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How to talk right in Chicago
August 20, 2003 | from an e-mail

Posted on 08/20/2003 5:48:28 PM PDT by 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?"


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; Political Humor/Cartoons; US: Illinois; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: chicago
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To: orchid
On LIVE television, the monkey grabbed the parrot and bit its head off!

ROTFLMAO! I don't remember that one, but it doesn't surprise me...

261 posted on 08/21/2003 9:22:08 AM PDT by mhking
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To: mhking
And remember the old "SuperCFL"? Do you actually remember when they made the format switch from Top 40 to elevator music and sold ad time to all the other radio stations in town?

Larry Lujack actually spun elevator music for a month or two until WLS picked him up...

And on his final shift as a rock-'n-roll DJ at SuperCFL, Uncle Lar ended with an hour of sounds of ocean waves crashing....

262 posted on 08/21/2003 9:36:15 AM PDT by willieroe
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To: orchid
One time on Bozo, during the grand prize game a kid missed a bucket and said damn, Bozo told the kid "that's a Bozo no-no", the kid replied "cram it clownie"
Don't know if it is true, but everyone I have ever met from Chicago has heard the story.
263 posted on 08/21/2003 9:38:25 AM PDT by sharkhawk
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To: carlo3b; mhking

Floyd Kalber, news
Harry Volkman, weather
Len O'Connor, commentary


Johnny Erp, sports


Ed Grennan, hosting "It's Academic"


Jack Eigen

264 posted on 08/21/2003 9:45:25 AM PDT by Charles Henrickson
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To: DrNo
Re: your post #175
I'll see that and raise you a Clint Youle, the first weatherman on WNBQ (the original call letters of the NBC outlet in Chicago).
265 posted on 08/21/2003 9:52:04 AM PDT by orchid (Defeat is worse than death, you have to LIVE with defeat.)
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To: DrNo
Re: your post #175
I'll see that and raise you a Clint Youle, the first weatherman on WNBQ (the original call letters of the NBC outlet in Chicago).
266 posted on 08/21/2003 9:52:18 AM PDT by orchid (Defeat is worse than death, you have to LIVE with defeat.)
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To: carlo3b; Charles Henrickson; mhking
Howard Miller was a horse's ass when I met him at Come Back Inn back in '73 or '74. He was with his entourage and accused me of voting for McGovern and told me to get a haircut. My then-girlfriend told me to ignore it and just kept pushing me along and then a restaurant employee got between Miller's group and us and that was the end of that.
267 posted on 08/21/2003 10:06:19 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
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To: carlo3b; Charles Henrickson; mhking
On the other hand, I ran into the late Art Roberts of, if I recall, both 'LS and 'CFL around the same time period maybe a little earlier. Art was a great guy!!
268 posted on 08/21/2003 10:10:36 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
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To: Chi-townChief; carlo3b; mhking

Frazier Thomas and the cast of Garfield Goose


Bob "Bozo" Bell as "Andy Starr" at the "Odeon Theater,"
where he showed Three Stooges and Andy Clyde shorts

269 posted on 08/21/2003 10:27:56 AM PDT by Charles Henrickson (WGN, Channel 9)
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To: Chi-townChief
Howard Miller was a horse's ass when I met him at Come Back Inn back in '73 or '74.

The Come Back In?! I haven't been there since I was a teenager with phony i.d. in the late 60's!

Talk about a blast from the past!

What was the name of the place in the (near) western suburbs that wasn't really fussy about i.d. and used to close about 4:30-5:00 AM only to re-open about 6:30 AM?

You'd think, given all the beer I drank there, I'd remember! NOT!

;^)

270 posted on 08/21/2003 10:41:26 AM PDT by DrNo
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To: Charles Henrickson
Hey Chuck, what, no fond memories and happy snaps of Studs Terkel??? ;-)
271 posted on 08/21/2003 10:42:49 AM PDT by habs4ever
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To: stylin19a; Charles Henrickson; mhking; TheRightGuy; Non-Sequitur; DrNo; tiamat; Chi-townChief
Listen yuzguys, about this East Side stuff, I remember dat a lot of people, uze to say I come from da east side, referring to Little Italy , we had a lot of syndicate guys living around dere, and they would say da same ting. I wouldn't argue wit dat!
272 posted on 08/21/2003 10:55:25 AM PDT by carlo3b (http://www.CookingWithCarlo.com)
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To: carlo3b
Da East Side is in da lake.
273 posted on 08/21/2003 10:56:17 AM PDT by mhking
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To: habs4ever
Italian Sesame Cookies

274 posted on 08/21/2003 10:58:26 AM PDT by carlo3b (http://www.CookingWithCarlo.com)
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To: carlo3b
Bring da tootpiks,Carlo!
275 posted on 08/21/2003 11:01:30 AM PDT by habs4ever
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To: carlo3b
Now THAT looks good!
276 posted on 08/21/2003 11:02:06 AM PDT by mhking
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To: mhking
Da East Side is in da lake

Yeah, I used to laugh at that line in the song "The Day Chicago Died" (Tin Lizzie?) where it referenced the "East Side."

But then I'm from "Austin" which is about as west as you can get without being in Oak Park!

277 posted on 08/21/2003 11:03:56 AM PDT by DrNo
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To: carlo3b
Howard Miller also had a late night TV show with guests from the entertainment industry. His wife was JUNE VALLI.
278 posted on 08/21/2003 11:47:13 AM PDT by orchid (Defeat is worse than death, you have to LIVE with defeat.)
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To: Chi-townChief
12. Use. Not the verb but the plural pronoun "you".  "Where's use goin'?"

Can this be pluralized as in "Where's all youse goin'?" If so, this word would seem to be linguistically similar to y'all and all y'all.

279 posted on 08/21/2003 11:49:30 AM PDT by Liberal Classic (Quemadmoeum gladis nemeinum occidit, occidentis telum est.)
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To: carlo3b
Howard Miller also had a late night TV show with guests from the entertainment industry. His wife was JUNE VALLI.
280 posted on 08/21/2003 11:57:47 AM PDT by orchid (Defeat is worse than death, you have to LIVE with defeat.)
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