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Comfortably Domestic

Real Food. Real Life.

Michigan Vernacular

by 21 Comments

Every state has its own words or sayings that are commonly used and accepted as entirely proper speech. That is until you travel and speak to people from other regions that haven’t the slightest idea what you are talking about. I’ve been working on a regional recipe to share in a bit, which got me thinking about some of the more common Michiganisms. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but I thought you might get a kick out of a few of my favorites.

1. Up North–I use the term Up North quite frequently on my blog. Up North refers to any point in the state of Michigan that is north of the middle of the lower peninsula. Drive past the mid-point of the state, and you are there. You’ll be able to tell because you will start seeing billboards for fudge, jerky outlets, and pasties.

2.  Fudge–A rich, often chocolate, confection.

3.  Jerky–A seasoned and dried meat snack, usually venision or beef.

4.  Pasty (pronounced passtee)—A meat filled pastry brought to the Upper Peninsula by Cornish and Welsh miners in the early 1800’s. We’ll see more on this later.

5. Fudgie–Tourists that vacation Up North and seemingly become instantaneously obsessed with the chocolatey confection that is fudge. You can about trip on a fudge shop in a resort town.

6. Permafudge–People that *ahem* love with the beauty and lifestyle Up North so much that they pack it all up and flee the city for a simpler life in a small town. You are not from a small town unless your family goes back at least 100 years. And even then you are suspect. 😉 The locals tolerate appreciate us transplants. We grow on ’em, because we are just so dang happy to be here.

7. Downstate–Anywhere south of Up North.

8. The U.P.–Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

9. The Thumb–The geographical region that looks like the thumb of the mitten.

10. Yoopers–Michiganders residing in the Upper Peninsula. Yoopers have an entirely different accent which sounds part Canadian, part Wisconsinite.

11. Trolls–Michiganders residing below the Mackinac Bridge.

I am a Permafudge Troll.

13. Troopers–A Troll that has moved to the Upper Peninsula.

So if we moved to the U.P., I would then be a Permafudge Trooper. Heh, heh. 🙂

14.  You Guys–Our version of y’all. Applies to men and women. We use it without thinking. Example: Hey you guys! Howsitgoin’? Although I kind of like y’all, too. It’s charming.

So, what about you? What are some of your regional colloquialisms? I’d love to hear them!

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Comments

  1. Outstate: areas not directly a suburb of a major city that are not "Up North". Example: Byron Center is outstate,
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  4. I'm one of these foreign types, so I couldn't tell you much about regional expressions and dialects - but I did find out shortly after moving to Pennsylvania that "yinz" is a popular expression here. As in, "Yinz ready to order now?" I'd never heard that one before. XD
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  5. I'm with Mads - and Up North is the big one. Plus, when you're going Up North, it imbues your journey with purpose. "Cabin" refers to said dwelling Up North, which in many cases is legitimate second house.
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  6. Having been born in the U.P. (Yes, I am an official yooper!), I can testify that UP NORTH does NOT begin until you pass the bridge! Well, not to me anyway... Also, we spell it "Youse Guys" as in "C'mon youse guys, we're goin' to da camp!" Our accent is traditionally Finnish and maybe a little French Canadian. After being gone for 20+ years I can really hear it when we go home to visit. Pasties should be eaten with ketchup, not gravy and are best eaten cold, held in your hands like a sub-sandwich! That's the way the old-timers do it. Personally, I prefer a plate and a fork. I've never heard of troopers, but am very familiar with Trolls, as I married one. (I was actually quite disappointed in the realization that my 2 children would never be true, full-blooded Yoopers. Sigh- I choose to love them anyway.) Love your blog- its' great to read about the lives of other people who are just like you, but yet, so different. You have a fantastic family!
    Reply

