the pedia

Chicagopedia
source: the sun-times

Chicago / shi-kago / n. 1. a city of 3 million souls in northeastern Illinois; 2. any suburb or town within 100 miles of this city ("I'm from Chicago)"; 3. a popular musical ("We're going to see 'Chicago' "); 4. adj. reflecting a distinctive, possibly corrupt, practicality ("The Chicago Way"); 5. brutal, resembling a gangster. Chicago overcoat (a coffin) "A Chicago overcoat is what blasting would get you . . ." R. Chandler, The Big Sleep; Chicago pineapple (a hand grenade.)

Downstate / doun steyt/ n. Any place in Illinois outside of Cook, Lake, DuPage, Will, Kane or McHenry counties, even if it is actually farther north than Chicago, such as Rockford. "I don't know where that town is. It's probably Downstate."

The Magnificent Mile / mag NIF uh cent MY el/ n. The tiny stretch of North Michigan Avenue bordered by the Chicago River and Oak Street (The Wrigley Building to the Drake Hotel). The Greater North Michigan Avenue Association, which trademarked the name "The Magnificent Mile" in 2001, considers the borders to be Randolph Street and North Avenue, plus Lake Michigan to the east and the North Branch of the Chicago River to the west. But that's more than a mile. The name was coined in 1947 by developer Arthur Rubloff. Sometimes called the "Mag Mile," and, incorrectly, the "Miracle Mile" (see: Coral Gables, Fla.) Populated by high-end stores, flower planters and people from Iowa.

Soldiers Field /sol jers fee uhld/ n. What Soldier Field, home to the Chicago Bears since 1971, is called everywhere but in Chicago. The lakefront stadium originally opened in 1924 and was called Grant Park Stadium before being renamed -- in the singular -- in honor of soldiers -- plural -- killed in World War I.

Loop /loop/ n. Chicago's downtown district. Originally an area bounded by trolley-car cables, then by elevated train tracks; more recently anywhere west of the lake, east of Halsted, south of Division Street and north of Roosevelt Road. (Usage: Always preceded by "the'' -- "The next morning, when Maryanna and I arrived at the Loop in Chicago, we said goodbye." -- Jerry Stiller).

The Circle / sur kuhl / n. Radio traffic reporters' nickname for the notorious Circle Interchange, where the Dan Ryan, Eisenhower and Kennedy expressways meet, entangle and knot just west of the Loop. Not one of the nine Circles of Hell, but it could make a case for the 10th. Rated as the country's third-worst traffic bottleneck in 2004, with drivers losing a combined 25 million hours while stuck in it. Named for its interwoven, curving ramps. Also called "The Spaghetti Bowl." Built in the late 1950s and early '60s.

Taste /tayst/ 1. n. Shorthand for "Taste of Chicago," the summer public chow-down of Billy Goat cheeseburgers, Robinson's ribs and Eli's cheesecake; 2. An asphalt hellscape of sweaty Hoosiers in tank tops showing off tattoos and stuffing themselves with a variety of fried, deep-fried and double-fried food products, all expensive. 3. adj. Related to the Taste. e.g. Taste traffic, Taste backups, Taste arrests, Taste tickets, Taste stomachaches.

The L (thu el) n. The elevated commuter transit line in Chicago, even when it's not elevated.

The Jewels / thu juels / n. a large, full-service grocery store in Chicago and its suburbs. Refers typically, but not exclusively, to Jewel Food Stores. Usage: "I'm going to the Jewels for some meat." (Similar extraneous "s" word: Soldiers Field).

midway / mid wa / n. The area of a fair or carnival where sideshows and other amusements are located. Origin: Entered American vernacular during the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. The festivities were held on the "Midway Plaisance," a boulevard west of Jackson Park near the University of Chicago. The university's football team were the original "Monsters of the Midway." Today there are Midway movers, Midway funeral directors and Midway plumbers. Between 1976 and 2001 Midway Airlines operated out of Chicago's Midway Airport.

