Humor: Chicago Slang - Chicago Acting blog by David August

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Humor: Chicago Slang

Grachki (grach'-key)

Chicagoese for "garage key" as in, "Yo, Theresa, waja do wit DA grachki? Howmy supposta cut DA grass if I don't git intada grach?"

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.

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.

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 Jewels to pick up some sassage."

Field's

Marshall Field, a prominent Chicago department store. Also Carson Pirie Scott, another major department store chain, is simply Called "Carson's."

Tree

The number between two and four. "We were lucky dat we only got tree inches of snow DA udder night."

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 Jewels down on Kedzie, over by dere."

Kaminski Park

The mispronounced name of the ballpark where the Chicago White Sox (DA Sox) play baseball. Comiskey Park was recently renamed U.S. Cellular Field (DA Cell)

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."

Use

Not the verb, but the plural pronoun 'you!' "Where use goin'?"

Downtown

Anywhere near The Lake, south of The Zoo (Lincoln Park Zoo) and north of Soldier Field.

The Lake

Lake Michigan. (What other lake is there?) It's often used by local weathermen, "cooler by The Lake."

Braht

Short for Bratwurst. "Gimme a braht wit kraut."

Goes

Past or present tense of the verb "say." For example, "Den 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. "Do ya wanna canna pop?"

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 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.

Jeetyet?

Translates to, "Did you eat yet?"

Winter and Construction

Punch line to the joke, "What are the two seasons in Chicago?"

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."

588-2300

Everyone in Chicago knows this commercial jingle and the carpet company you'll get if you call that number - Empire!

Junk Dror

You will usually find the 'junk drawer' in the kitchen filled to the brim with miscellaneous, but very important, junk.

Southern Illinois

Anything south of I-80.

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).

Gym Shoes

The rest of the country may refer to them as sneakers or running shoes but Chicagoans will always call them gym shoes!
(from Lauren).

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posted by David August at 9:56 PM
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Comments:

Friend told me to visit the sight and im still laughing my ass off !!

I never really picked up on a lot of the lingo problably because im born and raised in the city, but i will say i am guilty - and a frequent affender of 'chicago slang'.

Try these beauties we've been accused of saying.

1 when answering the phone we never say hello- its 'AL-OH'

2 food on the table in any situation for ex. ( wedding, buffet, or holidays) we say 'look at da spread!'

3 when referring to the side of a house, or apartment (walkway) we say the term 'gangway'.

4 a popular term southsiders use when saying hello to each other would be 'eh cuz' n 'whats up cuz?'
Northwest siders frequently say
'eh moe' or 'whats up moe?'

5 when askin for a hotdog chicago style, we say 'gimme a dog wit everything'.

6 when meeting somebody from the city or formerly from the city for the first time, he or she will use the phrase 'where u from?'
This term is always used right off the bat when starting a conversation. Even as a pickup line. Don't know why, but it seems to validate the conversation you are about to have with that person.

7 when referring to a specific establishment that were not sure of the name , we say 'dat joint' or 'da joint over dear'

8 when referring to neighborhoods where we are from, we say the names of intersecting streets, (i.e)'i'm from Damen n division' not 'wicker park'. 'north ave n kedzie' not 'Humboldt park west'
Terms like 'westtown, wrigleyville,
lincoln park, north bucktown' are terms housing realitors have made popular.

9 when saying you have a friend with connections that can help someone out, we say 'i gotta guy'
Or 'lemme talk to my guy!'

Growin up on the northwest side i can tell you those are legit terms.
-carps

# posted by

Anonymous : 12:58 AM

I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE CITY...AND ONE THING THAT I HAVEN'T HEARD MENTION IS THE WORD "PUMP". PUMP IS A FIRE HYDRANT. At least that's what my friends and I would call it. For example, on a hot summer day, we would open the pump, or look for a pump that was open and run in the water with all the neighborhood kids. Then the cops would come and turn it off...I loved living in the city and hanging it on a hot summer day on the stoop.

# posted by

Unknown : 11:21 PM

A friend showed this to me and I laughed until I cried. Most of my floor is college is from "Southern IL" as we northern suburbs think of them. XD

# posted by

Anonymous : 12:41 AM

lol yea [dis] is all true but u 4 got a lot now im 4rm [da] south side nd wen we dare we lyke 2 say 'wassup joe' lol i dnt kno y but jus out of habbit someone will start talkin 2 you nd ur name can b mike or somethin lyke [dat] nd out of no where they call u joe...lol but u dnt get mad cuz u kno u do tha same thing nd u unda stand [dat] it a very bad habbit well i dnt wanna say bad but yea u kno wat i mean.that jus alwais crack me up cuz wen i talk 2 my friends out side of chicago [dey] alwais tell me "mario my name ain't joe"! nd i jus cnt help but 2 laugh...

# posted by

Anonymous : 4:18 PM

Another expession commonly used to denote a surprised reaction was, "Oh My Got!', meaning, "Oh My God!"

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:15 PM

Tanks buddy - I'll toss ya some bills on da way out.

# posted by

Unknown : 11:14 PM

Famous south side saying: "Dat's de udder ting"

In the middle of telling a story - the storyteller will veer off into another story and say something like: "So Joey was messin around in da street and here comes the cops - they pull onto da curb and "Dat's de udder ting" deese cops are always driving this that and de udder way. etc..

# posted by

Unknown : 11:18 PM

The term "unda da vidoc" was not mentioned. You know when we go thru a tunnel or under a highway. We say "you gotta go unda vidoc". I guess it's short for go under the dock.

# posted by

Anonymous : 10:17 PM

Thanks. I think you may mean viaduct.

# posted by

David August : 1:13 AM

Awesome that you spelled "realtors" as "realitors" cuz dats how it's said: real-a-tors....not the proper real-tor.

# posted by

Christian Adams : 7:28 AM

Forgot about JOINT!! "Where you at"?..."Da hotdog Joint"

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:05 PM

I have lived in Chicago for over 50 years, I have never seen anyone eat a brat, buy a brat, I have never seen a restaurant or store that sells "Chicago brats" ,and I have never had one. However, brats are a big thing in Wisconsin. So please, stop referring to "brats" as a Chicago thing, your making us look like a bunch of hicks.

# posted by

Johnny Salami : 9:30 PM

I thought of a couple. kitty-corner: my girlfriend lived kitty-corner from grammer school.
Being out of the city of a number of years I still end sentences with "with". "I'm going to da jewels, you wanna come with?" And I'm sure everyone has been to Przybylo (white eagle on milwaukee) at least once.

# posted by

Unknown : 10:49 AM