What do you call dough cooked in hot oil?
Posted by Isabel on January 9th, 2007. Filed under: Random, They're just my friends.Sweet Babboo and I are flying out this weekend to visit friends and family. Friday night will be spent stuffing my face at a local restaurant where they serve you hot scones by the dozen.
Hot scones.
By the dozen.
I can’t wait.
When I was bragging about this to a coworker, he said, “Scones, as in biscuits, or like scones?”
You see, out here in Washington they think a scone is a biscuit. It was very confusing to me the first time I had (what they call) a scone and was like, “what’s with all this dry flour and jam? Where is the deep fried goodness that I’m used to?”
(Dude, I just googled “scone” and it came up with what I DO NOT BELIEVE IS A SCONE! CRAP! Apparently what I call a “scone” is more commonly known as “frybread“. CRAP!)
What I’m getting at here is how odd it is that, even though we speak the same language, we have different words for things. I’m always a little shocked when I hear Miss Zoot refer to a shopping cart as a “buggy”. I didn’t even know that was an option.
And then there are our friends over in Berlin, Germany. They both speak wunderbar English. The wife learned English in America while the husband learned it in England. So basically, their English is different from each other. And it’s wild.
While talking to the husband, he’ll use words like “posh”, and then stop himself and ask us if we know what that word means. I explained to him that while we know what the words means, it isn’t one that we use a lot.
I know that some people say “soda”, while others say “pop”. Me? I just call it “soda pop” and figure I’ve covered all the bases. Some people even call a “marker” a “Sharpie“. Which I had never heard before. I guess that’s like calling tissue “Kleenex”.
So while I’m super excited about eating scones doused with butter and honey, I still wonder why I call it a scone and people in Washington call it an elephant ear. I mean, seriously, why?!
Are there words where you’re from that the rest of us aren’t used to? Let’s hear it.
And remember, it’s National Delurking Week.
January 9th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
In some of the more hillbilly parts of our state, people say buggy for shopping cart or for stroller. (No offense, Miss Zoot, you are in the south, right?) I want some of whatever it is you are calling a scone because it sounds awesome. I LOVE fried dough. In any form. Funnel cake, donuts, mmmm….
January 9th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
I say “soda” while everyone around me says “pop.” I can’t think of any other weird words used now, although when I was young teenager, the kids in my southside Chicago neighborhood used “wrapping” to describe “French kissing.” That counts, right?
January 9th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
I can’t think of any off the top of my head, but I use a lot of things interchangably, such as soda and pop, as well as sofa and couch. At least with the sofa/couch thing I don’t call it a davenport.
I had a friend in highschool who called colored pencils crayons. He was from Canada, so I guess I can excuse it.
January 9th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
I just used the word posh last night, and Joel was all, “wha? What did you say?”. I SAID I FELT POSH. WITH MY NEW DRESS AND SHOES AND BAG. POSH. Fine, whatever. It’s apparently only appropriate to use when referring to Victoria Beckham’s SpiceGirl identity.
“Scones” here are nasty. They’re like flavorless, really heavy bread. Like muffins, without the sugar or the butter. Nasty. But I will have to try this frybread you speak of. Mmmm, I’m getting hungry for some of those fresh-made donuts at Pike Place Market. If you have one those for me, I’ll have another cup of coffee for you.
I can’t think of any other strange words that Baltimorons use… but they do have this annoying habit of omitting helping verbs and other pivotal words, which drives me NUTS. “This needs copied”, “I’m finished the book.” Crazy Marylanders.
January 9th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
Oh frybread is oh so wonderful. Especially when you use it to make indian tacos. I have never heard it called a scone. Scones to me are sweet and more biscuit like.
I can’t think of any words I use that are weird… but if I do I’ll come back and comment again!
January 9th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Janet has one of the greatest stories about this topic, from back in our college days (I say that like I’m old or something). Seriously, ask her, she’ll know exactly what you’re talking about.
