Yatspeak: A New Orleans Lexicon

Editor's Note: This page is a modified version of Chuck Taggart's Yat Lexicon from his Gumbo Pages. Thanks to Chuck for allowing me to include it on VNO.

There are also certain standard English words (other than the articles and pronouns) which are pronounced in very special ways in New Orleans, and these will also be included below. In the phonetic spelling, the "@" character will be used to represent the schwa, or neutral vowel sound. The syllable of major stress will be capitalized, and the syllable of secondary stress will be preceded by an apostrophe. Also remember a general rule of thumb: New Orleanians tend to stress the first syllable of most words and place names.

I hope that this brings back memories for natives, and I also hope that it may enlighten visitors to the Crescent City. It may help make the difference between a mere tourist and a truly interested visitor, and I think that's an important distinction. You don't want to look like an idiot, saying "Huh?", when the lady behind the counter at the po-boy shop asks you, "Ya want dat dressed, dawlin'?"

My thanks to the members of the New Orleans Internet Mailing List for helping me to compile this list.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

ANYWAYS - And, then; and, so.

AWRITE - "While Where Y'at" is usually thought of as the common greeting in New Orleans, "awrite" is much more universal. A man may say Where Y'at? to a friend he passes by on the street, but he'll say "awrite" to a stranger. This is the South, after all; one doesn't merely brush past someone else when walking down Carondelet St. without saying hello. We don't want to be impolite, yet we don't usually waste time on strangers, so "awrite" is a fair compromise. Usage: One man walking down the street comes upon another man going the other way. The first man says "awrite"; the second responds "awrite".

AWRITE, HAWT - A variation on the standard greeting, but using an endearment usually reserved for a friend, usually female

AX - Ask. Usage: "Dey axed for you down by da VFW Hall last night ad Madeline's cousin's daughta's weddin'."

BANQUETTE - The sidewalk. Pronounced <BANK-it>. Usage fairly rare nowadays.

BERL - To cook by surrounding something in hot, bubbling liquid; the preferred method for cooking shellfish. Common pronunciation of the dipthong oi. For example, many a New Orleans student learned in World History that a great defense of a castle under attack in the middle ages was to dump "berlin' erl" on the attackers.

BOO - A term of endearment, frequently used by parents and grandparents for small children, even small children who happen to be 40 years old ... Believed to be Cajun in origin.

BRA - A universal name for a male, usually one with whom you are not acquainted. Usually used in this manner: "Awrite, bra ..." The greeting "Say, bra" is usually heard from white guys who think they're talking like a black guy.

BY MY HOUSE, BY YOUR HOUSE, etc. - Analogous to the French terms "chez moi", "chez toi", etc. Usage: "He slept by my house last night." "At" is never used in this sense.

CAP - A universal name for a male, usually one with whom you are not acquainted. Women generally do not use this term. See also PODNA and BRA.

CATLICK - As in Roman Catholic, the predominant religion in New Orleans.

CEMENT - A standard English word, but with a special pronunciation. Yats say <SEE-ment>, not <s@-MENT>.

CHARMER - The quintessential female Yat. Pronounced <CHAW-muh>.

DA - The.

DAT - That.

DAWLIN' - A universal form of address. Women use it universally to both sexes, men use it toward women. See also HAWT.

DEM - Them.

DESE, DOSE - These, those.

DIS - This.

DRESSED - When ordering a po-boy, "dressed" indicates lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and MYNEZ, on it. (See NUTTINONIT)

EARL -
1. A vegetable product used for cooking, sauteing, making roux, etc.
2. A petroleum product used to lubricate the engine of your car.
3. Your Uncle Earl. (Most New Orleanians have an Uncle Earl; I do.)

ELLESHYEW - Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. Occasionally preceded by the term, "Go ta hell ..."

ERSTERS - Oysters.

ESPLANADE - Walkway (archaic usage).

FAUBOURG - A suburb or outlying neighborhood, as in Faubourg Marigny. A neighborhood is considered outlying in relation to the original neighborhood, the French Quarter. Metairie would never be a Faubourg, because it wasn't part of the city in the first place.

FLYIN' HORSES - Accented on the first syllable. A merry-go-round, sometimes specifically describing the merry-go-round in City Park, but also used in general.

