DrTom wrote: ↑Fri Apr 09, 2021 5:43 pm
And then there is NE PA.....
DrTom
Come to New England and ask a local for directions - you are just as likely to get them including "turn left where the firehouse used to be" or head toward Centerville which is not a town but a name of a village that was incorporated into a town 100 years ago. The best is in Boston which is a combination of many towns over the years but they never changed the names so there are four different Washington Streets in Boston - (Boston, Jamaica Plain, Brighton, the South End)
My favorite New England directions?
Q - "Can I take this road to Portland?"
A - "Uh-yup. But they got plenty a roads up there already."
Q - "Ah. Have you lived here all your life?"
A - "Not yet."
On a business trip to Ireland in pre-GPS days, my boss and I got lost and asked a local: “Excuse me, which way to Dublin?” The local took off his cap and scratched his head. “Ah, to be sure,” he said. “If I was going to Dublin, I wouldn’t start from here!”
Re: "The Play's The Thing" - April 9, 2021
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 8:54 am
by SewYoung
Heading up to the lake for a few days. Y'all come up and join me.
Not that I should talk, being from Philly. "Do yous wants some jawn? That jawn made me need to drink some wudder."
And then there is NE PA (Scranton - home of the Office) where the English language is used sparingly.
Ah, I used to have to spend 3 days a week in Scranton. Flew in from the 'burgH and always thought of Harry Chapin's "30,000 Pounds of Bananas" every time I passed the highway sign for Moosic. Loved how the building across from the Erie-Lackawanna Station/Hotel had a mural of a map of the town on it. I always knew there was an escape route at hand.
DrTom wrote: ↑Fri Apr 09, 2021 5:43 pm
Finally, to complete my PA vagabondness, I lived in Philly but "jawn" escapes me? Is that some implication of talking (jawing)?
Another Philadelphia-born Muggle checking in. Must admit to never hearing the word "Jawn" until this exchange. Learn something every week from this group!!
Re: "The Play's The Thing" - April 9, 2021
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 10:58 am
by Olaf
Hurray! Made it after a couple of weeks with Isaac. Once the initial hints of the meta jumped out, the rest followed (with some google help).
Re: "The Play's The Thing" - April 9, 2021
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 11:07 am
by steveb
The talk of accents reminds me of a visit to a pizza place in Boston, where the waitress asked if we wanted "ohdagahla bread." As I sat there wondering what kind of regional specialty that might be, my wife, a lifelong Californian, interpreted for me that she had asked if we wanted an order of garlic bread.
Bob cruise director wrote: ↑Fri Apr 09, 2021 8:53 pm
DrTom
Come to New England and ask a local for directions - you are just as likely to get them including "turn left where the firehouse used to be" or head toward Centerville which is not a town but a name of a village that was incorporated into a town 100 years ago. The best is in Boston which is a combination of many towns over the years but they never changed the names so there are four different Washington Streets in Boston - (Boston, Jamaica Plain, Brighton, the South End)
As for street signs, the city saves money by not putting signs for the main thoroughfares (only the side streets) at a lot of intersections. Before GPS, it was easy to have no idea what street you were on.
Then there's the fact that there are over 600,000 (well pre-corona at least) college students living there, each of which seems to have stolen at least one of the signs that did exist.
Then there's the street named Worcester Square in the south end.
I spent three months in Boston one weekend, thirteen months ago, moving my daughter there. We entered the city in a baptism of fire in an underpowered U-Haul, dragging her small SUV on a trailer. Even GPS gave up at several critical turns & lane changes
We survived by taking the same attitude toward driving that the locals do: That's my lane you're in & my truck + SUV are bigger than whatever you're driving. The consistent one-finger salutes were taken as sincere & friendly compliments on my driving skills.
Happens every year. Someone moving into Harvard, MIT, or BU gets the U-Haul stuck under the low clearance underpass on Memorial Drive.
Re: "The Play's The Thing" - April 9, 2021
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 11:41 am
by beccacollins
Quick trip to shore for me this week! I'll have a Familia de la Reserva tequila!
Re: "The Play's The Thing" - April 9, 2021
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 11:52 am
by Limerick Savant
Al Sisti wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:19 pm
(With apologies to Limerick Savant)
I’m sitting with toes in the sand,
A frothy-topped Guinness in hand.
With practice I find
That my meta skills shine,
But my limericks aren’t very good.
No apologies necessary
I too am ashore on dry land
But prefer my stout pulled and not canned
I’m impressed with your knack,
Of course taking a tack
That arrives at an end that’s unexpected
Re: "The Play's The Thing" - April 9, 2021
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 12:09 pm
by BarbaraK
At a Greek restaurant in southeastern Virginia, a friend ordered baklava for dessert, and the waitress asked, “Juwaneedet?” After a couple exchanges of blank looks and repetition, the local at the table said, very slowly, as you would to someone not fully fluent - or maybe just not very bright - “Do. You. Want. It. Heated?”
Re: "The Play's The Thing" - April 9, 2021
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 12:14 pm
by Ann
Ashore!
Re: "The Play's The Thing" - April 9, 2021
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 12:18 pm
by Limerick Savant
Sat with pen and WSJ over breakfast and quickly spied the meta mechanism and was positive that I solved it even before finishing the grid. Then the curse of the Scottish play must have caught me. The three witches cast an unexpectedspell that threw off my final confirmation. It took some unplanned (see my previous post) research online to find the alternative.
