Masshole Institute of Terminology
Have you ever wanted to take a trip to Fanueil Hall in Boston to do some shopping? Have you ever had the urge for a cannolli from Mike's Pastry in the North End? Do you, or anyone you know, have a friend/relative who lives in or has moved to Massachusetts, and have a hard time talking to them? If your answer to any of these is yes, then you've come to the right place. Here at the Masshole Institute of Terminology (heretofore known as MIT), we strive to give you a better understanding of the way people talk in Massachusetts, as well as the surrounding areas.
This page is in a constant state of update - new words/phrases are added as they are questioned. Text that appears in cyan are the word or phrase in question; text that appears in pink are the correct pronunciation (spelled phonetically); and text that appears in green are definitions. Should you have a word/phrase that you'd like translated, send mail to me. Your question will be added to the page so that others like you may be a little less confused the next time they decide to catch a Red Sox game at Fenway.
across the river (
riv-ahh ) American Chop Suey Av (
ave ) awesome
( ahh-sum ) The B's bang barrel blinker (
blink-ahh ) book bubbler ( bub-lahh ) breakdown lane bullshit can cella The Combat Zone downtown Dunkie's Foddy frappe gravy grinder ( grin-dah ) Masshole
You may only be
referred to as a Masshole if you are, in fact, from Massachusetts. In order
to be considered for Masshole status, you must have lived in the state for at
least half your life, and you must have at least three other family members
who have been or are currently residents. You must also have a complete lack
of respect for any other driver on the road as well as any road signs, traffic
lights, or pedestrians. To a true Masshole, there are no good drivers - there
is only you ( see Driving
in Massachusetts - Are You Qualified?
)
Nor'easter pasta pisser
( piss-ahh ) rotary
( row-tary ) sprinkles spuckies tonic tool uey wanker wicked winner
( winn-ahh ) wizzer
( wizz-ahh ) yield
This commonly refers to anything on the other side of the Charles River.
Having absolutely nothing to do with Chinese food, this is a horrendous combination of elbow macaroni, hamburger, tomato sauce, green peppers and onions.
Like 'avenue', only used in conjunction with a street name. For example: Commonwealth Ave becomes Comm-Av, Massachusetts becomes Mass-Av, etc.
While the technical meaning of
the word 'awesome' is 'overwhelmingly large,' people in the New England area
tend to use it when referring to something they think is cool. Don't be fooled
- it could still mean that they saw something big. You really have to pay attention
to the subject matter on this one. See also: wicked
The Boston Bruins, our hockey team.
To turn. Example, "He went to bang a left and realised he missed the exit." See also: uey
Trash bin, receptacle, etc. Where you throw garbage.
Presumeably, Bostonians call the
directional on their cars 'blinkers' because they blink. The ironic part being
that 95% of them never use it to begin with, so how would they know it blinks?
Leaving somewhere in a hurry. Example: "The cops were comin', so we hadda book it."
It's a water fountain. I don't
know why they can't say water fountain, but they don't. They call it a bubbler.
I suppose maybe it's because the water bubbles up from the spout, but don't
quote me on that.
Lane on the right side of the roadway (mostly highways) for broken down vehicles. Unfortunately, if you should encounter a problem with your vehicle, you should never, ever pull into the breakdown lane, as it becomes a high-speed passing lane during rush hour.
Very angry. Example: "I was like three seconds late and the bus driver still pulled away without me. I was wicked bullshit."
Also known as 'john' and/or 'head.' As in, "I gotta use the head." Bathroom.
Basement.
This city's red light district, located somewhere between Downtown Crossing and Chinatown. Of course now most of it is gone.
Nobody living in or around the
Boston area actually refers to Boston as Boston. They refer to it as downtown.
Ie, instead of saying, "I'm heading into Boston, Bob," you would say,
"I'm going downtown."
Dunkin Donuts. The only place in Boston to get real coffee.
The number that follows 39.
A milkshake.
Spaghetti sauce. Granted, to everyone
else in the world, gravy is a dark browish colour and goes with meat, but in
Boston (East Boston, mostly ), it's made from tomatos and goes well with pasta.
A sub. See also: spuckie
Contrary to popular belief, this
is not a common word for Bostoners to use. Some news anchor, probably from Florida,
decided one day to use the term in reference to a winter storm front that moves
up from the south. It isn't even an actual word. The only people who ever use
this word are meteorologists/weather forecasters. Real Massholes just use the
word "storm."
If you don't know what pasta is, you've got bigger problems than trying to understand
what someone from Boston is saying… universally, pasta generally means
spaghetti. Watch out - if you're in the North End of Boston and you order pasta,
the waiter will stare at you until you specify what kind of pasta.
Don't use this word if you don't
live in Massachusetts - you'll sound like a moron. Commonly coupled with 'wicked,'
it extrapolates meaning of the word it's with. Ie: Oh, yeah, that kid is wicked
pisser ( translation: yeah, the kid is really cool ).
Also known as 'roundabout'. Originating in England, this lovely piece of roadwork is found only in the New England area. It's a giant circle in which you drive your car around until you come to the exit you need. People in the rotary have the right of way, which means you have to yield before entering (see "yield"). If you've never been in one, be careful. You could be driving around in a circle all night.
More commonly known as jimmies.
You know... those little confectionary goodies that you put on your ice cream?
They're either chocolate, or coloured.
It's a long sandwich, like a sub.
Cola, soda, pop... whatever the hell you call it. I personally
don't use any of those terms. Pretty much anything carbonated that I would drink
I'd call Coke, even if it isn't Coke.
Pick your make: Black & Decker, Craftsman, Stanley.
Whichever brand suits you. Only special people get branded (pun intended) tools.
For example: That guy sitting 4 rows in front of you when you went and saw "Life
Is Beautiful." When the subtitles started, he shouted, "You mean this
isn't in English?!"
A U-turn. The official turn of Massachusetts residents. See also: bang
It's a Brit term, technically, but I use it constantly
and a great many people find humor in it. It's one of those words you can't
really define - it just has so many meanings. If you're referred to as a wanker
you can be sure that someone doesn't like you very much.
Though primarily Boston, 'wicked'
is used throughout New England, and sometimes as far out as the mid-west. Although
it actually means 'deceptively evil or bad,' if someone says "This salsa
is wicked hot!" they mean "My word, this salsa is very very very very
spicy." 'Wicked' can also be used in conjuction with other words, such
as 'awesome.' Ie: You should try the bagels, they're wicked awesome.
If somebody calls you a winner,
they're not paying you a compliment. Chances are, you've just said something
really lame, and rather than call you a loser, they call you a winner - it means
you're a dork, but they still like you.
The meaning changes depeding on the context the word is
used in. If someone calls you a wizzer, don't take it as a compliment.
This road sign is common country-wide. The problem is, Massholes don't know what it means. Yield means to watch oncoming traffic and use caution while proceeding. It doesn't mean stop. Unfortunately, most people stop when they see a yield sign, causing accidents. This is especially common in rotaries.