Guessing What These US Midwestern Words Mean

[@nrrork]

We have four directions: Up north, down south, out west, and back east.

[@samanthab1923]

I always thought that was cute when Californians said Back East 😂

[@kurtjohnson3917]

Exactly!

[@maryclarafjare]

😄😄

[@Abbecskin]

This person understands a map!

[@warped2875]

@@samanthab1923 Preface, me: Born in Texas, basically grew up in Oregon. Whenever I meet somebody from Texas, I say, "Oh, you're from back East?", just to see if they get their knickers in a knot over it. ...because, well, Texans consider themselves to be Southerners. Most are polite about it (being southerners, you know), but some get down right indignant over it.

[@davevandebunte2949]

As a lifelong (47 years) Michigan resident, I have never heard "Going up North" to mean just going camping. "Going up North always meant you were traveling somewhere north of where you are, but normally "up North" very generally speaking, usually refers to the top half of the Lower Peninsula (north of Cadillac?), and the U.P.

[@dannykyle7950]

Growing up in Detroit, going up north always meant north of Standish. That's when you knew you were out of civilization.

[@robertl4824]

Michigander here too, to me it meant getting away from the city up north and enjoying the outdoors, usually involving water.

[@JoshColletta]

Also a Michigander. Coming from the southern tier of counties, I've always heard it in relation to anything north of US 10, so roughly a line from Ludington to Bay City.

[@justinnink2396]

Yup, I've never heard it used to generally refer to camping. It always entails driving north for a while.

[@jennyprorock]

In traverse it means the UP.

[@gretchenmyers1279]

As a native Ohioan , I grew up with drunk referred to as being schnockered, and being shnookered as having one pulled over on you/tricked

[@AynneMorison]

Virginia is the same

[@kurtjohnson3917]

Iowa same

[@skeletonkeybooks]

Same in Missouri.

[@keithpfrang2114]

Kansas; same.

[@vickiephilpitt7697]

Florida and New Jersey the same.

[@th3b0yg]

Oh man. I don't know how this guy is so consistently funny. He makes it look easy. Great channel!

[@CarlGorn]

I'm a Minnesotan, born and raised, and I've never heard anybody from this state refer to "stop and go lights." Stoplights, sure. Traffic lights, absolutely. But never stop and go lights. Minnesota also used "go up north" to refer to fishing/camping/hunting trips in the state's more wild and wooded northern section, or even a trip to a vacation cabin along one of our many shores.

[@marywatkins6798]

Hot dish? Can you expand on that one, asks the Iowan!

[@TonyPucci11]

Minnesota may be the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, yet most of those lakes are in the northern half of the state. Myself included, I’ve known many people that own a “family cabin” on a lake up north, hence “Going up North” basically equals “going to the family cabin”. I’m very lucky in that my grandparents (who lived in Minneapolis) bought a cabin in 1961; it’s still in the family.

[@CallMeAL1]

Fun fact. MN may be the state of 10k lakes but Wisconsin has more lakes than MN. 🤣

[@beenaplumber8379]

@@CallMeAL1 We don't claim all of our lakes on our license plates. There are something like 17k or 18k officially named lakes in MN and tons of unnamed ponds.

[@artao5]

@@CallMeAL1 You beat me to it LOL

[@stevedietrich8936]

@@CallMeAL1 Even more fun fact, if Minnesota (10 acre minimum) stooped to the same low standards as Wisconsin (2.2 acre minimum) Minnesota would have over 22,000 lakes to Wisconsin's 15,000,

[@DakotaCelt1]

I"ve heard this alot also in ND along with heading to the lakes Or Lake country..... and it's not ones in ND. I"ve also heard Up NOrt also referring to the North Shore.

[@edison700]

I'm from MN and have never heard tough tomatoes, but my mother and grandparent's use the phrase "tough cookies" all the time to mean the same thing. Also when driving us to school my mother would always say "hang onto your cookies" if she was going to accelerate or brake very suddenly. Can also confirm you have not lived until you've had tater tot hotdish.

[@stephanied6711]

I’m from Illinois and never heard of it either

[@spddiesel]

@@stephanied6711 also an Illinois native, and I remember using tough titties as a kid. We also used tits as a replacement for awesome. Like we'd say "dude, those new Craigers look tits!"

[@LauraEilers]

I don't know tough tomatoes. But cookies, t**ies, yes. And my mom says "hard cheese"

[@ChrisDreher]

I grew up with tough tomatoes 🍅 in Minnesota.

[@craigwillms61]

Concur with the tater tot hotdish, it's a MN staple. Do not call it a casserole!!!

[@spacecowboy2957]

In Minnesota, "going up north" means literally traveling north. One can go up north to go camping or to go fishing or to visit one's relatives, etc. It's distinct and specific to Minnesotans to use specific words when describing directions. Those words are up, down, over/out and they refer to north, south & east/west, respectively. For instance, Duluth is "up north" as it is geographically north of where I am. Reflexively, Faribault is "down south" while east & west can be described as being either over or out. If one is traveling east or west, then he/she is going over to Wisconsin (east) or over to South Dakota (west). Although, this usually implies that one is only traveling to a bordering state, specifically to an area that is still close to the border (or within the state if traveling a shorter distance). If one is traveling "out east" or "out west," it is implied that he/she is traveling a good distance further. But, when describing where someone or something is in relation to where one is, it's described as being "out east/west." Example: "I'm planning to go fishing up north this weekend but I have to get my brother's boat at his house down in Rochester and I have to drop my dog off at my friend's house over in Stillwater first."

[@flyingkitty67]

Yes, exactly.

[@bluesoup1240]

Lived in Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Utah. Everywhere I’ve lived I’ve heard up, down, over and out used in the same way you have described. I’m not even sure it’s specific to Midwest.

[@thevirtualtraveler]

I moved to GA from MN when I was 14 and it always annoyed me so much when people in GA would say they were going 'down to ____" when the thing they were going to was north, east, or west of us.

[@spacecowboy2957]

@@thevirtualtraveler I, too, often get tired of everyone else being wrong

[@rickposter3534]

I grew up in Iowa and when we went to Minnesota, and nowhere else, we said we were "going up north." I'm not sure it was an Iowa thing, per se, but it was something our family said.

[@elizabethhoover4672]

Fun fact about the origin of the word hotdish (I learned this only a few months ago): it was birthed from the great depression when people would scrounge together whatever they had in their refrigerator and bake it into something that was at least a hot dish, since people had to budget and couldn't afford to eat elaborate meals or cook varied entrees and side dishes throughout the week. I've grown up eating many hotdishes. They bring a smile to my face. This channel is very entertaining! Thank you for this wonderful content. -an appreciative Minnesotan viewer

[@ColonelSandersLite]

We have them in missouri but I have never heard that particular term before. Always just heard them refereed to as a casserole.

