You've heard of Ebonics, well here's Scranton, Pennsylvania's version!

The newest words are on the bottom of the list! Enjoy!
Updated on October 16, 2002

Kuzzints: Your uncle’s children.

Clozeda light: Will you please turn the lamp off?

Onnakowna: Because (“I got a flat tire onnakowna someone dropped nails on da road.”)

Pellow: Where you put your head when you sleep onnakowna you’re tired.

Buh-uns: Those little white round things on the front of your shirt.

Kupple-too-tree: The number of missing buh-uns you might have.

Hayna: Excuse me, but did I just sound as silly as I think I did? (It really means “ain’t it?”)

Jeet jet?: Gee, I was wondering if you had anything for dinner?

No, jew?: Well, no, golly, but I was wondering the same thing about you.

Jaunt-too?: Do you want to?

Wock: What you take the dog for at night.

Tock: What you do on the phone.

Plimmit: A muted reference to Plymouth, Pennsylvania.

Dee Eynon: Sugerman’s Department Store. (R.I.P.)

Turdy-ate: Used to be WOLF-TV, Channel 38. Now it's WSWB 38.

Up Da Line: Up Scrah-un way.

Nanny Coke: Across the river from West Nanny Coke.

Lannick City: That place on the Jersey Shore where all of the bingo buses are going these days.

Melk: A drink that goes good with cookies.

Da You: The U. (The University of Scranton)

Otto: A car.

Over town: Downtown.

Downtown: Over town.

Tarupe: Throop, Pennsylvania.

Ackamee: The place where you get da grocery order. (ACME R.I.P.)

Haitch Beeyo: HBO, the cable TV all night movie station, I tink.

Baah-ul: That ting dey put Gibbons and Steg in. (A Baa-ul is a barrel, steg is beer)

I totso: I thought so, too.

Corpse house: Where else in the world do they call funeral parlors corpse houses?

Beer garden: The place where you go to pick up a six-pack of Steg.

Wah?: What?!

Tot: What Mr. McArdle tried to do in school :)

Lonn more: It cuts the grass.

Rude aidy: The road that takes you to Penn State.

Atha Leets: Lots of good ones play for Penn State.

Bot tings: What you did with your money at dee Eynon.

Da moll: The Viewmont Mall up on the highway. They’re always having big sales.

Da Steamtown: The other mall over town.

Wadder: Comes out the fosset.

Be-endat: Means “because.”

Hoddog: Tastes great with soss on it.

Fil’em: In some cultures, this is what you say when you bring your empty beer glasses to the bar. Here “fil’em” is the thing you put in your camera.

Arthur Idas: What retired atha leets take Excedrin for.

Burgarly: When you enter a building without permission and maybe take something.

Burgalry: A garbled form of burgarly.

Yuge: Really big.

Zenit: That brand of TV that you watch the Penn State atha leets on.

Swoyerville: Swoyersville. Don't ask why. No one knows.

Hose house: The place where dey keep da fire trucks. Sometimes called a fire barn, and usually found between a corpse house and a beer garden.

Hox: The basketball team in Lanna, Georgia

LCC: LCCC

Axe: Ask

Termistat: thermistat

Bub: light bulb

Winda: as in "closeda winda, da ya live in a barn?"

Haf a cuppa caffee: half a cup of coffee

Up da mall, and down da mall: Viewmont and Steamtown respectively

Karpendale: Carbondale, PA

Sowside Scrah-uhn: Southside Scranton, PA

Nangano: Nagano, Japan, where dey had dem `lympics

Axed: the past tense version of Axe (see above)

Paupack: Lake Wallanpaupack

Quanity: Quantity

Bigmintin: Binghamton

Tumb: (noun) Your thumb; (verb) to hitchhike, example = I tumbed in onnakowna my hog got stolen.

Da boad of em: The both of them.

Ba-troom: a place to relieve yourself

Ba-tree: battery

A couple too tree: How many times have you been on the Coal Mine Tour?

Budaydos: potatos

Chalk-lots: chocolates, what ja buy at Gerty Hocks when yur up da mall, wockin and tockin.

Tinkin: when you put your brain in gear.

Sangwitch: What cha eat when you go up dee Eynon.

dahn tahn DOpahnt: Downtown Dupont, PA

Alla Youz: How you address several people at once

twahny yearce ahgo: 20 Years Ago

radarater: the thing heat comes out of

offah: He knocked da glass offah the table.

roof in the leak: a common saying when water comes down from the roof

nooyourkas: people who vacation in the area (from anywhere outside the area) for the summer, generally found in the Moscow-Gouldsboro area of Lackawanna County

up da mount'n: Montage Mountain Ski Resort, where concerts are held

da rena: First Union Arena, Wilkes Barre PA (also called the "FU Arena")

John: People named John typically don't have last names. They're only referred to by profession as John DaBanker, John DaCarpenter, John DaRoofer (or DaLeaker), or John DaPlumber. A guy named Frank who ordered a cup of coffee in the diner everyday became known as John Caffee. - Dan

warsh: Did you remember to warsh behind your ears? -or- I warshed my shirt.

punkin: Goes well with thanksgiving dinner

doverman: The dog

er wha: or what?

pank: as in if you sit in the snow when you get up it's all panked down, this may strictly be a green ridge thing, but we insist it's a word!

chimley: chimney

pitza frita: fried dough

crick: a place where wadder run truit and ya can go fishen

pie-ano: the music instrument with 88 keys

tray of pizza: tray of pizza

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Last updated on 10/16/02

Do you know any more terms that should be added to this list? There's thousands more so don't be shy. Just email me at bmdoobiew@yahoo.com

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