Stuck in between Philadelphia and east of the Mason-Dixon line (yes, east), Delawareans have quite a mashup of northern and southern slang and pronunciations. It kind of reminds us of the Osmond song, “A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock ‘N Roll.” And, while we’re not sure Delaware is big enough to warrant its own vocabulary, or that these are unique only to Delaware, here are some words, phrases and terms that we’ve heard around the state that we’re hoping you/you guys/y’all will understand. Do any of these Delaware words surprise you? How many, if any, did you hear growing up?
- Baggin’ up
Jeffreu Kontur / Flickr Cracking up or laughing. As in, “I was baggin’ up when she told me that joke.”
- Crick
Jeffrey / Flickr A creek or stream. Little Creek (Crick) is the name of a small town outside of Dover.
- Wooder
Mike Mahaffie / Flickr Water. Either works to describe the wet stuff.
- The beach
Bob Mical / Flickr The entire coastal region, not just where you put your feet on the sand.
- Slower, lower
Lee Cannon / Flickr The area of Delaware below the C & D Canal, primarily Kent and Sussex Counties.
- Scrapple
Jimmy Emerson, DVM / Flickr MMMM. Porky goodness enjoyed in loaf form for breakfast that includes erything except the oink.
- Milfurt (also Seafurt)
Norman B. Leventhal Map Center / Flickr Also known as Milford (or Seaford). A lot of Delawarenas are known to exchange ’d’ at the end of a word to a ’t'.
- Clay-in
Jimmy Emerson, DVM / Flickr And just like we add ts on the end of words, sometimes we take them out. The town of Clayton turns into the town of Clay-in.
- Spicket
Rachael Towne / Flickr Another word for spigot or faucet.
- Beggle
WikiCommons Bagel, but without the long ‘a.’
- Toad choker / frog strangler
Jeffrey / Flickr A heavy downpour or a bad storm.
- That-a-way / that-a-ways
BobMacInnes / Flickr Over there or over in that direction.
- Buck wild
Andrew Russell / Flicr To go crazy. We said it before a television show on MTV made it popular.
- Sub
stu_spivack / Flickr A deli sandwich on a long bun. You don’t order a hoagie, or a grinder; you order a sub.
We know there are other words that are used throughout the state, mostly said by grandmothers, grandfathers and great aunts and uncles. What are your favorites?
Jeffreu Kontur / Flickr
Cracking up or laughing. As in, “I was baggin’ up when she told me that joke.”
Jeffrey / Flickr
A creek or stream. Little Creek (Crick) is the name of a small town outside of Dover.
Mike Mahaffie / Flickr
Water. Either works to describe the wet stuff.
Bob Mical / Flickr
The entire coastal region, not just where you put your feet on the sand.
Lee Cannon / Flickr
The area of Delaware below the C & D Canal, primarily Kent and Sussex Counties.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM / Flickr
MMMM. Porky goodness enjoyed in loaf form for breakfast that includes erything except the oink.
Norman B. Leventhal Map Center / Flickr
Also known as Milford (or Seaford). A lot of Delawarenas are known to exchange ’d’ at the end of a word to a ’t'.
And just like we add ts on the end of words, sometimes we take them out. The town of Clayton turns into the town of Clay-in.
Rachael Towne / Flickr
Another word for spigot or faucet.
WikiCommons
Bagel, but without the long ‘a.’
A heavy downpour or a bad storm.
BobMacInnes / Flickr
Over there or over in that direction.
Andrew Russell / Flicr
To go crazy. We said it before a television show on MTV made it popular.
stu_spivack / Flickr
A deli sandwich on a long bun. You don’t order a hoagie, or a grinder; you order a sub.
