Dictionary of Nebraska English

[JJ Husker]

Does anybody remember a "Nebraska Navy" or a "Nebraska Admiral" or something like that? My grandfather had a plaque about him being in the Nebraska Navy.

For some reason that sounds vaguely familiar but I have no idea why.

[Haspula]

Just buy Hunt's Ketchup to support Conagra

[knapplc]

(every one of these words is fairly common to me near as I recall)

 

Crick: Preferred pronunciation of “creek.” Example: There’s a little crick that winds through our place.

 

Dinner: If you use this word to invite a rural Nebraskan to an evening meal, they’ll show up six hours early. In rural Nebraska, “lunch” is “dinner” and “dinner” is “supper.”

 

Fer: Preferred pronunciation of “for.” Example: What can I do ya fer?

 

Head: An extra word that, for reasons not entirely known, is usually used when referencing a number of livestock. Example: We’ve got 20 head of cattle. This is perhaps a distinction between the number of hooves and heads in a herd. Yet no one ever says “we’ve got 80 hooves of cattle,” so it would stand to reason that saying “20″ would be sufficient. Still, “20 head” is the norm.

 

Hot beef: Rather then merely describing the temperature of beef, the phrase “Hot Beef” is used to describe a particular dish consisting of roast-beef sandwiches smothered in gravy and accompanied by mashed potatoes.

 

This dish is consumed most often for dinner (which means lunch) at small-town restaurants, and especially at cafes attached to livestock auction barns.

 

Hunnert: In many areas west or South of The River (see entry below) and even in some areas near The River, this is the correct pronunciation of “hundred.”

 

Example: There’s a hunnert head of cattle down by the crick.

 

Kattywampus (also kattycorner or kittycorner): This word is often used when giving directions, to indicate that one thing is located in a diagonal direction from another thing. Example: Our house is just kattywampus from the grain elevator. It can also mean askew: I was trying to fix the tractor, and I got all kattywampus.

 

Old girl: An adjective used to describe aged cows, mares, farm equipment, vehicles and women. Example: That old girl has pertinear had it. (Yes, “pertinear.” See next entry.)

 

Pertinear (pronounced “pert-ih-near”): A combination of pretty and near, used to indicate the close proximity of one thing to another or the near completion of a task. Question: Are we there yet? Answer: Pertinear.

 

River, The: In most of Nebraska, references to “The River” are typically understood to mean the Missouri River if you're city folk, or the Platte everywhere else outside of Harlan county. Question: Where are you gonna fish? Answer: The Crick..I mean..River.

 

Salty: Often used as a begrudging compliment, in reference to an adversary’s toughness. Example: That Holdrege Basketball team is pretty salty.

 

Warsh: The preferred pronunciation of “wash” among many of the cowboys, farmers and rural-raised people of the state. Example: I need to warsh my truck before I go to town. The pronunciation is consistent in other word constructions, including references to the state of Washington. Example: I have to drive clear out to Warshington for a wedding.

 

Whatnot: An acceptable and often-used substitute for etcetera.

 

Question: What’s in that drawer? Answer: Oh, you know, scissors, tape, the phone book, and whatnot.

 

You guys: The Nebraska equivalent of the Southern “y’all” and the western Pennsylvanian “yuns,” used in reference to a group of people.

 

Example: What are you guys doin’ today? (Note: The possessive form is “guyses.” Example: Is that you guyses’ truck?)...

 

 

 

 

Got any more?

 

 

You should really cite your sources.

 

http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/event/article/id/63379/

[Hingle McCringleberry]

Does anybody remember a "Nebraska Navy" or a "Nebraska Admiral" or something like that? My grandfather had a plaque about him being in the Nebraska Navy.

 

Yes, I know about that, my parents are Admirals in the Nebraska Navy, they got their "commissions" because they donated the State Christmas tree last year. They hand it out for pretty much anything.

[Junior]

Fantastic list. I still say many of those phrases. I've never grown out of crick, or whatnot, kattywampus... and man I love hot beef.

 

I don't know about everyone else, but I'd add "Blue Jeans". I still use the phrase blue jeans and people love to give me crap for it.

[NUinID]

Here is one that I find funny as all get out since I moved to Idaho. All the guys that work for me call Napa autoparts store N A P A. They spell it out. I have never heard that in any commercial it is always Napa. When they say got to go to N A P A and get something I always say you mean Napa. To me it makes no sense.

[SCode]

Does anybody remember a "Nebraska Navy" or a "Nebraska Admiral" or something like that? My grandfather had a plaque about him being in the Nebraska Navy.

 

Yes, I know about that, my parents are Admirals in the Nebraska Navy, they got their "commissions" because they donated the State Christmas tree last year. They hand it out for pretty much anything.

I read up about that a bit last fall. It turns out that the Queen of England is also an Admiral, among many others.

[ZRod]

Does anybody remember a "Nebraska Navy" or a "Nebraska Admiral" or something like that? My grandfather had a plaque about him being in the Nebraska Navy.

 

Yes, I know about that, my parents are Admirals in the Nebraska Navy, they got their "commissions" because they donated the State Christmas tree last year. They hand it out for pretty much anything.

I read up about that a bit last fall. It turns out that the Queen of England is also an Admiral, among many others.

There was a thread about it last year or the year before I believe.

[JJ Husker]

Here is one that I find funny as all get out since I moved to Idaho. All the guys that work for me call Napa autoparts store N A P A. They spell it out. I have never heard that in any commercial it is always Napa. When they say got to go to N A P A and get something I always say you mean Napa. To me it makes no sense.

