The B Word
While writing a story I stumbled across a local term I’d never known was local. I know the basics like grinder, bubbler, johnnycake and you guys, but sometimes I just don’t know whether people say scrod in other parts of the country. And not for one moment did I suspect the b word of being a regionalism.
Apparently, coastal New England dialect, also known as Eastern New England regional dialect, isn’t restricted to coastal New England. Like so-called Hawaiian sweet bread (actually Portuguese sweet bread, known in Fall River by the Portuguese name, massa, from massa sovada), the coastal dialect got around with the whalers and can be found in other coastal cities.
But back to the words. Reading through the Wicked Good Guide to Boston English, I found plenty of words and phrases I’d forgotten or never suspected of being regionalisms. I’ll add some Southern New England ones to the list for regional interest: directional, down cellar, So don’t I, elastics, wicked frickin’, Hoodsie cups, hub, jimmies, kegger, killer, cabinet (milkshake), rotary, quarter of (the hour), on account of, packie, quahog, Southie, T, tonic, and whole ‘nother.
None of those are the b-word. I found the b-word at Dictionary.com, which also claims that angry in the sense of red and inflamed is a New England regionalism. Who knew? And the b-word is… bulkhead, those doors that lead down cellar. Apparently nowhere else in the English-speaking world do these things have a proper name. Bulkhead is a regionalism - who knew?
February 5th, 2004 at 9:37 am
When I was in MA, ‘packie’ and ‘bubbler’ (’bubblah’) threw me for a loop as well, and apparently using the word ‘grinder’ here gets me a blank look, not a sub. And yes, I’ll have some jimmies on my Hoodsie, but I won’t join you going around the rotary because that’s a whole ‘nother wicked fricken killer.
February 5th, 2004 at 4:49 pm
I suspect if you said “scrod” ’round these parts you’d be liable for a smack. Sounds vaguely dirty. ;-)