Monday, April 19, 2010

Chicago pre-trip #8: Da Chicago slanguage



Talk about the Windy City.

Like Winnipeg, the Chicago of the North, Chicago, the Winnipeg of the South, has a vocabulary all its own.

There are similarities. In Chicago, like Winnipeg, they drink "pop" and "brewskis," say "bogus," and have two seasons, one is often told: "winter and construction."

Have you yet wiped the tears of delight from your eyes? Good - here are some of the other terms you'll need to know when visiting the Windy City:
  • The Loop: the Chicago central business district, surrounded by the rapid-transit "L" train. Winnipeg equivalent: "Downtown."
  • The Magnificent Mile: Michigan Ave, the heart of the Chicago shopping district, one block from our hotel.
  • The Lake: That would be...Michigan! Winnipeg equivalent: any lake.
  • Chicagoland: The all-encompassing name for the Chicago Metropolitan area.
  • Downtown: anywhere south of Lincoln Park Zoo and north of Soldier Field.
  • Gold Coast: ritzy Chicago neighborhood and a great place to go for a walk.
  • Da: The. Da Bears. Da Bullz. Da Sox. Etc.
  • Jewels: The name of the Chicago grocery-store chain, Jewel-Osco. Winnipeg equivalent: "Safeways."
  • Field's: Macy's replaced the Marshall Field department store ages ago, but Chicagoans still sometimes call it "Field's." Winnipeg equivalent: calling MTS Centre "Eatons."
  • Brat/Sassage/Beef/Polish/Char-dog/Sammich: bratwurst, sausage, Italian beef sandwich, Polish sausage, grilled-wiener dog, and sandwich, respectively. Mix and match and place your order by saying, "Gimme a ____."
  • Goes: "So then, I goes, Margie, I goes." Winnipeg equivalent, "So then, I says, Margie, I says."
  • Over by dere: Roger Ebert suggests this one from his own list of Chicago slanguage. It means, "Over there."
  • Jaggoff: Ya cut me off, ya jaggoff!
  • Da Ryan/Kennedy/Stevenson/Ike/Edens: the expressways around the city.
  • Youse: "Hey youse guys, where youse goin'?"
  • Kankakee: Another Ebert entry. The state mental health facility. Winnipeg equivalent: "Are you from Selkirk or something?"
See youse dere, youse jaggoffs!

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