Boston slang

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Boston slang consists of words and phrases of slang originating from and commonly used in Boston. Though most often used in Boston, the slang can also be heard in other cities of Massachusetts or even other New England states, though not always as frequently. Some terms are less commonly heard outside of the Boston area than others; some are not used at all outside of Boston.

Slang terms

A

• alls - common substitute for "all that." ("Alls I know," "alls I want," etc.)
• "Ally-Ally Oxenfree"- A proclamation to players of "Tag" or "Hide-n-Seek", that they may return to a common area free of consequence as it may pertain to the game being played.
• Assachusetts -refers the dumb laws and politicians we have breeded here in Massachusetts.

B

• The B's - Reference to the Boston Bruins. The Bruins AHL affiliate from Providence are referred to as the Baby B's.
• bagged - arrested; "He got bagged for a DUI."; (Driving Under the Influence)
• bang - to make a left turn (often, "bang a left"; also used often as "bang a U-ie" - make a U turn); sometimes used interchangeably with hang
• barney - a Harvard student or graduate (used by working class residents of Somerville), apparently in reference to trolley barns near the university.
• The Basement - Filene's Basement, a department store in Downtown Crossing. The store is a regional chain with stores across the area and is no longer affiliated with Filene's parent company, Federated Department Stores, which has converted Filenes to Macy's.
• bozo - a pothead; used mostly in South Boston
• Beacon Hill - the Massachusetts government, particularly the State legislature
• Beantown - Boston (never used by Bostonians)
• Benny HillCommunity College -Refers to Bunker Hill Community College located in Charlestown, MA
• Big Dig - the Central Artery Tunnel Project
• Big Pig -The cost of the Centeral Artery Tunnel Project approximately 15 billion dollars
• Blue Line - one of the many "T" subway lines which starts at Bowdoin and ends at Wonderland. Also used as derogatory slang for example "this cup of coffee tastes like the Blue line" or "Hey Tommy, your girlfriend smells like the Blue line".
• The Bob Loboat - The Boston Harbor Island Ferry that docks in Rowes Wharf
• bobos - Cheap no-name sneakers.
• bomb (1) - Really awesome (example: "That movie was (the) bomb!")
• booted - 1. To be ejected or removed from a building or event. 2. To have one's car be incapacitated by the placement of a lock on one's front wheel, usually due to one's negligence in the payment of parking tickets.
• BoSox - See Sox (Seldom used within New England except by sportscasters and writers, national slang to differentiate from the ChiSox, or White Sox of Chicago. Used regionally to differentiate from the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox, aka the PawSox.)
• The Boys - the cops, the police
• Brahmin - Boston Brahmin
• breakdown lane - right margin or shoulder on highways used for broken down vehicles. Cars can drive in the breakdown lane at certain hours on some Massachusetts highways.
• Bruins Chicks - Young female Boston Bruins Hockey Team fans, during the period of 1979-1994 (approximately). Notorious for their big hair, Bruins replica jerseys, and rowdy behavior. Mostly hailing from North Shore communities of Massachusetts.
• bulkhead - ' - outdoor entrance to the basement / cellar.
• Bury - The Roxbury section of Boston

C

• The Cape - Cape Cod
• chowdah [chowder] - New England clam chowder, or occasionally fish chowder. Never, never, the Manhattan variety of clam chowder.
• chowderhead (sometimes chowdahead) - Often refers to a New Englander, at one time meant a person to laugh at or stupid person but has evolved to be a lighter term that has been embraced by those to whom it refers.
• Chucky's Place -refers to the Suffork County Jail located next to or upon the suburb of Boston's Charlestown neighborhood.
• Chuck Town -refers to the Boston's suburb of Charlestown. Also known as C-Town.
• City of Sin - Lynn, Massachusetts, from the rhyme "Lynn, Lynn, city of sin, you never come out the way you went in." Can refer to the City's criminal reputation, or the large number of routes into and out of the city.
• Comm Ave - Commonwealth Avenue
• The Combat Zone - the red light district of Boston that used to exist between Downtown Crossing and Chinatown, now refurbished
• Cow Hampshire - somewhat derogatory term for New Hampshire, referring to the perceived abundance of cows, can also used to represent any rural area in New England that is not necessarily in New Hampshire
• cruiser - a police car, or a Ford Crown Victoria

