9 Silly Sayings That Will Only Make Sense If You’re From New Hampshire
By Michelle|Published August 19, 2019
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Michelle
Author
Michelle's life is a colorful map of exploration and adventure. From the iconic streets of New York to the sunny shores of Florida, the jagged coast of Maine to the rugged terrain of Montana, she's been fortunate to call some of America's most beautiful states home. Beyond the U.S., Michelle's wanderlust has taken her on a motorcycle journey through India, led her to teach English in Hanoi, and saw her studying Spanish in Guatemala. Michelle graduated with a communications degree from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and in addition to a career in advertising has worked with OnlyInYourState since 2016, where her love for travel and storytelling converges. Alongside writing and exploring, Michelle finds joy in photography, staying active, and time with her family.
For questions, comments and inquiries please email: mstarin@onlyinyourstate.com.
Growing up in New Hampshire is an experience unlike anything else. From the wide-open outdoors to the wintertime fun that other states just don’t understand, we like to believe that things here are a little more special than they are everywhere else. One thing that always stands out as different is the way we talk. It’s not entirely a New England accent, but it’s…something. Plus, we have a whole slew of phrases that other people tend to scratch their heads at. Here are just a few of them!
If you missed your turn and stop to ask for directions in New Hampshire, there's a good chance you'll hear this. "Make a U-Turn" simply won't suffice here. We like to spice things up a bit.
If you prefer to saw "drawer" you might as well be from another planet as far as we're concerned. In New Hampshire it's "draw" and we're not arguing about it.
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3. "He moves slower than cold molasses going uphill in January!"
Used when your kids or friends are going way too slowly and wasting time, this phrase is a go-to when you're in a hurry. While other places might simply leave it at "slower than molasses," New Hampshirites have been known to get dramatic.
"You's guys" might not be found in any book of proper grammar, but it's so very New Hampshire and we love it. It's our way of easily referring to a big group of people, sort of the way people in Texas might say "ya'll!"
We've tried our entire lives to understand what this means and why it came to be. But, seems like nobody knows. It basically means the same thing as "me too," but we like to make thins just a tad more complicated. You might hear this other places in New England, but it seems to be a mainstay here in the Shire.
Back during Prohibition people didn't want to fess up to getting alcohol so they'd simply say they were going to pick up a "package." Today many New England states refer to their liquor stores as "package" stores or "packies" for short.
While this one is used throughout New England, we heard it enough times growing up that we have to believe it originated right here in the Granite State. We're not quite sure where the name came from, but we're not too worried about it. It's easy to make and it tastes good and that's good enough for us!
When the summer is over New Hampshire sees a brief few weeks without tourists. But when the fall foliage comes out, all of that changes. The out-of-state "leaf peepahs" come out in force at the first sign of a changing leaf and while we can understand why we wish they'd drive a bit more carefully while they look.
While most people hear this and immediately think of Massachusetts, New Hampshirites use it just as much. It's a way to add emphasis, similar to the word "very." We know out-of-staters think it's wicked strange, but it's who we are.
What did we miss? Are there any words or phrases used in your life that everyone will know? Let us know in the comments!
Want to relive more of your New Hampshire childhood? If you grew up in the 1980s, you might remember the things mentioned in this article!
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