Pittsburgh English - Vocabulary

Vocabulary

• babushka n. headscarf

Further explanation: In Russian, Slovak, and many other Slavic languages, the word babushka (a familial/cute extension of the word baba) means “grandmother” or (endearingly) “old woman." In Pittsburgh English, the word also denotes a type of headscarf that might be worn by an old woman.

Geographic distribution: Predominantly used in northeast U.S., Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan (see above citation).

Origins: Russian (see above citation) and other Slavic roots.

Note: It is sometimes used as a derogatory term for an elderly woman, similar to calling someone an "old hag."

• (baby) buggy n. baby carriage, or shopping cart(Kurath 1949).

Geographic distribution: Kurath (1949) mentions that speakers in a large portion of Pennsylvania use the term, but that it is “very common in the Pittsburgh area… the adjoining counties of Ohio and on the lower Kanawha.”

• the 'Burgh n. Pittsburgh (Johnstone, Andrus and Danielson 2006).

Geographic distribution: Pittsburgh and surrounding areas (see above citations).

• berm n. Edge of the road, curb.

• carbon oil n. kerosene (Kurath 1949).

Geographic distribution: From the western edge of the Alleghenies to beyond the Ohio line (see above citation).

• chipped ham n. very thinly sliced chopped ham loaf for use on sandwiches (Johnstone, Andrus and Danielson 2006) (see Chipped chopped ham).

Example: “Jim Miller would like to have a chipped-ham sandwich.”

Geographic distribution: A trade-name specific to Pittsburgh and surrounding areas (see above citations).

• city chicken n. cubes of pork loin and/or veal on a short wooden skewer which are breaded, then fried and/or baked.

Example: “Jim Miller is having city chicken for dinner.”

Geographic distribution: Southwestern Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia (see above citations).

Origins: Not entirely known, but rumored to have begun during the Depression Era, when people took meat scraps and fashioned a makeshift drumstick out of them.

• cruds, crudded milk, or cruddled milk n. cottage cheese (Kurath 1949).

Geographic distribution: Kurath(1949) claims these forms are used from the western edge of the Alleghenies to beyond the Ohio line; and Crozier claims that they are restricted to southwestern Pennsylvania.

Origins: Scots-Irish.

• dippy adj. "anything you can dip something in—gravy, coffee, etc.".
  A way of cooking something ~ "Give me 2 dippy eggs says Jim Miller" (eggs over light)

Example: “I like my eggs dippy.”

Geographic distribution: Pennsylvania (see above citation).

• grinnie n. chipmunk (Kurath 1949).

Geographic distribution: From the western edge of the Alleghenies to beyond the Ohio line (see above author).

• gumband n. rubber band (Wisnosky 2003; Johnstone, Andrus and Danielson 2006).

Geographic distribution: Southwestern Pennsylvania (see above citations).

• hap n. comfort (Maxfield 1931); comforter, quilt.

Examples: to mean "comfort," “He’s been in poor hap since his wife died” (Maxfield 1931); to mean "comforter, quilt," “It was cold last night but that hap kept me warm.”

Geographic distribution: hap is used for "comfort" in western Pennsylvania (Maxfield 1931); and a "quilt" is known as a hap only in western Pennsylvania.

• hoagie n. a submarine sandwich. The term is used throughout Pennsylvania, and is thought to have originated in Philadelphia.

Geographic distribution: Used “chiefly in PA and NJ” but is “becoming more widely recognized” (see above citation or hoagie article).

• jag v. prick, stab, jab; tease (Johnstone, Andrus and Danielson 2006).

Further explanation: The form is often followed by off to mean (as a verb) "to annoy, irritate, play tricks on; to disparage; to reject", or (as a noun) "an annoying or irritating person;" as well as around to mean "annoy, tease, or engage in a frivolous endeavor." These phrases are probably influenced by jack off and jack around, respectively. "Jus' jaggin" is a common expression, the same as Standard "just kidding".

