What are your favorite "Iowa" sayings...

[dtISU]

So there's that.

Edit: I fully expected ass crack to be *** crack. Just shows ta go ya.

My grandmother (southwest Iowa) used to say that a lot.

 

[sunset]

I haven't lived in Iowa for over twenty years and I still use, or have to fight the urge to use, quite a few of these. Here's one that hasn't been mentioned yet; you guys's. As in "It's you guys's turn."

Can be a group of women and it's still you guys's.

 

[sunset]

Way back in the day I interviewed for a job in Minneapolis and they gave me a goody-bag with Minnesota related items, this book was included and it is pretty funny. A lot of crossover with Iowa.

 

[TXCyclones]

Forgot about "toasted cheese." That's what we called it at home and how our school menu always had it. I don't think I heard "grilled cheese" until I went "up t' college."

That's right there with so many I notice in Iowa saying "ng-kay" or "nn-kay" instead of "okay". So odd.

 

[cyclones500]

Yet another I tend to associate with Iowa — when someone asks directions: "You're gonna wanna turn left up there at the corner..."

***

I get funny looks here whenever I lapse into calling it a "lane" instead of a driveway.

***

My spousal gets annoyed when I refer to the Indiana Toll Road as "the interstate." I try to explain to her, toll road and turnpike are subsets of the entire "umbrella" of the U.S. interstate highway system. It does notgood. Usually, she responds with, "Could you just talk like a normal person?"

 

[khardbored]

My grandparents (SE Iowa) were very old fashioned and said "Davenport" (couch) and "Rubbers" (rubber pull-over boots).

Grandma also occasionally would call pulling a prank or telling a joke "pulling boners."

 

[cyclones500]

On the topic of clothing names, my 5th & 6th-grade social studies teacher called coats "wraps." "Be sure you put on your wraps before you go outside!"

My dad often called pants "trousers," usually in reference to dress slacks. He referred to jeans more often as pants, instead of jeans.

 

[dafarmer]

On discussing a slow moving person or object, You need to sight him up to a post. My Dads favorite," He doesn't know enough to pour warm #### out of his boots."

 

[Al_4_State]

"Sweatin' like a ***** in the front row of church"

 

[cyclones500]

Not sure if cited — this is either Iowan or farmer-ism: "Going to the movie, are ya?"

 

[wxman1]

My favorite is when your talking about a farm and it's nicknamed donnies 40 or the old Jensen place - the guy it's named after died 30 years ago

Dad and I still give my mom grief for stuff like this when we visit her side of the family in Tama County.

I would say 90% of these are more farmerisms than Iowa things. Growing up in CR and we have some of these but I have noticed most of them on people that grew up in the country.

 

[nfrine]

I was in Texas (Houston) during a rainy spell. I went into a shoe store and asked if they had any rubbers.
The clerk directed me to the drug store down the road. Really.

 

[wxman1]

I was in Texas (Houston) during a rainy spell. I went into a shoe store and asked if they had any rubbers.
The clerk directed me to the drug store down the road. Really.

"No no for my shoes!"

Clerk:

 

[DRCHIRO]

If I recall, aren't "taverns" a northwest Iowa thing? I hadn't heard that until working on a hog operation in Sanborn, and it seemed that term was only in that part of the state.

Taverns, Sloppy Joes, and Maidrites

My wife and I found this out a few years ago. We're from NW Ia and have some friends from Boone and NE Iowa (we all live in Des Moines now) and we invited them over because my mother in law brought down some tavern meat from Bobs. Both had no idea what we were talking about.

 

[MeanDean]

This one just popped into my head today. Our neighbor just mowed this morning. There has been almost no rain for 3 weeks and the grass is basically yellow. When another neighbor noticed it had been mowed and said sarcastically, "I'm sure it needed it." I could hear in my head my grandmother on my father's side responding with, "Like fun!" Which basically means "no kidding."

 

[HGoat]

My grandpa used to call the TV remote a "clicker" and a few of my aunts and uncles still do. Don't know if its an Iowa thing or not, but I catch myself saying it every once in awhile, much to the dismay of those around me.

 

[SCyclone]

Way back in the day I interviewed for a job in Minneapolis and they gave me a goody-bag with Minnesota related items, this book was included and it is pretty funny. A lot of crossover with Iowa.

All you need to learn Minnesotan is to watch the movie "Fargo".

 

[MeanDean]

My grandpa used to call the TV remote a "clicker" and a few of my aunts and uncles still do. Don't know if its an Iowa thing or not, but I catch myself saying it every once in awhile, much to the dismay of those around me.

The first remote control TV's were controlled by a device that made an actual clicking noise.
The tuners were mechanical and generally were programmed for the 3 or 4 VHF channels you could receive in your area. So for Central IA you would have it programmed for 5, 8 and 13.

You could turn on the tv with the remote/clicker and it would go to 5. Then you could click it again and it would go to 8. Next click 13. Then if you clicked it again it would go to OFF. Click it again and 5. Circular - as the tuner just rotated mechanically.

Sometimes other sounds could make it change. I can't remember any specific things that did it but maybe rattling keys?

Bottom line, early TV remotes actually emitted a clicking sound, so 'clicker' was a natural name for them. Also, probably not just an Iowa thing.

Edit: Brought to you by an old person. You're welcome. "Tell me more about the good old days, Grandpa!" LOL

 

[urb1]

The first remote control TV's were controlled by a device that made an actual clicking noise.
The tuners were mechanical and generally were programmed for the 3 or 4 VHF channels you could receive in your area. So for Central IA you would have it programmed for 5, 8 and 13.

You could turn on the tv with the remote/clicker and it would go to 5. Then you could click it again and it would go to 8. Next click 13. Then if you clicked it again it would go to OFF. Click it again and 5. Circular - as the tuner just rotated mechanically.

Sometimes other sounds could make it change. I can't remember any specific things that did it but maybe rattling keys?

Bottom line, early TV remotes actually emitted a clicking sound, so 'clicker' was a natural name for them. Also, probably not just an Iowa thing.

Edit: Brought to you by an old person. You're welcome. "Tell me more about the good old days, Grandpa!" LOL

The first remote I ever saw was mechanical and actually turned the old channel knob to the next channel. More of a ka-chuck ka-chunk sound than a click. This was way old.

 

[MeanDean]

The first remote I ever saw was mechanical and actually turned the old channel knob to the next channel. More of a ka-chuck ka-chunk sound than a click. This was way old.

Yes, the television tuner made the clunka clunka sounds. The remote made the clicking sound.
The first one I remember seeing in real life was mid 70's. The contractor family I worked for in the summers when I was in college had one. Then a few years later my brother had one.