FOR - a preposition used by New Orleanians instead of "at" or "by" when referring to time. E.g., "Da parade's for 7:00, but we betta get dere for 6 if we wanna find pawkin'." This one tends to be particularly confusing to non-natives.

F'SURE! -
1. A statement of agreement.
2. An excellent (but out of print) book by Yat artist Bunny Matthews, featuring cartoons with "actual dialogue heard on the streets of our metropolis".

F'TRUE - Pronounced <f@-TROO>. When phrased as a question, it means "Is that so?" or "Ya kiddin'!!". When phrased as a statement, it's an affirmation, a shortened version of "Nuh uh, I ain't lyin' ta ya ..."

GAWD - A supernatural deity, worshipped by most New Orleanians.

GOUT - Pronounced <GOO>. French for "taste." Usually applied to coffee. As in, "You want a little gout?" Mostly old people are the only ones still saying this.

GRIPPE - The flu.

GRIS-GRIS - Pronounced <GREE-GREE>. Noun, A (voodoo) spell. Can be applied for nefarious purposes ("to put a gris-gris on someone"), or as a force to ward off evil, like wearing a gris-gris bag (the folks at the Voodoo Shop on Dumaine will make one to order for about $20).

HAWT - A term of endearment.

HOUSE COAT 'N CURLAS - The preferred dress for charmers while shopping at Schwegmann's.

I'LL TAKE ME A ... - May I have a ...

KAY-BEE - The drugstore, as in (K&B, Katz and Besthoff). The ampersand is always silent.

LAGNIAPPE - Pronounced <LAN-yap>. A little something extra. Also, the name of the entertainment pull-out section of the Friday edition of The New Orleans Times-Picayune.

LOCKA - Where you hang your clothes, analogous to the English word "closet". Example: "Mom-MAH! Where my shoes at?" "Looka in ya locka!" See LOOKA.

LOOKA - The imperative case of the verb "to look". Usually accompanied by a pointing gesture. Often used as a single exclamation: "Looka!"

LOOKIT DA T.V. - To watch T.V.

MAKE GROCERIES, MAKIN' GROCERIES - To do grocery shopping.

MARRAINE - Your godmother.

MIRLITON - A vegetable pear or chayote squash, which grows wild in Louisiana and in backyards throughout New Orleans. Pronounced <MEL-lee-tawn>, and wonderful when stuffed with shrimp and ham dressing ... have a look at the recipe.

MISTA - As in "Throw me somethin' mista". Never used in any other context; "bra" or "cap" is used regularly

MYNEZ - Mayonnaise.

NEUTRAL GROUND - The grassy or cement strip in the middle of the road. The terms "median" and/or "island" are NEVER used in New Orleans. Use of one of those foreign terms instead of "neutral ground" is a dead giveaway that you ain't from around here, or anywhere close. If you're lucky, you live on a street with a neutral ground big enough to play football on.

NEW ORLEENS - The way silly tourists pronounce "New Orleans". Natives do not do this. Exception -- song lyrics, as in "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans", for example, and when omitting the "New", as in "Orleans Parish", which is always pronounced <or-LEENS>. Confusing, isn't it? More on this below.

NUTTINONIT - A po-boy that is not dressed, which only contains the main ingredient.

OR WHAT - Pronounced <r WUT>, and placed at the end of a question: "You gonna finish eatin' dat, 'r what?"

OVA DA RIVER - Across the river.

OVA BY - A general replacement for the prepositions "at" and "to", particularly when referring to someone's home, or a destination in general. "Where ya goin'?" "Ova by ma mamma's."

PARISH - A Louisiana state administrative district, analogous to the American "county". When used by Yats in the phrase "da parish", it generally means Jefferson Parish specifically, which is suburban to New Orleans.

PARRAINE - Your godfather.

PASS BY - To stop at a place, for a visit or to accomplish something. "Ya gonna be home later? I'll pass by ya house." It doesn't mean just to drive by in your car and keep going ...

PO-BOY - The quintessential New Orleans lunch, a sandwich on good, crispy New Orleans French bread. This definition doesn't begin to describe what a po-boy is all about, so if you really don't know you need to get one soon. Take a moment to read a little bit about po-boys.

PODNA - A universal form of address for a male. Frequently used in the emphatic statement, "I tell you what, podna ..."