Geographic distribution: Chiefly Pennsylvania, especially southwestern Pennsylvania, but also portions of Appalachia (see above citations).

Origins: Scots-Irish (see above citations).

• jagger n. any small, sharp-pointed object or implement.

Further explanation: The word applies mainly to thorns and briars, and is used as an adjective to describe bushes with thorns or briars, as in a jagger bush (see above citation), or "I got a jagger in my finger".

Geographic distribution: Chiefly Pennsylvania (see above citation).

Origins: Scots-Irish (see above citation).

• jimmies n. small bits of confectionery candies, put on cakes, doughnuts, or ice cream.

• jumbo n. bologna lunch meat (Wisnosky 2003; Johnstone, Andrus and Danielson 2006). The wrapper on the meat was marked "JUMBO Bologna."

Geographic distribution: Southwestern Pennsylvania (see above citations).

• Kennywood's open phrase Used in situations to inform someone that their fly is down. Prevents embarrassment for that individual. Kennywood refers to the famous Kennywood Park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.

• kolbusy or kolbassi n. sausage.

Further explanation: Pronounced or ; is a variant of the more common pronunciation of kielbasa, which is pronounced or .

Geographic distribution: Chiefly Pennsylvania (see above citation).

Origins: The OED (1991) lists kolbasa as a variable pronunciation of kielbasa, and notes that the former pronunciation is Polish and the latter Russian.

• neb v. "to put one's 'neb' into a discourse or argument intrusively or impertinently; to pry, to nose around; hence v. phr neb out to mind one's own business"; n. busybody.

Geographic distribution: Pennsylvania (see above citation).

• neb-nose or nebby-nose (also nebshit) n. the kind of person who is always poking into peoples’ affairs.

Geographic distribution: Chiefly Pennsylvania (see above citation).

• nebby adj. given to prying into the affairs of others; nosy (McElhinny 1999; Wisnosky 2003; Johnstone, Andrus and Danielson 2006).

Geographic distribution: Pennsylvania, especially the southwest portion of the state (see above citations).

Origins: Scots-Irish (see above citations).

• pop n. soda.

• redd up (also ret, rid(d)) v. "also with out; to tidy up, clean up, or out (a room, house, cupboard, etc.); to clean house, tidy up; hence v bl. redding up housecleaning; tidying up". Also see McElhinny (1999); Johnstone, Andrus and Danielson (2006).

Example: "Yinz better redd up this room."

Geographic distribution: Dressman notes that it is common to the Pittsburgh area and throughout Pennsylvania, but less so in Philadelphia. It is also scattered about New England States and in New Brunswick, though its occurrence is heaviest in Pennsylvania. Hall states that its distribution is “scattered, but chiefly N. Midland, esp PA.”

Origins: Scots-Irish (Montgomery 2002). Dressman suggested that it was brought to the USA by Scots. It's almost certainly of Scandinavian/Viking origin; the Danish "rydde op" means to clean up. "Redd up" and its associated variants probably entered the English language during the Danish occupation of Britain, roughly a thousand years ago.

• slippy adj. slippery (McElhinny 1999; Wisnosky 2003; Johnstone, Andrus and Danielson 2006).

Example: "Be careful going down them steps because they’re real slippy."

Geographic distribution: Southwestern Pennsylvania (see above citations).

Origins: Scots-Irish (Johnstone, Andrus and Danielson 2006).

• spicket n. alternate pronunciation of spigot, specifically an outdoor faucet used to connect to a garden hose.

Example: "Go redd up at the spicket before dinner."

• "punctual" whenever sub. conj. "at the time that" (Montgomery 2001).

Example: "My mother, whenever she passed away, she had pneumonia."

Further explanation: punctual descriptor refers to the use of the word for "a onetime momentary event rather than in its two common uses for a recurrent event or a conditional one" (see above citation).

Geographic distribution: In the Midlands and the South (see above citation).

Origins: Scots-Irish (see above citation).