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Wicked Good Guides / Wicked Good Guide to Boston English /

O-P

Compiled by Adam Gaffin

Da Pan

A Boston neighborhood; where the Mattapan High Speed Line goes.

OFD

Originally From Dorchester. Can be used as both adjective and noun: "The South Shore's full of OFDs."

Buy an OFD sticker (and membership in the OFD Association).

Onna-conna

On account of: "I can't go out tonight onna-conna my mom is pissed at me."
Marty St. George

Open air

Drive-in movie: "We used to go to the open air on the Lynnway."
D. Bucks

Otha side, the

The rest of Boston to an Eastie resident (because the rest of the city is on "the otha side" of the Sumna and Callahan tunnels).

Outbound

A direction on the T: Away from Park Street/Downtown Crossing. The antonym of inbound.

Ova heah, ova theah

Wheahevah. "Eddie, wheah da frig were ya tonight? Ahh, you know, ovah heah, ovah theah."
Eli Slater

Ova the bridge

The rest of the world, to a Gloucester resident. Refers to the A. Piatt Andrew Bridge, which connects Cape Ann to North America: "You gotta be kiddin', you actually expect him to go ova the bridge to find a job?!?"
W. Olson

P-town

The town at the end of the Cape.

PSDS

What you get when you want to wear earrings.

Reuven Brauner submits the following similar examples: We saw BSNDS at the zoo in Franklin Park. We bought it at CS and Roebuck's. Mother always said, "Don't forget to wash behind your ES." The Boos and GS got to Mantle. PS are a juicy fruit. Crying causes TS. This car VS to the left.

Packie

A package store; wheah you buy beah.

A now historical photo: Until December, 2003, Boston packies legally could not open on Sundays:

Packie run

What you make when you go downna Mahty's, Blanchahd's oah some otha packie to pick up some beah for a kegga.

Pahluh

Front room in a three decka, a.k.a., the living room.
Jason Lachapelle and Connie Redmond

Penuche

The fudge equivalent of mystery meat.
Jane Morris

People's Republic, the

Another name for Cambridge, the only community in Massachusetts to ever hire a full-time peace commissioner (presumably to keep the city out of any nuclear exchanges). In 1997, somebody posted signs reading "Welcome to the People's Republic of Cambridge. Passport control next right" at the end of a bridge into the city.

The term was sometimes also used to refer to Brookline, especially after it erected a wall in the mid-1980s to keep out Brighton residents, but that town has since become more conservative and you rarely hear it described that way any more.

Meanwhile, Cambridge itself now has the notoriety of having the nation's highest per-capita concentration of million-dollar homes.

Still, Chameleon Tatoo and Body Piercing is proud to be the "First and Finest licensed Tattoo and Body Piercing shop of the People's Republic of Cambridge, Massachusetts."

Kim writes:

As I was driving home yesterday, I saw a billboard about a block from where I work, with the words "Legalize and Tax Marijuana" in six-foot-high big block letters. I am so happy to be in the People's Republic of Cambridge.

Perambulate the bounds

Ancient tradition in which selectmen of neighboring towns meet once every five years to walk their town boundaries to ensure nobody has moved the boundary stones. Usually done early on a Saturday morning with a couple of bottles of liquor for company.

Piazza

Front porch.

Pike, the

The Massachusetts Turnpike. Also, the world's longest parking lot, at least out by Sturbridge on the day before Thanksgiving.

Turnpike signs provide helpful advice:

Pissa

Cool. Often paired with wicked. "Jimmy's got a pissa new cah, a '83 Monee Cahlo with a 350, headiz, anna new leathinteriah."
Don Hurter

Pit, the

The sunken area next to the Hahvihd Squayuh T stop that is frequented by skate punks.
Lisa Gordon

Plenny a chahm

What all houses for sale have, at least according to the brokers. Really old houses also tend to have "characta," especially if the roof and floors need to be replaced.

Police Take Notice

Ambiguous coda to "No Trespassing" signs - is it a warning (i.e., the police're gonna getcha) or a request (i.e., "please, Mr. Policeman, apprehend the miscreants on my lawn")? In fact, it's the latter. Massachusetts state law requires property owners to "post" their property to keep hunters off; so "Police Take Notice" is telling the police that the property is off limits and could they please do something about all those people with rifles or whatever.

Potty platta

You go downna Stah deli counta to order one of these when you're having a potty. Yes, yes, it's really "pahty platta," but darnit, if you're not from around here, the first time you ever hear somebody say it, it sounds like "potty platta." Joanie Wexler, a Chicago native, still recalls in amazement the first time somebody invited her to "go potty."

Pull a Chuck

Commit suicide. After Charles Stuart, who jumped off the Tobin Bridge in 1989 before the cops could charge him with murdering his wife (whom he'd said had been killed by a black man).
Michael Howell

More info on the case

Pushcahd

Cards that political workers try to push into your hand as you go into the polliing place in a last-minute effort to convince you whom to vote for.