D

• Dewey - Dwight Evans, former Right Fielder for the Red Sox who won eight Gold Gloves, also used as a term meaning (DUI) Driving Under The influence. "Yeah Man I caught a Dewey".
• Deluxebury - Duxbury, Massachusetts, affluent south shore town. Part of the Irish Riviera.
• directional - noun., turn signal
• docksiders (pronounced "docksidahs") - noun, brown boat shoes
• Dot - Dorchester, Massachusetts
• Dot Ave - Dorchester Avenue
• Dot Rat - Dorchester, Massachusetts A native of Dorchester who can't escape.
• down cellar (pronounced "down sellah") - adj., contraction of "down in the cellar", refers to being located in the basement.
• Down East - A section of the Maine coast that is actually north of Boston
• down the Cape - Referring to going to or being at Cape Cod
• d-tech - An undercover police car
• Dunkies - Dunkin' Donuts

E

• Eastie - East Boston (Used almost exclusively by people from East Boston)
• The E - the predominantly Irish neighborhood of East Milton.
• The East End - The area of East Lexington around Mass. Ave.

F

• the flat of the Hill - the portion of Beacon Hill between Charles Street and Storrow Drive
• frappe [pron. frap] - what some might erroneously refer to as a "milkshake"; the term milkshake has a separate use (see below)

G

• The Garden - a reference to the Boston Garden or the TD Banknorth Garden, home of the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins
• Glocksbury or Robbury - Derogatory term for Roxbury
• Good Shit - An agreeable, non-threatening person
• Greastie - Derogatory term for East Boston or Eastie, referring to its Italian and Latino population
• Greenie - Irish worker of the present who is in the U.S. illegally

H

• The Heights - Short for Arlington Heights, an area in the west side of Arlington. Might be used in a sentence like: "I'll meet you at Brigham's, up the Heights." It can also refer an area in North Medford or the Chestnut Hill main campus of Boston College.
• the Hill - Beacon Hill or Mission Hill or Winter Hill in Somerville.
• The Big Hole -referring to the Central Artery Project (The Big Dig) when all construction was on stanby.
• Hoodsie (1) - A small cup of vanilla and chocolate ice-cream from the HP Hood Company. Eaten with a thin wooden spoon that comes with the Hoodsie.
• hoodsie (2) - In neighborhoods such as South Boston and Dorchester it refers to a precocious minor female who tries to appear older or wants to date older teenage boys or young men. The term is considered derogatory: "He'll get bagged if he keeps dating that hoodsie." One popular explanation says that the expression comes from the idea that the small cup a Hoodsie ice cream treat comes in is the same size as the bra cup of a hoodsie. A second popular, but more off-color explanation refers to HP Hood's one-time advertising slogan for the Hoodsie ice cream treat: "Short and sweet and good to eat."
• The Hub - Boston; shortened from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.'s phrase The Hub of the Solar System (often misremembered as Universe) (seldom used in conversation, but seen often in writing and advertisements, e.g. in the Boston Globe)

I

• Irish Battleship - A three-story, three-family house. See also triple decker

• the Irish Riviera - the South Shore coastal suburbs to the southeast of Boston such as Hingham, Braintree, Weymouth and especially Marshfield (see "Marsh Vegas") and Scituate.

• Ill - An adjective used to indicate approval, often in superlative form; "That was the illest roller coaster I have ever seen">

J

• Jamaica Spain - The Jamaica Plain area in Boston, so named because of its large Spanish-speaking population
• The Jetties - refers to Jetties Beach in Nantucket
• JP - Jamaica Plain. Also known as "The JP".

 

L

• lace curtain Irish- a person of Irish descent who is moving up the social ladder; ("After they moved to the Point, they became lace curtain Irish.")
• the Leather District - the neighborhood surrounding South Street in Boston, east of Chinatown.
• "Let's go, Southie, let's go!" - rallying cry for South Boston High School, used by anti-integration activists during the Boston busing crisis
• "light dawns on Marblehead" - used when a dense person finally realizes something. Also any variation such as, "Dawn breaks on Marblehead."

