While I was spending four months in Los Angeles and surrounding myself with people from many different regions of the US, I realized that many of them didn't understand some of the words that I used. Phrases and words that seemed so normal and common to me, people would just look at me like I was crazy and speaking a foreign language. Some of my classmates that grew up only two hours away from Pittsburgh, still didn't seem to know what the heck I was talking about.

This made me realize just how unique Pittsburgh is and while people didn't understand me, I still took pride in the words that I am so accustomed to speaking.

Here are ten of the words/phrases that only we seem to use---or as some people like to call it, "Pittsburghese".

1. Buggy

When we go shopping around here, the first thing we do is grab our buggy. Many people will say “what’s that”? For those of you who are reading this and don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m referring to a shopping cart. Come on people!

2. Chipped ham

AKA sliced ham. Don’t ask me why this is so hard for people to understand what we’re talking about, but it is.

3. Pop

Ah, the good ole' pop versus soda debate. While I know pop isn’t just a Pittsburgh thing, that’s what we call our Coke’s and Pepsi’s ‘round here, while many other people call it soda.

4. Worsh

Now I don’t think anyone from my generation and younger say this, but I know plenty of older folk who say they’re going to “worsh” their clothes. Why the “a” in “wash” is too hard to be pronounced, I don’t know, but if you ask my dad where I’m from, he’ll most definitely say “Warshington”.

5. "Kennywood’s Open"

Is anyone else immediately looking down to see if their pants are un-zippered, because that’s exactly what “Kennywood’s Open” means around here. As we all know, Kennywood is probably the most popular amusement park to all of us and it being open is usually a pretty big deal. However, I will never understand how this saying even started.

6. Gum Band

I asked one of my out-of-town friends before if he knew what a gum band was and he had no idea what I was talking about. Of course I’m referring to a rubber band, the thing we use to hold things together or to substitute a hair tie with.

7. Jaggers

They say every rose has it's jagger, right? Oh wait, that would be thorn to those who aren't from around here. By the way, I just realized as I was typing jagger on Microsoft Word, it’s underlined red---which reinforces that fact that it’s not a real word. Whatever, Microsoft.

8. Nebby

Man, do I hate when people are so nebby. I guess other will people will say that they hate when people are so nosy, but we know that it will always and forever be nebby.

9. Stiller

Pittsburgh is home to the six-time Superbowl champions, the “Pittsburgh Stillers”. Aka Steelers. I myself always say Steelers, unless I text someone about the game---then I say “How ‘bout them Stillers?”

10. Yinz

Probably the number one word that only us Pittsburghers seem to use. If you’re from the South, you say “ya’ll”, while mostly everyone else says "you guys". But here in the city of champions, we say "yinz".

The next time someone criticizes your vocabulary, say that you're from Pittsburgh and you are definitely proud of it!

See yinz later!