Boston slang

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Contents 1 Slang terms 1.1 A 1.2 B 1.3 C 1.4 D 1.5 E 1.6 F 1.7 G 1.8 H 1.9 I 1.10 J 1.11 K 1.12 L 1.13 M 1.14 N 1.15 O 1.16 P 1.17 R 1.18 S 1.19 T 1.20 U 1.21 V 1.22 W 1.23 Y 1.24 Z 2 See also 3 External links

Boston slang consists of words and phrases of slang originating from and commonly used in Boston. Though most often used in Boston, the slang can also be heard in other cities of Massachusetts or even other New England states, though not always as frequently. Some terms are less commonly heard outside of the Boston area than others; some are not used at all outside of Boston.

[edit] Slang terms

[edit] A

• ABI - American Born Irish; someone of Irish descent born in the United States who enthusiastically admires Ireland and Irish culture.
• alls - common substitute for "all that." ("Alls I know," "alls I want," etc.)
• "Ally-Ally In-Come-Free"- A proclamation to players of "Tag" or "Hide-n-Seek", that they may return to a common area free of consequence as it may pertain to the game being played

[edit] B

• bagged - arrested; "He got bagged for a DUI."; (Driving Under the Influence)
• ...as/like balls - used to exaggerate a statement, often about the weather; can be used both positively and negatively ("The Red Sox played like balls today" or "It's warm as balls in here")
• bang - to make a left turn (often, "bang a left"; also used often as "bang a U-ie" - make a U turn); sometimes used interchangeably with hang
• barney - a Harvard student or graduate (used by working class residents of Somerville), apparently in reference to trolley barns near the university.
• barrel - trash can
• Baruchline - Brookline, an inner suburb with a large Jewish population, often paired with Jewton instead of Newton.
• The Basement - Filene's Basement, a department store in Downtown Crossing. The store is a regional chain with stores across the area and is no longer affiliated with Filene's parent company, Federated Department Stores, which has converted Filenes to Macy's.
• bazo - a pothead; used mostly in South Boston (rare)
• Beacon Hill - the Massachusetts government, particularly the State legislature
• Beantown - Boston (never used by Bostonians)
• beat - Used to describe something as bad. "I saw that new movie last night. It was beat."
• Bev-town" - Beverly, MA (Used only by residents of Beverly)
• Big Dig - the Central Artery Tunnel Project
• Blue Line - one of the many "T" subway lines which starts at Bowdoin and ends at Wonderland. Also used as derogatory slang for example "this cup of coffee tastes like the Blue line" or "Hey Tommy, your girlfriend smells like the Blue line".
• The Bob Loboat - The Boston Harbor Island Ferry that docks in Rowes Wharf
• bobos - Cheap no-name sneakers.
• bomb (1) - Really awesome (example: "That movie was (the) bomb!")
• bomb (2) - moving at a rapid pace (example: "We were bombing down the Pike!")
• BoSox - See Sox (Seldom used within New England except by sportscasters and writers, national slang to differentiate from the ChiSox, or White Sox of Chicago. Used regionally to differentiate from the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox, aka the PawSox.)
• "Boston Special" - A couple comprised of a hot or exceptionally cute girl, and a hideous cretin of a man
• Brahmin - Boston Brahmin
• breakdown lane - right margin or shoulder on highways used for broken down vehicles. Cars can drive in the breakdown lane at certain hours on some Massachusetts highways.
• Da Broons - Reference to the Boston Bruins, also often called The B's. The Bruins AHL affiliate from Providence are referred to as the Baby B's.
• bulkhead - outdoor entrance to the basement
• booted - 1. To be ejected or removed from a building or event. 2. To have one's car be incapacitated by the placement of a lock on one's front wheel, usually due to one's negligence in the payment of parking tickets. 3. To vomit.
• Bruins Chicks - Young female Boston Bruins Hockey Team fans, during the period of 1979-1994 (approximately). Notorious for their big hair, Bruins replica jerseys, and rowdy behavior. Mostly hailing from North Shore communities of Massachusetts.
• bubbler - a drinking fountain
• The Boys - the cops, the police
• The balls - Used to describe something positive, like: "I saw The J. Geils Band at the Garden last night, it was the balls."
• "Bumfuck, Mass." - Term used to describe a rural area or small town far from metropolitan Boston. Often used in a somewhat disparaging way.