Pulaski Day / puh LAS key day / n. The first Monday of March in Illinois -- and a day off for Chicago Public Schools kids as well as City of Chicago and Cook County workers. Other school districts throughout the state also recognize the day. It honors Polish-born Brigadier Gen. Casimir Pulaski, a famed cavalry officer in Poland before joining the American Revolution and becoming a hero here -- and a source of great pride for Polish Americans. New York and Philadelphia also hold Pulaski parades, although they are in October.

cash station /kash STAY shun/ n. An ATM in Chicago. Origin: The name "Cash Station" was coined by First National Bank of Chicago's ad agency in 1979 and used for a network of automated bank machines in seven Midwestern states. The network was sold in 2001 and its machines were to adopt the STAR logo. But Chicago has resisted. An estimated 1,000 "Cash Station" signs remain here because banks know Chicagoans will better recognize them, says former Cash Station CEO Steve Cole. The generic use of "cash station" is a Chicago thing. "People tell me they go to New York and say, 'Where's the nearest Cash Station machine?' And people look at them and say, 'What the hell is that?'" Cole said.

Pop: (pahp) 1. n. a carbonated soft drink in Chicago, the rest of the Midwest and Canada. Synonyms: soda (on East Coast) and Coke (in the South); 2. n. a father. 3. v. to smack, say, in the nose; 4. n. a smack.

FIB / (fib) / 1. n. collq., acronym / derogatory term for an Illinois resident visiting Michigan or Wisconsin. Acronym includes "Illinois," among other words. Usage: "That FIB just cut me off." synonym: FIP, which substitutes "person" for another word.

cheeseheads /cheez hedz/ n. 1. People from Wisconsin. 2. Green Bay Packers fans. Origin: References the dairy industry, a major aspect of Wisconsin's economy, and the tendency of Wisconsin residents to limit their diets to cheese and milk, when not consuming beer and sausage. Syn. Knucklehead

alderman /AHL der man/ n. 1. Mayor of ward. 2. Protector of duck livers. 3. At times prey for federal investigators and corrupt developers.

Grabowski /grah bow ski/n.1.A hardworking, blue-collar, lunch-pail-carrying grunt, as made famous by Mike Ditka before a Bears playoff game in 1986. "There are teams named Smith and teams named Grabowski," Da Coach said. "The Rams are the Smiths. We're the Grabowskis."

Goethe / gothe / n. 1. An elegant little street at 1300 north running from 754 west to 86 east. 2. The statue of a buff guy with a bird on his knee at the north end of Lincoln Park. 3. Some German poet. Pronunciation guide: "Gothe" or "Goetha" is preferred by true Chicagoans who work for a living. "Gerta" is used by pointy-headed Hyde Park show-offs.


K-town / KAY-town/ 1. n. What West Siders often call the stretch of the city between Pulaski and Cicero. So named because more than 30 north-south streets there begin with the letter "K." Among them: Kedvale, Kenneth, Kenton, Kilpatrick, Knox and Kostner. A plan adopted in 1913, but only partially fulfilled, called for Chicago's street names to be alphabetized from the Indiana border going west: The first mile would be "A" streets, the second mile "B" streets, etc. Eleven miles out, that gave Chicago the "K" streets. After L, M, N and O streets, the scheme ended on the city's western edge with the "P" streets, such as Pontiac, Plainfield, Panama, Page and Pacific.

Uptown (up'town) noun. A once perennially downtrodden, now increasingly uptrodden section of the North Side roughly -- sometimes quite roughly -- around Broadway and Lawrence. A place, never a direction -- one cannot grab a cab going "uptown" in Chicago. "It is a crowded apartment in Uptown." Studs Terkel, Hard Times.

front room / (frunt room)/ also pronounced frunchroom or funchroom/ n. 1. A living room in Chicago, especially in a Chicago bungalow. In some parts, the front room is called the "parlor."

two-flat / too flat / n. A residential, two-story brick building with a common front entrance and separate residences on each floor. One floor is often reserved, reluctantly, for mother-in-law. Common source of extra income/aggravation for Chicagoans. Similar to three-flat.

gaper's block gay puhrs block/ n. 1. Congealed traffic between you and something really interesting; 2. The rolling audience for an accident or roadside oddity, such as the Dennis Rodman billboard near the Kennedy Expy. in 1996. Origin: The term was coined by Chicago Police Sgt. Irv Hayden, a "flying officer" who did helicopter traffic reports for WGN throughout the 1960s. He died in a helicopter crash in 1971. Barbara D'Amato: "Two uniforms stood in the street motioning cars past and generally preventing gaper's block.

oasis /oh a sis/ n. A tollway rest stop built over the road, allowing motorists in each direction to pull over and fill up on Chinese food, doughnuts, gyros and other essentials. Gasoline and rest rooms are also available. There are seven oases in the Illinois tollway system, some dating to the late 1950s.