[@elizabethhoover4672]

@@ColonelSandersLite Love it. Sometimes we say casserole, too. But we know a casserole and hotdish is one in the same.

[@kathybouziane5269]

Ahhhh.....tater tot casserole ! So satisfying on cold winter nights for supper ;-)

[@kongchingpow]

I am subscribed to 2 channels that are pretty much dedicated to these terms...and many more. "Watch out for deer, and tell your folks i says "hi"". Lol...you should really keep going on this one. There are a lot more midwest terms that need to come to light! We are funny people :)

[@kathybouziane5269]

Funny that that's what I tell company when they leave our country home in SC WISCONSIN . Love how elegant the deer look but they seem to have a death wish at night when you're driving !

[@davidyoungquist6074]

Snookered means you've been fooled it taken advantage of. Schnockered is excessively drunk.

[@bnelson5378]

We have never used snookered for tricking, but schnookered. Perhaps a distant ancestor roaming the great cornfields tricked a drunk and the word was cooped to mean both. I had some really bizarre ancestors, so wouldn’t surprise me. One even became president...he was known for his love of booze.

[@davidyoungquist6074]

@@bnelson5378 it could be. My grandma used snookered to mean tricked. Schnockered seems to come from the Swedish side of the family. But we were from Western Illinois, so it might have been a regional thing too.

[@lesterstone8595]

I agree. You're right!

[@maidenminnesota1]

Yeah, that's the way I've heard it here.

[@geebrewer8186]

yep, I grew u p on the west coast and that is exactly how we use them here too

[@peterzavon3012]

The term "gym shoes" was widely used in the 1950s,1960s and perhaps before. The term refers to the shoes that were permitted/required for use during gym class (i.e. physical education). They were also sometimes called "sneakers" but "tennis shoes" are/were slightly different. "Gym shoes" was a term in use before all those specialty shoes came along (walking shoes, running shoes, tennis shoes, etc.)

[@BirdTube83]

I just commented about this, you couldn't wear dress shoes on the gym floor. You needed your gym shoes.

[@lairdcummings9092]

Sneakers, gym shoes, and tennis shoes were interchangeable in my experience (California, Colorado, Maryland). Basically, non-marring* grippy shoes with rubber soles and canvas uppers. It was in the later part of my highschool years that more specialized shoes started becoming commonly available. * Can't be leaving black streaks on the gym floor, or the janitor (custodian) would all over your case.

[@samanthab1923]

It’s always been sneakers for me but different ones for different sports. Adidias SuperStars for basketball & Stan Smith’s for tennis. Track shoes for CC.

[@mariateresamondragon5850]

@@lairdcummings9092 I totally agree with you (grew up in California). The term "tennis shoes" long predates the more specialized "running shoes", "walking shoes", etc.

[@O2life]

@@baronvonslambert We did, too, in the Mountain West. Though I don't think I would refer to any shoes as gym shoes outside of jr high/high school.

[@davidray6962]

In Arkansas, getting "snookered" means you were fooled, conned. (I can see this being related to the British version, as pool hustling is a common con.)

[@janinestearns7288]

Schnookered or snookered meant fooled, conned, cheated in Illinois as well.

[@DougVanDorn]

Same here, and I'm from Illinois.

[@markholm7050]

Same here. Grew up in suburbs of St. Louis, college in Wisconsin, lived a decade in Chicago suburbs. Pretty sure “snookered” as conned was idiom in those places. Now live near Pittsburgh, PA. Can’t say I’ve heard it here.

[@Ulysses_DM_]

The same, from South Dakota.

[@pandachickenmama]

Schnookered and "sh-knock-erd" are two different things in Missouri. Schnookered is to be fooled or taken advantage of and "sh-knock-erd" is drunk.

[@Bazzookie]

I think the thing that's unique to the term "Up North" is that, at least in Michigan, and I imagine it's similar in Minnesota as well, 95% of the time the term will involve water. If you're going up to a cabin it's probably on or near a lake and if you're camping similar story. It's pretty interesting because most people born and raised in Michigan grow up with some for of connection to the water as there isn't a single part of the state really devoid of it, and much of the state is surrounded by coastline.

[@CyGea]

I'm from Wisconsin, and I've always connected "Up North" with Lake Superior.

[@mathsalot8099]

Having grown up in Wisconsin, I had so much fun listening to this video!! I'll have to look at your other video specifically for bubbler, because that is something I've never heard anyone else use in a video.

[@beatlebrarian]

I'm a Hoosier (almost to the Kentucky line) who now lives in North Carolina. I have always used ponytail holder instead of hair tie. My father grew up on a dairy farm and I have never heard of holler tail. To us to holler was either yelling or a hollow.

[@marilynparmelee]

I've lived in Michigan most of my life, going "up north" is not a term I've ever used for going camping. For us, it means going to the upper half of Michigan or over the bridge.

[@jonc4403]

Whereas here in the Southeast it means anywhere north of Kentucky.

[@marilynparmelee]

@@jonc4403 LOL

[@shirleybalinski4535]

I was raised in the UP of Michigan . Never heard the term " UP North" until I married & moved to Detroit area!! We always said we were going " down below"!! Go figure!!

[@marilynparmelee]

@@shirleybalinski4535 LOL. Depends on where ya live in Michigan I guess.

[@Nyx773]

I grew up in Mid-Michigan. "Up North" means the northern half of the lower peninsula. If someone was going to the U.P., they always said "going to the U.P.", not "up north". I think because going across the bridge seemed like a monumental feat. Plus it's a totally different culture.

[@rebeccabauer792]

Minnesota-“Up North” refers to the cabin, as in “Yeah, we’re headin’ up north for the weekend.” Nobody asks where. It’s understood-going to a lake cabin. Also, we use the infamous hot dish. A Minnesota hot dish might also contain wild rice for regional authenticity. Uff-Da. Also, a Minnesota thing along with Ole and Lena jokes. We also have some strange grammatical idiosyncrasies. For example, we often drop the indirect object of a prepositional phrase. Instead of “Do you want to go with me?” It’s, “Do you want to go with?”

[@hauptmann6]

And in the Northern Lower Pen, in Michigan it's usually shortened even more to: "Wanna go?"

[@lmagoddess]

We also do the "go with" thing in Iowa

[@lmagoddess]

Or "Ya wanna go with?

[@beenaplumber8379]

We don't really drop the object of the preposition. I prefer to think we use the word "with" as an adverb. That way it's not laziness - it's a new usage :D

[@brendagrimm2964]

Go with. I thought my Aunt Rachel was the only one who said that.

