Colloquialisms and Expressions

Words and phrases from the interviews that are labeled in dictionaries as ‘colloquial’, ‘slang’ or ‘informal’ are listed here, along with expressions, as well as terms associated with a particular dialect or region.

ain’t

ascared

a ways

babe in arms

back in the day

backward about being forward

in the bag

baloney

bawling out

beer money

beg (your) pardon

bejesus

big shot

bird

bitcher

blockhead

blowhard

blue baby

boarding-house reach

boogie

boot (the)

brownie point

buckle down

bugaboo

bugger

bull in a china shop

bus kid

Canuck

cathouse

change of life

chap

chew the fat

chirp in

chum (around)

city boy

city ways

come-here

convent girl

cornswaggle

cow dog

cripes

cronie

cross the lines

with the crows

dandy

dang

dasent

daylights

dead and left us

in the devil

dickens (the)

dink around

Dirty Thirties

do

do in

down street

get to drinking

drive the ice

dry up

ever-mate

face on

fandangle

farmer’s lung

farm kid

fence rider

flash the bills

fly boy

for to

Fuller Brush man

funny farm

gee whiz

going concern

golly

goodness

goon

gosh

gossip paper

gowk

grab-all box

greenback

hack

and a half

half-assed

handle

hard done by

harp

hay burner

header

heck

home farm

home place

honest to Pete

hoof

hoot

horse and machine days

hotfoot

how come

hullabaloo

hungry thirties

ice days

ice story

jeepers

June ball

kerfuffle

knick-knacky

land person

lick

lift up

liquor vote

lookit

lord and behold

lots

lousy

mainlander

main strength

marry off the farm

mouth organ

neighbour

neighbour woman

nevermind

newcomer

Newfie (adjective)

Newfie (person)

Newfie (place)

nitpicky

nutcase

off island

off-the-wall

old country

olden days

old timer

other place

pail pot

passel

peck of dirt

pedal your coattail

pink slip

pitch a fit

go to pot

pretty good

pretty near

pretty well

puddle

pup

put a crimp in

put a face on

put on the bottle

put the run on

rip

ripe

rip-roaring

roaring

rumour mill

run-around girl

rusty

scratch up

seventh son of a seventh son

shoot the breeze

shoot the bull

slug

slumlord

somewheres

sourpuss

springwise

stir up

the strap

summer folk

take [an illness]

treed

up home

upper place

urchin

village girl

walk the ice

war ace

war bride

water people

to fall (or go) by the wayside

whack

what have you

wheel-a-deal

by whistle

wind up

wingding

yarn

yokel

youse