A little humor, for your enjoyment !!

My friend, Debbie, has chauffeured me from Massachusetts to Maine and all over the seacoast area of New Hampshire. She wanted me to see the most interesting sights, and eat in the most interesting restaurants. One of the first things Debbie did was enlighten me on the pronunciation of certain words. In her words, here is the list she e-mailed me (a week ago). Perhaps she was inspired to compile this list because I said I couldn't understand half the words spoken by the Trolley Tour driver at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Picture: "Moxie" for sale at the local Sam's Club.

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You may have already heard that New Englanders speak with a bit of an accent. They also have a few terms that have different meanings from other places...here are a few.

American Chop Suey: My husband says it was a staple on the school cafeteria menu. The rest of us call it beeferoni. The Red Arrow Diner in Manchester (home of Adam Sandler ) makes the best! Their recipe is on their website. NH, as you know, is a big state for the politicians, and everybody who's anybody goes to the Red Arrow. Hillary, Rudy, Obama...they've all been there.

The B's: Also known as the Broons. Better to find a local hockey team. You'd nevah get a seat for the Broons.

Breakdown lane: Around Boston, watch out. There are none. Especially around rush hour, it's just another passing lane. Seriously. I couldn't believe my eyes the first time I saw it, driving along the beltway back from one of our many appointments in Providence. It's somehow a little nerve wracking to have cars speeding by on the left when your brain thinks you are in the slow lane.

Bubbla: What my husband calls a water fountain.

Cah: What you pahk in the garage.

Cripes!: Yikes! Jeepers!

Elastics: I had NO idea the first time I heard my father-in-law say it that he was looking for a rubber band. Cripes! He scared me!

Frappe: What we call a milk shake.

Gravy: Tomato sauce. Come to think of it, I don't know what those people who call tomato sauce gravy call gravy.

He-yah: The opposite of thayah, as in "Let's sit right he-yah."

Hoodsie: A little cup of ice cream, like you eat with the flat, wooden "spoon." Remember, Hood is New England's favorite dairy. Who else would make Fenway Fudge?

Lobsta Roll: A simple lobster salad served on a browned New England style bun, which has no crust on the sides. The correct ingredients for a lobsta roll are highly debated. A lobsta roll can easily set you back $13-15 or more. If I'm eating a hot dog roll, I'd rather have a couple of Fenway Franks on it and pay a little more for real lobsta. By the way, some franks are red. And I mean red. The best franks are from the deli counter, are not red, and come hooked together like the sausages you see in a cartoon, with a dog running away with a whole string of them.

Mainah: Somebody who lives north of N'Hamsta. N'Hampsta people think they talk funny and make fun of them. They are the Pollocks of New England. People in Boston who talk like the Kennedy's make fun of everybody.

Milk shake: A drink with milk and syrup, but never any ice cream.

Potty Platta: Don't worry; it's only a pahty platta. You know, like a veggie platta for a Christmas pahty.

Quayuh, Queeah: Maybe something odd or stupid, maybe a dork, but does not mean gay.

Rotary: A traffic circle. Better than a breakdown lane.

Schrod: You know how we call dolphin Mahi-Mahi so people will eat it? Schrod could be cod, could be haddock...basically whatever they have the most of that day or whatever is cheapest.

Shoe-ah: Yes, OK. Why not?

Spuckie: An older term for a grinda' (grinder)...a sub sandwich. Similar to a Bulkie, which is round.

Tonic: Soda, like a Coke or a Moxie.

Wicked: Really, as in "That chowda was wicked good." The younger kids are using it now if something is much better than average. For example, they might refer to an awesome hill for snow boarding or tubin' or the coolest new sneakers as "wicked." Wicked is good.

Places: A good way to learn places around Boston is by listening to the news on tv. Worcester is Wuh-sta, Peabody is Pee B'de, Quincy is Quin-zee, etc.