How
to speak Chicagoese…
- Grachki
(grach'-key)
is Chicago for "Garage Key" as in, "Yo, Theresa, waja do wit
da grachki? Howmy supposta cut da grass if don't git intada grach?''
- Uptadaendada
(up-ta-da-en'-dada)
as in, "Joey, you kin ride yur bike uptadaendada alley but not acrost
or I'll bust yur butt..."
- Sammich:
Chicagoese for sandwich. When made with sausage, it's a sassage sammich;
with shredded beef, it's an Italian beef sammich, a local delicacy
consisting of piles of spicy meat in a perilously soggy bun.
- Da:
The definite article is a key part of Chicago speech, as in "da tree
bears" or "da Mare" -- the latter denoting, for as long as he
wants it to, Richard M. Daley, or Richie, as he's often known.
- Jewels:
Not family heirlooms or a tender body region, but a popular appellation for
one of! the region's dominant grocery chains, to wit, "I'm goin' to da
Jewels to pick up some sassage." As in most Chicago pluralizations, the
"S" is pronounced with a hissing sound, rather than the usual
"Z" sound of American pluralization.
- Field's:
Marshall Field - (a prominent Chicago department store). Also
Carson Pirie Scott, a major department store chain, is called
"Carson's," etc.
- Tree:
The number between two and four. "We were lucky dat we only got tree
inches of snow da udder night"
- Prairie:
A vacant lot, especially one on which weeds are growing.
- Over
by dere:
i.e.
"over by there," a prolix way of emphasizing a site presumed
familiar to the listener. As in, "I got the sassage at da Jewels down
on Kedzie, over by dere.'
- KaminskiPark:
Perhaps the high concentration of ethnic Poles makes people want the White
Sox to be playing in this mythical ballpark, rather than in their true home,
Comiskey! Park.
- Frunchroom:
as in, "Getottada frunchroom wit dose muddy shoes.'' It's not the
"parlor." It's not the "living room." In the land of the
bungalow, it's the "frunchroom," a named derived, linguists
believe, from "front room."
- Use:
Not
the verb but the plural pronoun "you". "Where's use goin'?"
- Downtown:
Anywhere south of the zoo and north of Soldier Field near the lake.
- BoysTown:
A section on Halsted Ave., between Belmont and Addison, which is lined with
gay bars on the west and east sides of the street. "Didn't
I see uze in Boystown in front of da Manhole?"
- Braht:
Short for Bratwurst. "gimme a braht wit kraut"
- Cashbox:
Traffic reporter slang for tollbooths. "Dere's a delay at da cashbox on
da Skyway"
- Goes:
Past or present tense of the verb "say." For example, "Then
he goes, 'I like this place'!"
- Guys:
Used when addressing two or more people, regardless of each individual's
gender.
- Pop:
A soft drink. Don't say "soda" in this town. "what kinda pop
you got?"
- Sliders:
Nickname for hamburgers from White Castle, a popular Midwestern burger chain
"Dose sliders I had last night gave me da runs"
- The
Taste:
The annual Taste of Chicago Festival, a huge extravaganza in Grant Park
featuring samples of Chicagoland's fine cuisine. Takes place around and
before the Fourth of July holiday.
- Jieetyet:
This
is used to ask, "did you eat yet"?
- Winter
and Construction: Punch-line
to the joke, "what are the two seasons in Chicago?"