Oh Jeez or Is That Geez

What about dem Packers, eh?

You may have noticed that people around Wisconsin talk about the Packers as if they are each one of our personal friends. And not just Brett, either. Hell, we even call his wife by her first name (it's Deanna, duh.). And his oldest daughter (Brittany, you dolt.).

Well, natives talk funny in other ways too. Here are some examples. Remember, natives up here think ice sailing boats are dangerous because they might hit an ice shanty. Note: There is no way the bikini photo isn't seriously photo shopped. That never really happened.

Check out this hilarious web page. http://www.bratwurstpages.com/dialect.html

Well, as a supposed long-ago Flatlander, I find it hilarious. (actually I come from so far down in Southern Illinois it aint even flat; for one thing we got all those hills from leftover coal mines and those nice swimmin' holes - "coal holes" - but I digress.)

Saying: "we"

Meaning: the Green Bay Packers

Saying: up nort'
Meaning: To a flatlander, north of the south Wisconsin state line. To a Wisconsinite, at least 100 miles north of home (at least we agree on something, in a relative sort of way)

Saying: "Ahm ganna pahk thah cah in Hahvahd yahd."

Meaning: Wisconsinite imitating a Bostonian.

Saying: "Why don't you come with?"

Meaning: An example of typical Wisconsinite syntax The sentence ends with a preposition. You linguists know there's a German influence working here, eh?

Saying: "yah yah"

Meaning: I heard you the first time (said to nagging spouse)

Here's another source at Gilly's Glen: http://isee.iwarp.com/Home/Wisconsinisms.html

*Ain-a OR Ain-a-hey: Placed at the end of a profound statement; as in "isn't it?"

*Blaze orange: What deer hunters and cold-weather Packers fans wear at Lambeau.

*Borrow: Used in place of "lend," as in, "Could youse borrow me a couple two-tree bucks?"

*Budge: To merge without permission; cut in, as in "Don't you budge in line for a brat, I was here first!"

Come-hear-once: A beckoning call to another Cheddarhead.

Couple-two-tree: More than one; as in "Delmer and I drank a couple-two-tree beers."

*Cripes: A Wisconsin expletive
*Cripes-sake: A mild Wisconsin expletive.

*Crymany-cripes-sake: A wild Wisconsin expletive.

D: A substitute for words beginning with "TH"; as in "Dat guy over dere in dah Bears shirt is a FIB."

*Geeez!: Another Wisconsin expletive.

*Hey: Placed at the beginning or end of phrases for emphasis, as in "Hey, how 'bout them Packers?" or "How 'bout them Packers, hey?"

*M'walkey: Wisconsin's largest city; located just down the lake from Trivers and Mantwoc.
N'so?: A word inseted at the end of a statement; used as a substitute for "right?" or "correct?"

*Oh, yah: Depending on emphasis, it's either used as acknowledgement (as "That's correct.") or skepticism (That's bull!).

*Sconsin: The state where Cheeseheads are from.

*Start wit me last: To forfeit your turn, "Go ahead of me," or "you go first."

*Stop-and-go lights: What everyone else refers to as traffic signals.

Tirdy: Same as "thirty," and used on all numbers from 30 thru 39. Exception to the "D" rule, similar to "tink" and "tousand."

*Un-thaw: To defrost.

*Where-bouts: Locality; proximity; as in, "where-bouts are youse guys from?"

*You-betcha: Affirmative; as in "yah-hey."

Youse: Pronounced "YOOS"; it means "you" as in "are youse guys goin' up nort?"

*Youper: Someone from even further upnort than you.