[@arachnid40]

My father was Norwegian, and came from the Midwest, he and his family have always pronounced Uff Da a little different. We said the first part with and "OO" sound

[@jonathanvanderpol1435]

"It turns out the Midwest extends beyond just Indiana and Chicago." That one, sir, made me laugh out loud. Also an "impenetrable fruit". Having grown up and lived in Wisconsin most of my life, my female friends and relatives called what you called a "hair binder" a hair clip. The large hair elastics are called scrunchies. The normal small hair elastics I've called hair elastics or hair bands.

[@vortexathletic]

I’m also from Wisconsin, and we called a car with a broken light a “one-eyed Jack.” But I’m not sure if that’s most Wisconsinites or just my family.

[@kennethcook9406]

I just had an "Ah-Ha!" moment when you mentioned "schnookered" It's likely from the Yiddish "Fershnickered" Like Mel Brooks' Rabbi Tuckman in "Robbin Hood: Men in Tights" Rabbi: "This is sacramental wine, it's only used to bless things. . . Wait a minute! There's things here, there's trees, there's birds, there's rocks, there's squirrels; let's bless them all until we get fershnickered!"

[@derekwright2388]

Fershnickered became "fish knickered" for me due to being Fershnickered and trying to say I was Fershnickered and instead I said I was fish knickered

[@kynn23]

This was EXACTLY what came to my mind as soon as "schnookered" appeared in Laurence's video!

[@ginarose8183]

So very very happy that you are now putting the word up in the left corner as you are talking about it!!!! It saves me rewinding all the time to figure out what you’re talking about! Thank you so much!!!!

[@lisapop5219]

Up north is definitely a thing in lower Michigan, even if you're only talking about going 100 miles away. When I was growing up, a lot of people had a cabin they would go to for summer vacation and/or hunting/fishing. Even if you didn't, chances are you knew someone who did. I've even heard the term used by family friends who were going home to visit their parents. They had left Vassar for Detroit and going back they would say they were going up north even though they were staying at the parents house. We were sent up north from Detroit to the traverse area to stay with our grandparents during the summer. So it definitely doesn't have to be used re camping etc

[@YourWaywardDestiny]

This phrasing gets a little bit more dumb in MN where you can go "up North" or really even just "up" even if you're not actually going the direction North, but the meat of the saying is also "I'm taking some time off to relax" without any camping/cabin activity really needing to be involved. It'd be more accurate to call it a break than camping, and it's not a vacation, because those are special ordeals.

[@MarvinLikoPuha]

Thanks for sharing your experience with "Up North". So helpful.

[@DakotaCelt1]

Northern Minnesota also.. Up Nort!

[@SecretSquirrelFun]

Absolutely loving that the very first advert is for Uncle Toby’s Oats. I’m in Australia by the way (I have an American father), and we love uncle Toby’s porridge oats on a cold winter’s morning. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and adventures. Much appreciated. 🙂🐿🌈❤️

[@jimpolk]

Great great videos. I lately will binge watch your videos. Massive humour. I'm from the US but have spent some time in the UK and developed a love if most things British and most especially British humour. Great stuff!

[@flyingkitty67]

As a Minnesotan I usually just hear stop light not stop and go light. Also, I find uff da is used most when you're caught off guard by temperature, weight, amount, etc. Ex: Picking up a small child or pet: "Uffda, you're getting big." Going outside from an air conditioned space and getting slapped in the face with hot humid air: "Uffda, it's hot out." Checking a price tag: "Uffda!"

[@calessel3139]

Honestly, I grew up in the mid-west (St Louis, Mo), and have traveled extensively across the US for many years, and have only ever heard of them being call "stop lights" or "traffic lights." I've never heard anyone, anywhere call them "stop and go lights." I'm not saying there aren't some small regions that call it that, but I think it's pretty uncommon.

[@flaffer69]

@@calessel3139 Seconded. No one in Chicago calls it that either.

[@oliviaerror4203]

I’m from northern Wisconsin and we use the term stop and go lights all the time, it’s probably the main term that we use for that

[@angiwaggoner9865]

Over here on the West coast that translates to "Damn!" but pronounce it "day-am" to remove the anger factor that often goes with the word.

[@TheDEM1995]

Seconding the STL bit (STL County). I would never call them traffic lights or "stop-and-go lights". I would only call them stoplights.

[@goomy02]

Lawrence, as an Alaskan I so appreciate your background map that actually places my state in a somewhat northern location! 😀

[@nariu7times328]

Now if it were only true to size, but take what we can get, right? (I don't live in Alaska now, but grew up there.)

[@heathhanz842]

True dat. Another Alaskan here :)

[@jenniferpearce1052]

Always funny when its off in the side with Hawaii...and Hawaii is above it!

[@angiebee2225]

Oh, you don't like being next to, and the same size as, Hawaii?

[@stargazer-elite]

I ain’t from there I just am a bit of a geography nerd it bugs the heck out of me like you could just use a regular map of North America with the USA outlined or colored lol

[@angelaCB1415]

I'm from Chicago and I do say "pop" and "gym shoes". I also thought about "washroom" vs "bathroom ". I remember when I first moved to California and one time asked someone where I could find the "washroom". The person smiled and asked, "Where are you from?" I told her and she proceeded to tell me where what she called the "bathroom" was located. On a side note, I'm a new subscriber and enjoy watching your videos.

[@tiffanysandmeier4753]

I use bathroom, but it doesn't really fit when you are looking for a toilet.

[@pou618]

Canadians say washroom

[@lordofthemound3890]

In Illinois, it’s “restroom” unless it has an actual bath.

[@MsMary-mg3ho]

We said bathroom at home, but the teachers at school said "washroom." I wonder why.

[@suzannesellers7383]

Laurence I’m so glad how your channel is growing. Looking forward to your reaching 500k subscribers then just a skip to 1 million.

[@dtlongrifles]

'Up North' is used a lot in Michigan. When I was a kid in the 60s and 70s "Up North" was anywhere north of St. John's, Michigan but over the years we have had to travel farther and farther north in order to find, "Up North." Houghton Lake and all points north of there are definitely Up North and, of course, the entire U.P. (the Upper Peninsula) is Up North. And, yes the phrase is often used in conjunction with camping, hunting, and fishing depending on what time of year it is.

[@annidrea06]

I’m from Illinois and there were a few I hadn’t heard before. I’m a little disappointed ope wasn’t in this one. Love your videos. They always give me a good laugh!

[@michaelw8262]

I've heard schnockered as a term for getting drunk, but never schnookered.

[@McLeod2022]

agreed. schnockered is drunk... schnookered is cheated/fooled.

[@joywest7297]

Agree. Schnockered=drunk. Schnookered refers to cheating or beating someone out of something. SE Kansas

[@kathywiseley4382]

Agree!

