Katie in Greenville, South Carolina, reports that when she was growing up in rural Montana, if one of her classmates was caught doing something wrong or reprimanded by a teacher, the rest of the children would say a ver, drawing out the syllables...
Aeneas in Las Cruces, New Mexico, describes his family’s traditional way of razzing someone who just had a haircut. They shout Rinctums! (also spelled Rinktums!), and proceed to give the person a rough knuckle-rubbing on the back of their head...
Burqueño slang, spoken by residents of Albuquerque, New Mexico, includes such expressions as umbers, said ominously when someone’s caught doing something wrong, as well as get down, meaning “to get out of a vehicle” and put gas for “fill a vehicle’s...
Locals pronounce the name of the town of Thoreau, New Mexico, as thuh-ROO. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Thoreau, New Mexico” We heard from Susan Carl, who lives in Texas Hill Country, and she wanted to comment on our...
A woman who grew up in Albuquerque recalls that when one of her schoolmates got in trouble, she and their peers would say ominously, “Umbers!” This slang term is apparently a hyperlocal version of similarly elongated exclamations like “Maaaaaan!” Or...
A listener from Silver City, New Mexico, writes that when he was a child and pouted with his lower lip stuck out, his aunt would say “Stick that out a little farther, and I’ll write the Ten Commandments on it with a mop.” This is part of a complete...