1. Grachki (grach'-key): Chicagoese for "garage key" as in,
"Yo, Theresa, waja do wit da grachki? Howmy supposta cut da grass if I
don'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 the 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 the Jewels down on Kedzie, over by dere."
8. Kaminski Park : The mispronounced name of the ballpark where
the Chicago White Sox (da Sox) play baseball. Comiskey Park was
renamed
U.S. Cellular Field (da Cell)
9. Frunchroom: As in, "Get outta da 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 The Lake, south of The Zoo (Lincoln
Park Zoo)
and north of Soldier Field.
12. The Lake: Lake Michigan (What other lake is there?) It's
often used by local weathermen, "cooler by The Lake."
14. Braht: Short for Bratwurst. "Gimme a braht wit kraut."
15. Goes: Past or present tense of the verb "say." For example,
"Den 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 runs."
19. The Taste: The 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. "Jeetyet?": 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 Mike, dere any beerz left
in da cooler over by dere?"
"Yeh, a cuppa too-tree."
23. 588-2300: Everyone in Chicago knows this commercial jingle
and the carpet company you'll get if you call that number -- Empire!
24. Junk Dror: 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. This is where
Smothers' is from....
26. Expressways: The Interstates in the immediate Chicagoland
area are usually known just by their 'name' and not their Interstate
number: the Dan Ryan ("da Ryan"), the Stevenson, the Kennedy (da
"Kennedy"), the Eisenhower (da "Ike"), and the Edens (just "Edens" but
Da Edens" is acceptable).
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! =============
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