[@justanotheranimeprofilepic]

No if you live in Wisconsin you go up north with the buds and get schnookered on a few brewskis with buds

[@McLeod2022]

@@justanotheranimeprofilepic ill buy first round. loser pays bail. winner buys second round.

[@davidray6962]

You really missed expressing your mistake in skipping the Midwest by saying "ope".

[@BenShapirosLowerLip]

"Ope, sorry" is something I say on a daily basis lol.

[@GludiusMaximus]

Oops is more what i say

[@jbs2763]

Multiple times a day bro

[@calicoathena]

I don't believe this is a Midwestern word though. I know it's the stereotype but its found elsewhere.

[@gilliganallmighty3]

or "oof"

[@talevita]

I’ve never heard of a lot of these terms. Then again I’ve lived in Utah and Montana my whole life. But still, some of these surprise me and I’ve learned a lot here.

[@ungrave5231]

I live in Alberta Canada, and I find that a lot of our fun vocab is just from the midwest. Surprised that "gym shoes" is not a normal way to refer to the shoes you'd use in a gym.

[@ungrave5231]

Also, yeah they are called stop lights and go lights. "ope, it's go light."

[@Blondie42]

I live in Washington state and to us that is the exact definition that we use, any shoe worn only in a gymnasium are gym shoes. And sneakers are type of shoe.

[@danielbible3654]

Another variation of tough tomatoes that I remember hearing back when I was in school many years ago in NE Ohio was tough tamales.

[@Hans293]

I heard that a couple times in Illinois. Also, tough noogies.

[@danielleking262]

I think any variation of "tough ____" means the same thing. I've heard "tough noogies" or more Rated R is "tough titties" lol. Also "tough cookies" or even just "tough luck" You could really throw any word in there!

[@maryclarafjare]

I'm from the Midwest and use Uff dah (many spellings accepted) daily, my mom was from Norwegian stock, and used it all the time. It's quite useful! Can be used for almost any expression of surprise, dismay, disgust, sadness, based on your tone of voice and facial expression.

[@TJMiller86]

100% agree. My Mom was also of Norwegian decent, and from Northern Iowa. We said this all the time!

[@maryclarafjare]

@@TJMiller86 😃

[@angiebee2225]

My mom is from Wisconsin, her dad was Norwegian, and she didn't say it at all.

[@craigwillms61]

yes, even plopping down in a chair at the end of a long day...uff da.

[@LaurelT1948]

Yes, I guess it’s ‘Oy Vey’ in Norwegian.

[@richdobbs6595]

Growing up in Minnesota, Up North is where you go on the weekends for fishing, cabins, camping, etc. It's where the lakes and forests are. Pretty much the same in Wisconsin and Michigan too.

[@Ulysses_DM_]

In South Dakota nobody goes north for vacation, we go west.

[@billolsen4360]

My dad called Going Up North as "Going on a mosquito hunt"

[@richdobbs6595]

@@Ulysses_DM_ I'm guessing that you headed for the Black Hills, which is mostly Up North from where I live in Colorado!

[@Ulysses_DM_]

@@richdobbs6595 For the most part or a little farther into Wyoming, still up North to you I guess.

[@mynameishuman4582]

hair binder and holler tail are new to me from MN and WI. Bubbler is mostly found in Milwaukee area same as "stop and go" lights, warsh and some of the others mentioned.

[@rebekahtowers7130]

Lifelong Chicago suburbanite here; yes on the gym shoes and pop. We always say casserole; I'd never heard hot dish till I met my husband who's from Northern Minnesota, where they indeed say uffda (pronounced oof-da) a-plenty. Minnesotans also say "oh, ish" which is a charming little way of saying something is icky. I grew up saying ponytail holder til I heard hair tie and thought, heck....that's easier to say. I was 50 the 1st time I heard a soul refer to stop & go lights.

[@marye.fox-grimm6541]

Chicago burbs here. Had completely forgotten about "ish" til you mentioned it. In teen years lots of us girls said "ooh ish" instead of the Minnesotan preference for "oh ish." Boys tended to say "yuck" instead.

[@tayocham1]

If you haven't done so yet, I'd love to see you try to guess what some Hawaiian slang terms mean. Keep up the good work!

[@samanthab1923]

Oh that would be hard. Just that bruh thing gets me

[@MarvinLikoPuha]

@Terry Yocham We can help make the list of Hawaii words (not necessarily Hawaiian language only).

[@Kelnx]

Good idea. I'd like to see him tackle "da kine".

[@MarvinLikoPuha]

@@Kelnx Some suggestions: Choke, Cherreh, Rajjah, Holoholo, Mop, Slippah, Pound, Mauka, Makai

[@Kelnx]

@@MarvinLikoPuha And if he's visited, we'll see if he knows "Mahalo" doesn't mean "trash" just because it's printed on all of the trash receptacles lol

[@carolynhotchkiss4760]

We called beers brewskis when I went to college in Iowa. Or, I should say, the frat boys called them that, lol. Growing up in the Chicago area, I immediately knew what gym shoes are, though I have not called them that for years beyond count now (I am with Team Tennis Shoes for those). My Minnesotan husband was very amused at your attempts to identify hotdish and uff da (terms he is intimately familiar with, naturally). I will say the one I had never ever heard (and neither had he) was holler tail.

[@lairdcummings9092]

To be complete, in Maryland the term 'Brewskis' is also used, and again, generally by the more boorish types.

[@beenaplumber8379]

When I was a kid in Minnesota, they were Tennis shoes, tennies, and sheakers, in that order. I don't think anyone has called them tennies here in a long time, but sneakers is still used.

[@mariaaguadoball3407]

I thought "brewskis" was just a general dudebro/fratboy thing. I've definitely heard it said in Hollywood-made films.

[@billolsen4360]

Heard the same thing at college in Nebraska.

[@heatherevert274]

Ya, where 's the holler tail from? I also am from MN and don't know that one. Never heard it in WI, ND or northeast Iowa either.

[@Arlecchino_Gatto]

We use "go up north" here in Minnesota. I have said it, friends and family have. My three sisters and my mom all use the phrase "hair tie". Now I think my 7 nieces do too.

[@BethHasThoughts]

Yeah, Ope, Hot dish, and StopnGo lights, were used daily when I lived in The Green Bay/ Door County areas of Wi. Crick is also used, and going Up Nort, is referring to where the Yoopers live in the Upper peninsula of MI

[@tommunyon2874]

My Aunt Trudy always exclaimed "Good Gravy" in her distinctive Minnesota accent. It was worth the trip from New Mexico just to hear it.

