After the endless hours dorm shopping and putting together that picture perfect dorm, after the parents have left, and classes have begun, it’s time to learn all the ins and outs of the new city that you will call home for the next four years. The most important ropes to learn are the food-related ones.
Being from Boston, I never realized that Bostonians have a LOT of words for everyday items that no one else uses. Since starting at Boston College, I have found myself, more often than not, explaining what various Boston slang means to my friends.
When you are sick of dining hall food and decide that eating out is a must, here is a list and explanation of Boston slang words that will let allow you to eat your way through the city like a pro.
1. Jimmies
Also known as “chocolate sprinkles”. In New England, “sprinkles” are rainbow, while jimmies are chocolate. It is unclear where the origin of the phrase jimmies comes from, but Boston-based company Brigham’s Ice Cream claims ownership. Story has it that they would charge extra for chocolate sprinkles on their ice cream cones to benefit The Jimmy Fund, leading to the coining of the term “jimmies”.
2. Frappe
Although a frappe might look like a milkshake, they are NOT the same thing. A milkshake is milk mixed with a flavored syrup, whereas a frappe consists of milk, flavored syrup, and ice cream. If you ask for a milkshake, do not expect ice cream in that.
3. Dunks
The abbreviation for “Dunkin’ Donuts” among diehard Bostonian fans, or any Bostonians for that matter. “Dunks” is commonly used in phrases such as “making a Dunks run” or just about any other sentence that you can throw it into. A Dunks can be found at just about every street corner, and it is completely acceptable to drink a Dunks iced coffee in the middle of February. (Bonus points if you order a medium iced caramel swirl.
4. Chowdah
This is how to say clam chowder with a Boston accent. Chowder refers only to clam chowder, and in Boston there is no such thing as any kind of chowder other than clam (that corn chowder stuff is for the west coast).
5. Hoodsie
A “hoodsie” is an ice cream cup made by the company Hood. It is a small cup with half chocolate, half vanilla and its signature wooden spoon. As a kid, these were the epic addition to any cake at a birthday party. The struggle to eat the ice cream with the wooden stick is its own form of Boston initiation.
6. “Fluffernutter”
A fluffernutter is the next level of school lunch sandwiches. This epic sandwich was the result of the combination of peanut butter and fluff. Now, if you are wondering what is fluff? Fluff is a marshmallow spread that is like a bucket of melted marshmallows. Every Massachusetts kid prayed that they would open their lunchbox to find that their mom made a fluffernutter for lunch.
Although this list is not fully exhausted, and it is highly likely that more will pop up the more time you spend in Boston, it is a good starting point for the basics in Bostonian speech. Next time you go to order White Mountain you are now one step closer to sounding like a true Bostonian. Oh, and do not forget to tell everyone that your meal was “wicked good”
