Updated August 30, 2001

Words and phrases of Eastern European origin that are occasionally used in American English conversation, usually by people of Eastern European heritage. The words and phrases are used to flow in English speech. English grammar rules are loosely applied. While these terms are used in Northeastern Pennsylvania, they may also be used elsewhere in the United States. The words and phrases are used in such a way that they would probably not be understood by present day native Eastern European people.

baba – old grandmother; or great grandmother; variation bobchie
When I visited Bobchie, she gave me a two dollar bill.

boodah – an old junkie house
NOTE: According to the Online Polish Slang Dictionary, in present day Poland, boodah also means "public high school."
The dope addicts lived in a boodah.

boothka – a closed in porch; an enclosure that one passes through before entering a house
Take off your boots in the boothka so you don’t track snow all over my clean floor.

Bozhe zapwath – thank you. Literally translated as "God will pay you." This was a very old, pre-Communist way of saying "thank you". In Northeastern Pennsylvania, it has been be used when talking about performing a task where no compensation was received.
I’m a salaried employee, so when I work on Saturday, it’s for Bozhe zapwath.

caca – feces
Hey Ma, I need to go caca in the potty.

caca baah – poison.
Don’t put that in your mouth. That’s caca baah!

check-eye – wait; be patient
When I went to pick up my new glasses, the optometrist said "Check-eye, I’m with another patient right now."

cheeho – be quiet; keep still
The teacher walked into the noisy classroom and told the class, "Cheeho! Cheeho!"

chochi – aunt; variation chutka
Chochi Debbie took me to the bowling alley.

dupa – buttocks
I saw a magazine that had pictures of ladies with bare dupas.

figa – nothing or zero; variation figa z makiem, possible literal translation "figs and poppy seeds."
If you kids don’t behave, you’ll get figa z makiem for Christmas.

gotchie – underware
Did you see the news? They showed a soldier from Iraq fighting the war in his gotchies.

mombrathy – to repeat oneself repeatedly, usually complaining. Excessive mombrathying is referred to as mombrathying and fafrathying. One can either mombrathy, or mombrathy and fafrathy. But one cannot just fafrathy.
On the radio at dinner-time, you can hear Rush Limbaugh mombrathy and fafrathy about the Democrats.

pahpoo – to eat
Don’t spit out your food, pahpoo nice.

pawnie zawsdrany – a lazy woman; a prima donna.
She sat there like a pawnie zawsdrany, and didn’t lift a finger to help us.

pytashka – a small piece of luggage; a duffle bag
The male stewardess told me that my pytashka was too large to be a carry-on.

rokies – the overlooks; a headache and possibly cold sweats caused by an evil eye.
The way she was staring at me, I thought she was going to give me the rokies.
When you wear that splashy suit, you better wear your gotchies inside-out so you don’t get the rokies.

spudadnovatch – to snoop; go through someone else’s personal belongings, often done by a curious small child.
Olga, are you spudadnovatching in my bathroom?

stada baba – old lady
I was stuck behind some stada baba that was driving about 10 miles an hour.

tetha – aunt
I used to walk up the hill to my tetha’s house to watch Kukla, Fran and Ollie.

yawnko – an uneducated person; someone having the appearance of a newly arrived immigrant
The father told his son (who was learning to dress himself), "Comb your hair and button your shirt the right way, you look like a yawnko."

zhedowzo – a sloppy person. May literally mean outhouse.
Her date had ripped jeans and rotten teeth. He looked like a zhedowzo.
You better get your hair cut, you look like a zhedowzo.

zheedo – grandfather, or great grandfather
Zheedo worked in the mines.

zoga – a trouble maker, or instigator. Literally translated as devil; verb form: zogatch to instigate, to egg on; zogatcher an instigator, a person acting as the devil on ones shoulder
Paul always gets into trouble when Mike is around because Mike is a zogatcher.

Posted March 20, 2000.

[Anglo-Slavonic Glossary] [Glossary of Mining Terms]
[Phrases NOT Unique to Northeastern PA] [Only in Northeastern Pennsylvania]
[The Incomplete History of Grassy] [Snapshots from Northeastern PA]
[Northeastern Pennsylvania Radio Station Trivia]
[McAdoo Wildcat Sewage System] [Links]

[HOME]

This page has been accessed times since August 28, 2001.