[@robinchesterfield42]

I used to live in the Midwest (Iowa, to be precise) and I did indeed know people who said "warsh" and "crick". To this day, I use "sneaker", "tennis shoe", and "gym shoe" interchangeably for those kinds of shoes, and sometimes switch between "pop" and "soda" for fizzy drinks. (Also I always thought it was "shnockered", with ONE o, and apparently that's a legit version.) I also blame the fact that I spent my early school years in the midwest for my pronouncing those wax sticks you make colors on paper with as "crans". :P

[@ohioalphornmusicalsawman2474]

Worsh in lower Midwest and Western PA, Warsh in Wisconsin😁

[@jeffreybell436]

Warsh is much more common along the Ohio River valley that it is on the Great Lakes watershed.

[@alkaliwreck2474]

I second crans. Also candy apples are covered in carmle and pancakes get sir-up on them. :D

[@chrisparr9230]

I'm in Missouri and right with you, including "schnockered" with one o. Interesting stuff.

[@rottingpotatoes2483]

I live in Wisconsin. Nobody here says warsh/worsh. I have imported it though, trying to start the trend.

[@lorinjacobs2917]

I grew up in central and northeast Wisconsin. What we called gym shoes were an old pair of tennis shoes that you left at school, in your gym locker, so that you wouldn't scuff up the gymnasium floor with any sand or grit you may have tracked in from outside. I don't remember people using the term outside of that context.

[@JacksonOwex]

And then they make EVERYONE gather in the gym for an assembly thing COMPLETELY killing the reason behind the other pair of shoes in your locker?!

[@barbaramelone1043]

Same here. Also probably so you couldn't conveniently keep forgetting tennis shoes at home.

[@loris1620]

Same in southern MN, well at least 40 years ago.

[@ohhmesohungry584]

I’m from Cincinnati and we say gym shoes in reference to any sneaker or tennis shoe lol. So this is real 😅

[@joda7129]

same in duluth

[@maryannebrown2385]

I am in Chicago, and I was raised saying, “Go up North”. It does indeed mean Wisconsin! Specifically, the North Woods (which we also say) around Minoqua, Rhinelander, etc. In fact, my whole family is going up North to a cabin on a beautiful lake in just a few weeks. Hope the fish are biting!

[@brock9380]

From southern Wisconsin and we refer to going to northern Wisconsin as going up north, just like y'all, and when folks say where are you from up north you say, down south.

[@maryannebrown2385]

@@brock9380 Exactly! That is the way I have always known it.

[@shirleybalinski4535]

UP NORTH....Very prevalent in lower part of lower penninsula of Michigan. It signifies any place above mid lower peninsula( northern lower, UP,etc. ). Yep, vacation, lake, camping, cabin. .

[@rottingpotatoes2483]

I live in central wisconsin. We also talk about going up north. It’s mostly because northern Wisconsin is largely uninhabited and many people own cabins up there.

[@michellewilson6249]

I love your thumbnails with that bewildered deer-in-the-headlights look!

[@tubbybeaver4471]

My mate from Philly says "crick" for creek as well. Winds me up...like when they pronounce Craig as "Creg"

[@kurtjohnson3917]

Grew up in Iowa. Drunk is "schnockered", or even "snockered"; trapped or fooled is "snookered" like the pool game, but it's not prounounced oo like tube, it's like book. I've also never heard the phrase "stop and go lights". People do say "stop light", singularly, but not once have I heard "go light", it's just a green light. "Hotdish" is definitely a word, kinda old fashioned now, but doesn't have to be nearly as specific as your description. It's usually something that you're bringing to an event, rather than a cold dish. "Gym shoes", in their day, meant specifically shoes you could wear in the school gym so as not to scuff up the floor. You usually left them in your locker. I've never heard "tough tomatoes" in my life. "Tough cookies" was used; not to be confused with a "tough cookie", as in a tough person.

[@melissagoings1]

Tough Nuts, comes to mind.🤔

[@robinchesterfield42]

Yep, I spent part of my childhood in Iowa and all this sounds about right. "Stop light" I've heard about everywhere, but "stop and go light" sounds like what Homer Simpson would call them after he forgets all his vocabulary. :P

[@jamus1340]

Laurence as you know the American Midwest is a big place and some of these terms are specific to an area of the Midwest and not used universally. Some of these things vary state to state and even take on a different pronunciation depending where you are in the Midwest.

[@UrbanPanic]

I feel like Brewski is a college bro way of trying to affect a California surfer/Colorado ski bum “I’m chill, we should totally hang if you’re down” vibe. And Hair Binder? I would have thought that was British if I had to guess. Just sounds… a bit more “proper” than hair tie. Maybe I’ll start using it if I ever get schnookered again.

[@craigwillms61]

Like bubbler, which he mentioned was a WI thing. MN being right next door we did not say that.

[@Dippedinsilver1974]

I've lived in Indianapolis most of my life and I've never heard the majority of those terms, so don't feel bad. Fun video. Thanks!!

[@timmmahhhh]

From Kokomo and went to Ball State, apart from brewski and one or two others I haven't heard of them either. Glad Laurence covered these!

[@lixak6307]

Indianapolis native too! But I grew up in fortville so some of these more hick sayings like crick got used around me

[@ashwalksharp]

Agree!

[@angelaspicer2753]

I grew up in Central Indiana and heard pony tail holder and hair band more than hair tie. Also, we say schnock-ered instead of schnookered. Love your vids!

[@huskerjpg]

I live further south and west than Chicago here where I am in the Midwest. Here, "snockered" means drunk although it's not commonly used anymore, and "snookered" means to be tricked or taken advantage of in some sort of con.

[@Chicagomostly]

Greetings from the South Loop - yep, gym shoes (& gym shorts - not to be confused with Jim Shorts a Chicago radio sportscaster in the 1980s)

[@melissagoings1]

I was hoping to hear "persnickety." LOL My grandmother used it alot. Wisconsinite, here.😁

[@kamicrum4408]

Mine too!

[@kamicrum4408]

Mine too& persnickety was Not a complement!

[@melissagoings1]

@@kamicrum4408 Nope. Not good, at all.

[@hectorsmommy1717]

Going "Up North" in Wisconsin means going north of a line that roughly goes from Green Bay to Wausau to the Twin Cities. Lakes, cabin resorts, fishing, eating at supper clubs, etc. are all activities you do "Up Nort" According to a few FIBs I know, if you are in Chicago going Up North basically means going to Wisconsin, especially the Dells.

[@StephKajpust]

FIB. There's a good one. Hate it though, being that I'm from Chicago

[@beeragainsthumanity1420]

Anywhere north of Hwy 8.

[@TheGregEgg]

I use "FIB" all the time 😬

[@shawgeasland2096]

Yep, I have lived and worked most of my life in the Dells and FIBs is definitely a part of my vocabulary when not in a professional capacity.

