Da handy dictionary a Chicaga slang
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Above: Claes Oldenberg's rejected proposal
for a redesigned Navy Pier.
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1. Grachki (grach'-key): Chicagoese for 'garage key' as in, 'Yo, Theresa, waja do wit da grachki? How my supposta cut da grass if I don't git intada grach?'2. Sammich: Chicagoese for sandwich. When made with sausage, it's a sassage sammich.
2a. Italian beef sammich. A sandwich served widely in Chicago, unknown in Italy.
2b.Drag it through the garden. A hot dog served Shakagah-style.
3. Da: This article is a key part of Chicago speech, as in 'Da Bears' or 'Da Mare' -- the latter denoting Richard M. Daley, or Richie, as he's often called.
Jewels Not family heirlooms or a tender body region, but a popular name for one of the region's dominant grocery store chains. 'I'm goin' to the Jewels to pick up some sassage.'
5. Field's: Marshall Field, a prominent Chicago department store. Note: The current tenants are under the impression that Field's is called Macy's.5a. Doze New York asshoes. Synonym for Macy's.
6. Tree: The number between two and four. 'We were lucky dat we only got tree inches of snow da udder night.'
7. Over by dere: Translates to 'over by there,' a way of emphasizing a site presumed familiar to the listener. As in, 'I got the sassage at the Jewels down on Kedzie, over by dere.'
8. Kaminski Park : The ballpark where the Chicago White Sox (da Sox) play baseball. Comiskey Park was renamed U.S. Cellular Field (Da Cell)9. Frunchroom: As in, 'Get outta da 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.'
10. Use: Not the verb, but the plural pronoun 'you!' 'Where use goin'?'
11. Downtown: Anywhere near Da Lake, south of Da Zoo (Lincoln Park Zoo) and north of Sojer Field.
12. Da Lake : Lake Michigan. Often used unnecessarily by local weathermen: 'cooler by The Lake.' It is never warmer by Da Lake.
13. You goin' ? Swimming in Da Lake.
14. Braht: Short for Bratwurst. 'Gimme a braht wit kraut.'15. Goes: Past and present tense of the verb 'say.' For example, 'Den he goes, 'I like this place'!'
16. Guys: Used when addressing two or more people, regardless of each individual's gender.
17. Pop: A soft drink. Don't say 'soda' in this town. 'Do ya wanna canna pop?'
18 Sliders: Nickname for hamburgers from White Castle , a popular burger chain. 'Dose sliders I had last night gave me da runs'19. Da Taste: The Taste of Chicago Festival, an extravaganza in Grant Park featuring samples of Chicagoland cuisine which takes place each year around the Fourth of July holiday.
19a. Da Goats. Refers to Billy Goat's, bar famous for chizboogers. Despite an array of pretentious restaurants, one of the most crowded attractions at Da Taste.20. 'Jeetyet?': Translates to, 'Did you eat yet?'
21. Winter and Construction: Punch line to the joke, 'What are the two seasons in Chicago ?'
22. Cuppa Too-Tree: is Chicagoese for 'a couple, two, three' which really means 'a few.' For example, 'Hey Mike, dere any beerz left in da cooler over by dere?' 'Yeh, a cuppa too-tree.'
23. 588-2300: Everyone in Chicago knows this commercial jingle and the carpet company you'll get if you call that number -- Empire!
24. Kitchen Dror: Drawer in the kitchen you're told probably containing what you're looking for. Also known as the Junk Dror.25. Southern Ellanoise : Anything south of I-80. This is where 'Smothers' is from....
25a. Northern Ellanoise: The Land South of Milwaukee.
25b. Eastern Ellanoise: Indiana.
26c. Downstate: Euphemism for the state government in Springfield, i.e., 'doze guys down dere in Springfield."26. Expressways: The Interstates in the immediate Chicagoland area are usually known just by their 'name' and not their Interstate number: the Dan Ryan ('da Ryan'), the Stevenson, the Kennedy (da 'Kennedy'), the Eisenhower (da 'Ike'), the Bishop Ryan, and the Edens (just 'Edens' but 'Da Edens' is acceptable).
27. Gym Shoes: The rest of the country may refer to them as sneakers or running shoes but Chicagoans call them gym shoes.
28. Peoria. Everybody has heard of it but nobody has been there.
29. Kankakee, as in 'You oughta be in Kankakee.' Location of a large state mental health facility.
30. Sha-kag'-ah. City where these words are understood; as in, 'You got Shakagah style pizza?'
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Authorship. About 20 of these definitions have been passed around on Da Web for a cuppa too-tree years. They went sent to me by the Chicago-boen director Andy Davis. I added some, revised a little, and found da art.
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A field study of Chicago speech.
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Da Goat at Da Taste
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Sing along: 588-2300 EMPIRE
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No place sounds quite like it!!
Hey, youse mentioned Empire 800-588-2300, but I remember an ad from my yout in Shakaga with the tag line (in low voice): Hudson three two seven hun-dred. What was dat?
How about these?
Gover to: The act of going someplace. "Wanna gover to Unos' for some pizza and beers?"
Over to: Locator. "He's over to Mertz's watching the game."
