A Beginner’s Guide to New Jersey Lingo (An Outsider’s Perspective)

The following article was written by fellow wicked awesome MRI intern Colleen McHugo. After being in the city for two months her claims to fame are guessing the correct amount of texts being sent a day total (50 billion or something) and finding quality restaurants to eat at in the city.

*Also Note: This is really Highland Park Lingo and not New Jersey Lingo. Most people in Jersey have never heard of these terms. But trust me, they would catch on.*

So after 9 weeks of spending 9-5 Monday through Friday with two hardcore NJ residents it is hard not to resist catching onto their everyday euphemisms. Immediately you want to hate the lingo, especially since most of it makes no sense and is said with hints of an NJ accent. Even though I am from Boston and we don’t exactly have the best impression of Jersey, I thought I would give the NJ lingo a try (not like you will ever hear either of them saying “wicked” but hey to each his own). So after extensive research… I have compiled 4 NJ euphemisms that will give you a jumping off point to understanding what the hell NJ residents are really saying…


1. “uhhh uh”/”ooyy”
-Now these are more than just words, they are noises that bubble up from within to express basically any kind of emotion. As I have been told, it is all in the delivery and tone, for instance if upset an “ooyy” will be lower and lengthened, but when excited the “ooyy” turns high pitched and short. Most of the time “uhhh uh” signifies something positive, and for a non-resident is the most fun to use. My vocal cords are still trying to adjust to the quickness of the pitch changes, but for NJ residents those noises basically come as second nature after a lifetime of usage.

2. “Stats me”
-Another term for “can I have…” or “give me.” This phrase can also have objects or nouns attached to the end (“stats me that pen”) or it can be paired with immediately (creating urgency in the request). This is one of my more favorite NJ terms, hilarious when paired with a ridiculous noun and helpful when trying to win over the hearts of 2 stubborn NJ interns.

3. “Get grizzly”
-This is one of the more interesting NJ sayings; there is no basic translation because NJ residents like to take it as more of a state of being than an actual action. It can be used when a person encounters an enormous amount of food, or if that food is eaten in a short period of time. (A better explanation can be given if refer to post http://jakerainblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/quick-guide-to-gettin-grizzly.html

My best example of seeing someone get grizzly would be watching Jake put a ridiculous amount of steak fries on a toothpick and then proceeding to fit them all into his mouth… the best part: the waitress thought he was so grizzly, we got free dessert.

4. “Flats me a flogie”/”Strrrrats me a stoogie”
-Thus far one of the weirdest sayings I have encountered… the translation is “can I have/give me a cigarette.” The second version of the euphemism has a slight Transylvanian accent (complete with rolled R’s). As a non-resident I would love to know the origin of both insane phrases, but I doubt one will ever surface. Therefore a caution to non-residents, when approached with this NJ euphemism, don’t worry sexual favors are not in order, just pull out your pack of cigarettes and hand one over.

Although I am a hardcore Bostonian, I definitely will take some of these euphemisms with me when I leave NYC; let’s just hope I don’t sound wicked stupid.