Oh, it’s time for a good Yorkism! Today’s isn’t exactly a separate word. It’s just a, well, different pronunciation of the word “different.” And this is one I’ve been heard to use myself. Instead of saying it as written, diff-er-ent, I tend to say diff-ern-t. Interestingly, a search for differnt
Some months ago, I asked on behalf of longtime reader Dianne if anyone could give her some info on a Pennsylvania Dutch nursery rhyme that her grandfather used while bouncing granchildren on his knee. I cannot believe the great responses I got! I am so appreciative. One thing I mentioned
This idea comes to me from loyal reader Jo, who mentioned some time ago that we have a variety of ways in York County to describe the time. There is the numerical version, of course. Looking at the clock pictured here, you might say it’s about “Eleven – thirty.” But
One of the great things about writing about “Yorkisms” – which I define to mean things said frequently in this area, not things ONLY said in this area – is how many comments I get with every mention of one! The recent mailbag has proved no exception. Commenter Bern Bevenour
I really liked hearing so many comments about “spritzing” on my post last month! Hubby pointed out a funny use of “spritz” that I’d forgotten. We have a bottle at home just for spritzing the cats when they go places they’re not supposed to go. Mark contributes from Austria, “You’ve
Mark, my German-language expert, is always glad to help. So when we started talking about some of the German origins behind the word “strubbly,” I knew I could count on him to share more info! He says, “Well you know I gotta add more to this. Just read the post
I happened on a good Yorkism the other day. On Facebook, I mentioned that I had just done a “load of wash” and had another ready to go, which I found depressing. Well, friend and coworker Jess mentioned that she loved that I said “load of wash” because she thought
Last month, I asked you if the room at the bottom of your house was a basement or a cellar. Basement is definitely leading in the unofficial poll, but most commenters seemed to agree with the differentiation proposed by reader Jo, who posits that a more “finished” space is a
One of my favorite sources for all things Pennsylvania Dutch is Dianne. In a recent letter, she described a Pa. Dutch saying that her grandfather used when bouncing his grandchildren on his knee. She writes, “It goes something like this… Rida, rida gali, Acka-docka-miley, My-a-missa, Hava-dessa, For des’ gal a
From commenter Dianne comes a good Yorkism: Spritzing. She mentioned it as in “raining very lightly.” (Then there’s also “make wet” for rain, as in, “It’s going to make wet today.”) With spritz, I also use it to describe what I do to my hair in the morning with a