</p>
<p>Sorry, my last post was sent too soon and I can see it has been “edited”.
The definitions are from UrbanDictionary.com and the word is frequently uttered by teenage boys in Massachusetts.</p>
<p>“The Boston Red Sox are wicked p-i-s-s-ah.”</p>
<p>More UK Slang vs US slang
Spit the dummy=Throw a Tantrum
Done and dusted=Finished
Done a Runner= Left (as in “Nana’s done a runner!”)
Trash=Rubbish
Gobbler=Disposal
Bench=Countertop</p>
<p>In many places in the South, you all would come back to the house to warsh and arn your clothes, after, of course, having strung bob wahr (barbed wire) around the north forty (acres). Then you might set down to have a glass of sweettea (one word) and say, " I’m wore out. If’n I don’t set a spell, I may be all stove up tomorry." (Straight from my grandmother’s mouth, I’ll swan=swear)</p>
<p>And in rural Texas, some people (my ex-MIL) says, “I taken” instead of “I took.” My mother’s cousin used to say, “Well, I swanee.” I have to admit I still say “over yonder” and S1 cracks up.</p>