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How To Speak "Chicagoese" |
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Written by Tony
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Saturday, 13 August 2005 |
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How
To Speak "Chicagoese"
(I
grew up in the middle of these phrases - this is SO TRUE! i thought number
11 was a real word up until age 10. And my brother still says number 22,
but mainly as a joke.)
- Grachki
(grach'-key) is Chicago for "Garage Key" as in, "Yo,Theresa,waja
do wit da grachki? Howmy supposta cut da grass if don't git intada grach?"
- Uptadaendada
(up-ta-da-en'-dada) as in, "Joey, you kin ride yur bike uptadaendada
alley but not acrost or I'll bust yur butt..."
- Sammich.
Chicagoese for sandwich. When made with sausage, it's a sassage sammich;
with shredded beef, it's an Italian beef sammich, a local delicacy consisting
of piles of spicy meat in a perilously soggy bun.
- Da.
The definite article is a key part of Chicago speech, as in "da
tree bears" or "da Mare"-the latter denoting, for as
long as he wants it to, Richard M. Daley, or Richie, as he's often known.
- Jewels.
Not family heirlooms or a tender body region, but a popular appellation
for one of the region's dominant grocery chains, to wit, "I'm goin'
to da Jewels to pick up some sassage." As in most Chicago pluralizations,
the "S" is pronounced with a hissing sound, rather than the
usual "Z" sound of American pluralization.
- Field's:
Marshall Field, a prominent Chicago department store. Also Carson Pirie
Scott, a major department store chain, is called "Carson's,"
etc.
- Tree.
The number between two and four. "We were lucky dat we only got
tree inches of snow da udder night"
- Prairie.
A vacant lot, especially one on which weeds are growing.
- Over
by dere. i.e. "over by there," a prolix way of emphasizing
a site presumed familiar to the listener. As in, "I got the sassage
at da Jewels down on Kedzie, over by dere.'
- Kaminski
Park. Perhaps the high concentration of ethnic Poles makes people
want the White Sox to be playing in this mythical
ballpark, rather than in their true home, Comiskey Park. - Frunchroom
as in, "Getottada frunchroom wit dose muddy shoes." It's not
the "parlor." It's not the "living room." In the
land of the bungalow, it's the "frunchroom," a named derived,
linguists believe, from "front room."
- Use.
Not the verb but the plural pronoun "you". "Where's use
goin'?"
- Downtown.
Anywhere south of the zoo and north of Soldier Field near the lake.
- BoysTown:
A section on Halsted Ave., between Belmont and Addison, which is lined
with gay bars on the west and east sides of the street. "Didn't
I see uze in Boystown in front of da Manhole?"
- Braht:
Short for Bratwurst. "gimme a braht wit kraut"
- Cashbox:
Traffic reporter slang for tollbooths. "Dere's a delay at da cashbox
on da Skyway"
- Goes:
Past or present tense of the verb "say." For example, "Then
he goes, 'I like this place'!"
- Guys:
Used when addressing two or more people, regardless of each individual's
gender.
- Pop:
A soft drink. Don't say "soda" in this town. "what kinda
pop you got?"
- Sliders:
Nickname for hamburgers from White Castle, a popular Midwestern burger
chain "Dose sliders I had last night gave me da runs"
- The
Taste:
The annual Taste of Chicago Festival, a huge extravaganza in Grant Park
featuring samples of Chicagoland's fine
cuisine. Takes place around and before the Fourth of July holiday. - "Jieetyet":
this is used to ask "did you eat yet"?
- Winter
and Construction: Punch-line to the joke, "what are the two
seasons in Chicago?"
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From The Blog...
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I went to Guitar Center the other day to pick up some drum stuff. I needed a kick pedal, sticks and a throne. I enter the drum area and there's a dude there at the counter. He's staring at a computer and doesn't say hello or acknowledge me at all. Ok, maybe he's busy. I better not bother him. He looks pretty engaged in whatever he's doing there.
I search around and find the items I want, which takes probably 5 minutes as I try different thrones and pedals. The pedals are right by the counter. Still... nothing from him.
Even though their prices were good, I left. They lost probably $180 from me. To their credit, I was greeted when I walked in but the dude surfing the Net or whatever dropped the ball. He must not be on commission or else just didn't care. I ended up paying more over at Ward Brodt but Riley over there took great care of me and helped me tons. He was a drummer and had experience with the pedal I was looking at. To me, paying more and knowing I was getting the right things was totally worth it.
-T |
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