13 Pennsylvania Dutch Phrases That Confuse Everyone Outside the State

Visit Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and you might think the locals are speaking in riddles. They’re not.

They’re speaking a beautiful, centuries-old blend of German and English that makes total sense once someone explains it.

The phrases come from Pennsylvania German, a language carried over from southern Germany and still spoken by tens of thousands today.

When that German grammar gets laid over English words, you get sayings nobody outside of Pennsylvania would ever guess.

Here are the Pennsylvania Dutch phrases that confuse everyone outside the Keystone State.

Outen the Lights

This is arguably the most famous Pennsylvania Dutch phrase of them all, and it stops outsiders every single time.

“Outen the lights” means turn off the lights. That’s it.

It comes straight from the Pennsylvania Dutch “Mach’s Licht aus,” which translates literally to “make the light out.”

The German grammar got carried word-for-word into English, turning “out” into a verb.

A visitor from Texas hears “go outen the lights” and has no idea what they’re being asked to do. A Lancaster native doesn’t think twice about it.

It’s the phrase that launched a thousand confused looks.

The Milk Is All

Tell someone outside Pennsylvania that “the milk is all” and watch them wait for you to finish the sentence.

All what?

All sour? All gone?

That’s exactly the point. In Pennsylvania Dutch, when something is “all,” it means it’s used up.

Finished. Gone.

So “the milk is all” simply means you’re out of milk.

The word comes from a German dialect quirk where “all” works as an adverb meaning all gone. Merriam-Webster even recognizes this sense of the word, defining “all” as used up or entirely consumed.

Locals will tell you the coffee is all, the gas is all, the patience is all. Outsiders just hear half a thought.

Redd Up

Your Pennsylvania grandmother probably told you to “redd up” your room more times than you can count.

Everyone else hears it and pictures the color.

“Redd up” means to tidy or clean up.

Interestingly, this one didn’t come from German. It came to Pennsylvania by way of English and Scottish settlers, from the Middle English word “redden,” meaning to clear.

So “you better redd up the kitchen before company comes” is a chore order, not a paint job.

It’s so common across Pennsylvania that locals are stunned to learn the rest of the country doesn’t say it.

To them, it’s just the normal word for cleaning.

Make Wet

Here’s one that sounds like baby talk to outsiders but means something perfectly practical to a Pennsylvanian eyeing the sky.

“It’s going to make wet” means it’s going to rain.

Some folks say “make down wet” for the same idea.

The construction comes from the German habit of using “make” where English would use a more specific verb.

A weatherman in Pittsburgh would never say it on air, but plenty of grandparents have warned the grandkids to grab a jacket because it’s “going to make down wet.”

Outsiders just hear two random words and brace for nonsense.

Make the Door Shut

Pennsylvania Dutch grammar has a famous habit of turning everything into a “make” command, and this is the classic example.

“Make the door shut” means close the door.

It mirrors the German sentence structure, where you “make” something into a state rather than simply doing it.

It’s the same logic behind “outen the lights.”

To a Pennsylvanian raised on it, the phrasing feels totally natural.

To anyone else, it sounds like you’re asking them to perform some strange carpentry on the door. They’ll stand there puzzled while the cold air rushes in.

Eat Yourself Full

At a Pennsylvania Dutch dinner table, this is the warmest invitation you’ll ever hear, even if it sounds bizarre to a guest from out of state.

“Eat yourself full” means eat until you’re satisfied.

It’s a direct translation of the German “Iss dich voll.” The reflexive structure, doing the action “to yourself,” is pure German grammar dropped into English.

A close cousin is “drink your mouth empty,” meaning finish your drink.

So when a Lancaster County resident urges you to eat yourself full, they’re not being strange. They’re being generous.

Just smile, say thank you, and have another helping of pot pie.

Spritzing

When a Pennsylvanian says it’s “spritzing” outside, they’re not talking about perfume or a fancy cocktail.

It means a light, misty rain. The kind that’s not quite a downpour but enough to dot your windshield.

The word comes from the Pennsylvania Dutch “spritze,” meaning to spray or sprinkle, with an English “-ing” tacked on the end.

It’s one of those words that has spread a bit beyond Pennsylvania. But say it in much of the U.S., and people still won’t know what you mean.

In the Keystone State, though?

Everybody knows a spritzing day when they see one.

Rutsching

Parents across Pennsylvania Dutch Country use this word constantly, usually aimed at a squirmy kid in a church pew.

“Rutsching” means squirming or fidgeting around.

It comes from the Pennsylvania Dutch verb “rutsche,” meaning to squirm, again with the English “-ing” suffix added on.

“Quit your rutsching” is a phrase many Pennsylvania kids have heard a thousand times.

Tell a child in Oregon to stop rutsching, and they’ll have no clue what they’re doing wrong.

In Pennsylvania, it’s just the obvious word for wiggling when you ought to sit still.

The Hurrieder I Go, the Behinder I Get

This gem is pure Pennsylvania Dutch poetry, and it’s confused and delighted outsiders for generations.

It means the more I rush, the further behind I fall.

“Hurrieder” and “behinder” aren’t real English words, of course. They’re playful, made-up comparatives that capture the German love of bending words to fit a pattern.

The saying has become a beloved bit of Pennsylvania folk wisdom.

An outsider hears it and assumes you’ve mangled the English language.

A Pennsylvanian hears it and nods, because anyone who’s had a chaotic morning knows exactly how true it is.

What Fer Kind?

Ask a Pennsylvanian about something unfamiliar, and you might get hit with “what fer kind is that?”

It means “what kind is that?”

The “fer” is a leftover from the German “was für,” which literally means “what for” but is used to ask “what kind of.”

So the German phrasing slipped right into the local English.

“What fer kind of car is that?” is just asking what model you’re looking at.

Drop the “fer” anywhere else in the country, and people will wonder why you’ve added a mystery word to a simple question.

Here Nah

This little phrase shows up at the end of sentences across Pennsylvania, and outsiders never know what to make of it.

“Here nah” works like tacking “right?” or “you know?” onto the end of a question for emphasis.

You might also see it spelled “ai not.”

It likely traces back to the German question tag “nicht wahr,” which roughly means “isn’t that so?”

So “we’re leaving at noon, here nah?” is just looking for agreement.

To a Pennsylvanian, it’s a natural verbal period at the end of a thought. To everyone else, it sounds like two stray words floating off the end of a perfectly normal sentence.

All Strubly

If a Pennsylvania Dutch grandmother ever told you that you looked “all strubly,” she was gently telling you to go fix your hair.

“Strubly” means disheveled, messy, or unkempt.

It comes from the Pennsylvania German word for tousled or untidy. “You’re all strubly, comb your hair before we go” is the kind of thing said to a kid running out the door.

The word has no equivalent anywhere else, so outsiders are left guessing.

In Pennsylvania, it perfectly describes that just-rolled-out-of-bed look in a single charming word.

Throw the Cow Over the Fence Some Hay

This might be the most fun one to say out loud.

It means to throw some hay over the fence to the cow.

Read literally, it sounds like you’re launching a cow through the air, which is exactly why outsiders love it so much.

The word order comes straight from German sentence structure, where the pieces land in a different sequence than English expects.

Variations include “throw papa down the stairs his hat,” meaning bring papa his hat.