Guide to Boston English

Ahnt (n.)  Your uncle’s wife.

Av (prop. n.)  An avenue with a long official name, for example, Mass-av (instead of Massachusetts Avenue) and Comm-av (rather than Commonwealth Avenue). For many years, the Boston Globe even used "av." (yes, in lower case) rather than "Ave."

The B’s (prop. n.)  The local NHL team. Also known as Da Broons.

Bang (v.)  Make an abrupt left turn (see hook for the right-turn equivalent): "He went to bang a left and take a uey but lost control." (Uey = U-turn.) For more normal turns, the appropriate word is "hang."

B’daydas (n.)  You can serve them mashed, or whipped or boiled.

Breakdown Lane (prop. n.)  Highway shoulder. Also, an oxymoron–the last place you want to break down in greater Boston is in the breakdown lane, especially during rush hour, when it becomes the high-speed lane (in some places, even legally).

Bzah (adj.)  Strange, weahd.

The Cape (prop. n.)  Massachusetts has two capes – Ann and Cod – but only the latter is The Cape.

Chahlz (prop.n.) The rivah.

Chowdah (n.)  Clams, milk, buttah.

Chowdahead (n., coll.)  Stupid person.

Connah (n.)  Where streets intersect.

Cuber (prop. n.)  Island south of Florida; capital is Havanner.

Dressa draw (n.)  Piece of bedroom furniture used for storing clothes.

Foddy (n.)  The numbah aftah thihdy-nine.

Fok (n.)  What you eat pahster with in the Noahth End.

Frappe (n.)  A milkshake, if you're from outside of New England. A cabinet, if you're from Rhode Island. And, well, a frappe (ice cream, milk, maybe syrup, mushed in a blendah) if you're from around heah. Ask for a milkshake in Boston, and you get milk and syrup.

Fudgicle (n.)  A Boston Fudgsicle.

Gahkablahka (n.)  Traffic tie-up caused by people looking at an accident on the other side of the road. Only in Boston could you get "gawker" and "blocker" to rhyme. Coined by long-time WEEI traffic reporter Kevin O’Keefe, who also came up with "stall ‘n’ crawl," "cram ‘n’ jam" and "snail trail."

Hahbah (n.)  What they dumped tea into in 1773.

Hahf-ahst (adj.)  Done without regard to detail.

Hahvid (prop. n.)  Country day school across the rivah.

Heah (v.)  Done with the eahs. "Listen my children and you shall heah of the midnight ride of Paul Reveah."

How why ya? (coll.)  How are you?

Kegga (n.)  A beeah bash.

Khakis (n.)  What you staht the cah with.

Live-n-kickin’ (adj.)  The only kind of lobstahs you’ll find at Boston deli countahs.

Noo Yok (prop. n.)  Small town about 200 miles southwest of Tremont Street.

Nowtheastah (n.)  Stowm that blows in from the wottah.

The Otha Side (prop. n.)  The rest of Boston to an East Boston resident (because the rest of the city is on "the otha side" of the tunnel).

Pahk (v.)  Cahn't do it in Hahvid Yahd. Not downtown eithah.

Pahluh (n.)  Front room in a triple decka, a.k.a., the living room.

Pichahs (n.)  They throw fastballs at Fenway Pahk.

Plenny a chahm (coll.)  What all houses for sale have, at least according to the brokers. Really old houses also tend to have "characta," especially if the roof and floors need to be replaced.

PSDS (n.)  What you get when you want to wear earrings (you know, one hole in each).

Rawregg (n.)  An uncooked egg.

Rawrout (coll.)  Meteorological condition characterized by low temperatures and a biting wind: "Boy, it’s wicked rawrout theah!"

Reveah (person)  He rode through Ahlington on a hoss shouting "To Ahms!"

Saddadee (prop. n.)  The day after Friday.

Shot (adj.)  Not tall.

Shuah (interjection) Of course.

Squeet (phrase)  "Let’s go eat," at least in Lynn.

Triple Eagle (prop. n.)  Somebody who went to Boston College High School, Boston College and Boston College Law School.  In some circles, more prestigious than a Hahvid degree.

Vinyihd, The (prop. n.)  Island south of the Cape.

Wicked (adj.)  Like "that was one wicked thick frappe."

Yiz (pron.)  You, plural. As in: "Ah yiz goin' down the Cape tomorrah?" (For Pittsburghers, see also, "Yins."  Southerners pronounce this "y'all.")

**Some of these definitions come from the Wicked Good Guide to Boston English, which has others not listed here. An article in the Boston Globe in 2002 noted that far from a single Boston-area "sound" to the ear, there are at least a dozen different pronounciations for English, based on different parts of Boston metro. What we've given you is a pretty middle-of-the-road guide.