Do You Speak Chicago-ese? Take the Quiz!
If you’ve been around long enough, you know that Chicago, and pretty much the entire northeast part of Illinois, has their own slang. It’s almost it’s own language! Sometimes you a have to explain it to visitors, and sometimes if you are on vacation, you have to catch yourself using Chicago-ese words that no one else will understand.
The Chicago Sun-Times has a series they call the “Chicago-pedia” which documents and defines some of these particular words and phrases.
They’ve been doing it for a while now, continually adding as they go, but it just came to my attention today, so I thought we’d do a little quiz!
Here are a few words/phrases/pronunciations that you should know. Answers are at the bottom!
- JEET
- FRUNCH ROOM
- LSD
- FRANCHEEZIE
- 16 INCH
.
.
.
.
.
Call ‘dibs’ on the latest Chicago-pedia.
Your favorite guide to Chicago lingo is back and better than ever! Chicago-pedia: Volume 3 is live digitally on https://t.co/5BEI1Qt49F and is available to order now at https://t.co/jHYdEH297E. pic.twitter.com/2kyCSSmeNH
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) March 5, 2022
.
.
.
.
.
- JEET: “Did you eat?”
- FRUNCH ROOM: “Front room” by the front door of homes that was for company only. Woe to the child who went there when it wasn’t a special occasion.
- LSD – Lake Shore Drive
- FRANCHEEZIE: A fate-tempting delicacy: a beef hot dog sliced in half, stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon — before being deep fried and served on a bun. Fries are usually included.
- 16 INCH: Chicago brand of softball played with a ball 16 inches in circumference and no gloves. Best when played by large, beer-drinking men (or women). Pitches often are thrown with a spinning arc. Batting stances can include running up to the ball. You can tell someone who played by looking at their fingers.
I encourage you to waste a little time and read through the various categories. They even sell physical copies of the Chicago-pedia!
