Some words feel completely normal until you say them to someone from another state. Pennsylvanians can get a blank stare, and which words earn it often depends on where in the state you grew up. These are the local Pennsylvania sayings that leave outsiders puzzled. 1. Jawn A “jawn” can be a person, place, thing…
Spelling can be a poor guide on a Maine road trip. Some town names are said very differently from how they look, and Mainers can often tell when a visitor is guessing. Here’s how to say the names that trip up visitors. 1. Calais Calais is cal-us in Maine, according to a 2024 Bangor Daily…
A visitor to Louisiana can hear a perfectly normal English word and still have no idea what it means. Louisianans use these words every day, and a dictionary may not back them up. Here’s a guide to what these words really mean, and why. Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Louisiana statutes and…
Reading a map of Ohio out loud can earn you a few strange looks. The spelling on the sign isn’t always a reliable guide. If you’re an out-of-stater, these are Ohio’s town names worth practicing before your next road trip chat with a local. 1. Versailles Versailles, Ohio, started out as Jacksonville in 1819, and…
A word you’ve used your whole life can land differently with someone younger. North Carolinians who grew up with some of these sayings may not realize that dictionaries and style guides now flag them. Whether you agree with the changes or not, these are the once-familiar words and why they’ve fallen out of favor nowadays….
Order a drink or ask for directions in a different part of North Carolina, and you may notice the language sounds a little different. Some of these words may sound like home to you. Others may stump even lifelong North Carolinians. Here are the words and phrases linguists have followed across the state. 1. Right…
With Halloween about two weeks away, your porch may already be ready for trick-o-treaters. But not every neighbor sees the holiday your way. Reddit’s popular AITA forum, where people ask strangers to judge whether they were in the wrong, has hosted Halloween standoffs like these. What would your verdict be on these six situations if…
It’s well past midnight, and you’re hungry and wide awake. New York City has corners that run on a different clock than the daytime crowd. Here’s where New Yorkers find the night shift still going strong. Veselka Veselka now stays open past midnight on weekends, when it runs all night. The Ukrainian diner, on Second…
You’re a couple of states from home, chatting with someone new, and a word totally normal to you slips out. Suddenly the person you’re talking to is nodding politely and clearly puzzled. It can happen to any Nebraskan. These are the Nebraska words and sayings that leave out-of-staters completely lost. 1. Runza Runza names both…
Summer people leave. Winter people arrive. And in between, the South Carolina coast goes quiet in its own way. South Carolinians who live there can read the signs without a calendar. Here’s what they look for. 1. Sea Turtle Nesting Season Winds Down South Carolina’s loggerhead sea turtle season runs from May through October. Nesting…