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The OIYS Visitor Center
Delaware Words August 05, 2022 Tori Jane What are some fun Delaware sayings everyone should know before they visit? Looking for some fun Delaware sayings you ought to know before you head over to our cute little state? You can sound like a local by saying things like “I was baggin’ up at that cat video I saw the other day.” As you can likely tell by context clues, baggin’ up, in this case, is equivalent to cracking up, or laughing hard. Oh, and you’ll also probably hear someone say something like “ignert”, as in, “That guy denying science is just so ignert” - meaning, in this case, “ignorant”, said in such a way that it sounds like a new word of its own. What kind of Delaware slang is there? Delaware is home to regional slang just like anywhere else in the world, really, but especially like other regions of the United States. There’s something fun and odd about American slang that really makes it all our own. You’ve got phrases like “baggin’ up” and “frog strangler”, and pronunciations like “ignert” and “that-a-way". It really is a unique place with its very own Delaware slang, but it’s of course just a bit of a twist on the traditional east-coast accent. We don’t know about you, but there’s something super fun about accents and slang that varies from place to place, and Delaware is no different! What does the Delaware accent sound like? Accents across Delaware may vary, but the overall feel of Delaware dialect is “mid-Atlantic”. There’s a hint of the Maryland/Philly accent in there, usually, but overall, it’s not ridiculously strong like the accents you’ll likely encounter in places like New York City, New Jersey, or the deep south. Some folks might even have accents so subtle that they might as well not be there at all – it all depends on region and the ear of the beholder!
The OIYS Visitor Center
Delaware Words
August 05, 2022
Tori Jane
What are some fun Delaware sayings everyone should know before they visit? Looking for some fun Delaware sayings you ought to know before you head over to our cute little state? You can sound like a local by saying things like “I was baggin’ up at that cat video I saw the other day.” As you can likely tell by context clues, baggin’ up, in this case, is equivalent to cracking up, or laughing hard. Oh, and you’ll also probably hear someone say something like “ignert”, as in, “That guy denying science is just so ignert” - meaning, in this case, “ignorant”, said in such a way that it sounds like a new word of its own. What kind of Delaware slang is there? Delaware is home to regional slang just like anywhere else in the world, really, but especially like other regions of the United States. There’s something fun and odd about American slang that really makes it all our own. You’ve got phrases like “baggin’ up” and “frog strangler”, and pronunciations like “ignert” and “that-a-way". It really is a unique place with its very own Delaware slang, but it’s of course just a bit of a twist on the traditional east-coast accent. We don’t know about you, but there’s something super fun about accents and slang that varies from place to place, and Delaware is no different! What does the Delaware accent sound like? Accents across Delaware may vary, but the overall feel of Delaware dialect is “mid-Atlantic”. There’s a hint of the Maryland/Philly accent in there, usually, but overall, it’s not ridiculously strong like the accents you’ll likely encounter in places like New York City, New Jersey, or the deep south. Some folks might even have accents so subtle that they might as well not be there at all – it all depends on region and the ear of the beholder!
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
Looking for some fun Delaware sayings you ought to know before you head over to our cute little state? You can sound like a local by saying things like “I was baggin’ up at that cat video I saw the other day.” As you can likely tell by context clues, baggin’ up, in this case, is equivalent to cracking up, or laughing hard. Oh, and you’ll also probably hear someone say something like “ignert”, as in, “That guy denying science is just so ignert” - meaning, in this case, “ignorant”, said in such a way that it sounds like a new word of its own.
What kind of Delaware slang is there?
Delaware is home to regional slang just like anywhere else in the world, really, but especially like other regions of the United States. There’s something fun and odd about American slang that really makes it all our own. You’ve got phrases like “baggin’ up” and “frog strangler”, and pronunciations like “ignert” and “that-a-way". It really is a unique place with its very own Delaware slang, but it’s of course just a bit of a twist on the traditional east-coast accent. We don’t know about you, but there’s something super fun about accents and slang that varies from place to place, and Delaware is no different!
What does the Delaware accent sound like?
Accents across Delaware may vary, but the overall feel of Delaware dialect is “mid-Atlantic”. There’s a hint of the Maryland/Philly accent in there, usually, but overall, it’s not ridiculously strong like the accents you’ll likely encounter in places like New York City, New Jersey, or the deep south. Some folks might even have accents so subtle that they might as well not be there at all – it all depends on region and the ear of the beholder!
