How to talk right in Chicago

August 20, 2003 | from an e-mail

[Chi-townChief]

1. 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?''

2. 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..."

3. 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.

4. Da. The definite article is a key part of Chicago speech, as in "da tree bears" or "da Mare" -- the latter denoting, or as long as he wants it to, Richard M. Daley, or Richie, as he's often known.

5. 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.

6. Field's: Marshall Field, a prominent Chicago department store.  Also Carson Pirie Scott, a major department store chain, is called "Carson's," etc.

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

8. Prairie. A vacant lot, especially one on which weeds are growing.

9. 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.'

10. KaminskiPark. 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, Cellular Field formerly known as Comiskey Park.

11. 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."

12. Use. Not the verb but the plural pronoun "you".  "Where's use goin'?"

13. Downtown. Anywhere south of the zoo and north of Soldier Field near the lake.

14. 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?"

15. Braht: Short for Bratwurst. "gimme a braht wit kraut"

16. Cashbox: Traffic reporter slang for tollbooths.  "Dere's a delay at da cashbox on da Skyway"

17. Goes: Past or present tense of the verb "say." For example, "Then he goes, 'I like this place'!"

18. Guys: Used when addressing two or more people, regardless of each individual's gender.

19. Pop: A soft drink. Don't say "soda" in this town. "what kinda pop you got?"

20. Sliders: Nickname for hamburgers from White Castle, a popular Midwestern burger chain "Dose sliders I had last night gave me da runs"

21. 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.

22. "Jieetyet": this is used to ask "did you eat yet"?

23. Winter and Construction: Punch-line to the joke, "what are the two seasons in Chicago?"

[Chi-townChief]

CHICAGOLAND PING

[Roscoe Karns]

That's da shizzle my fizzle nizzle.

[steveo]

warsh - 'hey stevie, when you gonna warsh those jeans'?

[Charles Henrickson]

Dudderday: That day a few days ago. "So I seez dis guy dudderday, and I sez to him, I sez. . . ."

[Charles Henrickson]

What Jamaican: Inquiry regarding dinner. "Hey Ma, what jamaican?"

[tiamat]

Ummmmmm..... Sliders...... Arrrggghhhhhh!!!!!!

Tia

i don't care what you say! i LOVE White Castles!

[saquin]

22. "Jieetyet": this is used to ask "did you eat yet"?

Hey, they stole that from us New Yorkers! :-)

(in fact, as I read the list, it seems that fully half of the items could refer to NY, too).

Most NY lists like this include the ubiquitous:
Jeet?
No, jew?

And, of course, as all NYers know, the proper response to the question, "How ya doin'? is, of course, ..... "How ya doin?"

:-)

[Charles Henrickson]

Cmaahn: Exclamation used while driving. "Cmaahn! Move yer *&%#! caar, fer cryin' out loud!

[rdb3]

warsh

I hear that more here in the south than in the midwest.

[Charles Henrickson]

Hizzoner da Mare: Mayor Daley. The real Mayor Daley, i.e., the late Dick Daley (not the current Richie). "Hizzoner da Mare, Richard J. Daley."

[BostonianRightist]

"chicagoese" HA HA!!

[Charles Henrickson]

North Side ping.

[willyboyishere]

Having lived in Chicago for all my life till '81 I can tell you that only people from the far flung neighborhoods,
like the Daleys' Bridgeport talk this way. And a minor note:
#12 "Use"---even though it's not a real word, it should be
spelled "youse", as it was spelled in the old newspaper cartoon "Humphrey Clinker" (or maybe it was Gasoline Alley).

[mhking]

They forgot such wonderful things as "Jew-town" - the old open-air market on Maxwell Street; "Jew-town Polish" - more politically correctly known as a 'Maxwell Street Polish', traditionally the single best polish sausage sammich in town; "The Circle" - freeway intersection between three of the busiest freeways in town, the Kennedy, Eisenhower & Dan Ryan; "Riverview" - an old amusement park rivaling New York's Coney Island for popularity in "da ol' days", it was torn down in 1967; "Garfield Goose" - an old kids puppet TV show on WGN-TV with Garfield Goose The First, Emperor of the United States; "Da Trib & Da Sun-Times" - The daily papers, the Chicago Tribune & Chicago Sun-Times.

[PackerBoy]

Another one: BUBBLER

(a/k/a a water drinking fountain.)

[Charles Henrickson]

Daeltodaloop: Means of transportation downtown. "I'm takin' da-El-to-da-Loop."

[Milwaukee_Guy]

You nailed it my friend! I grew up near Division and da Kennady Freeway in da 50's.

Let me add a few....

Caddy - A Cadillac automobile produced by GM.

Riv - A Riviera automobile produced by Buick.

Stang - A Mustang automobile produced by Ford Motor Company.

Thunder Chicken - A tricky one depending on what side of town you lived on. A Thunder Chicken could be a Thunderbird or also a Firebird TransAm wit da big fricken' decal on da hood.

Let's put it all together now,

Hey Nick! How are you doing?

I'm doing. Whazzaboutyu?

Hey, Me? I'm doing. You know, OK?

Lez us go out an get us a 'Talian Ice or sumtin' Huh?

Wat car we goin' da drive? My old lady got da Riv an da Caddy is in da shop.

Let's take my kid's Thunder Chicken. Dat's 'cause he cracked up my Stang last week.

Ok! I got shotgun! (the passenger seat)

[prairiebreeze]

Italian beef sandwiches are mighty fine cuisine too.

Prairie---never heard the "weedy lot" expression though--LOL!

[Chi-townChief]

Remember that before it was "The Circle", it was "Da Patch", an old Italian neighborhood.