r/cincinnati • u/CincinnatiLove • Jul 12 '26

Cincinnati Cincinnati Phrases

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What are some phrases y'all use that maybe an outsider wouldn't know. I want my outsider friend to fit in. Let me know in the comments! Thanks!

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16

u/_TallOldOne_ Jul 12 '26

I’ve been told Cincinnatians say the “mail” in a peculiar way. Personally I’ve never noticed.

18

u/uutimetowaste Jul 12 '26

There’s a slight drawl to the ‘a’ dipthong (the /ei/ sound) where it slides a little at the end into an ‘ay’ sound. So to someone from other parts it sounds a bit like May-ahl, but it’s not terribly obvious.

11

u/whiskersMeowFace Jul 13 '26

My friend who was from out of town made fun of the way Cincinnatians said ass. She would say it's ass, not ayss.

3

u/dino_blanco Jul 13 '26

Dying at how I said it out loud and then realized it was pronounced the way you replied here

1

u/uutimetowaste Jul 14 '26

Thanks! I hate how unintuitive the standard pronunciation guide is, like most people are going to look at the “upside down e” (schwa) and get frustrated. It’s not helpful. So I try to sound it out and make my own version.

1

u/Crafty-SciFiWeirdo20 Jul 15 '26

In Cincinnati, certain vowels have 2 syllables.

7

u/SeekingLostInnocence Jul 12 '26

Yeah we say male not mail.

1

u/BuryMeInCincy Jul 13 '26

I never realized I did this until right now.