Odd Words

OldTurtle

OldTurtle

Moderator - Deceased
Since we are heading into the "Slow Time" of the year, I thought it might be interesting to do something a little different...And in the interest of learning from each other, an exchange of odd words that some of us don't know about that are specific to a culture or area..

I grew up in a small rural farm county in Central Missouri and have a couple of words that I haven't heard for quite a few years that were common to me as a boy, that for some reason have been bouncing around in my head and thought that maybe some of you might have something similar..The county had a strong German population, with a Southern influence..

I'm not an academic, so spelling and pronunciation will have to be hard, as I don't remember ever seeing them written down, but I'll give them a try to see if anyone else is familiar with them...I'm pretty sure that there are others from around the country/world that would be interesting as well..Let's try to keep it clean and educational...
thumbup1.gif


My words are Jitney and Choagie....

Jitney (Gitney) was usually used to refer to an older car, jalopy, or buggy...

Choagie was used to mean movement, as in going somewhere else...

If I was found somewhere that I wasn't really welcome, or just shouldn't have been at the time, it wasn't unusual for someone to say.. "Why don't you get in that Jitney and Choagie on down the road?" or "Get your Jitney and run to the store for me, but Choagie back here in a hurry"..

Let's see what you can come up with..
grin.gif
 
i would hear and say " cutten a choagie" being scared or speeding some where!! yesterday we were talking to the male nurse at the hosp. about the docs. and nurses from india, when he talked they were lost!! lol
 
here is a word from my neck of the woods, Bimp

Bimp = bruise, abrasion, sore spot

Bimpy = person with bruise, abrasion, sore spot
lol.gif
lol.gif
lol.gif
 
"Go cut a switch" That meant you had done something wrong and were going to get your rear end beat by Mom or Dad. You had to go to the nearest Forsythia bush, break off a long branch, strip it of the leaves and bring it back in. Then you heard the whoosh and felt the sting on your behind. Nothing like going out and bringing back the wood used to teach you a lesson!, LOL.......

"Shipwreck" was an ugly girl.

Make a "louie" meant taking a left turn.

"Watching the submarine races" was taking your girl to a parking spot on the beach and making out. Hopefully, your girl wasn't a "shipwreck." LOL


John
 
Coonfinger, IDK if it is used much but I had never heard the experssion untill ~7 years ago. At first I was taken back a little in that where I grew up `coon` was derogatory word for a colored person. Actually, my friend said it had nothing to do with that, but rather haven`t I ever seen a coon check something out real good..they put their fingers all over it.
Hey Hooked, lets stop into the gun shop and `coonfinger` a few pistols.
 
Dilly-Dally.....goof off or to drag our feet and be late!

Ice Box....Mom always called the Refrigerator that!

Piddle Around...same as Dilly-Dallying.

She's "Nasty" ....good looking Girl.

1 Brick Shy of a load...someone thats Crazy,not all there!

Their Elevator doesn't go to the Top Floor...again someone thats not too smart!
 
My Dad always called the fork-loft a Gitney.

Back Forty. That's still used quite a bit in my area of PA.

Vittles- Grub or Fixins. Used for food.
 
Down here in Texas a "Tank" can be refering to a dirt pond, but in North Texas, a farmer will call it a "Tailwater Pit". A "Draw" is what most would call a small creek, even if it only runs water when it rains. A "Bull Trap" is just a small pasture where the bulls are sometimes kept. Some people wonder, when we talk about a "Cattle Guard". We "Coonfinger" guns here too.
 
Here in Alberta we don't have 'cattleguards' we have 'Texas Gates'
lol.gif


We have coulees. That's a dry wash or a draw in other places.

We only count the points on one antler. 4 pt muley, 6 point whitey.

We hunt speed goats, stinkylopes, prairie lice,all refer to pronghorn antelope.

Swamp donkey, is a moose.

We don't hear 'dogs' very often at all when referring to coyotes. We call them ky yoots.

I've used 'coon finger for years. I got a whack from "Yes Dear" the first time she heard me use it. In a gun shop. "Can I coon finger that rifle?" I asked if she needed a kick in the slats and I got another whack.
blink.gif



I asked her if she knew what either one meant. She said no but they sound rude.
 
Last edited:
These are just a few I learned growing up.
When I get a chance I know I can remember more.

"So tight he/she squeaks when he/she walks"....a penny-pincher, or thrifty person.

"Colder than a witch's teat" (had to change that last word, LOL)....meaning it's extremely cold.

"His brain rattles like a BB in a boxcar"....meaning he's not very smart.

"Slower than molasses in January"....meaning you're very slow at doing a job.
 
A few more I remember learning as a kid...and sometimes still use.......

"He/she got hit with the ugly stick".

"If it'd been a snake, I'd have gotten bit".....looking for something that was in plain sight.

"Get your butt behind you!".....to change your angle of facing a job, & it might work better.

"Ain't got a pot to p*ss in".....poor

"Too poor to pay attention"....really poor

"You can't get blood from a turnip"....can't pay your debt because you don't have the money to do so.

"More than one way to skin a cat".....more than one way to do something.

My grandpa was fond of this one: "You got more excuses than Carter's got pills".....{Carter's was a brand of pill, & sold thousands of them.} Means, quit making excuses & take responsibility.

"Gotta go water the ducks"
"Gotta drain the radiator"....both same meaning & self-explainitory, LOL

"Gotta go talk to a man about a horse/or dog"....same as above^^^
 
How about

Light a shuck...

A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush

A closed mouth catches no flies

Bite the bullet

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth
 
When I first moved to Louisiana, I was thrown by a few of the sayings:

Pilee'ed (pee-layed)- comes from French for crushing stuff while cooking. In LA, it gets used for any time you get hit, bowled over, smashed, etc.

Lagniappe (lan-yap)- It's a Cajun word that comes from Spanish and refers to a "little something extra" thrown in for free with a purchase.

Where Ya' At?- In New Orleans, that roughly translates into "How are you doing today?"

Yat- People with very heavy New Orleans accents are frequently referred to as "Yats" due to the above expression.
 
All sorts of odd words and expressions in my family and I
can't think of a single one right now that wouldn't either
get edited out, offend somebody big time and maybe get me
tossed off the forums.

Colorful family you might say.
 
Originally Posted By: HidenseekproWhen I first moved to Louisiana, I was thrown by a few of the sayings:

Pilee'ed (pee-layed)- comes from French for crushing stuff while cooking. In LA, it gets used for any time you get hit, bowled over, smashed, etc.

Lagniappe (lan-yap)- It's a Cajun word that comes from Spanish and refers to a "little something extra" thrown in for free with a purchase.

Where Ya' At?- In New Orleans, that roughly translates into "How are you doing today?"

Yat- People with very heavy New Orleans accents are frequently referred to as "Yats" due to the above expression.

lol.gif
Thanks for sharing this! A co-workers (retired now) son comes up from Louisiana to deer hunt...I think I will understand a little more now..I know for certain he`s asked me, "where Ya` at? lol..great guy and lotta fun to hunt with!
RJM..I understand; gotta few myself that are better left unsaid
Another sorta new to me is, `throwing the BS Flag`..if you disagree w/something, or don`t believe. Like a flag thrown in football.
 
gumband -- rubber band
yinz -- same as y'all
dahntahn -- downtown
slippy -- slippery
rid up -- clean up
pop -- soda
hoagie -- sub (sandwich)

some Pittsburgh terms
 
In Canada we have paper or plastic bags, in the U.S. they are sacks.
smile.gif



When I have clients up, sometimes they have to "take a leak" weird!!!! in Canada we leave one.
grin.gif
 
Last edited:
Back
Top