M

• Maine-iac - derogatory term for Maine driver or resident, on par with Masshole; also a member of the Maine airforce or the airforce itself. A title born with pride by the natives, similar to Floridians.
• Man's Greatest Hospital - Massachusetts General Hospital (alternatively, the medical-industrial complex)
• Mass Ave - Massachusetts Avenue, A prominent thouroughfare running from the South End of Boston through Cambridge, Arlington and Lexington
• Massatoilet Community College -refers to Massasoit Community College located in Brockton, MA
• Massholes - derogatory term for residents of Massachusetts, especially of Boston drivers (popular in New Hampshire and Maine), now sometimes worn as a badge of honor by life-long residents of the state, especially when visiting Northern New England.
• Me'fah or Med'fah - Medford, Massachusetts; an exaggerated pronunciation of the way the city's name is supposed to sound when it's pronounced by its residents; even if no one in Medford pronounces it that way, people living in Greater Boston will refer to the city by that name. Residents generally pronounce it "Med'fid" or "Meffid".
• The Mother Church - First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston

N

• "No suh!" [No sir, compare "no sirree"] - "No way!". The appropriate response is "Ya suh!"
• Northeaster (also Nor'easter) - A strong winter storm with winds emanating from the northeast. A bad Northeaster is like a winter hurricane

O

• The Orange Dinosaur - A Big orange dinosaur on Rt. 1 Saugus, part of a mini-golf course & batting cages.
• "Off-Cape" - Anything off of Cape Cod (to Cape Codders).

• Off the Boat - Used to describe a European immigrant, usually from Ireland

P

• P-town - Provincetown, Massachusetts
• packie (also package store) - liquor store
• Pats - the New England Patriots
• the People's Republic - Cambridge (alternatively, seven square miles surrounded by reality)
• Pesky's Pole - the right field foul pole in Fenway Park, named after Red Sox infielder Johnny Pesky.
• The Pike - the Massachusetts Turnpike, also the Mass Pike
• pissa (1) - good: "You hit the Lottery? That's pissa man." Commonly used in conjuction with wicked;
• pissa! (2) - used as an exclamation when something goes wrong: "Oh pissa!", he shouted as his car keys fell down the storm drain.
• The Pit - A gathering place outside the Harvard Square MBTA Station, known for its eclectic mix of street performers, rowdy teenagers, homeless people and others.
• the Point - the City Point area of South Boston. The term is also used for Jefferies Point in Eastie East Boston, Massachusetts.
• The Pru or The Prud - The Prudential Center

R

• ripper - a kegger or a big, wild party
• Red Sox Nation - a term for the collective group of Sox fans that span the US and beyond, generally used by the local media. Red Sox Nation is seen in the immense crowds of Sox fans that gather even at visiting parks.
• Reefer Tech - Otherwise known as the Joseph P. Keefe Technical School located in Framingham. Popular in the mid 1970s through the early 1980s.
• Retarded - it is generally used with a negative connotation, although it is not as derogatory as in many other regions. Often preceded by "wicked," as in "He's wicked retarded."
• The Rez - Short for the reservoir (of whatever town you are in).
• The River - the Charles River
• Rocketown - nickname for the town of Reading, referring to the rocket mascot
• Rossie, Rozzie - Roslindale
• Rotary - what would be known as a traffic circle or a roundabout elsewhere
• Route 9 High - Massachusetts Bay Community College in Wellesley. Can also mean Framingham State College. Both schools' campuses are on or near Route 9.

S

• Salt and Pepper Bridge - the Longfellow Bridge, crosses the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge, named because the towers on the bridge resemble salt and pepper shakers.
• Severe - A term used when referring to the town of Revere
• Sick nasty - see ill. As in that stunt in the movie was sick nasty. i loved it!
• shanty Irish - poor or working class person of Irish descent.
• shiesty - A term meaning someone or something is shady or sketchy. "Those kids standing on the corner are wicked shiesty." Or "The food here looks wicked shiesty"
• shtetl- referring to the town of Sharon
• skid - a loser or lowlife. "His brother is a real skid."
• skidder - referring to someone who bums (borrows) money from friends. Pronounced "skiddah"
• "Slamherst" - Used to describe UMass Amherst.
• Slummerville - A derogatory term for Somerville, referring to its working-class population and reputation for crime. Also Scummerville.
• Smells 'n' Bells - The Church of the Advent, an Anglo-Catholic parish on Beacon Hill noted for its high church liturgy
• smoot - a unit of measurement used to mark the length of the Harvard Bridge. Also used as a point of reference by MIT students; ("Are you past the 182 (smoot mark) yet?" "Nah, we're still in Hell.")
• scully - a driving cap or an ivy cap that has a snap-button front; often pronounced as "scahlly."
• smuck - lopsided; usually used by children to describe uneven teams ("These teams are smuck.") Can also be used as a verb ("We smucked 'em.") Mostly used on North Shore.
• SoBro - South Brookline. Used as a term of pride by teenage residents of the area.
• So don't I - pleonasm [1] used to agree with a statement; a replacement for "So do I" or "Me, too"; ("I like the Red Sox." "So don't I.")
• Southie - South Boston; also used for residents of the area
• spa - neighborhood shop that sells groceries, soda fountain drinks, sandwiches (or other prepared food) and miscellaneous notions. Spas of this sort include the Hillside Spa Cardoza Brothers, on Hancock Street, or the Thurston's Spa (aka "Johnnies") in Somerville.
• spuckie - submarine sandwich, or the bread it was made with. Rarely used anymore. Replaced by "sub".
• SoWa - the southern portion of Washington Street in Boston. A term created by the real estate industry and not used in common speech.
• Sox (also The Sox) - the Boston Red Sox; pronounced "socks" or "sawx"
• The Square - Harvard Square
• Stab'n Kill - A derogatory term for the Dorchester neighborhood of Savin Hill. The term refers to a past history of violence in that neighborhood.
• statie - Massachusetts State Police Trooper; also called a Trooper (pronounced: Troopah)