[@johnfritz1164]

I was not familiar with FIB but I have heard Illinoisances. I also remember the billboards in Kenosha that said Faster than a car with Illinois plates.

[@Nonna3xs]

I was born and raised in Missouri and at 47 I have never heard many of these. I thank you for your videos I watch them for hours when I need a lift

[@seancollins3106]

to "go up north" is very common in MN. the most popular lakes/cabin region is about 2 hours north of the twin cities metro area. a LOT of people go there up there on summer weekends. I'm in the northwest metro and get to enjoy all of the cabin traffic leaving town on Fridays, and coming back on Sundays :/

[@pigpjs]

My grandma was from Ohio and even though she lived on the west coast continuously for 70+ years, she still said pop instead of soda.

[@Phishi]

I grew up in a smaller south Wisconsin town pre-internet, and we called them "stop and go lights". It doesn't seem to be as common now though! Also "going up north" was a common idiom for going camping or to a family cabin type situation, since often those were north, in the Dells and beyond.

[@bluesoup1240]

Former cheesehead, can confirm on both accounts.

[@barbaramelone1043]

I would have guessed stop and go lights were the ones at an intersection, that blink red or yellow, indicating that one should stop and then go, depending on traffic, or procceed with caution.

[@billolsen4360]

But "Going South" means failing, not something fun like going to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

[@janach1305]

Here in Washington State, we pronounce uff da as “oof-ta,” emphasis on the “oof.” I define it as a Norwegian version of “oy vey!” Here we generally say “stop light,” but never “stop and go light.” To be schnookered is to be cheated, and someone who gets schnookered is a schnook. I confess I was in college before I realized the term came from Yiddish rather than being a variant of chinook.

[@clarencesmith9580]

And they where called gym shoes in my Portland Oregon grade school back in the 1970's. Oh and we have Benson Bubblers on random street corners and we call them stop lights too.

[@schreds8882]

I believe schnookered is of Yiddish derivation and yes, it means a person who has been cheated or duped. It can also mean someone who is drunk to the point of being stupid and therefore easily duped.

[@gwjchris]

I grew up with oof dah as well as ish dah. Oof dah does serve a similar function as the Yiddish Oy vey. It is also a Swedish expression. Ish dah as an expression of disgust is a combination of ish (or more eesh) an Ojibwa term of disgust mixed with dah from Scandinavian uff dah. I suspect ish dah is pretty specific yo Minnesota where the Ojibwa and Scandinavians both live.

[@grifftech]

Central Illinois here and I love your vids!

[@wildermann9]

Since yu have Missouri in the /midwest spend time in the Ozarks! Some old expressions are disappearing but in small towns some persist. Fall and spring in the Ozarks are beaautiful and weather is usually good,

[@CallMeAL1]

“Go UP North” applies to IL, Wisconsin and MN too. Except in IL and southeastern Wisconsin it means specifically to go either to Door County (come visit us!) or to go up the the UP where the endless forests still exist.

[@stevepalmberg5905]

In MN it means Northern MN or Wisconsin North direction

[@bluesoup1240]

Being from Waukesha county, going “up nort” generally meant going anywhere more rural for camping, fishing, hiking or hunting or even just visiting family. I even heard relatives saying they were going “up nort” when the exact location was a hunting spot that was actually west of us. And no one ever questioned it, lol!

[@bonesaw17son]

You forgot eagle river!

[@aidanb.c.2325]

When I was a kid, I'd go visit my cousins in upstate NY and always noticed how nasally they sounded. And how they'd say words like crick instead of brook and aant instead of ahnt. When I got older, I realized it's because they sounded decidedly Midwestern and not Northeastern (the Boston to NYC spectrum) at all. The odd thing was that they lived barely an hour from me, and we were all rural, country kids. But those Taconics were a real linguistic barrier, apparently.

[@MeadeSkeltonMusic]

The Northeast accents are pretty nasal , imo. I'm from Virginia and we speak from the back of the throat and more relaxed.

[@MsMary-mg3ho]

Yes, we all say "ant" instead of "ahnt" in my family. Though I do recognize that it's spelled like "ahnt." 🙂

[@thelandofopie]

Up north? In Michigan it’s synonymous with vacation taken in the northern part of the state. Our population is largely in the southern most portion, so for us to go “up north” is away from population density. Sometimes we go as far as the U.P. Pronounced (you pee) to designate the upper peninsula.

[@scottmcnulty7336]

When I was a junior high student (middle school, aka). We were told we could not wear "street shoes" in the gym but must wear "gym shoes". Which was confusing since I wore sneakers/tennis shoes on the street and wasn't entirely clear what their issue was. This was in Colorado, so some stuff wasn't stuck in regions.

[@shanahanaman1]

Ive heard bubbler (Wisconsinite dad) and water fountain used, but it's always been called a "drinking fountain" to me

[@StephKajpust]

Living in Michigan for 15 years, I dispute "go up north". It can be for camping but specifically to go to northern Michigan or the UP to do so.

[@NathanMN]

I think it has different connotations in different parts of the Midwest: In Michigan it refers to the UP. In Chicago it refers to Wisconsin. And in Minnesota it refers to lake cabins in northern Minnesota.

[@grosseileracingteam]

Growing up in Metro Detroit, going up north always meant going north of metro Detroit. Usually north of Lansing. Everyone had a cottage or cabin, usually by a lake. Getting away from the city-even for a weekend, was the best. Boating,swimming,camping,fishing,hunting.bonfires at night. Still love living in Michigan. Gotta go get some pop at the party store.

[@nrrork]

Actually, I think my dislike for saying "pop" came from my dad's insatiable urge to tell dad jokes, well past it being appropriate. I'd be a kid and ask "Can I have some pop?" "I'm right here!" dad replied every damn time.... even if he wasn't the one I was asking. "SODA pop" "I'm not _soda_ your pop, I'm all the way your pop!"... Cute ONCE maybe, but imagine an entire childhood of having to guess the exact right way to phrase a simple question so I can get a REAL ANSWER!!!! I did not then nor do I now want to have to answer some sphinx riddle just to get a fricking SPRITE!!!!

[@stacyrussell460]

My dad was the same way. "How are you feeling, Dad?" & he'd always say "With my hands". He was full of zingers & groan-able dad jokes. I learned early on to word questions carefully just like you 😂.

[@Great_Wall_of_Text]

That is the first logical reason I have ever heard for calling pop "soda" Soda is carbonated water. Pop is what you get when you mix it with sugary/corn syrupy goodness. I keep some actual soda on hand for people who argue with me when I call pop "pop". If they want "soda" they get carbonated water. I do this because I'm a dad, and all dads are jerks. Not soda jerks, just the regular kind. You officially get a pass. You earned the right to call it what you like as far as I'm concerned. Dad jokes are supposed to be bad, but that qualifies as abuse.

