Jersey Jargon: 23 Expressions You Must Know To Communicate In NJ

NEW JERSEY, NJ - Many people look at New Jersey as a world of its own and while that may be a slight exaggeration, it is true that the Garden State has a language all its own.

Patch asked for some expressions that would need to be explained to the uninitiated and in we culled the top 21 responses posted to our social media (note: we did not include non-verbal ones, like gestures).

• Mischief Night = Taking place Oct. 30, the night before Halloween, it is essentially a literal translation. A night where egging of cars, toilet papering houses and causing the aforementioned mischief takes place.
• Jug handle = This has nothing to do with making liquids easier to carry around. It is actually a type of ramp where left-turning traffic exits on the right side of the road and uses that to make left hand turns.
• AC = Is not an abbreviation for air conditioner but actually for Atlantic City. This veritable bus trip mecca on the southern tip of our land is home to buffets and slot machines and places where you can still smoke indoors.
• Down the shore = This is how the majority of residents refer to trips that they take to the coast to enjoy the beach.
• Bennies = This uncharitable term is applied to loud, showy tourists that travel to the Jersey Shore on summer weekends.
• Greenheads = These vicious little mosquitos have been dining on New Jersey flesh since the 1700s.
• The city = In North Jersey this references New York. In South Jersey this means Philadelphia. Central Jersey doesn't get a vote because it does not exist.
• Disco fries = These are french fries served in New Jersey diners that are covered in mozzarella cheese and gravy. Most often served at 2 a.m. to teenagers who pay for it in loose change.
• Plain Pie = Apparently the rest of the free world says "cheese pie" when they order their pizza. We don't. Its a plain pie. Cheese is a given. If we don't all agree to this we devolve into chaos. We shouldn't need to order by ingredient.
• Pocketbook = This is a purse.
• "On a hard roll" = Does not actually mean we want stale bread. No, it is just a circular kaiser roll we order our sandwiches on. "Taylor ham, egg, cheese and ketchup on a hard roll."
• Taylor ham or Pork roll = This is a debate on what to call our answer to Canadian bacon. In North Jersey it is clearly Taylor ham. The brand name. Like asking for Coke instead of cola. In South Jersey they call it by the generic name. And threaten to secede from the Union if you tell them otherwise.
• Half a sub or hoagie = In this case we are asking for a six inch submarine sandwich, usually made with luncheon meat. Or half of a footlong. In South Jersey they call it a hoagie. For what Central Jersey calls it, see above.
• $20 cash regular = This is how we tell other people we want $20 worth of fuel put into our car gas tanks because we don't pump our own gas. It also denotes the type of fuel. In this case, the cheapest kind.
• Fill it up, premium = This is how we tell other people we want our tanks filled up full of fuel because we don't pump our own gas. In this case, the most expensive kind.
• Piney = This is the name given to people that are residents of South/Southwest New Jersey's Pine Barrens.
• The Parkway = This is the Garden State Parkway.
• Ripper = This is the name of a deep fried hotdog that is cooked until it splits. Most famously served at Rutt's Hut.
• “Wooder“ = This is the unfortunate way people in the southern portion of the state say the word “water.”
• Jersey barrier = This is the concrete construction barrier used along the endless sites being worked on around the state.
• Jersey stop = Not quite an actual stop. Just sort of slowing the car down enough to not OBVIOUSLY blow through the stop sign. But not completely stopping and losing forward momentum.
• Jersey sweep/slide = This is when a driver sweeps or slides across multiple lanes of traffic in order to make an exit.
• Fuggetaboutit = This roughly translates to "Sir/Madam, it is most likely best for all parties concerned that you let this matter drop and allow it to trouble you no more."

While these were the most popular responses, they obviously were not representative of all of the idiosyncratic language we use here. Have some you want to see on the list? Share them in the comments.

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store.