11 Silly Sayings That Will Only Make Sense If You’re From Pennsylvania
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Beth Price-Williams
Author
We Pennsylvanians just have our own way of doing things, including talking. In fact, we could have our very own dictionary with all the words and phrases we use that just don’t compute with out-of-staters. (Pittsburghers, in fact, do have a dictionary full of Pittsburghese). Here are 11 sayings – some may call them silly but we’d disagree – that will only make sense if you’re from Pennsylvania.
How many of you, as a child, were told to outen the lights at bed time? Or maybe you use that very phrase to tell your children to turn out the lights?
We've all had a room or a home that was ferhoodled. Whatever are we to do with a ferhoodled room?
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Why, redd it up. Did your mom or dad yell at you to redd up your room when it was messy or did they tell you to...
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Pick up your room? If they did the latter, you may have had a rather sarcastic comeback.
Do you use awhile at the end of your sentence to indicate meanwhile? You might just get a funny look from an out-of-stater who doesn't quite know what you mean.
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Will you need an umbrella when you leave this morning? Depends. Is it spritzing or is it sunny outside?
The laundry needs folded. The house needs swept. Do you notice anything missing in those sentences? If not, you're most certainly a Pennsylvanian. Most of us simply leave out the "to be" verb in our sentences.
All...what? An out-of-stater just might wait for you to finish that sentence. But, the rest of us know that means the cake is all gone.
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Some people say y'all. Western Pennsylvanians prefer "yinz." Don't be surprised if you're dining out in Western PA and a waiter asks you, "Yinz want something to drink?"
Pittsburgh has yinz and Philly has youse. Which do you prefer: yinz or youse? Wawa or Sheetz? Your answer will likely give away in which part of the state you live.
We're all nebby sometimes, right? Sometimes we just want to eavesdrop on that juicy gossip. But, jagoffs? Those are the people who really grate on our nerves.
You can easily show people you’re from Pennsylvania just by using our local lingo. Click here to read about 13 phrases that will make you swear Pennsylvanians have their own language.
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