Chicago Slang

Posted by the commish for Julie Danca. Too funny. Thanks Julie! I have already shared this with many.


CHICAGO SLANG
1. Grachki (grach'-key): Chicagoese for "garage key" as in, "Yo,
Theresa, waja do wit da grachki? How my supposta cut da grass if I don't
git intada grach?"
2. Sammich: Chicagoese for sandwich. When made with sausage, it's a
sassage sammich; when made with shredded beef, it's an Italian Beef
sammich, a local delicacy consisting of piles of spicy meat in a
perilously soggy bun.
3. Da: This article is a key part of Chicago speech, as in "Da Bears"
or "Da Mare" -- the latter denoting Richard M. Daley, or Richie, as he's
often called.
4. Jewels: Not family heirlooms or a tender body region, but a popular
name for one of the region's dominant grocery store chains. "I'm goin'
to the Jewels to pick up some sassage."
5. Field's: Marshall Field, a prominent Chicago department store. Now
Macy's. Also Carson Pirie Sco tt, another major department store chain, is simply
called " Carson 's."
6. Tree: The number between two and four. "We were lucky dat we only
got tree inches of snow da udder night."
7. Over by dere: Translates to "over by there," a way of emphasizing a
site presumed familiar to the listener. As in, "I got the sassage at the
Jewels down on Kedzie, over by dere."
8. Kaminski Park : The mispronounced name of the ballpark where the
Chicago White Sox (da Sox) play baseball. Comiskey Park was renamed U.S.
Cellular Field (da Cell)
9. Frunchroom: As in, "Get outta da 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."
10. Use: Not the verb, but the plural pronoun 'you!' "Where use
goin'?"
11. Downtown: Anywhere near The Lake, south of The Zoo (Lincoln Park
Zoo)
and north of Soldier Field.
12. The Lake: Lake Michigan (What other lake is there?) It's often used
by local weathermen, "cooler by The Lake."
14. Braht: Short for Bratwurst. "Gimme a braht wit kraut."
15. Goes: Past or present tense of the verb "say." For example, "Den he
goes, 'I like this place'!"
16. Guys: Used when addressing two or more people, regardless of each
individual's gender.
17. Pop: A soft drink. Don't say "soda" in this town. "Do ya wanna
canna pop?"
18. Sliders: Nickname for hamburgers from White Castle , a popular
Midwestern burger chain. "Dose sliders I had last night gave me da
runs."
19.. The Taste: The Taste of Chicago Festival, a huge extravaganza in
Grant Park featuring samples of Chicagoland cuisine which takes place
each year around the Fourth of July holiday.
20. "Jeetyet?": Translates to, "Did you eat yet?"
21. Winter and Construction: Punch line to the joke, "What are the two
seasons in Chicago ?"
22. Cuppa Too-Tree: is Chicagoese for "a couple, two, three" which
really means "a few." For example, "Hey Mike, dere any beerz left in da
cooler over by dere?"
"Yeh, a cuppa too-tree."
23. 588-2300: Everyone in Chicago knows this commercial jingle and the
carpet company you'll get if you call that number -- Empire!
24. Junk Dror: You will usually find the 'junk drawer' in the kitchen
filled to the brim with miscellaneous, but very important, junk. (ha ha
ha so true.)
25. Southern Illinois : Anything south of I-80. This is where Smothers'
is from....
26. Expressways: The Interstates in the immediate Chicagoland area are
usually known just by their 'name' and not their Interstate number: the
Dan Ryan ("da Ryan"), the Stevenson, the Kennedy (da "Kennedy"), the
Eisenhower (da "Ike"), and the Edens (just "Edens" but Da Edens" is
acceptable).
27. Gym Shoes: The rest of the country may refer to them as sneakers or
running shoes but Chicagoans will always call them gym shoes!
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This is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Chicago .
If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through
May, you live in Chicago
If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't
work there, you live in Chicago
If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in
Chicago .
If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed
a wrong number, you live in Chicago
If "Vacation" means going anywhere south of I-80 for the weekend, you
live in Chicago .
If you measure distance in hours, you live in Chicago .
If you have switched from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back
again, you live in Chicago .
If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging
blizzard without flinching, you live in Chicago .
If you carry jump ers in your car and your wife knows how to use them,
you live in Chicago
If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you
live in Chicago
If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and
everybody is passing you, you live in Chicago
If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled
with snow, you live in Chicago .
If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and
road construction, you live in Chicago .
If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in
Chicago
If you find 10 degrees "a little chilly", you live in Chicago .
If you actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all your
Chicago friends & others, you live or have lived in Chicago