Jays /jayz/ 1. adj. A manufacturer of potato chips, pretzels and other assorted salty snacks (usage note: there is no possessive apostrophe because there is no actual "Jay" -- the company was called "Mrs. Japp's Potato Chips" for the wife of founder Leonard Japp Sr., until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, forced a name change to ward off ruin). 2. n. a group of birds related to crows, only prettier.

Show /sho/ n. 1. A movie playing in a Chicago theater, or the theater itself. "Man, it's hot today. Wanna go to the show and cool off?" 2. An accident or incident that is none of your business. "Move along people, show's over."

couple two tree / (cup el too tree) / n. / The Chicago way to refer to two or three of something. Maybe even four. Usage: "Hey, let me get a couple two tree Old Style."

uh-huh /uh-huh/ exclm. 1. a weary or casual affirmation; 2. recognition that someone has apologized to you, bought something from you or thanked you; 3. code phrase for "you're welcome, thank you for shopping with us, please come again soon." "You still like me?" "Uh-huh, sort of." -- Nelson Algren.

hunnert /hun-ert/ n. The number that comes after 99. Example: "Who woulda thought da Sox would be eight games under five hunnert?"

Halsted Street / hawl-sted stret / -- 1. n. a thoroughfare at 800 W. running from 3766 N. to 12960 S. "They accepted, and we went through the big Halsted Street gate." Upton Sinclair, The Jungle; 2. adj. gay "We met at a Halsted Street bar"; 3. Greek "We ate spanakopita at a Halsted Street restaurant."

swim advisory /(swim ad vie zry)/ n. / Chicago Park District's delicate way of saying there might be too much bird poop or cheesehead sewage or something else gross in the water, so you might not want to swim. Not as strong as a "swim ban," when there is definitely too much bird poop or cheesehead sewage or something else gross in the water, so you can't swim.

trixie /tricks ee/ n. Derisive term for social-climbing, professional woman in her 20s or 30s, especially one from Lincoln Park, although migration has spread around the city. Attributes include: blond or blond-highlighted hair, ponytail, black Volkswagen Jetta or Honda Accord, nice purse, degree from large Midwestern university, well-manicured nails and no-foam skim latte. Immortalized by the tongue-in-cheek Lincoln Park Trixie Society.

A guy /a gi/ N. 1. A trusted, skilled and hard-to-replace practitioner -- male or female -- of whatever service needs rendering (shave-and-a-haircut, wing-tips resoled, cheating husband photographed in compromising positions). 2. Person frequently recommended to friends, relatives or even casual passersby in need of services rendered. 3. Major reason many Chicagoans will never leave Chicago. Idiom. "I got a guy."

buddy /budi/ n. & v. (alt. of BROTHER) n. A stranger, an oaf, a person unknowingly about to be arrested, hit or otherwise reminded of where he is and what he should be doing instead of what he is presently doing. Syn: pal, sport, slick. N. ALGREN: "'Are you for action or aren't you, buddy?' Big Stingaree wanted to know."

Italian beef / uh TALE yun beef / n. 1. Thinly sliced beef seasoned with garlic, oregano and other spices and served on Italian bread. A Chicago creation, it is slowly spreading nationwide thanks to transplants who can't do without it. The slow-cooked, top-butt meat can be eaten "dipped" (in beef broth), "sweet" (with sweet peppers), "hot" (with giardiniera), "cheesey" (with cheese) or as a combo (with an Italian sausage tucked beneath the beef). In Chicago, it's a source of pride, competition and dirty shirts. 2. A sandwich not known to be served anywhere in Italy.

graveyard /grayv-yahrd/ n. 1. Once a popular precinct for active Cook County voters in close elections. Officials have worked to purge the names of the dead from voting rolls -- but the county's reputation of dead people voting early and often is harder to cleanse. 2. Often the longtime home of a person being blamed in a current scandal. 3. Final resting place for many, unless it's in the way of a runway expansion project.

the woods thu woodz/ n. colloq. What Chicagoans call forest preserves. In some suburbs: places to unwind, hold a family picnic or take the kids for a stroll. In Chicago: places to find anonymous sex or dump a body. See: frightening locales, loafing maintenance workers, Snickers wrappers and church picnic. MOTHERS: "Stay out of the woods."