January 9th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
I use the word buggy as well….I don’t call it a cart because that’s what horses pull
Gumband is a word I use to describe a “hair tie” but also a rubber band….
And where I’m from people usually say “that needs washed”….we just drop the “to be” altogether…
But, I have a friend who refers to a winter hat as a toboggin….I find that strange…
One last thing – What you call a scone, and some call an elephant ear, I call a funnel cake….except we eat ours with powder sugar on top..
January 9th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
I had to laugh when I started reading your post – because you were saying “fried” and I’m thinking; “Dude, scones are baked and are triangular in shape… not fried” and sure enough – you found that out yourself. LOL.
After living all over the country it’s interesting to see what people call different things in the regions of our country – but admittedly I have never known there was confusion on ’scones’ before!
January 9th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
My wife calls a rubber band a binder, a binder to me is a school folder. She also calls scissors by a singular name. Ex. “Can you please hand me the scissor”. She is from Minnesota, which is close to Canada, so I can excuse it.
January 9th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
Okay, so like Jessica said….
I showed up at college in Louisiana (from Colorado) and it’s like the first week of school and I am still trying to act cool and make friends, right? So we’re all hanging out in someone’s room one night and I get up from where I am sitting but I know that I want my seat back in a second. So I called out, “Tap Tap!”
Everyone just kinda stares at my blankly! Apparently, Tap Tap is not universal code for “I want my seat back” like it was at my high school. I thought at least it was a regional thing, like everyone from Colorado knew what Tap Tap was…but no…..it was just my small circle of people back home. I was so embarrassed.
I guess some people say “Fives” or “Placebacks” or something…what do you ladies say when you want to get up but not lose your seat??? TAP TAP!
January 9th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
I eat funnel cakes with powdered sugar on top and they are heaven. I think that’s the same thing you are talking about.
As you know, I’m from the South so I’m sure I say a lot of “funny” things.
Soda or pop=Coke (no matter if it’s Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, etc.)
You know that thing you do as a kid when you go throw toilet paper in the trees of a yard? I think some call it TP-ing or toilet papering. We call it “rollin’”.
Something else I’ve found interesting?
I’ve heard a lot of bloggers talking about CVS (well now I can’t think, maybe it’s CVR)…something like that, it’s a pharmacy. We don’t have any of those. We have Walgreens. And, we take the ACT’s, not SAT’s.
I’ll have to think of some more.
Susan in VA (she’s on my blog roll) used to do posts that asked people what they said. It was always fun to see how different parts of the country said different things. I think one guy said he was vacationing somewhere and asked where the “thongs” were in a store he was at. They looked at him crazy. He realized he should have asked for “flip-flops.”
January 9th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Hilary, you’re right with CVS. And doesn’t everyone have a Walgreens?
January 9th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
What you’re calling a scone sounds to me like a beignet, and now I’m craving one like mad. Thanks a lot!
Growing up we Ft. Collins, CO kids used to say “umbers” when someone did something they were going to get in trouble for. The worse the offence, the longer drawn out the word; “uuuuummmmmmmbbeeerrrrrss” was bad news.
Shortly after I met my husband (who grew up in the Springs, 2 hours south of Ft. Collins) I jokingly said “umbers” about something he did and he looked at me like I was absolutely crazy and accused me of making up words. So it must have been a very localized thing in my hometown.
January 9th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
I totally know what you mean!
Flip flop, sandle or thong?
January 9th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
hmmmm… deep fried bread? Yeah, that’s a doughnut. Sorry.
And I think the only wierd thing people do in my home town (Los Angeles) is put the word “the” in front of all freeways. As in “You take the 101, to the 405, and then hop on the 10…”
January 9th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
Dude, Hilary beat me to the Coke thing. “What kind of Coke do you want?” really does refer to all carbonated beverages! And we really do have a Walgreens on EVERY corner!! Believe me, I work for them.
January 9th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
If the version of scones that Isabel is talking about are the Utah ones, I would say they are more or less Mexican sopapillas. You put honey butter on them. I just had a Washington scone and I nearly choked on it.