T

• The T - the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority; also used for services run by the MBTA, particularly the Subway. Taken from the MBTA's logo, a block-letter T within a circle.
• Taxachusetts - derogatory political state title and comparative reference to the limited taxation of neighboring New Hampshire
• The Teddy or The Ted - The Ted Williams Tunnel
• three-way - term for what you order on a roast beef sandwich, referring to cheese, sauce and mayo. (example: "I'll have a junior three-way and a medium coke.")
• time - A retirement or going-away party; ("Did you hear Sully's retiring?" "Yeah, they're having a time for him down Florian Hall.") Also refers to political fundraisers.
• The Tip - The Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Tunnel
• Tory Row - historic neighborhood of Cambridge, home to prominent British sympathizers before the American Revolution
• townie - In the strictest sense, a resident of Charlestown, Massachusetts; or more broadly someone from Somerville or South Boston or the other Irish-Catholic enclaves of Boston and surrounding areas. Also used as an adjective for the accent of those areas, or to describe a person who shares many characteristics with the residents of those areas. Occasionally, a person who was born/lived their life/died in the same town, village or 'burb, and whose family has lived in the town for many generations. A resident of a college town who is not affiliated with the college (more used by non-local college students than by Boston area residents).
• triple decker - a three-story, three-family house, also called a "three decker".
• Triple Eagle - Someone who has graduated from Boston College High School, Boston College, and Boston College Law School. Taken from the fact that all three schools use the eagle as a mascot.

U

• Upper Mass Ave - the stretch of Massachusetts Avenue that runs north through North Cambridge from Harvard Square toward the town of Arlington.
• U-ie - a u-turn while driving. Also sometimes called a "u-dog". Almost always used with the verb bang, as in "After this next light, bang a U-ie and then take a right."

V

• The Vineyard - Martha's Vineyard, pronounced Mahtha's Vinyid

W

• The Wake - Wakefield (Used only by residents of Wakefield.)
• Westie - West Roxbury (Used only by residents. Most commonly referred to as simply West Roxbury)
• whoopie pie - a pastry first sold commercially at the Berwick Cake Factory in Dudley Square, Roxbury
• wicked - very; or occasionally cool. Used indiscriminately, can modify anything (e.g.: "Wicked good." "Wicked bad." "Wicked boring.", etc.). Almost always used as an adverb, rather than an adjective; some Bostonians feel it is grammatically improper not to put an adjective or verb after "wicked".
• Williamsburg - right-center field of Fenway Park, so named because its short distance from home plate is said to have catered to Ted Williams's swing.
• The Wood - Refers to the suburban town of Westwood.
• WuTown, The Wu - Watertown, Mass used prodominently by Watertown residents.

Y

• Yaz - Carl Yastrzemski, long-time left fielder for the Red Sox. "Big Yaz Bread" was a loaf of bread similar to Wonder Bread sold locally after the Red Sox' pennant winning season of 1967.

Z

• Zoomass - Used to describe University of Massachusetts Amherst for the student body's rowdy behavior.

See also

• Boston accent

External links

• Boston Online's Wicked Good Guide to Boston English
• the Boston Slang Dictionary