[@MargaritaOnTheRox]

@@Great_Wall_of_Text Soda sounds nicer. People who use the word "pop" tend to sound very nasally when they say it. Displeasing to the ear. The soda you're talking about is soda water. It's what's used to make soda.

[@jenniferpearce1052]

@@MargaritaOnTheRox My college roommate pronounced pop "pap". As in smear. Just...no. I'll have a soda, please!

[@Great_Wall_of_Text]

@@MargaritaOnTheRox Soda water is used to make soda pop, and people who say soda when refering to pop always get a little insulting when defending their indefensable stance. Thay's why I call them soda jerks : )

[@jeffdege4786]

I'd always thought hotdish was a Minnesota thing. In Minnesota we also use to "go up north" to mean camping in the north woods, Arrowhead, Boundary Waters, etc. Or for camping in Canada.We'd not use this for camping if we had to go south to get there.

[@terryhiggins5077]

I grew up in southeast Ohio and we used crick alot, however it was always used to describe a very small creek, basicly the runoff in the hollers or small springs. Most had the water pressure of a garden hose or two at best.

[@saraross8396]

Schnookered can also mean "cheated" or "fooled". I'm pretty sure I've also heard it used in reference to being plastered (drunk). Funny how there's so many words and phrases for when one is on the sauce. That might make for an interesting video if you haven't done it yet. I had a feeling "hotdish" was potluck related given that casseroles, which is essentially what it is, are common at them.

[@tawnyprovince-ward2353]

Drunk AF is mostly what I heard schnookered as lol

[@beenaplumber8379]

My Minnesota mom used the word schnook to mean a rascally or impish little kid - like a term of endearment. I wonder if there's actually a specific German origin?

[@mizztab3677]

The word schnockered (verified spelling) is one I’ve heard in Indiana for drunk. Schnookered meant conned or tricked to me as well.

[@Kelnx]

I've heard "schnookered" to mean drunk, exhausted, worn out from a workout, and also used like the word "bamboozeled" or "hoodwinked". It's just one of those versatile nonsense words that changes with context.

[@charleskwiatkowski8380]

Agreed. Schnookered means fooled, deceived, or cheated. Schnackered means drunk, roughly equivalent to “pisssd”.

[@oscar_wildecat6208]

I've heard and used the term "gym shoes" here in southeast Kentucky as well as the term "tennis shoes". This could be related to the fact that there is (or was) a tradition (of sorts) of people from this area moving to the Cincinnati area to work in the factories and then retire back to the place they left -- bringing back the term with them.

[@lesliehermanns615]

Sneakers too!

[@destinisneath693]

I grew up in Michigan, so I heard gym shoes frequently....but only in a school context

[@lloovvaallee]

I've lived in Nebraska, Minnesota and now Wisconsin and I've never heard "stop and go light".

[@robertl4824]

or Michigan. i thought at first he meant a flashing red

[@EaginFoodie]

@@robertl4824 same. I was thinking flashing red or yellow

[@maryclarafjare]

Seems it's pretty local to rural Indiana?

[@janellegodin2934]

As a Canadian living in MB I thought it was the strange lights seen at yields to get on the highway in places like Minneapolis and not just standard traffic lights.

[@CK-tz8ek]

A stop and go light is what they call a regular traffic light in much of the Midwest. It’s more generational in my opinion than location.

[@mmstrux]

Padiddle, Holler Tail, and hair binder are new ones for me, and I've lived in the Midwest all my life.

[@lilsuzq32]

I love padiddle! I knew it shortly after I was born (1954) -- my mom and dad used it all the time!!

[@BlasphemyBaby]

As a lifelong resident of Minnesota, I've never heard most of these, but hotdish, "go up north," and "uff da" (see also: "ope") are very common. I honestly thought "go up north" was mostly a Minnesota and Wisconsin thing, since many more affluent people in the Twin Cities or lower Wisconsin cities (Madison, Milwaukee) have a cabin or preferred camping ground in the lake-covered woodlands of the northern parts of those two states, often used for short summer retreats.

[@cmarie1357]

Grew up in North Dakota, now live in South Dakota, I say Stop Lights, but I’ve never heard anyone say “Stop and Go Lights.”

[@jcamp7421]

Yes, I guess I have said stop lights too, but never go lights lol. stop n go is a gas station to me! 😂

[@veronicajaeger3604]

I'm from Milwaukee, and I always thought "bubbler" came from the fact that, back in the late 50s when I was tiny, most water fountains flowed continuously, or "bubbled." Apparently nobody worried about wasting water then. If one of my classmates was taking too long at the bubbler, the thirsty kid next in line would be likely to say, "Hey! Are you going to drink the whole lake?"

[@CallMeAL1]

“Bubbler” was a trademarked name for a specific model of drinking fountain made by Kohler Company that was discontinued in the 60s. Predictably, most structures that were built with drinking fountains in them in the region used Kohler products and that specific model name Stuck. I will never give up my “bubbler” no matter how many people I need to explain it to lol

[@amrys_argent]

When I was a kid and someone was taking too long at the water fountain, we'd tell them "don't drink Texas dry."

[@barbaramelone1043]

We said "Save some for the fish!"

[@angelal1607]

I am from northwestern Wisconsin and never heard “bubbler” until I moved to southern Wisconsin.

[@Khronogi]

From wisconsin. Got tired of the debate and call it a "water refreshment station"

[@kkay3]

These are mostly Great Lakes and Minnesota centric and rarely heard out on the lower plains. But the up/down, over/out directions were certainly used in Iowa. Up North implies some distance, while up just means north of where I am at the moment. Now I'm in Missouri, and apparently down means downhill or some such nonsense.

[@runningdrisk7]

Haha the stop and go lights, I was like ya I think I did and then your like maybe Minnesota and I was like ya I must have lol

[@mrspock2al]

I'm heading "up North" to visit the Yoopers, swim in the "crick", and enjoy a bottle of pop. A pasty with a brewsky would also hit the spot. Guess my state.

[@nekk-ra7080]

Is it safe to assume you're a Troll?

[@keithkearns93]

A state of mental instability

[@R.M.MacFru]

@@nekk-ra7080 ...I would think it's a safe assumption.

[@timmmahhhh]

I learned of a pasty in Mackinaw City where the waitress politely corrected me that it is NOT pronounced with a long a...oof. Very tasty meal.

[@bethhentges]

MI

[@jonsinclair7210]

I'm from Michigan and some of those I never heard. For us going up north means going to a more northern part of Michigan.

