sticks and bricks
n.pl.— «They were not among those who plunged into legal battle with the diocese over “sticks and bricks,” as they call it. “If we are going to live and die for this property,” Cook said, remembering the agonizing talks, “we might as well admit this is an idol for us.”» —“‘God has blessed our socks off’” by Lea Sitton Stanley Philadelphia Inquirer (Pennsylvania) Oct. 14, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Terry from Franklin, Indiana, recalls a moment of confusion when she was working on a horse farm in south-central Pennsylvania. She asked a co-worker, “Are we going to let the stallions out today?” The co-worker responded, “No...
A Havertown, Pennsylvania, listener wonders why her mother used to answer queries about how she was doing with phrase that sounded like either fair to midland or fair to middling. Middling has long meant “just OK” or “right in the middle,” and the...