[edit] C

• calm your liver - chill out (uncommon)
• The Cape - Cape Cod
• chowdah [chowder] - New England clam chowder, or occasionally fish chowder. Never, never, the Manhattan variety of clam chowder.
• chowderhead (sometimes chowdahead) - Often refers to a New Englander, at one time meant a person to laugh at or stupid person but has evolved to be a lighter term that has been embraced by those to whom it refers.
• Chuck Rivah - the Charles River (Never used anymore)
• City of Sin - Lynn, Massachusetts, from the rhyme "Lynn, Lynn, city of sin, you never come out the way you went in."
• cleanser - dry cleaner; used more often in the names of dry cleaning shops than in actual speech
• Comm Ave - Commonwealth Avenue
• The Combat Zone - the red light district of Boston that used to exist between Downtown Crossing and Chinatown, now refurbished
• The Cawmin [The Common] - Boston Common
• Cow Hampshire - derogatory term for New Hampshire
• cruiser [pron. crew-zah] - a police car
• cocked - drunk

[edit] D

• Dewey - Dwight Evans, former Right Fielder for the Red Sox who won eight Gold Gloves.
• Deluxebury - Duxbury, Massachusetts, affluent south shore town. Part of the Irish Riviera.
• directional - noun., turn signal
• docksiders (pronounced "docksidahs") - noun, brown boat shoes
• Dot - Dorchester, Massachusetts
• Dot Ave - Dorchester Avenue
• down cellar (pronounced "down sellah") - adj., contraction of "down in the cellar", refers to being located in the basement
• Down East - A section of the Maine coast that is actually north of Boston

• down the Cape - Referring to going to or being at Cape Cod
• d-tech - An undercover police car
• dust - PCP (angel dust), a drug most commonly used in the 80's, rare nowadays.
• dusted - Referring to marijuana that has been laced with a powder drug, usually (but not always) PCP.
• digger - (pronounced "diggah") to fall down, typically on one's face. "Joey took a diggah!"

[edit] E

• Eastie - East Boston (Used almost exclusively by people from East Boston)
• elastic - rubber band
• The E - the predominantly Irish neighborhood of East Milton.
• The East End - The area of East Lexington around Mass. Ave.
• East Bumfuck - a variation of Bumfuck, Mass.

[edit] F

• the flat of the Hill - the portion of Beacon Hill between Charles Street and Storrow Drive
• frappe [pron. frap] - what some might erroneously refer to as a "milkshake"; the term milkshake has a separate use (see below)

[edit] G

• G-Vegas - Gardner, Mass. aka the Chair City. "Let's head down Route 2 to G-Vegas and sit on the big chayah!"
• The Gahden - a reference to the Boston Garden or the TD Banknorth Garden, home of the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins
• greenie - an urban empty lot overgrown with weeds.
• grinder [pron. "grind-ah"] - A submarine sandwich. Some insist that a
• greaser (gree-zuh) - Tongue-in-cheek term for an Italian

[edit] H

• hang - to make a right turn (often, "hang a right"); sometimes used interchangeably with bang
• H-Dub - Refers to Hamilton-Wenham, where both towns use the same school district. (Used by high school residents of said towns only.)
• hibo [pron. "high-bow"] - the Ancient Order of Hibernians; a member of the AOH; its meeting hall
• the Hill - Beacon Hill or Mission Hill
• Hoobanger - (pronounced who-banga) A large party.
• Hoodsie (1) - A small cup of vanilla and chocolate ice-cream from the HP Hood Company. Eaten with a thin wooden spoon that comes with the Hoodsie.
• hoodsie (2) - In neighborhoods such as South Boston and Dorchester it refers to a precocious minor female who tries to appear older or wants to date older teenage boys or young men. The term is considered derogatory: "He'll get bagged if he keeps dating that hoodsie." One popular explanation says that the expression comes from the idea that the small cup a Hoodsie ice cream treat comes in is the same size as the bra cup of a hoodsie. A second popular, but more off-color explanation refers to HP Hood's one-time advertising slogan for the Hoodsie ice cream treat: "Short and sweet and good to eat."
• hook - used interchangeably with hang; ("hook a right")
• The Hub - Boston; shortened from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.'s phrase The Hub of the Solar System (often misremembered as Universe) (seldom used in conversation, but seen often in writing and advertisements, e.g. in the Boston Globe)
• The Heights - Short for Arlington Heights, an area in the west side of Arlington. Might be used in a sentence like: "I'll meet you at Brigham's, up the Heights." It can also refer an area in North Medford.

