Being from Ohio is great. We've even got our own slang, a lot of things we say might not make sense to people from out of town. If you're from Ohio, you're bound to say something on this list, or you will definitely know someone who does.
1. "O-H" demands an "I-O" in return.
As you probably read in my previous article about 11 Truths for Ohio, this is something that can't go without being mentioned. If you're in a crowded area among Ohioans, you can expect to get an immediate response if you blurt "O-H" out into the crowd. If you're out of town, you can even spell it with your arms. It's practically ritual.
2. "Warsh" vs "Wash
I promise, we're not totally weird. Some of us have a tenendency to add an extra "r" within wash, making it into something that sounds like "warsh". We're just talking about the washing machine where you do your laundry, is all!
3. "Soda" vs "Pop"
This is something that can't go without being mentioned. It's probably the one heard the most throughout the state. We call our carbonated fizzy drinks "pop", due to the lovely sound that is made when a can is opened. Want some Coke? Get a pop! Want a Sprite? Get a pop!
4. "Three C"
This refers three large cities in our state, including the capital: Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinatti. Coincidentally, this also refers to a highway that runs through the three cities.
5. "BDubs" vs "Buffalo Wild Wings"
If you're from Ohio, you're bound to have heard (or even use it yourself) Buffalo Wild Wings called "bdubs". Need an explanation? B = Buffalo, Wild Wings = Dubs (because there's two Ws!).
6. "Kroger's" vs "Kroger"
We have a tendency to make words possessive that don't need to be. Want to make a trip Kroger's?
7. "Meijer's" vs "Meijer"
Just like Kroger's, we've got a tendency to call this place "Meijer's". I'm not quite sure what it is with natives making things possessive, but it seems to be a trend.
8. The possessive nouns continue!
It's not just Kroger or Meijer that we give an apostrophe s, we've also got "K-Mart's", "Penny's", "Kohl's", and many more. Just make any large chain store possessive, and you should be good to go.
9. "Y'all" vs "You All"
Yep, a lot of people in Ohio use the slang "y'all" (sorry, I'm guilty). Hey, it's just shorter to say!
10. "Sweeper" vs "Vacuum"
That mechanical item that you use to clean up a dirty floor? We call that a sweeper! If you hear the term "sweeper", just remember it just means vacuum.
11. "Clicker" vs "Remote"
"Can you hand me the clicker?" is probably a common saying across households in Ohio. A clicker is just a remote, don't worry!
