12 Maine Sayings That Sound Rude to Out-of-Staters but Aren’t

Ask a Mainer a yes-or-no question, and you might get a quick “ayuh” back.

That’s a yes, not a brush-off, and it’s not the only saying out-of-staters take the wrong way.

Here are the Maine sayings that sound rude to out-of-staters but aren’t.

1. Cunning

“Cunning” means cute or adorable in Maine, according to The Maine Mag‘s guide to local lingo.

Some out-of-staters hear a word for sly.

Hear it aimed at your puppy or your toddler, and it’s a compliment.

The guide’s example is a compliment about the most cunning thing someone has ever seen, and it says old timers often add a pinch on the cheek.

The word means sweet here, not sneaky.

A 2012 Bangor Daily News word list defines it the same way, as cute or adorable.

If a neighbor says your new kitten is cunning, you can say thank you and mean it.

Say thank you.

2. Wicked

A Bangor Daily News list defines “wicked” as a synonym for very, as in wicked cool.

Its example for cunning calls a daughter wicked cunning, which shows wicked working as a booster.

Merriam-Webster says the word isn’t limited to the Northeast but has a strong association with New England culture, especially in the eastern part of the region.

So when someone calls your chowder wicked good, you’ve been praised.

Take the compliment.

3. Ayuh

“Ayuh” means yes, and the same lingo guide also translates it as yep, you bet, or right.

Some out-of-staters might take that short answer as curt.

That’s a misread.

The word has two syllables and one job, which is agreeing with you.

The Bangor Daily News list gives it as yes, or affirmative.

If you get an “ayuh” back, the two of you agree.

4. Hard Tellin’ Not Knowin’

The guide translates “hard tellin’ not knowin'” as I don’t know, or I’m stumped, and it usually comes with a shoulder shrug.

When you ask a question with no sure answer, this is the honest reply.

You asked, and you got the truth.

The phrase isn’t a dodge.

You can read the shrug as part of the reply.

5. Finest Kind

The Bangor Daily News list defines “finest kind” as a general indication of approval.

It adds that people also use the phrase ironically.

That second use is why some out-of-staters can’t tell if they’re being praised or teased.

Hear it after a good meal, and you’ve probably been complimented.

Listen to the tone, and you’ll know which one you got.

Tone is the clue.

6. Right Out Straight

“Right out straight” means very busy, in the guide’s words.

If someone tells you they’re right out straight, they’ve got a full day.

They’re describing a schedule, not a mood.

It isn’t a complaint.

You can offer to call back tomorrow.

7. Upta Camp

In the guide’s definition, going “upta camp” means heading to a more rustic place, usually a cabin on a lake, river, or the coast.

When you hear camp in this sense, picture a cabin, not a summer program for kids.

Pack for a cabin if a friend invites you upta camp.

Ask about the lake and see where the conversation goes.

Enjoy the water.

8. Scrid

The Bangor Daily News list defines a “scrid” as a tiny portion.

Ask for a scrid of cream, and you’re asking for a very small amount.

The entry is short, only two words long, and it says tiny portion.

A scrid of pie is a modest slice, so you can say yes to it.

9. Yessah

“Yessah” is an exclamation of agreement, as the guide’s entry puts it.

An exclamation means the agreeing comes with some energy.

Some out-of-staters might hear a stiff salute in it.

Say “yessah” back, and you’ve agreed too.

Use it when you want to agree with energy.

Say it with a grin.

10. Glob Around

In the Bangor Daily News list, to “glob around” is to relax, or chill out.

That list ran in 2012, so this one has been in print for years.

Globbing around is what you do when nothing’s on the schedule.

The definition has no scolding in it, just relaxing.

With nothing on your calendar, globbing around is the plan.

Enjoy the downtime.

11. Apiece

The guide defines “apiece” as a vague way to measure distance.

Told to head down the road apiece, you’ve been given a distance with no number.

Some out-of-staters want a mileage and get a vague answer instead.

You’ll have to settle for a rough sense of how far.

It’s a friendly estimate with the number left out.

A rough guess will do.

12. Down Cellar

Merriam-Webster’s New England word list says “down cellar” means in or into the cellar, with a less common “up attic” for the attic.

To some out-of-staters, it might sound like a direction rather than a location.

Called up the stairs, it tells you where someone is.

Follow the voice.

In The Maine Mag‘s guide, the spelling is “down cellah,” and the person you hear from may be getting wood from a stockpile.

How Speech Shifts Across the State

The lingo guide says the state has a surprising amount of regional diversity in dialect.

Islanders speak a little differently from downeasters, and city folk speak a little differently from people in the County.

Accents vary.

So a saying you hear in one corner of the state may be missing in another.

If you travel from the coast to the County, you may hear the change.

The County and Downeast

Hear someone talk about "the County," and they mean Aroostook County, the northernmost county in Maine.

It's a nickname.

The lingo guide notes it's the only one of 16 counties known that way.