Google, Google, horn of Flügel.
Limerick likes to be more frugal
I'm from Boston, now in south central PA. The one that got me was "a while". You want to order a while? I don't think I'll have a while, but maybe a chesseburger?
I’m from Southeastern PA, and can explain “a while.” The Pennsylvania German Dialect (aka Pennsylvania Dutch) was widely spoken and Dutchisms have crept into the local English. The Dialect word “eweil” (from German “eine Weile”) means “now,” “in the meantime” or “meanwhile.” It is obviously quite close to the English “a while.” “Redd up” however originated in Middle English “redden,” fused with “tidy up.” “Redd” is also used now in Scotland.
Thank you! I grew up in Berks County, PA and I always wondered about “red(d)”. My mom used to tell me to “red the table” (clean up the table after the meal) and I’ve been curious as to the origin of the word.
You're welcome! I've lived in Berks County all but 7 years of my life.
Bob cruise director wrote: ↑Fri Apr 09, 2021 8:53 pm
DrTom
Come to New England and ask a local for directions - you are just as likely to get them including "turn left where the firehouse used to be" or head toward Centerville which is not a town but a name of a village that was incorporated into a town 100 years ago. The best is in Boston which is a combination of many towns over the years but they never changed the names so there are four different Washington Streets in Boston - (Boston, Jamaica Plain, Brighton, the South End)
My favorite New England directions?
Q - "Can I take this road to Portland?"
A - "Uh-yup. But they got plenty a roads up there already."
Q - "Ah. Have you lived here all your life?"
A - "Not yet."
On a business trip to Ireland in pre-GPS days, my boss and I got lost and asked a local: “Excuse me, which way to Dublin?” The local took off his cap and scratched his head. “Ah, to be sure,” he said. “If I was going to Dublin, I wouldn’t start from here!”
Now THAT'S funny!
Re: "The Play's The Thing" - April 9, 2021
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 1:02 pm
by DrTom
Well now, I have, with all this "Philly speak" been reminded of an old (very old obviously) Stan Freberg piece. I imagine in Philadelphia it would go:
Jawn Marsha
Jawn Marsha
Jawn? uh Marsha
JAWN! MARSHA
etc.
DrTom wrote: ↑Fri Apr 09, 2021 5:43 pm
Finally, to complete my PA vagabondness, I lived in Philly but "jawn" escapes me? Is that some implication of talking (jawing)?
Another Philadelphia-born Muggle checking in. Must admit to never hearing the word "Jawn" until this exchange. Learn something every week from this group!!
My favorite "jawn" is a to-die-for treat from a bakery called Sweetbox in the Washington Square West area. Birthday cake, cookie dough topped with cake batter butter cream frosting.
And according to this authoritative article, all Philly restaurants are now REQUIRED by the Mayor to contain the word "jawn" on their menus.
Re: "The Play's The Thing" - April 9, 2021
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 2:00 pm
by DrTom
Joe Ross wrote: ↑Sat Apr 10, 2021 6:15 am
I spent three months in Boston one weekend, thirteen months ago, moving my daughter there. We entered the city in a baptism of fire in an underpowered U-Haul, dragging her small SUV on a trailer. Even GPS gave up at several critical turns & lane changes
We survived by taking the same attitude toward driving that the locals do: That's my lane you're in & my truck + SUV are bigger than whatever you're driving. The consistent one-finger salutes were taken as sincere & friendly compliments on my driving skills.
Well I can tie your Boston stories and weave in a Pittsburg as well. In January 1978 I went to Boston to interview at the Doctoral program at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. Of course I arrived in between two of the bigger storms that have hit Boston. The trip, as you might imagine, did not go well. I had never been in Boston and arrived with the snow piled bus high along the streets. Getting anywhere was a challenge and 10 minutes before the interview my soft contact lens ripped in my eye and I had to go to the ER instead of the interview, to get it out. The interview was abbreviated and of course not fruitful.
To add insult to rejection, several weeks later I had an interview in Pittsburgh at Duquesne University and yes I drove there during possible the WORST storm the East Coast had seen in some time. My rather old and beaten Pontiac almost gave up the ghost several times and I spent lots of time trying to clear my windscreen of slush and ice. That interview also did not go well.
As a matter of fact I have some sort of track record for Doctoral program interviews, at University of Utah, because of some problems with the fogging of the runway and need to return to Denver I never got to bed until 2:30 AM and was awakened at 4:00 to catch the plane to SLC. When I did get there I was in my flying clothes (suitcases had to stay on the plane for an early departure) with a day’s worth of beard and no shower. I cleaned up as well as I could in the airport bathroom and went to the interview. Halfway through the crucial interview with the Dean of the Program, in the rather warm room, in a comfy chair, I fell fast asleep. Thankfully they must have seen something in me because I did get into that one and their residency.
I HATE interviews….
Re: "The Play's The Thing" - April 9, 2021
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 2:53 pm
by PHOFER
Boston since the Big Dig was dug and done is a different city. Almost pleasant. Almost.
(I can say that as the spouse of a former denizen of the North Shore.)
Speaking of shore I’m on one. Happy to have an easier than usual meta.
Re: "The Play's The Thing" - April 9, 2021
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 3:12 pm
by jenirvin
Boat? What boat? Straight to shore, and thankful that the degree in English lit finally paid off.
.
