Skip to Search Skip to Live Player Skip to Content Skip to Footer

Half of Americans Can’t Understand Massachusetts Slang – Study

Author Beasley Media Editorial

I mean, we know we have our own secret language in Massachusetts. The day my daughter came home from school and told me about “waiting at the bubbler” for something was a very proud day for me. But… as soon as other regions start making fun of our “secret language,” it’s on! I guess we should be prepared for a lot more of that because a new study by Preply reveals that 48% of Americans couldn’t correctly identify Massachusetts slang words. LOL

For instance, 56% of Americans didn’t know that “Dunks” was slang for Dunkin Donuts. And when it comes to the aforementioned “bubbler,” 40% of Americans didn’t know. Almost 25% thought it was slang for the carbonation in soda! “Man that Dr. Pepper bubbler sure is tickling my nose.” I kind of love it.

The study says that Mainers have it even worse. Maine was the hardest to understand, with over 88% of people defining the state’s slang incorrectly. I better sign up for Maine on DuoLingo STAT! (Just kidding, I’ve never had too much of a problem communicating up there.)

On the other end of the communicating spectrum, Arkansas was the most understood state. Only 7% of people got the state’s slang wrong.

The 5 slang terms most Americans got wrong:
5) In California “Gnarly” is used to describe large waves in the ocean.
4) In New York to “grill” means to stare at someone rudely.
3) In Mississippi “carry” means to drive someone somewhere.
2) In Maine “right out straight” means to be really, really busy.
1) The most misunderstood regional saying comes from South Dakota where “taverns” means….. a sloppy joe sandwich?!? Really?

48% of Americans don’t understand Boston slang. How about you?? Let’s run through some classic Boston slang words and terms. You see how many you know and how many you don’t. If you don’t know more than half – I guess you’ll have to move.

Boston Slang Words: How Many of These Do You Say?

  • Bang A Uey

    I don’t think I’ve ever uttered the term “U-turn.” It’s always “bang a uey,” especially now that I’m helping my kids learn how to drive. I’ll make sure he never bangs a uey like this clown.

     

  • Bubbler

    Pronounced BUB-luh, of course. Why would you say “drinking fountain?” So many unnecessary syllables. And you gotta drop the “R.”

  • B’daydas

    I’m using the TimeOut spelling here. Every Thanksgiving, my Nana Jeanie made the best mashed b’daydas. And that’s exactly how she pronounced them. None of that instant crap. From scratch.

     

  • Carriage

    Again, why would you say “shopping cart?” We Massholes don’t have time to waste on extraneous words. It’s a carriage, which sounds way fancier for when you’re doing your grocery shopping.

  • Cellar

    Pronounced SELL-uh. I’ve never been in a basement in my life. When I was a kid, I hung out in the cellar with my friends when the summer days got too hot. Now, I go down cellar to do my laundry.

  • Clicker

    Pronounced KLIK-ah. “Remote control?” No. Clicker. Shorter. More to the point. Are you seeing a theme emerge here? Of course, the whole argument is moot if you have one of these.

  • Dungarees

    This was the only word my mom ever used for blue jeans. I don’t think I ever heard “blue jeans” referred to as anything other than dungarees until I was in middle school. Then I learned about Guess and Z. Cavaricci. But I never wore them.

  • Dunks

    Wild to think that since probably 2 days after the original Dunkin’ Donuts opened in Quincy, locals started calling it Dunks. Now they’re all called Dunkin’. I like to think we all had a part to play in that rebranding. We should all get a free medium regular for that.

  • Frappe

    Again, I don’t think I even knew the word “milkshake” until I was well into grade school. My Uncle Michael worked at Friendly’s, and my Nana Jeanie would take us there and she’d order a Fribble and we’d say: “What’s that?” and she’d say: “It’s a frappe.” And here’s where you say: “but a milkshake isn’t a frappe” and where I reply with: “shut up.”

     

  • Jimmies

    Speaking of Friendly’s, it was always jimmies, not sprinkles, that we asked for on our ice cream. Some folks will tell you those are two different things. I don’t know much about that. All I know is I’d like some jimmies on my cone, please.

  • Kid

    My buddy Michael and I have had entire conversations using just this word. All we do is change the tone and inflection and volume. “Kid” is a decidedly Massachusetts thing. Kid.

  • Packie

    A derivative of “package store.” And that’s just a fancy, Boston Brahmin way of saying “liquor store.” I’m going to the packie. The Simpsons know.

  • The Pike

    The stretch of Interstate 90 referred to locally as the Massachusetts Turnpike. But again, why waste your breath? Get to the point! And make sure to watch out for Staties (see below).

  • Pissah

    A synonym of “awesome.” Often combined with “wicked” (see below). Classic Boston/Masshole move, right? Take something awful like urine and somehow make it into a slang word that means something good.

  • Regular

    From the TimeOut piece: “a coffee with cream and sugar, presumably ordered from Dunks and iced, even when it’s below freezing out.” It took me years of hanging out with my buddy Kev during his Dunks shifts to figure out what people were ordering when they asked for this.

  • Rotary

    It’s what’s called a “traffic circle” in other areas of the country and world. But traffic circles are boring. Rotaries are dangerous. Massachusetts is dangerous.

  • Statie

    A Massachusetts State Trooper. Commonly found patrolling The Pike (see above). Just don’t call a Statie a Statie if one pulls you over. It’s disrespectful.

  • Supper

    I have never no not ever in my life eaten “dinner.” I eat supper in the evening. This clip says there’s a difference. I respectfully disagree.

  • This F'in Guy

    While I can’t prove that “this f*cking guy” originated in Boston, TimeOut has it on their list and who am I to argue? And besides, any excuse to share this clip from What We Do in the Shadows. Which will probably be blocked. Because of the whole “f’in” thing.

  • Tonic

    God bless Nana Jeanie. Would she give me a sip of her soda? No! She’d give me a hit of her tonic! Just mind that tonic water. Different deal altogether.

  • Townie

    If you grew up in or around Boston and never left? Congratulations! You’re a townie. Hell, they even made a TV show about you back in the ’90s.

  • Wicked

    A synonym of “very.” Often combined with “pissah” (see above). You know, like: “this is a wicked pissah list!” Thank you.

Jackson Blue has been on Boston airwaves for over 20 years. He is a foodie family person with a passion for having fun forever. Jackson likes to write about food, restaurants, Massachusetts and Boston happenings.

Get The Country 102.5 Special Access Newsletter Sent To Your Inbox.

Enjoy the latest Country music, entertainment news, local happening you need to know, plus exclusive contests, games, and more!

*
By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.
Author Beasley Media Editorial
Category:
Tags:
,,

More Jackson

Load More