January 10th, 2007 at 12:14 am
I’m a midwesterner…so around here, it’s pop, not soda. The fried dough you are speaking of is a sopapilla or donut around here – which I enjoy much more than a “scone”. One thing that might be weird it that in my hometown – when you went to the local convenience store, we called it the Quik-check, which is the name of an actual chain, but we called every convenience store the quik-check. That’s all I have.
January 10th, 2007 at 1:58 am
I got laughed at for calling a frying pan a “skillet.”
January 10th, 2007 at 3:25 am
Darnit, the only things I can come up with right now are differences of pronunciation. I call it “wooder” not wah-ter. Oh, one that comes to mind is copybook. Everyone else calls it a notebook. That one seems to be less regional and more Catholic-school related. We copied our notes, we didn’t take them ourselves.
Oh, and my weird little cousin calls her school bag a bookbag. She’s a feisty one, she asked me “well, do you carry schools around in it or books?”. Smart-assed eight year old.
January 10th, 2007 at 4:32 am
Soda was what we called carbonated beverages where I grew up (Virginia), but now where I live (Colorado) everyone calls it pop. Drives me crazy.
Also, I have a friend that refers to funnel cakes as elephant ears. But are they even the same thing?
And – I never saw a Walgreens until I moved to Colorado. I was used to Rite Aid and CVS.
And growing up, my Mom used to put ‘hair bobbles’ in my hair – you know those hair things that had bright colorful balls on each side?
And finally, my husband likes to call paper towels Scott towels. Sort of like a tissue being called a Kleenex. Weird!
January 10th, 2007 at 6:17 am
At first I thought you meant funnel cake… But I’m thinking those scones sound freaking awesome….
Carbo load for the rest of us, will ya?
January 10th, 2007 at 6:27 am
Dude, I’m reading a book right now that you might dig. It’s The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson. It’s basically about the origins and many, MANY eccentricities of the English language. He actually addresses the whole shopping cart / buggy thing in one of his sections on regional speech. I’m probably not giving it the props it deserves…it sounds sort of dry and boring, but it’s actually really freaking funny and very cool.
Enjoy your scones / frybread / doughnuts / delicious treat!
January 10th, 2007 at 6:29 am
Let me first start by delurking. I’m Janet’s sister, but I like to read your blog because I live in Seattle too.
I grew up using the word “ginixel” to describe when you do the laundry and you have to fold the dry clothes, put the wet clothes in the dryer, and put new clothes in the washer. So when you need to do a laundry cycle its way easier to say “I’m going to go ginixel”. So I learned this word from my parents and I always assumed that this is what everyone called doing laundry until the first time I asked my husband to ginixel and he looked at me like I was crazy. I still use it though because its just way easier!
January 10th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Australia:
Port – Suitcase or Schoolbag
Dillybag – Bag
Texta or Nikko – Marker
Stubbie – Bottle of Beer
Stubbies – Mens shorts
Pluggers – Thongs (See below)
Thongs – I believe you may call them flip flops
Pash – Kiss
Shag – Mekkin babies
Root – Mekking babies (now you know why we laugh when you say you are “rooting for a team”)
Cracking the sh*ts – Getting upset
Youse – When talking to a group of people “Where are youse going”
“Fully sik” – “This is good”
Yobs – Bunch of rough people
Lappin’ – Driving around and around town (also, Chucking laps)
Chook – Chicken
Zucchini – Courgettes
Capsicum – Peppers
Scones – Not deep fried and should be served with jam and cream!
January 10th, 2007 at 11:06 am
I am scared to comment again as I am not sure where my last one went but if 2 turn up… your blog ate my comment (Snap Aly!) (and if the 1st comment is slightly different it is because I can’t remember what I wrote)
Here in Australia:
Port – Suitcase or School Bag
Dillybag – Bag
Stubbie – Beer
Stubbies – Mens shorts
Pluggers – Thongs (See below)
Thongs – Flip Flops
Zucchinis – Courgettes
Capsicum – Peppers
Chewy – Chewing Gum
Dart/Durry/Ciggie – Cigarette
Cheerio and or Little Boys – Cocktail Frankfurts
“Fully sik” – Very good (”That car is fully sik”)
“Youse” – All of you (”Are youse going for a durry?”)