'SCUSE ME PAWDON ME - Polite expression when trying to get by somebody or moving through a crowd, spoken as one word.

SHOOT-DA-CHUTE - A playground slide.

STOOP - Usually expressed as "da stoop". The front steps to your house, particularly if it's a shotgun duplex. What ya go out and sit on to chat wit'ya neighbas (an' ta keep an eye on 'em). An example, (partially taken from a Bunny Matthews' "F'Sure!") strip:
"Turn on da A.C., Victa."
"Nuh uh, it ain't hot enough, it's still May. Let's go out and sit on da stoop."

SUCK DA HEAD, SQUEEZE DA TIP - 1. The technique for eating crawfish. If you've never done this, have someone demonstrate.
2. A song by the Radiators.

SUG - A term of endearment used primariliy by Yat females. Pronoucned <SHOOG> with a soft "oo" as in "book".

SWEATS - A sub-species of Yat; early teens to late 40s, even, with unkempt appearance, dirty hair, heavy metal or biker t-shirts, droopy-eyed, low-intelligence, usually stoned, occasionally hostile. Preferred term of address, "Say, bra ..." Other terms for sweats, depending on your generation and neighborhood, are "loads" or "say-bras". Fond of Cheech 'n Chong (which they pronounce CHEEK an' Chong) movies at the Chalmette, Lake Forest Plaza and Village Aurora Cinemas, in my day. Prone to ask brilliant questions like, "Say bra ... what time da midnight movie starts?"

TURLET - A device for the sanitary disposal of human waste, and for nasty food ya snuck away from da table as a child (like ma mamma's roast beef ... yuck).

UPTOWN SIDE, DOWNTOWN SIDE, LAKESIDE, RIVERSIDE - The four cardinal points of the New Orleanian compass. "North, south, east, west" do not work in New Orleans.

VALISE - Suitcase.

VEDGE-A-TIBBLE - Neither animal nor mineral. What ya mamma used to make ya eat before ya could leave the table when ya were a kid. The word has four syllables.

WHERE YA STAY (AT)? - Where do you live?

WHERE Y'AT? - The greeting. The proper response is, "Awrite."

UMBRELLA - A standard English word, but with a special pronunciation. Yats say <UM-brel-l@>, not <um-BREL-l@>.

WRENCH - To clean something under running water. "Aw baby, ya hands 'r filthy! Go wrench 'em off in da zink." See ZINK.

YA - You, your. YA MAMMA - Your mother. Used in a variety of ways, usually endearing. Also usable as an insult, specifically as a simple retort when one is insulted first; simply say, "Ya mamma." Be prepared to defend yourself physically at this point.

YAMAMMA'N'DEM - A collective term for your immediate family, as in "Hey dawlin', how's yamamma'n'dem?" Spoken as one word.

YEAH YOU RITE - A sign of definite agreement. The accent is on the first word, and it's spoken as one word.

ZATARAIN'S - Pronounced <ZAT-@-rans>. A local manufacturer of spices, seasonings, pickled products and condiments. In context, it's used by some as a generic term for either crab boil or Creole mustard.

ZINK - A receptacle for water with a drain and faucets. Where ya wrench off ya dishes.

A guide to the pronunciation of local place names

For instance, some people will note with delight that we have streets named after the Nine Muses of classical Greek mythology, but would probably pass out if they heard how we pronounced them. And da French names often ain't what dey seem.

Here's a list of the ways the natives pronouce some of our our unique place names -- streets, cities and local features. Some of you may find them baffling, but don't think to ask why. We probably don't know anyway.

So ... if you really want to fit in, learn to pronounce things like this:

THE BIG EASY - Avoid uttering this phrase at all costs. Under almost no circumstances would a native ever refer to the City in this way. One major (and baffling) exception: the local music and entertainment awards are called The Big Easy Awards.

BURGUNDY STREET - Pronounced <bur-GUN-dee>. Don't pronounce it like the wine.

CADIZ STREET - Pronounced <KAY-diz>. In New Orleans, Spanish place names are butchered even woise den da French ones ...

CALLIOPE STREET - Pronounced, believe it or not, <CAL-lee-ope>, and not <k@-LIE-@-pee>. No doubt this particular Greek Muse is barfing up her lunch over on Olympus ... However, the steam organ on the riverboat Natchez that plays music is, in fact, the <k@-LIE-@-pee>. Go figure.