[@janv4897]

Wisconsinite here. Have always heard it as soda. Never heard anyone say pop. Yes we have pointed out seeing padiddles when on the road. I am guilty of calling it a bubbler. Now that I looked it up I understand why. Makes all the sense. We grew up in southeastern Wisconsin and have relatives near Eagle River, so have always said we're going up north. A hot dish sounds like a pot luck dinner to me. Uff da is a part of the Ole and Lena jokes that my Norwegian friend loves to tell. Haven't heard the term stop and go lights since I was a kid. Makes me feel nostalgic for the simpler times. I have always called them my tennis shoes, or simply, my tennnies. Snookered is drunk. I kinda think that I say creek and crick. Creek is more formal, and crick when speaking quickly or informally.

[@mariowalker9048]

Intresting, a lot of Wisconsinites like saying pop for soda

[@NathanMN]

Yes, Wisconsin is an oddity like that. The map in the video showed it as the only state in the Midwest where soda is prevalent, plus parts of Missouri and Illinois around St Louis. Wisconsin is the only place I've heard people use bubbler, and Tyme Machine for ATMs, which was apparently what a regional bank called them.

[@user-ii3vn8tn3q]

Boo-yah

[@angelal1607]

You’re from the southeastern part of the state. Things are different in the northwestern part of the state, where I grew up. I’d never heard “bubbler” until I moved to the southern part of WI. And where I’m from, we said “pop”.

[@73honda350]

In Wisconsin "go up north" is usually shortened to "up north" or just "up nort", and usually refers to going to or spending time at your cabin or lake spot somewhere north of the horizontal line running east-west thru Eau Claire to Appleton.

[@fredgreenm16]

South Central Minnesota here. I've never heard of the stop light thing and I say hair tie or scrunchy, depending on the type. As far as ufda, my mother and grandmother randomly say it if they are doing something difficult, like bending over to pick something up or trying to get out of a chair. We are part Norwegian. Almost any casserole dish is called a hot dish in my family. We do say pop instead of soda for the most part but my brother spent some time down south and now says soda more often.

[@roxanneconner7185]

I'm from Wisconsin, born and bred. I have never heard the term 'stop-and-go-lights,' but I can confirm that 'go up north,' is indeed used ubiquitously to mean go on vacation, to a cabin, lake, or campsite, even if the locale in question is actually south. For instance, I've got a summer job in Minneapolis, but this labor day I'm 'going up north' to my dad's family cabin, which is technically south-east of where I am. Also, having grown up in Wisconsin public schools, it actually blows my mind that 'gym shoes,' is a colloquialism. I thought that was what they were called everywhere. Thanks for the learning!!

[@MsMary-mg3ho]

I am also from Wisconsin, and we called them "tennis shoes" or "tennies." Gym shoes were shoes that you had to save for gym class like bowling shoes are only used in the bowling ally. We did, incidentally call the class "gym" not "P.E." like others I've heard.

[@jnmsks6052]

I grew up on Southwest Michigan, and now live in Southeast Michigan, and "Going Up North" is just a thing on the East side of the state. I don't ever remember anyone saying they were "going up North" when I was on the West side of the state. Not that they never did, but if it happened, it was more of a vacation, and not a "nearly every weekend in the Summer" thing like it is for so many people in Southeastern Michigan. Honestly, the two sides of the Lower Peninsula are sort of like completely different states.

[@christineearl6669]

Completely wrong. I grew up in Western Michigan and everyone I knew talked about going Up North. It’s an all over Michigan thing.

[@jnmsks6052]

@@christineearl6669 Maybe nobody in my town was wealthy enough to have a place "up North". Literally never heard one person mention it until I moved to the other side of the state.

[@pou618]

Most people saying up north are usually going somewhere on northbound I-75.

[@christineearl6669]

@@pou618 or 131 on the West side.

[@christineearl6669]

@@jnmsks6052 I’ve known many people with hunting/fishing cabins Up North. We didn’t have a permanent place, but went Up North to vacation many summers.

[@R.M.MacFru]

Michigan. I haven't heard the term "stop and go lights" since the sixties. Go up north does not mean camping. It means exactly that: you're going somewhere north of where you live, generally north of Saginaw. If you're going camping, then you say, "I'm going camping up north." 🙄 Gym shoes are also in Metro Detroit. Tough Tomatoes was never a thing here. It was usually Tough Luck, but if you wanted the alliteration, then it was Tough T*tties.

[@melanezoe]

I remember responding to a sibling saying “tuff (sic) titties” with “…said the kitty, but it’s sure good milk.” Got a whuppin’ for that.

[@hauptmann6]

Michigan here as well, "stop light" is the usual term I hear. Or "the light" As in Head down to the light and hang a left.

[@hexachord4828]

I have some older relatives in eastern Wisconsin, in the Oshkosh/Fox Valley area that say "stop and go lights".

[@PaunchyRobot]

In SE Wisconsin we usually say Stop Lights, I don't often hear the "and go"

[@nathantowns1999]

Lived 35 years in the US Midwest and I've NEVER heard padiddle

[@xione0825]

4:20 I think "crick" is also considered generally smaller than a "creek". a "crick" might even flow into a "creek", too. At least that is the meaning I learned growing up.

[@MsMary-mg3ho]

I remember we used to pronounce it "crick" when referring to a specific one, like "Pike's Creek" is "Pike's Crick" but the body of water is a creek. Not sure why, though. Maybe that was just my family...or maybe because we learned one way at home and the other at school. My mom used to tell a joke about a couple of lazy people sitting by the creek, and the woman would say, "Crick's risin', Paw." And he'd reply "Yup. Guess we're goners, Maw." (Too lazy to actually get up and move away from the water...) 😄

[@marshallegan527]

I grew up in a Norwegian family in the region of eastern North Dakota where most people are descendants of Scandinavians and in my experience of hearing and using "Uffda" is that it can have multiple meanings depending on the context: Dismay: Someone has told you about their hard day at work or bad personal news, you reply with "Uffda" Surprise : Someone has played a practical joke on you or you have received shocking news , you respond with "Uffda!" A retort to something funny: Someone has told you a funny story: you reply with "Uffda!" Contentment: "Uffda, that was a good time we had at Jerry's last night" Expressing physical exertion: *while lifting a 50 lbs. bag of dog food or fixing your car * you exclaim "Uffda! The closest I could approximate to it's meaning in American english is the phrase "oh boy" because it has similar multiple meanings depending on the context of the conversation.

[@jeanetteshawredden5643]

Good comparison.

[@cinnamonsugarcourtney6073]

I use 'hair thing' for the things you put your hair up with. Indiana Kentucky boarder here

[@LS-pe1rr]

i'm from illinois. my older family members refer to a loveseat (two-person couch) as a DAVENPORT.