<p>Jersey girls don’t pump gas!! One of my nannies said that when she returned to Utah and pulled into the gas station she just sat and wondered why the attendent wasn’t coming over to the car, then she remember and sheepishly jumped out. (Still don’t think D1 knows how to pump gas. Made her on a college road trip Junior year in HS in Rochester NY - don’t think she’s ever done it again). I do admit after 26+ years in this state I often have to read the directions to figure out how to pay at self-pay pumps. </p>
<p>Another thing…the state due north of Washington DC (aka “wershington”) is pronounced with only 2 syllables: mar-land. The ‘Y’ is silent and the ‘mar’ is said like the girl’s name. And the Ravens play in Bal-more; the ‘ti’ is silent.</p>
<p>In MN, there are no rubber bands, only “rubber binders”. And children play “Duck, Duck, Grey Duck” and insist this is what the game is called even if the entire rest of the country call it “Duck, Duck, Goose”.</p>
<p>Street and highway signs are also regional. It was very hard to get used to the sequential numbering of interstate exits in MA when “normally” they are numbered by mileage location. And the lack of street names on signs can drive you insane. Often intersections have no signs and more often they maddeningly identify only one of the streets. Assumption seems to be that you should know where you are.</p>
<p>I totally bricked and said rubbish when I meant rummage (can I chalk it up to only 1 cup of coffee?) So sorry for giving my region a black eye. I would include the little embarrassed emoticon it I didn’t have to look it up first. Is there one for ***** eating grin?</p>
<p>I could spill out all the contents of my brain right now and call it a jumble sale :)</p>
<p>That accent is not prevalent in Maryland. You’ll find similar pronunciations in east Baltimore, some outlying counties and on the eastern shore, but not common.</p>
<p>We moved from NJ to a suburb of Pittsburgh when I was entering 1st grade. When my parents realized I’d stopped during water and asked why, the answer was “because I can’t taste it!”. Who knew water (“warter” in PGH) wasn’t supposed to have a flavor?! By the time I got used to drinking and pronouncing it, we moved back to NJ, and then it “tasted funny”. </p>
<p>Someone else mentioned that in many cases in NJ you have to turn right to make a left turn. You use a “jug handle” for that. Go through the intersection, take the ramp on your right. Now you’re back at the same intersection, but on the cross street. Go straight and you’re on your way. </p>
<p>Four jug handles at the same intersection is called a “cloverleaf”. Do two sections to turn around (usually there is no way to make an actual U-turn.)</p>
<p>We also have traffic circles, which seem to confuse a lot of people, even those who have lived in NJ their whole lives. </p>
<p>Let’s talk about taxi, cab, and taxicab! I say taxi or cab, but don’t know why I say one or the other at any given time.</p>
<p>saintfan, maybe truth was winning out in your head. After all, so much of the stuff at a rummage sell is rubbish (at least to the seller). I grew up saying rummage sale, but I know that other people in my town say garage sale. Now that I think about it, the newspaper listings still say rummage there. In my new town it is garage-never tag.</p>
<p>Personally, I plan to use the term “rubbish” sale from now on. And I propose “garbage sale” for the one you have at your house, for consistency.</p>
<p>One more: In Mass., traffic circles are rotaries. No one even knows the term traffic circle. College students heading to the Bay State, practice the following: “My roommate and I went out for ice cream, but I never figured out how to get off the rotary properly, and we ended up back where we started, so instead of having a frappe and a cone with jimmies, we went back to the dorm and used the bubbler.”</p>
<p>We have Michigan lefts and anyone who has driven here knows what they are. Turn right to make a left, I thought that was what traffic lights and turn arrows were for. </p>
<p>But I would like to know who at the MDOT thought that roundabouts were a good idea!</p>
<p>Hunt and MizzBee: Maybe an estate sale is just when you sell the crap from inside your house ‘in situ’ rather than hauling it to the church basement or out on the front lawn . . . no dead body required.</p>
<p>Looks like a fun thread, surprised it’s here & not in the cafe!</p>
<p>Hey Linymom! :)</p>
<p>A million years ago when I was in sleep away camp, the girls I became friendly with from Long Island used to call me a “*<strong><em>a” or “</em></strong>*er”…it was supposed to be endearing! Being from New England, I never heard of it before, and I actually felt bad that they were teasing me until they explained it was a GOOD expression! Do people still use that expression today?!</p>
<p>Never heard of a “Bubbler”- always call it a water fountain
shopping carts, not carriages
rotaries, not roundabouts
soad, not pop
grinders, not hoagies</p>
<p>Interesting discussion! Imagine how foreigners feel trying to learn the English language! :eek:</p>
<p>Choc, not very well. English is an absolute nightmare to learn. </p>
<p>Roundabouts here as well. Michigan lefts… Oy.</p>
<p>Also I never knew u-turns at intersections were legal anywhere until I lived in California for a bit. Scared the crap out of me the first time my aunt did one. Also made driving interesting in ”Florda”. </p>
<p>What IS the proper way to say Wisconsin? And Nevada while we’re at it.</p>
<p>Wi-SCON-sin. With a slight emphasis on the middle syllable. However, many people there say Wi-SCAHN-sin (sometimes overemphasizing the middle syllable) even though they swear they’re not, lol! Just not Wens-con-sin, please.</p>
<p>The middle syllable of ‘Nevada’ is pronounced the same as the first syllable of ‘gambling’, the ‘a’ sound that is. </p>
<p>Regional pronunciation and word differences are interesting. In some parts of the South, they say ‘warsh’ instead of ‘wash’. In Kansas, it’s ‘all’ for ‘oil’ as in “I need to put all in the car”.</p>