Written from my experience growing up in the Arthur Avenue Section of The Bronx

Date:   10/8/2007 9:30:32 PM ( 17 y ago)

How Ta Tawk New Yawk
Jus nother Guy From Da Bronx

By

Donald Iarussi MFA

Jus'nother Goy Frum Da Bronx!

Copyright 1993















HOW TA TAWK NEW YAWK!

by

Don Iarussi

Jus'nother Goy Frum Da Bronx!
























A

A goof: "Dat party was a goof."

A hack: A NYC yellow cabdriver

A white castle: A little hamburger

Adjada: "My stomach don't feel good. I got adjada."

Alluh time: "I'm tellin ya alluh time how ta do it."

Ascared: "What are ya ascared of, the dark?"

Avenoo: "I live up on thoid avenoo."

Awfun: "Do ya come ta dis place awfun?"

Axe: "I jus wanna axe ya a question."







































B

Basement Bertha: A character in the Daily News.

Bawss: "I axed my bawss fer a raise."

Becawse: "Becawse a ya um in trouble."

Beeuh: At Yankee Stadium a ceer salesman would say "Beeuh Here".

Before: "I did it before, da car is washed".

bischero m. (Tuscany) a stupid person, a jerk.

Black & White Malted: A vanilla and chocolate shake sold in candy stores.

BMT: A subway line-Brooklyn Manhattan train.

Bookie: "Ah, I don't play da lottery. I bet wid my bookie."

Boroughs: Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island. (show map)

Botanicals: N.Y. Botanical Gardens. "Let's go on a picnic in Botanicals."

Box ball baseball: (illustration) Played with a spaldeen and sidewalk boxes.

Bronx: Named after a family of sheep farmers.

Brooklyn Bums: Nickname of The Brooklyn Dodgers.

Brooklyn: A borough that is part of Long Island.

Bulls: The cops. "Put away da money, here come da Bulls."

Butcher shop: A place that sells only meat.


























C

Calzone: (illustration) A cheese-filled, almost inside out pizza.

Cawfee: "Yeah, I'll come over. We'll have cawfee, we'll tawk."

Cawsa: "It's all cawsa you dat I got in trouble."

Changin: "Da world is changin."

Chocolate lemon ice: Instead of asking for a lemon ice, or chocolate ice.

Close the light: Turn off lightswitch. "Before ya leave da room, close the
light."

Collar: An arrest. "Police made a collar of a bank robber."

Coney Island: America's first amusement park. Famous for its Cyclone ride.
Located in Brooklyn.

Crosstown: Traveling east to west or vice versa in Manhattan.

Cuppa: "Give him a cuppa chicken soup. He'll feel like a new man."

Cursing: Cussing. "Stop dat cursing at once."

































D

Dat: That. "Dat's jus da way it is."

Dawg: "Who' dawg is dat in my store?"

Dem: "It's dem over there, it's their dawg."

Den: "An den afta dat we went to da Met game."

Dja: Did you. "Dja rememba ta take out da garbage?"

Doze: Those. "It doze guys, they got da tickets."













































E

Egg cream: A drink made with seltzer, milk and U-bet chocolate syrup.



El: (illustration) Above-ground trains.




Eyene: "I gotta eyene da clothes."















































F

Familya: "Ya look so familya, I jus can't place ya."



Fawk: "Ya only got da spoons here, where da fawks?"



Fihunidolas: "It should be a nice tv, I paid fihunidolas."



Fuh what fuh: "Fuh what fuh didja do dat?"



Fuhgettaboutit: "Psst, fuhgettaboutit. I can get it wholesale."









































G

Garvone: Someone who eats a lot. "Look at dat garvone eat!"


Gave him the air: "Nah, we're not togetha, we broke up. I gave him the air."


Get a grip: Get a grip on reality.


Gidaddahere: "Giddaddahere, he dint really say dat."


Glassa: "Can I have a glassa water?"


Goil: "Yeh, dat sawng Madonna does. Who's dat Goil."


Goofin on im: Joking. "We were only goofin on im."


Goy: A non-Jewish person.

grassone/a n. a very fat man or woman, a fatso, fat slob.


Guveneh: "It don'yt matta who's guveneh. There all da same."


Gwan: "Gwan get atta here."






























