15 Terms Only New Yorkers Would Understand

If you’re not from New York City and you are considering a move there, then you might want to brush up on some terms before you make yourself a local. One of the biggest sins in New York is looking like a tourist. Do not be labeled as such. If you seem like you’re not from NYC, the adage is that you run the risk of being ripped off, shut out, or just totally humiliated by the savvier, sassier locals around you. While this isn’t 100% true, don’t chance it.

You might want to memorize these New York-isms so you can survive in the big Apple.

1.  “The City” – have you ever seen someone out of the state of New York use the term “the city” when referring to New York City?  Didn’t think so.  This is completely common in New York.  It’s as if NYC is the only city in the world.

2. “Plain Slice” – everywhere else in the country uses the term “cheese slice” if they want what many consider to be a plain slice of pizza.  In New York, most people will say “plain.”

3. “Train” – you might think a word as simple as train would be the same everywhere.  However, 9 times out of 10 if you are in New York City, when someone says they are taking the train, they are referring to the subway system.

4.  “Waterbug” – that’s just a nice way of saying “huge cockroach” which often tend to frequent many NYC apartments.

5. “Hero” – want a sub?  how about a po’ boy? No one in New York will have any clue as to what you’re talking about.  Here they’re called “heros.”

6. “Bridge and Tunnel Crowd” – in other words, anyone who looks like they’d be on the show “Jersey Shore” is considered Bridge and Tunnel.  These are mainly your stereotypical Staten Island, Brooklyn types.

7. “On Line” – if you’ve ever waited “in-line” you’ve never done so in New York.  In New York it’s waiting ON line.

8.  “New Yorker” – people who hail from NYC consider themselves to be New Yorkers.  However, someone from upstate NY or Long Island rarely refer to themselves as New Yorkers.  They’ll say “I’m from Upstate,” or tell you the city in Long Island that they’re from.

9. “Uptown, Downtown” – it’s not north and south.   It’s uptown and downtown.

10.  “Red Line, Green Line, Blue Line” – If you’re taking the 4 or 6 subway trains then you are taking the green line.  If you’re taking the 2,3 or 9, then you’re on the red line, etc etc.

11. “Wawter” not “Wahter” – I got grilled for this one in college.  Everyone from New York pronounces water “wawe-ter” or “wooder” instead of “Wahter” which is how the rest of the country pronounces it.

12.  “SoHo” – no it’s not an entire city or something Asian.  It’s the area south of Houston street.

13,  “Schlep” – a Yiddish word when referring to have to drag a lot of crap around with you.  “I have to schlep all this stuff up the stairs.”

14.  “The Garden” – Most people from out of town might not know that “The Garden” refers to Madison Square Garden”

15.  “The Island” – As if Long Island is the only Island in the world.  But a New Yorker will say they’re going to the Island and 99% of the time they mean Long Island.