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Boston slang consists of words and phrases of slang bang out - call in sick to work (Its such a nice day,
originating from and commonly used in Boston, maybe I should bang out and go to the beach.)
Massachusetts. Though most often used in Boston, the
slang can also be heard in other cities of Massachusetts barney - a Harvard student or graduate (used by
or even other New England states, though not always as working class residents of Somerville), apparently
frequently. Some terms are less commonly heard outside in reference to trolley barns near the university.
of the Boston area than others; some are not used at all barrel - a trash can.
outside of Boston.
The Basement - Filenes Basement, a department
store in Downtown Crossing.
1 Slang terms Beacon Hill - the Massachusetts government, partic-
ularly the State legislature
1.1 A
Beantown - Boston (never used by Bostonians)
A-town - Arlington, Ma Beatah - a cheap cah, usually with lots of rust. And
Olly-Olly Oxenfree- A proclamation to players of maybe missing a rear bumper
Tag or Hide-n-Seek, that they may return to a Benny Hill Community College -Refers to Bunker
common area free of consequence as it may pertain Hill Community College located in Charlestown,
to the game being played. MA
Assachusetts -refers to the dumb laws and politicians Biddy - nickname for a cheap looking girl
we have bred here in Massachusetts.
[[Big Dig]] - the Central Artery Tunnel Project
the Ave - refers to Dorchester Avenue, or Dot Ave
Big Pig - The cost of the Central Artery Tunnel
Project approximately 15 billion dollars
1.2 B
Boogietown - Derogatory term for the city of
thats beat"- that sucks. shes beat"- shess ugly Brockton, in reference to its large minority popu-
lation. Also called Browntown. Boogie down to
shes basic"- shes not that pretty or nothing special. Browntown.
Bah-gin - Not slang, dialect pronunciation of Bar- booted - 1. To be ejected or removed from a building
gain. I got a bahgin at the basement. got a or event. 2. To have ones car be incapacitated by
deal/discount at Filenes Basement the placement of a lock on ones front wheel, usually
due to ones negligence in the payment of parking
The Bs - Reference to the Boston Bruins. The Bru-
tickets.
ins AHL aliate from Providence are referred to as
the Baby Bs. BoSox - See Sox (Seldom used within New England
except by sportscasters and writers, national slang
B'daytuhs - Potatoes. You can boil them, mash to dierentiate from the ChiSox, or White Sox of
them, or stick them in a stew. Chicago. Used regionally to dierentiate from the
bagged - arrested; He got bagged for a DUI."; AAA Pawtucket Red Sox, aka the PawSox.)
(Driving Under the Inuence) The Boys - the cops, the police
the balls - awesome, great; That concert was the bozo - a pothead; used mostly in South Boston
balls.
The Bob Loboat - The Boston Harbor Island Ferry
bang - to make a quick move (often, bang a left"; that docks in Rowes Wharf
also used often as bang a U-ie - make a U turn);
sometimes used interchangeably with hang Brahmin - Boston Brahmin
1
2 1 SLANG TERMS
Bricka - Referring to the city of Billerica (Alterna- The Chuck- The Charles River
tively: Somerville with trees)
Chucklehead - A local idiot
Brownie - refers to L Street Brownies, a group fa-
mous for swimming in frigid ocean waters during Chuck Town -refers to Charlestown. (A.K.A) C-
the winter time based at the L Street Bathhouse in Town.
South Boston
Chuckys Place -refers to the Suork County Jail
breakdown lane - right margin or shoulder on high- which was formerly located on Charles St.
ways used for broken down vehicles. Cars can drive
in the breakdown lane at certain hours on some Mas- City of Sin - Lynn, Massachusetts, from the rhyme
sachusetts highways. Lynn, Lynn, city of sin, you never come out the
way you went in. Refers to the Citys criminal rep-
Bruins Chicks - Young female Boston Bruins Hockey utation.
Team fans, during the period of 1979-1994 (approx-
imately). Notorious for their big hair, Bruins replica Clambodia - Slang tearm for The town of Ipswich,
jerseys, and rowdy behavior. Mostly hailing from Massachusetts, a refrence to their famous Ipswich
North Shore communities of Massachusetts. Clams.
cellar - the basement of a house. means to walk cruiser - a police car, or a Ford Crown Victoria
down to the basement level.