“Doof doof” – Techno music (”I can’t stand that doof doof music”)
Chook – Chicken (”Can you bring a hot chook to the picnic?”)
Bogan/Feral/Melon Farmers – Undesirable people
January 10th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Here in Pittsburgh, we have lots of our own words. Youns = a group of 2 or more people, for instance. My mother is from Washington state and it makes her crazy when we say ’slippy.’ It’s snowing right now and I can’t wait to tell her to be careful ’cause the sidewalks are slippy. Come to think of it, most of the Pittsburgh words are mostly accent issues. Dahntahn, Stillers, etc.
My aunts, still on the west coast, have some odd words, I just can’t think of any at the momenth.
January 10th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Scone is totally a biscuit on this side of the world!
January 10th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
Scones are most definitely triangular-shaped. I mean, that’s what Starbucks calls them, and Starbucks never lies.
Wish I had some weird terms to share, but of course all of the terms I use are completely normal and you guys are the ones saying all the weird stuff.
January 10th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
Soda? pop?
We call it ‘fizzy’ here.
*sigh*
January 10th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
In Texas when they say “a couple” they strictly mean TWO. In Colorado, “a couple” always meant the same thing as “a few” to me, like anywhere from 2-4. I found this strange when I moved to Texas. They also say “I’m fixin….” here a lot. It always sounds VERY Texan to me.
January 10th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
It can depend on what branch of the military you are in too. Last night I was talking to a woman at the Little Gym and she said she used the gym “on post” so I knew she was army. Navy would have said “on base”
Susan at http://arewethereyet2.blogspot.com/ does posts on this topic all the time. Very interesting topic.
I say soda, my cousins in Missouri say pop.
January 10th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
I can’t believe there are 30 comments and mine is still un-commented-upon!
In Milwaukee, maybe all of Wisconsin, those things in parks and buildings where you can drink water for free? They’re called “bubblers.” Freakish people from other places call them “water fountains,” but “water fountains” are, IMO, the decorative park features that you should Never Ever Ever drink from. That’s where you throw a penny and make a wish! Drink from the bubbler.
Also unique to Milwaukee, carbonated beverages are “soda” not “pop” as they are most of the rest of the Midwest. And couches and sofas are davenports, but only in the homes of the elderly.
January 10th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
I call a shopping cart a basket and all types of carbonated beverages are referred to as “coke”.
January 12th, 2007 at 1:56 am
I am a Brit living in the States. I always want to throw a fit in Starbucks because those things are NOT scones! They’re not, people! Well, perhaps they are, here.
I happen to have made a batch of scones this week. Cheese, Onion and Olive scones. Holy Cow! They are awesome, if I do say so myself. But scones are good too when they’re baked plain and have jam and butter added while they’re still warm. I am drooling.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marmitebreath/354408610/
PS) I call it a buggy too, Miss Zoot. And I’ve lived in England, Italy, The South and The Midwest, so it’s a wonder that I know what to order at all when I want a diet coke.
January 12th, 2007 at 6:27 am
I’m with you on the scones! A scone is a scone, I don’t care what other people say! And they’re delicious.
The only thing I can think of is that non~Utah folk aren’t very knowledgeable on Fry Sauce. I’m addicted to it. Every where I go, I need to have fry sauce with my fries. If they don’t have it, then I ask for some mayo and ketchup so I can make it myself. But once you go out of state and ask for it, people look at you like you’re a weirdo.
January 16th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Hey! First time reading….quipwhit sent me over. Very interesting post….people in Kentucky (maybe just Lexington) call the garbage (like that you roll out to the street to be picked up) herbies.
February 27th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Well, I’m from England and I haven’t the foggiest idea what any of you are talking about!
Mary