[edit] I

• the Irish Riviera - the South Shore coastal suburbs to the southeast of Boston such as Hingham, Weymouth and especially Marshfield (see "Marsh Vegas") and Scituate.

[edit] J

• Jamaica Spain - The Jamaica Plain area in Boston, so named because of its large Spanish-speaking population
• The Jetties - refers to Jetties Beach in Nantucket
• JP - Jamaica Plain. Also known as "The JP".
• Jew Hill Ave - derogatory term used for Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan. Comes from a time when Mattapan was a mostly Jewish neighborhood.
• Jewton - Newton, an inner suburb with a large Jewish population, often paired with Baruchline instead of Brookline.

[edit] K

• kid - a male of any age, not just youth. Sometimes used at the end of a name, e.g. Jimmy-kid.

[edit] L

• lace curtain Irish - a person of Irish descent who is moving up the social ladder; ("After they moved to the Point, they became lace curtain Irish.")
• the Law School - Harvard Law School
• the Leather District - the neighborhood surrounding South Street in Boston, east of Chinatown.
• "Let's go, Southie, let's go!" - rallying cry for South Boston High School, used by anti-integration activists during the Boston busing crisis
• "light dawns on Marblehead" - used when a dense person finally realizes something. Also any variation such as, Dawn breaks on Marblehead.
• "like a bastard" - an excess of something ("It's raining like a bastard outside.")
• "like the shitballs" - variation of "like a bastard", use almost exclusively in Brighton
• the Lower End - that part of South Boston around the Broadway MBTA station
• lit - the state of being under the influence of narcotics, usually marijuana

[edit] M

• Maine-iac - derogatory term for Maine driver or resident, on par with Masshole
• Man's Greatest Hospital - Massachusetts General Hospital (alternatively, the medical-industrial complex)
• Manch-Vegas - nickname for Manchester, New Hampshire
• Marsh Vegas, Marshfield, Massachusetts - on the "Irish Riviera."
• Mass Ave - Massachusetts Avenue, A prominent thouroughfare running from the South End of Boston through Cambridge, Arlington and Lexington
• Massholes - derogatory term for residents of Massachusetts, especially of Boston drivers (popular in New Hampshire and Maine), now sometimes worn as a badge of honor by life-long residents of the state, especially when visiting Northern New England.
• Me'fah or Med'fah - Medford, Massachusetts; an exaggerated pronunciation of the way the city's name is supposed to sound when it's pronounced by its residents; even if no one in Medford pronounces it that way, people living in Greater Boston will refer to the city by that name. Residents generally pronounce it "Med'fid".
• Middle - nickname for the shopping and residential area along Massachusetts Avenue between Harvard Square and Porter Square. Residents refer this area as "The Middle".
• milkshake - milk mixed with flavored syrup; differs from frappe by not including ice cream
• mint - Used to describe an attractive person. "Maria Menounos is mint."
• The Mother Church - First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston
• Mush - a term of endearment, most often used in the Nonantum, Massachusetts neighborhood of Newton with a large Italian population and a specific subset of Boston slang.
• "my-in"- (mine), for example: "Get your own frappe, this one's my-in!"
• maggot - derogatory term, similar to a jerk

[edit] N

• "No suh!" [No sir, compare "no sirree"] - "No way!". The appropriate response is "Ya suh!"
• Nor'easter - A strong winter storm with winds emanating from the northeast

[edit] O

• The Orange Dinosaur - A Big orange dinosaur on Rt. 1 Saugus, part of a mini-golf course & batting cages.
• "Off-Cape" - Anything off of Cape Cod (to Cape Codders).

• Off the Boat - Used to describe a European immigrant, usually from Ireland
• O-Town - Town of Orange, located in western mass.

