CHICAGO SLANG
1. Grachki (grach'-key): Chicagoese for "garage key" as in, "Yo,
Theresa, waja do wit da grachki? Howmy supposta cut da grass if I can't
git intada grach?"
2. Sammich: Chicagoese for sandwich. When made with sausage, it's
a sassage sammich; when made with shredded beef, it's an Italian Beef
sammich, a local delicacy consisting of piles of spicy meat in a
perilously soggy bun.
3. Da: This article is a key part of Chicago speech, as in "Da
Bears" or "Da Mare" (the latter denoting Richard M. Daley, or Richie,
as
he's often called).
4. Jewels: Not family heirlooms or a tender body region, but a
popular name for one of the region's dominant grocery store chains.
"I'm goin' to Jewels to pick up some sassage."
5. Field s: Marshall Field, a prominent Chicago department store.
Also Carson Pirie Scott, another major department store chain, is simply
called " Carson 's."
6. Tree: The number between two and four. "We were lucky dat we
only got tree inches of snow da udder night."
7. Over by dere: Translates to "over by there," a way of
emphasizing a site presumed familiar to the listener. As in, "I got the
sassage at Jewels down on Kedzie, over by dere."
8. KaminskiPark: The mispronounced name o f the ballpark where
the Chicago White Sox (da Sox) play baseball. Comiskey Park was
recently renamed U.S. Cellular Field (da Cell).
9. Frunchroom: As in, "Getottada frunchroom wit dose muddy
shoes." It's not the "parlor." It's not the "living room." In the land
of the bungalow, it's the "frunchroom," a named derived, linguists
believe, from "front room."
10. Use: Not the verb, but the plural pronoun 'you!' "Where use
goin'?"
11. Downtown: Anywhere near Da Lake, south of Da Zoo (Lincoln
Park Zoo) and north of Soldier Field.
12. The Lake: Lake Michigan . (What other lake is th e re?) It's
often used by local weathermen, "cooler by Da Lake."
13. BoysTown: A section on Halsted between Belmont and Addison
which is lined with gay bars both sides of the street. "Didn't I see
use in BoysTown in front of da Manhole?"
14. Braht: Short for Bratwurst. "Gimme a braht wit kraut."
15. Goes: Past or present tense of the verb "say." For example,
"Then he goes, 'I like this place'!"
16. Guys: Used when addressing two or more people, regardless of
each individual's gender.
17. Pop: A soft drink. Don't say "soda" in this town. "Do ya
wanna canna pop?"
18. Sliders : Nickname for hamburgers from White Castle , a
popular midwestern burger chain. "Dose sliders I had last night gave me
da shits."
19. &n bsp; The Taste: Da Taste of Chicago Festival, a huge
extravaganza in Grant Park featuring samples of Chicagoland cuisine
which takes place each year around the Fourth of July holiday.
20. "Jieetyet?": Translates to, "Did you eat yet?"
21. Winter and Construction: Punch line to the joke, "What are
the two seasons in Chicago ?"
22. Cuppa Too-Tree: is Chicagoese for "a couple, two, three"
which really means "a few." For example, "Hey Mikey, dere any of dem
beerz left in da cooler over by dere?" "Yeh, a cuppa too-tree."
23. 588-2300: Every one in Chicago knows this commercial jingle
and the carpet company you'll get if you call that number -- Empire!
(Famous for their salesmen using 30 inch yard sticks to measure your
home for carpeti ng).
24. Junk Djor: You will usually find the 'junk drawer' in the
kitchen filled to the brim with miscellaneous... but very important,
junk.
25. Southern Illinois : Anything south of I-80.
26. Expressways: The Interstates in the immediate Chicagoland
area are usually known just by their 'name' and not their Interstate
number: Da Dan Ryan ("Da Ryan"), da Stevenson, da Kennedy, da
Eisenhower (da "Ike"), and da Edens.
27. Gym Shoes: The rest of the country may refer to them as
sneakers or running shoes, but Chicagoans will always call them gym
shoes!