  7. Love it! Especially, I guess, because we love Michigan. Being from Texas, the ya'll is the most familiar. And it is unisex, too. Coke means any carbonated beverage. Fixin' means getting ready to do something. I can't really think of any more at the moment. Fun post!
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  8. Haha I liked this post. Some Minnesota-isms: 1) Ya sure you betchya --means yes, and yes, I have used this phrase in all seriousness. 2) Don'tchya know --means something along the lines of the casual "you know" thrown at the end of a sentence. And yes, I have used this phrase in all seriousness. 3) Up North --referring to any place 30 minutes or more north of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) 4) Minnesnowta --lame jokes about The Tundra (as Kat refers to the winter) That's all I have for now, but I'm sure there are a lot more. We are freaks in the midwest :) Now I have to learn some California-isms. *sigh* People are too normal here.
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  9. I loved this post. It's fascinating to me that we all live in the same country but have guhzilliions of different cultural eccentricities. I have to giggle at the idea of you being a permafudge troll. I love that! Here in the deep south of Texas, we say y'all all the time. We also like phrases like "later, gater!" when someone is leaving. And "jeet jet?" when inquiring if someone is hungry. And goofy hillbilly things like "praise the Lord and pass the ammunition." I don't really know when the use of that phrase is considered appropriate, but I hear it now and again. We also like to say that dead animals on the side of the road must have been "headin' to Billy Bob's Bar & Grillej" (like car grill)and I can't count the number of dead armadillos I've seen on the side of the road, laying belly-up with a beer bottle in their hands. We Texans have an odd sense of humor. I laugh hysterically every time I see one. Mostly at the thought of someone stopping their car and taking the time to pose one. And the fact that they have a beer in their truck, just in case. We also tend to say something is "mighty fine" if we like it. And spicy means it's loaded with jalapenos or other hot peppers. And flour tortillas are considered a main form of bread. And cowboy boots are daily footwear for most of the population, not part of a Halloween costume. And pressed jeans and starched white shirts with said boots are the state uniform. And we have gators in our creeks and snakes in our yards and mosquitos the size of mockingbirds. And YES, there are longhorn cattle down here. And NO, there are no Indians living in teepees. And YES, there are oil wells and natural gas wells pumping all over the place. And NO, we don't all own and fire guns on a regular basis. And YES, beef is king. And NO, we don't all drink beer and tequila on a daily basis. And YES, we think of ourselves at the Republic of Texas and we carry our pride on our sleeves, and most of us have a big ol' iron Lone Star mounted on the side of our garages. And YES, it's as humid here as it is in New Orleans. That's why we call it "air you can wear" - because it feels like someone threw a wet, hot blanket on your when you walk outside in the summer. Which is why YES, we serve iced tea in 40 ounces glasses down here. Had enough? Then..."Later, gator!"
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    • You crack me up! You should totally do a Texas Vernacular post! We use "later gator," a lot too. The armadillo thing is killin' me! You have *got* to post a picture of that sometime. Especially being that people are actually carrying around (presumed) empty beer bottles for just such an occasion. Up here, most road kill is of the raccoon, 'possum, or deer variety. Of course, you never really know if the 'possum is really dead, or just "playing 'possum." My boys used to like to play "Eddie's Road Kill Cafe," and make menus full of gross stuff posing as real food. My oldest even used that as a basis for a Spanish project last year. "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition?" Now that's one I've never heard. I think my late FIL was a Texan in a former life because he ironed creases in his jeans and wore cowboy boots every day. Drank a lot of sweet tea, too. He even had a pair of longhorns tied to the front of his John Deere riding mower, and to this day, no one is sure if he did it as a joke, or thought it "was the berries." BTW--my oldest's favorite clothes are his "Hook 'Em Horns" sweatshirt and flannel pj pants. He wants to be a rancher some day, because that would mean he could ride a horse every day. ;)
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  10. "like 90" It's from the farmland on the Canadian side of Lake Erie. I have no idea where this came from, my guess is speed limits, but it applies to doing something fast, as well as doing something really thoroughly. I love it, and use it all the time, then I laugh at the blank stares I get.
    Reply

  11. It's a little known fact that Canton, Michigan was named after the Canton region of China. Therefore, people from Canton Michigan really are Cantonese.
    Reply

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