 

This is just a guess but I would bet it is because of the city of Nampa, ID. Napa-Nampa might get confused in that neck of the woods.

[HUSKER 37]

(every one of these words is fairly common to me near as I recall)

 

Crick: Preferred pronunciation of “creek.” Example: There’s a little crick that winds through our place.

 

Dinner: If you use this word to invite a rural Nebraskan to an evening meal, they’ll show up six hours early. In rural Nebraska, “lunch” is “dinner” and “dinner” is “supper.”

 

Fer: Preferred pronunciation of “for.” Example: What can I do ya fer?

 

Head: An extra word that, for reasons not entirely known, is usually used when referencing a number of livestock. Example: We’ve got 20 head of cattle. This is perhaps a distinction between the number of hooves and heads in a herd. Yet no one ever says “we’ve got 80 hooves of cattle,” so it would stand to reason that saying “20″ would be sufficient. Still, “20 head” is the norm.

 

Hot beef: Rather then merely describing the temperature of beef, the phrase “Hot Beef” is used to describe a particular dish consisting of roast-beef sandwiches smothered in gravy and accompanied by mashed potatoes.

 

This dish is consumed most often for dinner (which means lunch) at small-town restaurants, and especially at cafes attached to livestock auction barns.

 

Hunnert: In many areas west or South of The River (see entry below) and even in some areas near The River, this is the correct pronunciation of “hundred.”

 

Example: There’s a hunnert head of cattle down by the crick.

 

Kattywampus (also kattycorner or kittycorner): This word is often used when giving directions, to indicate that one thing is located in a diagonal direction from another thing. Example: Our house is just kattywampus from the grain elevator. It can also mean askew: I was trying to fix the tractor, and I got all kattywampus.

 

Old girl: An adjective used to describe aged cows, mares, farm equipment, vehicles and women. Example: That old girl has pertinear had it. (Yes, “pertinear.” See next entry.)

 

Pertinear (pronounced “pert-ih-near”): A combination of pretty and near, used to indicate the close proximity of one thing to another or the near completion of a task. Question: Are we there yet? Answer: Pertinear.

 

River, The: In most of Nebraska, references to “The River” are typically understood to mean the Missouri River if you're city folk, or the Platte everywhere else outside of Harlan county. Question: Where are you gonna fish? Answer: The Crick..I mean..River.

 

Salty: Often used as a begrudging compliment, in reference to an adversary’s toughness. Example: That Holdrege Basketball team is pretty salty.

 

Warsh: The preferred pronunciation of “wash” among many of the cowboys, farmers and rural-raised people of the state. Example: I need to warsh my truck before I go to town. The pronunciation is consistent in other word constructions, including references to the state of Washington. Example: I have to drive clear out to Warshington for a wedding.

 

Whatnot: An acceptable and often-used substitute for etcetera.

 

Question: What’s in that drawer? Answer: Oh, you know, scissors, tape, the phone book, and whatnot.

 

You guys: The Nebraska equivalent of the Southern “y’all” and the western Pennsylvanian “yuns,” used in reference to a group of people.

 

Example: What are you guys doin’ today? (Note: The possessive form is “guyses.” Example: Is that you guyses’ truck?)...

 

 

 

 

Got any more?

 

 

You should really cite your sources.

 

http://www.mitchellr...ticle/id/6337/

 

Yeah, I probably should have..I came across a similar one about another state while googling "Pertinear" to make sure I spelled it correctly in a note to an old friend describing the colour of the car she'd just gotten her daughter..(It was "Pertinear Arrest me Red")...She's also the one that uses "seen" incorrectly, so I was probably trying to assure her that I hadn't lost ALL of my Nebraska flavour..

 

I saw some strong similarities between what was credited to that state and my old homestate So I picked out the ones I thought applied, changed a few names and threw out the rest.

 

Any money I get from the original post I will make sure and forward at least 67% to who I copied most of it from.

 

 

I don't think I'd ever heard of Hot Beef before, but I usually shy away from those kind of films.

[walksalone]

Does anybody remember a "Nebraska Navy" or a "Nebraska Admiral" or something like that? My grandfather had a plaque about him being in the Nebraska Navy.

 

Yes, I know about that, my parents are Admirals in the Nebraska Navy, they got their "commissions" because they donated the State Christmas tree last year. They hand it out for pretty much anything.

I read up about that a bit last fall. It turns out that the Queen of England is also an Admiral, among many others.

There was a thread about it last year or the year before I believe.

 

Ok good, I'm not on crack...

 

I was at my Grandfathers place last summer, and if I didn't have my head in my ass, I would have tried to find the plaque...

[JJ Husker]

 

 

Ok good, I'm not on crack...

 

I was at my Grandfathers place last summer, and if I didn't have my head in my ass, I would have tried to find the plaque...

 

But......if it was in your ass you'ld know where it was. /rimshot

 

I'm here all night folks.

 

Edit- Note to self, don't use ass and rimshot in close proximity to each other anymore.

[Comish]

In Nebraska , we do not graduate from high school, college, or even medical school. We understand "Taylor threw a pass " and that, the direct object -pass- receives the action of the verb threw. But when we are speaking of the completion of a level or type of education, we make the institutions receivers of the action verb. Thus - I graduated high school and I also graduated college. It is as though high school was graduated by me. Well, at least Taylor understands receivers.