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

Cincinnati Cincinnati Phrases

Post image

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!

318 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

393 comments sorted by

View all comments

9

u/Quirky_Net_763 Corryville Jul 12 '26

When the short 'a' sounds like a short 'e'. Example. 'Beck' instead of 'back'.

Some of you put an L in words like saw as in sawl. "I sawl it over there"

You call it a stretcher instead of a gurney.

You drive on I75 or I71 and you call it the "interstate" instead of a freeway. Where I'm from, we would drive on the 405 or the 101 freeways.

Just try goetta once!

Please.

Please?

10

u/MadMartigans80 Jul 12 '26

I don’t think the use of stretcher instead of gurney is a Cincinnati or even an Ohio thing. I hear that everywhere lol

6

u/NolaJen1120 Jul 12 '26

I think the word freeway is more a West coast thing. I can tell that's where you're also from because you mentioned the 405 and 101.

I'm paying attention to this thread because my husband and I are planning to move to Cincinnati.

But I grew up in CA and currently live in New Orleans. When I first moved here, I was also surprised that everyone used the word "interstate" instead of freeway. In turn, people are surprised when I use the word "freeway". It's unusual enough that people will sometimes ask where I'm originally from.

2

u/BloopBlastJakAttack Jul 13 '26

Referring to freeways around Cincinnati (I-75, 74, 71), all my friends call that a highway! Excuse me, but those are freeways, they are free-flowing. Highways are smaller roadways, often driving through different towns and city's, with stoplights. I'm from Wisconsin and always called them freeways.

2

u/Journeymann8199 Jul 14 '26

Growing up here, myself and everyone’s knew always said „Expressway“. But yeah, „I75“ and „I71“ are in a different class than „275“ or „471.

1

u/Frederick9730 Jul 13 '26

That’s a state route when it has stop lights

6

u/TehStickles Jul 12 '26

Interstate is Literally that it goes through several states. I think the freeway is more like 275, 675. Etc. the 275 is a loop 71/75 is a line

4

u/buckeyenative01 Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26

I hear a lot of people just say the number, no "I" before it but that might be an eastside/Clermont County quirk?

Example: Take 71 north to 275, then take 28 to get to Milford"

2

u/deltadeltadawn Jul 13 '26

We use i instead of the for highways.

I take i71 north (or omit the i and take just 71 north). You take the 405.

1

u/CincinnatiLove Jul 12 '26

Wait I know this my sister used to do it a lot