CANAL - Usage is always "da canal". The Industrial Canal, one of New Orleans' main waterways, along with "da lake" and "da river". I suppose some Metry-ites may use this term to refer to the 17th Street Canal.

CARONDELET STREET - Pronounced <k@-'ron-d@-LET>, not <k@-'ron-d@-LAY>.

CHARTRES STREET - Pronounced <CHAW-t@s> or <CHAW-tuhs>.

CHEF MENTEUR HIGHWAY - Pronounced <SHEF m@n-TOUR>. Most people just say "da Chef". And although it's U.S. 90, it's not really much of a highway anymore ... "Da Chef" is actually pretty depressing these days.

CLIO STREET - Pronounced <CLI-oh>. Also sometimes, by some folks in da neighbahood, as "C-L-ten" ...

CONTI STREET - Pronounced <CON-tye>.

DAUPHINE STREET - Pronounced <daw-FEEN>. Oddly enough, it's not unlike the actual French.

DERBIGNY STREET - Pronounced <DER-b@-nee>.

EUTERPE STREET - Pronounced <YOU-terp>.

FONTAINEBLEAU - Pronounced as if spelled "fountain blue".

IBERVILLE STREET - Pronounced <IB-ber-'vil>, not <EYE-ber-'vil>.

LOYOLA - The hardcore Yat pronunciation of this is <lye-OH-l@>.

MARIGNY STREET, FAUBOURG MARIGNY - Pronounced <MA-r@-nee>, with the "a" sounding like the "a" in "hat".

MAZANT STREET - Pronounced <MAY-zant>.

MELPOMENE STREET - Pronounced <MEL-p@-meen>.

METAIRIE - Standard New Orleanian pronunciation: <MET-@-ree>.
Hardcore Yat pronunciation: <MET-tree>, as if it was spelled (and sometimes is spelled), "Metry".

MILAN STREET - Pronounced <MY-lan>

NEW ORLEANS - This is a sticky subject. Natives also seem to have an instinctive grasp of what a proper pronunciation is, and can spot it in native speakers outside the City.

First off, <new or-LEENS> is a no-no. It's like putting a big, red neon sign on your head that says, "I'm not from around here." As also mentioned above, the two main exceptions are when it's pronounced like that in song lyrics (easier to rhyme, but contributes to the confusion of non-natives) and when "Orleans" stands alone without the "New", as in Orleans Parish.

Here are the major standard local pronunciations of the City's name: <new OR-l@ns>, <new AW-l@ns>, <new OR-lee-'@ns> <new AH-lee-@ns>, <nyoo AH-lee-'@ns>. The fabled "N'Awlins", pronounced <NAW-l@ns>, is used by some natives for amusement, and by some non-natives who think they're being hip, but actually I've come across very few locals who actually pronounce the name of the City in this way.

PLAQUEMINES PARISH - Pronounced <PLACK-@-m@ns>.

PRYTANIA STREET - Pronounced <pr@-TAN-y@>.

THE RIGOLETS - Pronounced <da RIG-@-lees>.

ROYAL STREET - Pronounced <RERL>, to rhyme with "pearl". A strong Yat pronunciation.

TCHOUPITOULAS STREET - Pronounced <CHOP-@-'too-l@s>. It's easier to pronounce than to spell. Spelling "Tchoupitoulas" is the true test of a native; if New Orleans was a country at war, you'd ask a guy to spell this to make sure he was on your side, just like in all the old WWII movies.

TERPSICHORE STREET - Pronounced <TERP-s@-core>.

THIBODEAUX - Pronounced <TIB-@-doe>.

TONTI STREET - Pronounced <TON-tee>, with the "o" sound as in "box".

TOULOUSE STREET - Pronounced <TOO-loose>.

TULANE - Pronounced <TOO-lane>. Never, ever pronounce this <tu-LANE>, or you'll immediately be mistaken for a college student from New Jersey. Also, you're liable to have someone get in your face about it, like my future brother-in-law Jeff does when he hears this ... "No. If you're gonna come to my city, and go to my school, you're gonna pronounce it my way." You tell 'em, bra.

VETERANS HIGHWAY - Hardcore Yats only pronounce this with two syllables ... <VET-tr@ns>.

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