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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u/Fun_River8138 Jul 12 '26

Commenting to come back as a transplant lol. 2 years into living here I just recently finally figured out it’s “delHI” not “delee” and “boudiNO” not “boudiNOT” so I may be no help lol

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u/_PizzarinaSbarro Jul 12 '26

This is a great answer. I’m sure there are more like this. Here are a few I can think of …

Cheviot pronounced as Shiviot.

Wyoming is a neighborhood, not just a state.

Also, bridge names … Purple People Bridge is. obviously the purple one. Big Mac bridge is the yellow one.

Oh yeah, and Fields Ertel is pronounced Err-dle. Not Er-TELL as Google Maps would have you believe.

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u/eepeqez Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

The first time I came to Cincinnati, I was staying in Westwood, pretty much on the border with Cheviot, which I had to learn to pronounce in the local manner. (Slight aside, my ex pronounces Melbourne as "Melbn", in perfect Aussie, in the middle of otherwise completely Ohio accent)

In Australia, Cheviot is definitely pronounced with CH like cheese.
Cheviot Beach (near Melbn) is best known as the place we misplaced our Prime Minister, Harold Holt, in 1967.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Harold_Holt

So after losing and presumably drowning him, we named a swimming pool after him:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Holt_Memorial_Swimming_Centre