H

Hack: "He woiks azza hack, ya know, a cab driva."


He's a regular genius: Smart.


Hell's Kitchen: West 50's around 8, 9, 10th avenue in Manhattan.
Some New Yawkers now call it Clinton.


Hippie roll: A sandwich sold in New York.


Hit da numbah: "They're goin ta Florida, dey won money. Yeah, dey hit da
numbah."


Houseton Street: Pronunciation of Houston Street by native New Yorkers. "I
live in da village, by Houseton Street."




































I

I preciate it: "Thanks, I really preciate it."


I'm inside: (illustration) If a New Yorker is in the next room they don't say
what room, they say "I'm inside."


Idear: "It's a great idear, um gonna tell it ta my bawss."


In my book: "In my book, he's a great guy. Yeah, he's numbah one in my book."


IND: Independent subway line. Travels through all boroughs except Staten
Island.




IRT Subway: Inter-borough Rapid Transit. El Line between Bronx, Brooklyn, and
Manhattan.





































J

Jeetyet: Did you eat yet.





Johnny dump: (illustration) Fire hydrant.







K

Kewpon: "Let's go shoppin. It's double kewpon day."



Kibitzer: "He' such a kibitzer, he's always talkin to someone."



Killer Diller: (illustration) To win in a New York street game called
Skellsie, you must become a killer diller.



Knish: (illustration) A potato treat, sometimes stuffed with different
ingredients.

























L

Learnt: "I learnt how ta fix cars when I wuz in skool!"


Lemon ice: (illustration) A traditional Italian treat that is served at
Italian street festivals.


Long Guylin: Long Island. "I gotta summer rental on Long Guylin."



M

Manhattan Special: A cold coffee soda, served in New York for almost a century.



Maven: "He's the bagel maven. Bagels are his specialty."



Meshugge: (illustration) Crazy. "He' Meshugge, stay away from im."



MoMo: "What a MoMo dis guy is. He can't tie his shoe an chew gum."































N

Nah-Nah: "Nah-nah, um not ina mood fer a pizza."




Nebish: Lazy.


New Yawk Post: A daily New York City tabloid, somewhat sensationalist.



New Yawker: "Um a New Yawker all my life. I'll nevuh move."



No, but: New Yorkers follow up a question with "No, but..." (example)



NoHo: (illustration) North of Houston Street.



Nookleah: Um fer nookleah energy in dis country.


Nosh: Snack. "We're gonna go ta da deli fer a little nosh."


Not for nuthin: "Not for nuthin, but why ya goin out wit dat guy?"


Nudge: "He's such a nudge, always botherin somebody."


Nudnik: An idiot. "How he got dat job I'll nevah know. He's a real nudnik."



Nut job: "He' a real nut job, always actin so crazy."
















O

Off the curb: (illustration) A game played in the Bronx on a street where four
corners meet. The player hits the ball "off the curb" and runs to each corner
(base).



Off the wall, kinda crazy: "He's really off the wall, kinda crazy, ya know."



Oi'm: I'm. "Oi'm goin to woik now. See ya lata."



On the arm: Free. "He works at da donut shop so he dint havta pay. He got em

on the arm."


On the job: (illustration) A policeman on duty is on the job.



On accounta you: "On accounta you takin da day off, I havta work late."



Open the light: To turn the light on.


Otts oh: "Otts oh, the rent is high in dis place."


Oy Gevalt: "Ya wrecked da car? Oy Gevalt! What trouble

when ya father comes home."



Oy: "Oy what a problem dat boy iz."















P

PATH train: Commuter train from New York City to New Jersey.

piazzaiolo m. vulgar, mobster



Pisser: "Whadda pisser dis guy is. He jus cracks me up."



Psst fff: A strange sound New Yorkers make when they are upset.



Put da pot on: "Put da pot on, da compnees comin over soon."


Put da kabosh on it: "Enough already about your sister. Put da kibosh on it, shaddup!"



Q

Queens: One of the five boroughs.



R

Raviolis: "Um havin raviolis fer dinna."



Red Hots: Hot dogs. Introduced at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. They were called "Red Hots".



Release time: "We get atta school oily today. We got
release time. We go over to da Catlick school ta learn
religion."