Cumbys - refers to the convenience store chain Cum-
Chicah-go (Chicago) - A city in Illinois berland Farms
Cha-Chingham - Hingham, Ma
The Charles - The Charles River 1.4 D
Chelsalvador"- the town of Chelsea in reference to D-we - Term refering to a D.U.I (Driving under the
its large El Salvadorian population inuence) Yeah, I got bagged by the boys last night
for a Do-we)
chowdah [chowder] - New England clam chowder,
or occasionally sh chowder. Never, never, the Dawchestahh or The Dot - Dorchester, Mas-
Manhattan variety of clam chowder. sachusetts
chowderhead (sometimes chowdahead) - Often Dewey - Dwight Evans, former Right Fielder for the
refers to a New Englander, at one time meant a per- Red Sox who won eight Gold Gloves.
son to laugh at or stupid person but has evolved to
be a lighter term that has been embraced by those to Deluxebury - Duxbury, Massachusetts, auent
whom it refers. south shore town. Part of the Irish Riviera.
1.7 K 3
directional - noun., turn signal. Also referred as a " Field Day - To take advantage of a situation; to bring
blinkah to an extreme, i.e. I dropped a ve dollah bill, and
the bums had a eld day.
Dirty-E - noun., Everett, Massachusetts
the ve and ten or the nickel and dime"- a 19th-
Dirty Ham - noun Framingham, Massachusetts and 20th-century store that sold small items for the
docksiders (pronounced docksidahs) - noun, home, sometimes including clothing, originally at
brown boat shoes prices of 5 or 10 cents; known elsewhere as the
dimestore. Two examples remain in Arlington:
Dot - Dorchester, Massachusetts one in East Arlington and the other in The Heights
Dot Ave - Dorchester Avenue the at of the Hill - the portion of Beacon Hill be-
tween Charles Street and Storrow Drive
Dot Rat - Dorchester, Massachusetts A native of
Dorchester who can't escape. urries Small snow shower
down cellar (pronounced down sullah) - adj., con- frappe [pron. frap] - what some might erroneously
traction of down in the cellar, refers to being lo- refer to as a "milkshake"; the term milkshake has a
cated in the basement. separate use (see below)
Down East - A section of the Maine coast that is
actually north of Boston
1.7 K
down the Cape - Referring to going to or being at
Cape Cod kid, kehd"- referred to a person, adolescent. I was
dating this kehd. Tearm of endearment to a friend
draw - drawer Whats up kehd or as said in Boston Whatup
kehd
d-tech - An undercover police car
Eastie - East Boston (Used almost exclusively by Lauren Oddah - This is not a womans name, but
people from East Boston) rather, its the eastern Massachusetts pronunciation
of Law and Order. This is a classic case of the
The E - the predominantly Irish neighborhood of bay staters penchant for dropping the letter r from
East Milton. places they belong and inserting them into places
they do not belong. What this city needs is more
E C"- East Cambridge
lauren oddah!"
The Fairy Ferry - the fast ferry between Boston Lynn Lynn the city of sin - partial rhyme describ-
and Provincetown, MA also called P Town ing the city of Lynn.
4 1 SLANG TERMS
1.9 M 1.10 N
Ma - mother Nantrashket or Nantrashbasket - Nantasket Beach
the dirtiest, trashiest and best beach on the South
Mad - As in mad cool. Means very. See wicked
Shore.
Maine-iac - derogatory term for Maine driver or res-
ident, on par with Masshole; also a member of the NashVegas - Nashua, NH
Maine airforce or the airforce itself. A title born New B or New Beige - New Bedford
with pride by the natives, similar to Floridians.
The Nines - The 99 Restaurant, one of which can
Mans Greatest Hospital - Massachusetts General
be found in just about every reputable suburb of
Hospital (alternatively, the medical-industrial com-
Boston.
plex)
Marsh Vegas - Also known as Marsheld. No suh!" [No sir, compare no sirree"] - No way!".
The appropriate response is Ya suh!"
Mass Ave - Massachusetts Avenue, A prominent
thouroughfare running from the South End of Nawth - North. A location above Massaschusetts.
Boston through Cambridge, Arlington and Lexing- 'My friend in Flawrida keeps askin' how I live
ton up nawth in winta. I says to him, Bawstin ain't
nawth, its east! New Hampshas up nawth."
Massatoilet Community College -refers to Massasoit
Community College located in Brockton, MA Nor'easter - A strong winter storm with winds ema-
nating from the northeast. A bad Northeaster is like
Massholes - derogatory term for residents of a winter hurricane
Massachusetts, especially of Boston drivers (popu-
lar in New Hampshire and Maine), now sometimes North Shore - A region north of Boston of dis-
worn as a badge of honor by life-long residents of the puted boundaries, often including seaside communi-
state, especially when visiting Northern New Eng- ties from Revere up to the beginning of Cape Ann in
land. Manchester, but also including nearby inland towns
or towns connected to the sea only by token in-
McDanks - McDonalds
lets or rivers, such as Peabody, Saugus, Lynneld,
Mea Medford, Massachusetts; an exaggerated pro- Topseld and Danvers, and sometimes considered
nunciation of the way the citys name is supposed to omit Marblehead. Other denitions include the
to sound when its pronounced by its residents; even entire coast to the New Hampshire border, and still
though no one in Medfords history have ever pro- others the entirety of northern Essex County.
nounced it that way, people living in Greater Boston
will refer to the city by that name. Medford, which is North Shore Coma College - Slang tearm for
next to Boston, has a very thick distinct accent and North Shore Community College Located in Dan-
residents generally pronounce it Medd or Mef- vers,Beverly and Lynn Massaschusetts
d. New Yawk (New York): "The ahmpit of Amerika."