Good Christ. It'd take a panel of philologists years to agree on how to spell out both those guys' accents... after they figure out what the one guy is saying half the time. "Stash McGuire." What a compromise!
Hmmm… I always thought "draggin' it true da garden" was putting jardiniere on an Italian beef. Alternate definitions?
At long last, I can explain to my children why I sound so funny after visiting my family on the South Side. You left one out, though: "by," combined with "with," as in, "I'm going by the Jewels, wanna go with?" We never go "to" somewhere, and the sentence always ends in a preposition.
"I'm gohn to da jewel." Would be more accurate. I've never heard anyone pluralize it, and I don't myself. Something tells me you do not shop there Mr. Ebert.
I got a kick out of this. I've been living in Chicago two years and I was surprised how many of these Chicago-isms I have picked up. A number of them are just general midwest-isms that I grew up with in Indiana too. Nonetheless, a good list.
Seeing all those food pics was absolute torture for me (being in KSA). :D
Loved it. I always have to translate for my Nashville friends. I it really still bugs them that I say,"I'm going to the store ya wanna go with?" We don't have Jewels in Nashville yet.
Hey Roger,
Have you seen this music video by Serengeti? I think you'll like it, given your interest in Chicago speak.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqrtoFWglMY
Ebert: I've tweeted this and forwarded it and it is RIGHT.
In 1981, I moved from Chicaga to Balmer, and often went "down the ocean" while I lived there in Merlin.
As I scrolled down to read this post, I came upon the phone number, and instantly sang, to the delight of my computer screen, 588-2300 -- EMPIIIRRRE.
As far as 2a (Italian Beef Sammich) goes, I must've got it wrong. It will always just be a "Beef Sammich" (emphasis on the first word) to me, replete with the best Eye-talian peppers and good bread.
Peace.
If I can add just one more for us under-35 South Siders: da show (the movies).
People who grew up near Archer Ave. always refer to pop as soda. It is the south suburbs that call it pop.
I worked at Jewel for nearly a decade and find that I may be able to shed some light on the issue that Chris above mentions in the comments...
The first half of my Jewel career was spent in the Northwest suburbs.
The second half was spent at the Jewel on Roosevelt and Wabash.
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Most European immigrants turned Chicagoans will say....
"I'm going to THE JEWEL"
While most African-American Chicagoans will say...
"I'm going to THE JEWELS"
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The correct way, would be to say "I'm going to Jewel."
But that's rather boring, don't you think?
I live in Minneapolis, and I see Empire ads all the time here now. Everyone enjoys it more than I do - it's a piece of Chicago, very familiar, like a Slider (although the White Castle people say "Slyder" (eeeuuuggghhh!))
I remember Lincoln Carpet's "National two, nine thousand!", as well as Danley's "Home of Garage World - da best!" and Bert Weinman Ford, along with a bit of "Take Five" on the late show on Channel 9.
And one more you should mention, my favorite piece of Chicago slang that should go worldwide - "gapers' block"
Ebert: Not to forget "Hudson 3-2700."
Chicago, the Home of the Singing Rug Companies.
If you are born and raised in Chicago, it is Jewels. Unknown why it is pluralized.
That is why there is a picture of Jewel, with the definition for Jewels!
Tanks...I left Shakagga twenteetree years ago when I was a youte and gotta big laugh reading deeze.
best regards spike
You left out the reply to "Jeet Yet?" Which would be, "No Joo? "
Heres a couple more.
Gangway (3 feet of space between houses)
Skeachin(hitching a ride on a moving car's bumper after a heavy snow, usually on a side street) Don't know if Skeachin is spelled right but this was what we did on snow days.
I would tend to think that with the every changing demograpics of Chicago these pronunciation may become a thing of the past.
HUDSON 3-2700 was Boushell
Re: You Can Take the Girl Out of Chicago . . .
Many years ago, shortly after I had left Chicago for San Francisco, I was overheard having a conversation with a fellow employee by a would-be admirer. He later asked my boss, "Who's the big Polish girl from Chicago?" (He got the Polish wrong.)
I moved to Indiana 25 years ago, and I enjoy irritating my girlfriend by asking if she wants to go with. Drives her nuts! (My revenge for having to listen to hoosiers "warshing" things)
I am 78 years old,live now in San Diego, and things must have changed if this article contains correct information, which I doubt. For one, people who lived there always called that wonderful city Shuh-CAW-go. I could instantly recognize an imposter when he said Sha-kag'-ah. Most of those came from New York or Boston. Also in my entire life I never heard anyone speak of Illinoise, whether from the north or south. My home town is shu-CAW-go, Ill-uh-noy. Do you know what it's like to ridicule someone's home town? Mr. Ebert, by any chance are you from St. Lou-ee or Frisco?
No. Mr. Ebert is not from St. Louis, but he isn't from Chicago, either. Let's just split the difference. I have the great pride to say that he's from MY hometown, the wonderful twin cities of Champaign-Urbana. He's written fondly of his childhood here, and he continues to be a great supporter of the University of Illinois.
Boushelle ends with an E.
How about the old Dad's Old-Fashioned Root Beer sign
by the Outer Drive bridge with the slogan "Have you
had it lately?"