Depending on your geography, jimmies is either old-hat or it makes no sense. As a young’n growing up on the (not so) mean streets of Pittsburgh, I was exposed to a lot of Pittsburgeese including slippy and redd up. For me, jimmies represents a way of life and for that matter ordering dessert. South of PA, my requests are met with jeers and guffaws, but I gets no static at ice cream parlors throughout the Northeast.
jim·my /ˈdʒɪm
i/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[jim-ee] noun, plural -mies
-noun
1. The delicious little sprinkle things you get on ice cream, cupcakes, and donuts - usually rainbow or chocolate colored. Best enjoyed at Rita’s or Dave and Andy’s: Yo, make sure you put some rainbow jimmies on my wafflecone! I need my jimmies!
[Origin: Physically speaking the Netherlands if this Wikipedia article can be trusted]
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Nathan is one of my favorite pieces of slang that I picked up while living in the FTC house junior year. My roommate was a complex character named J Feezy. A Pittsburgh native, Feezy was always hip to the next big vernacular craze. If anyone had lingo, it was him. I’m not sure, but Nathan may have been his magnum opus, a creation all his own. This is an advanced term, it invariably leads to raised eyebrows and convoluted explanations. Casual use with the uninitiated is not recommended.
na·than [ney-thuhn]-noun, Na·than Ri·ley [ney-thuhn rahy-lee]
-noun
1. nothing, as in nothing important: Speaker 1: Hey holmes, what’s crackin? Speaker 2: Nathan, just chillin at the crib.
2. vernacular alternate and personification of ‘nothing really’: Speaker 1: Are you doing anything tonight? Speaker 2: Nah, just hanging with Nathan Riley doing fuck-all.
[Origin: 2003, Pittsburgh, PA. Popularized by FTC housemate J Feezy]
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I was totally convinced that I had something original for you today. I was so proud of myself that I decided to add it to Urban Dictionary. Of course, it turns out that pitching wedge has been around since at least 2004. *Sigh* Regardless, it is pretty obscure and we came up with it independently. If nothing else, it should get some you some chuckles on the links.
pitch·ing wedge [pich-ing wej] -noun
-noun
1. A girl that only looks good from about 20 yards away: Ed thought Mary was bangin’ from across the hall, but when he got up close he saw her busted grill and realized she was just a pitching wedge.
[Origin: The mean streets; see Butterface]
thom·as [tom-uhs] -adjective, thom·as nast
-adjective
1. ugly or unattractive; unpleasant to look at; offensive to the sense of beauty: Did you see Neal’s new girlfriend? She’s thomas!
[Origin: 2003, Pittsburgh, PA. At a house party, it was observed that certain attendees were nasty in appearance. This lead to an association with the name of Thomas Nast (a nineteenth century political cartoonist). Said individuals were then referred to as "thomas nast," which was soon shortened to "thomas"; see Chick Chick Boom, for antonym see Squirrel]
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The week’s slang is real talk. No, its not new. Fabolous did an album called Real Talk, with that awesome track Breathe, 4 years ago. And I know the term has been around longer than that. (btw Fab, the streets is hurting for another single) The point is, it’s underutilized and maybe a perfect fit for your next staff meeting.
re·al talk [ree-uhl tawk, reel tawk] -noun, -adverb
-noun
1. the honest truth, often used for emphasis: Nick needs a new haircut - and that’s real talk!
-adverb
2. seriously, in a serious manner: Yo, real talk, your breath is stank.
[Origin: unknown; see Truth, On The Real]
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In case you didn’t catch it last week, we started a new feature called Slang of the Week. Nick and I believe that the vernacular should be celebrated. This week’s slang is salty. I’ve never heard anyone use it outside western PA, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start. This one is simple, easy to use, and can be understood using context clues alone.
salt·y [sawl-tee] –adjective, salt·i·er, salt·i·est.
–adjective
1. sad or upset, often used as a taunt: Don’t get all salty just because your cat died.
2. angry or raging to the point of tears: Angela was pretty salty when her husband left her at the altar
[Origin: 1980-1990, the mean streets; see Crusty]
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Welcome to our new feature, Slang of the Week. Every week we’d like to share with you a phrase from our shared vocabulary. Some of these phrases and terms are available in the Urban Dictionary, some are not. This week’s term is squirrel. Nick and I have had this one in heavy rotation for a couple years now. Don’t be afraid to use it.
squir·rel /ˈskwɜrəl, ˈskwʌr- or, especially Brit., ˈskwɪrəl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[skwur-uhl, skwuhr-uhl, skwir-uhl] noun, plural -rels, (especially collectively) -rel, adjective, -rely.
-noun
1. an attractive female: Cindy Crawford is a total squirrel!
-adjective
2. resembling or possessing the traits of an attractive female, mainly in appearance: The checkout girl at the record store is looking kind of squirrely today.
[Origin: 2004 Pittsburgh, PA. from an observation by Matt Johnson that attractive girls are like squirrels because 'they like nuts']
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