[edit] P

• packie (also package store) - liquor store
• Pats - the New England Patriots
• the People's Republic - Cambridge (alternatively, seven square miles surrounded by reality)
• Pesky's Pole - the rightfield foul pole in Fenway Park, named after Red Sox infielder Johnny Pesky.
• The Pike - the Massachusetts Turnpike, also the Mass Pike
• pissa (1) - cool, good: "You hit the Lottery? That's pissa man."; less commonly it can be used instead of pissed to mean drunk: "I had ten beers last night. I was wicked pissa!"
• pissa! (2) - used as an exclamation when something goes wrong: "Oh pissa!", he shouted as his car keys fell down the storm drain.
• the Point - the City Point area of South Boston
• pol(s) - politician(s), political operative
• Port-a-gee - derogatory term for someone of Portuguese ancestry or origin
• Provi - nickname for Providence, Rhode Island
• P-town - Provincetown, Massachusetts
• Po-town - Portsmouth, New Hampshire
• The Pru - The Prudential Center
• The Pit - A gathering place outside the Harvard Square MBTA Station, known for its eclectic mix of street performers, rowdy teenagers, homeless people and others.

[edit] R

• ripper - a kegger or a big, wild party
• Red Sox Nation - the collective group of Sox fans that span the US and beyond. Red Sox Nation is seen in the immense crowds of Sox fans that gather even at visiting parks.
• Reefer Tech - Otherwise known as the Joseph P. Keefe Technical School located in Framingham. Popular in the mid 1970's through the early 1980's.
• re-re or re-rah - an idiot; ("He's a wicked re-re."). A derogatory variation on "retarded".
• Retarded - Pronounced "retahded", it is generally used with a negative connotation, although it is not as derogatory as in many other regions. Often preceded by "wicked," as in "He's wicked retahded."
• Rhodie - someone who is from Rhode Island
• The River - the Charles River
• Ros, Rozzie - Roslindale
• Route 9 High - Mass Bay Community College in Wellesley. Can also mean Framingham State College. Both schools' campuses are on or near Route 9.
• Rox - Roxbury
• Rugrat-Derogatory term for a person from a bad neighborhood
• Rip-shit- 1. A state of drunkenness 2. A state of anger 3. A state of drunkenness and anger
• The Rez - Short for the reservoir, in Arlington or Lexington

[edit] S

• says - [dialect] used by many Bostonains in place of said ie. "So I says to the guy, I says." of "An' he says to me."
• Salt and Pepper Bridge - the Longfellow Bridge, crosses the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge, named because the towers on the bridge resemble salt and pepper shakers.
• Severe - A term used when referring to the town of Revere
• shanty Irish - poor or working class person of Irish descent.
• shiesty - A term meaning someone or something is shady or sketchy. "Those kids standing on the corner are wicked shiesty." Or "The food here looks wicked shiesty"
• shtetetl- referring to the town of Sharon
• skally - a driving cap or an ivy cap that has a snap-button front

sketchy- suspicious, untrustworthy, or calling attention to police "that kid looks wicked sketchy" sketchball- "that kids a wicked sketchball"

• skid - a loser or lowlife. "His brother is a real skid."
• skidder - referring to someone who bums (borrows) money from friends. Pronounced "skiddah"
• "Slamhearst" - Used to describe UMass Amherst.
• Slummerville - A derogatory term for Somerville, referring to its working-class population. Now rarely used due to gentrification. Also Scummerville.
• Smells 'n' Bells - The Church of the Advent, an Anglo-Catholic parish on Beacon Hill noted for its high church liturgy
• smoot - a unit of measurement used to mark the length of the Harvard Bridge. Also used as a point of reference by MIT students; ("Are you past the 182 (smoot mark) yet?" "Nah, we're still in Hell.")
• SoBro - South Brookline. Used as a term of pride by teenage residents of the area.
• So don't I - pleonasm [1] used to agree with a statement; a replacement for "So do I" or "Me, too"; ("I like the Red Sox." "So don't I.")
• Southie - South Boston; also used for residents of the area
• spa - neighborhood shop that sells groceries, soda fountain drinks, sandwiches (or other prepared food) and miscellaneous notions. Spas of this sort include the Hillside Spa Cardoza Brothers, on Hancock Street, or the Brookline Spa in Brookline.
• spuckie - submarine sandwich, or the bread it was made with. Rarely used anymore. Replaced by "sub".
• SoWa - the southern portion of Washington Street in Boston. A term created by the real estate industry and not used in common speech.
• Sox (also The Sox) - the Boston Red Sox; pronounced "socks" or "sawx"
• The Square - Harvard Square
• Stab'n Kill - A derogatory term for the Dorchester neighborhood of Savin Hill. The term refers to a past history of violence in that neighborhood.
• statie - Massachusetts State Police Trooper; also called a Trooper (pronounced: Troopah)