Reuben: is a grilled or toasted sandwich made with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing. It is typically made with rye bread though originally it may have been served on pumpernickel bread







S

saccente (un/una) n. a know-it-all, a smart-ass; (lit.): from the verb sapere, meaning "to know."

Sangwich: (illustration) "Let's go to da deli and get a sangwich fer lunch."

saputo/a n. a know-it-all, a smart-ass; (lit.): from the verb sapere, meaning "to know."

Schlock: (illustration) "Ya call dis mess an apartment? It's jus one big
schlock."

Schnorrer: "Leave um alone, he's a schnorrer. You'll get no work atta him."

Seedat: "Didja seedat over dere? I dunno whaddit wuz. A flyin sauca or
sumtin."

Sevent: "Yeah, he lives in da city on Sevent Avenue."

Shiksa: A non-Jewish girl.

Shlep: "I had ta shlep all ova da city ta find da rite food fer da party
tanite."

Shmo: "He's a real shmo. He don't know what's goin on."

Shrimps: "Let's go to da fish market an get shrimps fer dinner tanite."

Shut da t.v.: Turn off the t.v. "For ya go ta bed, shut da t.v. Don't leave
it on all nite."

Shut da light: Turn off the light. "Shut da light! Whaddya think money growz
on trees?"

Shylock: Loanshark. "I need ta find da shylock ta borrow some money. Ya see
im around?"

Skeeve: "Yuch! I skeeve dat food. Dere were flies on it."

Skully: (illustration) A street game played with bottlecaps.

Skootch: "Stop botherin me, you are such a skootch!"

Sleep ova: "Ma, can I sleep ova my friend's howse? Dere havin a pajama party."

Slidin pine: (illustration) "Let's go ta da park an play on da slidin pine."

Smart he's not: "Him? Marry my daughter? He's a nice boy, but smart he's
not!"

Sofer: "Git ya feet awf da sofer."

SoHo: South of Houston Street.

Spaldeen: Spalding. A pinkish colored ball used to play stickball.

Staten Island: (illustration) One of the five boroughs.

Stickball: (illustration) Originally played with a broomstick and a
"spaldeen".

Stoopball: (illustration) A game played hitting the ball off the stoop.

T

Tawk: "I don't tawk funny, whaddya tawkin about? Um a New Yawka."

The Paper: "Didja remember ta buy da paper?"

The Garden: Madison Square Garden. "Da Rangers are at da Garden tanite. Let's
go ta da game."

The Number: "How'd he afford dat new car? Did he hit da number or sumtin?"

The Feast: (illustration) "Let's go ta Little Itlee to da feast. Deres lotsa
Italian food dere."

The Stadium: "Da Yankees are home at da stadium tanite."

The Met: The Metropolitan Opera. "Carmen is at da Met Tanite?"

The El Train: (illustration) Above-ground trains.

The Bronx: One of the five boroughs.

The News: "Be sure ta pick up da news on ya way home."

The Super: Superintendent. "The super takes care a da buildin."

The Ferry: (illustration) Staten Island Ferry, which travels between New York
City and Staten Island.

Thoity: Thoid an thoid.

Token: (illustration) "Ya need ta getta token ta get on da subway."

Trolley Dodgers: Original name of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Troot: "Tell da troot, wuz dat a good movie or what?"

Trow: "Don't putem on thoid base. He can't trow da ball!"

Two Cents Plain: Seltzer. "Gimme a Two Cents Plain wid my ice cream."

U

Up ta Florida: "Yeah dere movin atta New Yawk. I hear dere movin up ta
Florida."

W

Whaddsamattawiddat: "Whaddsamattawiddat, ya don't like ta go ta baseball game."

Whaddya writin a book: "Ya askin so many questions. Whaddya writin a book or
sumtin?"

Wottelitbe: (illustration of waitress) "Wottelitbe, a beer or wha?"

Winder: "Open da winder, it's gettin stuffy in here."

Worser: "Um not feelin well. My cold is worser den I thought."

Worst: "Dat's the worst movie I ever saw."

Wuntcha: "Wuntcha stay an have dinna widdus?"

Y

Yoo-hoo: A chocolate soft drink.

Youse guys: "Whadder youse guys doin?"



Z

Zitellona: old maid.


 

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