Okay, yinz guys, let’s have some fun today! Every city’s got its own dialect, right? But, no one does it quite like Pittsburgh. After all, we’ve got our very own language of Pittsburghese, complete with a dictionary. For those of us who grew up or have lived in the Burgh a long time, we have little trouble with Pittsburghese. But, if you’re a newcomer, here are 12 vocabulary words, you’ll definitely want to start using.
- Yinz
Flickr/Elly Blue Y’all is to southerners as yinz is to Pittsburghers. Don’t be surprised if a waitress or waiter at a restaurant greets you with a “Yinz want a drink?” Just about everyone in the Burgh has the word yinz in their vocabulary.
- N’at
Flickr/Elyse We’re goin’ dahtahn n’at. What does n’at mean? Well, pretty much “and that.” However, some Pittsburghers just use it as a way of ending their sentences.
- Jagoff
Flickr/Paul L. Dineen Jagoff’s certainly one of the most popular words in Pittsburghers’ vocabulary. Snag a parking spot someone else was waiting for? Jagoff. Pull in front of another car with only inches to spare on the parkway? Jagoff. Yep, jagoff is a pretty popular term for someone who acts like a, well, jerk.
- Rid up/redd up
Flickr/Gareth Saunders Rid up your room! NOW! If you grew up in Southwestern PA, you’ve likely had that yelled at you a few times during your childhood. Then, you just might have grown into an adult who had to tell your own kids to rid up their room. All it means is clean up.
- Nebby
Flickr/Frankie Nose Sometimes it’s downright impossible not not to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations. Especially when you’re in a restaurant or on a bus, and the person is talking really loud on their phone. But, if you purposely try to listen in on conversations, well, you’re just nebby!
- Slippy
Flickr/David Fulmer Uh-oh! Watch yourself on the sidewalk. It’s really slippy with all the ice and snow. Slippy is just Pittsburghese for slippery.
- Jumbo
Flickr/Ann Larie Valentine Tell a non-Pittsburgher you had a jumbo sandwich for lunch, and you might just get looked at as though you’ve sprouted a second head. What’s jumbo to us Pittsburghers is typically bologna to everyone else.
- Chipped ham
Flickr/Steve Wertz Get used to hearing about chipped ham and, in particular, the great chipped ham sandwich. It’s been a Pittsburgh staple for years and features Isaly’s famous chipped chopped ham, a little BBQ sauce, and a fresh bun.
- Pop
Flickr/PT Greg Nothing goes better with a meal than a tall, cold glass of pop. What kind of pop is your favorite: Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, or another? Pittsburghers call it pop, not soda.
- Gumband
Flickr/Tonya We, Pittsburghers, use gumbands to keep our bags of chips and pretzels fresh once their opened. Sometimes we use them to put our hair in a ponytail. To most, they’re rubber bands. To Pittsburgher’s, they’re gumbands.
- J’eet jet?
Flickr/Suburban Tourist Well, did you? J’eet jet is just the Pittsburgh way to asking if you’ve eaten yet.
- Kennywood’s open
Flickr/David Fulmer If someone tells you “Kennywood’s open,” he doesn’t mean the amusement park. Look down. Your fly’s unzipped.
Okay, yinzers, it’s your turn! What other vocabulary words would you say are essential for newcomers to the city to know? Let’s start a running list in the comments below! Then, click here to read about the 10 things that will always make us, Pittsburghers, think of home.
Flickr/Elly Blue
Y’all is to southerners as yinz is to Pittsburghers. Don’t be surprised if a waitress or waiter at a restaurant greets you with a “Yinz want a drink?” Just about everyone in the Burgh has the word yinz in their vocabulary.
Flickr/Elyse
We’re goin’ dahtahn n’at. What does n’at mean? Well, pretty much “and that.” However, some Pittsburghers just use it as a way of ending their sentences.
Flickr/Paul L. Dineen
Jagoff’s certainly one of the most popular words in Pittsburghers’ vocabulary. Snag a parking spot someone else was waiting for? Jagoff. Pull in front of another car with only inches to spare on the parkway? Jagoff. Yep, jagoff is a pretty popular term for someone who acts like a, well, jerk.
Flickr/Gareth Saunders
Rid up your room! NOW! If you grew up in Southwestern PA, you’ve likely had that yelled at you a few times during your childhood. Then, you just might have grown into an adult who had to tell your own kids to rid up their room. All it means is clean up.
Flickr/Frankie Nose
Sometimes it’s downright impossible not not to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations. Especially when you’re in a restaurant or on a bus, and the person is talking really loud on their phone. But, if you purposely try to listen in on conversations, well, you’re just nebby!
Flickr/David Fulmer
Uh-oh! Watch yourself on the sidewalk. It’s really slippy with all the ice and snow. Slippy is just Pittsburghese for slippery.
Flickr/Ann Larie Valentine
Tell a non-Pittsburgher you had a jumbo sandwich for lunch, and you might just get looked at as though you’ve sprouted a second head. What’s jumbo to us Pittsburghers is typically bologna to everyone else.
Flickr/Steve Wertz
Get used to hearing about chipped ham and, in particular, the great chipped ham sandwich. It’s been a Pittsburgh staple for years and features Isaly’s famous chipped chopped ham, a little BBQ sauce, and a fresh bun.
Flickr/PT Greg
Nothing goes better with a meal than a tall, cold glass of pop. What kind of pop is your favorite: Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, or another? Pittsburghers call it pop, not soda.
Flickr/Tonya
We, Pittsburghers, use gumbands to keep our bags of chips and pretzels fresh once their opened. Sometimes we use them to put our hair in a ponytail. To most, they’re rubber bands. To Pittsburgher’s, they’re gumbands.
Flickr/Suburban Tourist
Well, did you? J’eet jet is just the Pittsburgh way to asking if you’ve eaten yet.
If someone tells you “Kennywood’s open,” he doesn’t mean the amusement park. Look down. Your fly’s unzipped.
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