Menots - Menotomy Rocks Park in Arlington, Ma 240 Miles South of Tremont Street
The Monster, or The Monstah - Fenway Park's 37 New Hampsha (New Hampshire): A large campsite
foot left eld wall, also known as The Green Monster up north
pahk- the park. I'm going to the pahk The Pru or The Prud - The Prudential Center
pissa (3) - used to decribe a (friend or acquain- Road Soda - A beer you drink while driving around.
tance) whom is eccentric Did ya hear what Johnny Also known as a roadie. Dude, I grabbed a cou-
said/did.... gdam pissa ain't he ple of roadies for the ride to the bah.
The Pit - A gathering place outside the Harvard Rocketown - nickname for the town of Reading, re-
Square MBTA Station, known for its eclectic mix of ferring to the rocket mascot, which is named for a
street performers, rowdy teenagers, homeless people pair of water towers located near the towns high
and others. school -- one of which is oval, as in a 1950s depic-
tion of a ying saucer, and one of which is pointed
pizza pillows - pizza rolls to give the appearance of a ying saucer and rocket
standing side-by-side.
pockabook - purse
Rossie, Rozzie - Roslindale
the Point - the City Point area of South Boston. The
term is also used for Jeeries Point in Eastie East Rotary - what would be known as a trac circle or
Boston, Massachusetts. This also refers to the Point a roundabout elsewhere
Shirley section of Winthrop, MA. In contrast, The Route 9 High - Massachusetts Bay Community Col-
Point is also a rather poor and seedy neighborhood lege in Wellesley. The campus is on or near Route
in Salem, MA. 9.
Ponsta - a person who plays video games excessively. Rubbish - Trash, garbage, refuse
6 1 SLANG TERMS
skid - a loser or lowlife. His brother is a real skid. Sox also The Sox - the Boston Red Sox; pronounced
socks or sawx
skidder - referring to someone who bums (borrows)
money from friends. Pronounced skiddah The Square - Harvard Square
Slampig - A skank, overly slutty female, a Sled Stab'n Kill - A derogatory term for the Dorchester
Dog, equivalent to a whore or slut. That chicks neighborhood of Savin Hill. The term refers to a
been a slampig. past history of violence in that neighborhood.
1.16 U 7
Stackjack - A short, broad-chested male with a short tonguebahth - Bedford, Ma term used by a guy to
haircut. describe a hot girl.
statie - Massachusetts State Police Trooper; also tonic - Soft drink, soda or pop. Not the same thing
called a Trooper pronounced: Troopah as Tonic water
This fuckin guy... - a phrase used when everyone in U-ie - a u-turn while driving. Also sometimes called
a group sees an obvious loser. a u-dog. Almost always used with the verb bang,
as in After this next light, bang a U-ie and then take
three-way - term for what you order on a roast beef a right.
sandwich, referring to cheese, sauce and mayo. (ex-
Up - A general direction one takes when going any-
ample: I'll have a junior three-way and a medium
where. I'm takin' the kids up Foley Field to play ball;
coke.) also all around.
or We're goin' up Maine for the weekend. This be-
the Reckid - Reference to The Boston Herald often comes Down when going to Cape Cod, as in I'm
made by older Bostonians; derived from the Boston goin' down Cape this weekend.
Record-American, a former tabloid that merged Upper Mass Ave - the stretch of Massachusetts Av-
with the Herald-Travler in 1971 and originally refer- enue that runs north through North Cambridge from
ring to the papers rst edition which formerly came Harvard Square toward the town of Arlington.
out before midnight.The only papah you could
read on the subway, it was small and opened like a Up Mt. Auburn, under the tree - Referring to a de-
magazine. ceased person. Example: Wheres your mom?"
Shes up Mt. Auburn, under the tree
time - A retirement or going-away party; (Did you
hear Sullys retiring?" Yeah, they're having a time Up the Conah - A popular hang out spot in most
for him down Florian Hall.) Also refers to political Boston Neighborhoods. Neighborhoods such as
fundraisers. Southie were infamous for the crowds of young kids
hanging out in front of their blocks corner store and
The Tip - The Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Tunnel protected it as their own.
8 2 REFERENCES
The Well A nickname referring to the town of Yuz - Alternate form of "yiz"
Norwell. Oh that kids straight from the Well.
3.2 Images