Thursday thirteen...

This week, my Thursday 13 is, in no particular order....

13 things people from the coal region know or say quite often

13. Babushka : cloth worn on the head of elderly ladies, usually garish colors and horrible patterns

12. Bleenies : potato pancakes. Sometimes called "peyatskis". Example: "Yo, get me some bleenies at da block party"

11. Butt : you, friend. Example: "Yo, butt, hand me dat hammer." Often used as "Ho Butt!" when calling out to someone. "Yo" meaning "you". "Ho" short for "Hello".

10. Chendo : The shortened version of Shenendoah

9. Coal candy : hard chunks of black licorice. Many times sold in a black miniature coal bucket, complete with a little hammer.

8. Dippy egg : an egg, such as a soft-boiled or sunnyside-up egg, into which you can dip your toast

7. Halupkies or galumpkies : stuffed cabbage. Also known as "blind pigeons". Halupkies is the Ukrainian term; galumpkies the Polish term. In Ukranian, the word is "holubtsi", which means (guess what?) pigeons!

6. My-un : belonging to me. Example: "That's not yours, that's my-un."

5. Out da mountain : Refers to an isolated place in the mountains or near the strip mines. Usually used to refer to a party spot. "Where the elite meet to eat and drink" (well, drink mostly). Example: "We was out da mountain Friday night til tree a.m."

4. Prolly : probably. Example: "We'll prolly stop up Tony's later fer a screamer."

3. Soupies : short for "Soppressatta", which in Southern Italian dialect is pronounced SOO-BRA-SAHD. It's a sausage similar to salami, usually made with pork, lemon peel and spices. Soppressatta means "compressed". Soupies are pig intestines stuffed with meat and spices (like sausage), then tossed into a vat of olive oil and cured. Very popular in Kulpmont. They are called "soupresat" in South Philadelphia. Can also be made with venison

2. Warsh, worsh : wash, usually the laundry. Example: "Look at that pile of dirty clothes! I gotta do a load a' warsh."

1. Youze, yuz, yooz, AND yiz : plural of you; equivalent to "y'all" in the Southern U.S. The Pittsburgh form of this term is "you-ins" or "yunz"; y'all or yunz are never used in the Coal Region. Example: "Hey, whad'r youze doin' over dere??" "Do yooz wanna go for some kortz?" "How're yiz doin, yo?" "What're youz guys up to?"