[edit] T

• The T - the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority; also used for services run by the MBTA, particularly the Subway. Taken from the MBTA's logo, a block-letter T within a circle.
• Taxachusetts - derogatory political state title and comparative reference to the limited taxation of neighboring New Hampshire
• The Teddy or The Ted - The Ted Williams Tunnel
• time - A retirement or going-away party; ("Did you hear Sully's retiring?" "Yeah, they're having a time for him down Florian Hall.") Also refers to political fundraisers.
• The Tip - The Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Tunnel
• Toasterville - Alternative name for the town of Milton. Named after the talking toaster featured in the 1970's ads for Kellogg's Pop Tarts. Popular in the early to mid 1980's.
• tonic - Any soft drink (like "spuckie", an older term that has gradually been replaced).
• tonic, boss o' - a 2 liter bottle of soda or soft drink
• Tory Row - historic neighborhood of Cambridge, home to prominent British sympathizers before the American Revolution
• townie - In the strictest sense, a resident of Charlestown, Massachusetts; or more broadly someone from Somerville or South Boston or the other Irish-Catholic enclaves of Boston and surrounding areas. Also used as an adjective for the accent of those areas; or to describe a person who shares many characteristics with the residents of those areas. Occasionally, a person who was born/lived their life/died in the same town, village or 'burb, and whose family has lived in the town for many generations. A resident of a college town who is not affiliated with the college (more used by non-local college students than by Boston area residents).
• Trashland - Derogatory name for the town of Ashland. Heard mostly in the Metrowest area.
• triple decker - a three-story, three-family house, also called a "three decker".
• Triple Eagle - Someone who has graduated from Boston College High School, Boston College, and Boston College Law School. Taken from the fact that all three schools use the eagle as a mascot.
• Two'vm - Two of them. (example: "How many tickets do you need?" "Two'vm".)

[edit] U

• Upper Mass Ave - the stretch of Massachusetts Avenue that runs north through North Cambridge from Harvard Square toward the town of Arlington.
• U-ie - a u-turn while driving. Also sometimes called a "u-dog". Almost always used with the verb bang, as in "After this next light, bang a U-ie and then take a right."

[edit] V

• The Ville - Slang term used for the city of Somerville
• Villen - a Somerville native.
• The Vineyard - Martha's Vineyard, pronounced Mahtha's Vinyid

[edit] W

• The Wake - Wakefield (Used only by residents of Wakefield.)
• Westie - West Roxbury (Used only by residents. Most commonly referred to as simply West Roxbury)
• whoopie pie - a pastry first sold commercially at the Berwick Cake Factory in Dudley Square, Roxbury
• wicked - very; or occasionally cool. Used indiscriminately, can modify anything (e.g.: "Wicked good." "Wicked bad." "Wicked boring.", etc.). Almost always used as an adverb, rather than an adjective; some Bostonians feel it is grammatically improper not to put an adjective or verb after "wicked".
• wicked pissa - pleasing, highly satisfactory
• whoosey-whatchie - similar to "whatchamacallit", used to describe something without an easy description, or in the place of a word that the user is unable to remember
• WuTown, The Wu - Woburn, Mass used prodominently by Woburn residents.

[edit] Y

• Yaz - Carl Yastrzemski, long-time left fielder for the Red Sox. "Big Yaz Bread" was a loaf of bread similar to Wonder Bread sold locally after the Red Sox' pennant winning season of 1967.
• you's guys - Phrase meaning "all of you" or "you all", sometimes pronounced "yiz"

[edit] Z

• Zoomass - Used to describe University of Massachusetts Amherst for the student body's unruly behavior

[edit] See also

• Boston accent

[edit] External links

• Boston Online's Wicked Good Guide to Boston English
• the Boston Slang Dictionary