Hoosierville Terms Defined, Mysteries Solved
I stayed home from work today because of unforeseen (ha ha!) medical issues with my eye. I’m ok now, I’ll just be blind in my left eye for the rest of my life. Not really, it’s just inflammation and/or/maybe infection. After this dollars-per-drop medication, I’m sure I’ll be back to work tomorrow.
I have some things on my heart that I wanted to share with you today, and my unfortunate and financially disheartening medical condition is affording this opportunity. Perhaps some lasting good will come of it after all. But don’t take this moment for granted, it has been paid for at great price. Physical, psychological, emotional, and last but certainly not least, financial. And paid for by me.
So in the spirit of all the unseemly depths I’ve been finding in the various corners of the web, let us proceed.
Hoosierville remains a never-ending source of amusement. I have two terms today, “topper” and “stones.” This is the kind of stuff you’ll hear in these parts, so I’ll translate.
Occasionally, in the context of a conversation about pickups, you’ll hear “topper.” You grin at the absurdity and wonder, is that the name of the pickup owner’s dog? Or did he get a new hat? Is he a redneck and talking about making an ice cream sundae?
No! What he means is “canopy!” Ha ha!!
As proof, check this out! This was taken just down the street in my neighborhood, somebody has a canopy they want to get rid of.
Hilarious!
Next, “stones.” You’ll never hear the term “gravel,” I doubt anyone would know what it was. “He spread the stones in the parking lot,” is a common mirth-inducing phrase. What in the world! Stones?! Sounds like they expect you to park in a field strewn with boulders! Ha ha! How eccentric and naive!!
This is a nice, funny place to live. Constant amusement everywhere.
12 Responses
August 30th, 2005 at 4:06 pm
I whole-heartedly agree with you Sir. These crazy Hoosier’s are exactly that…crazy. As for medical problems, I think you’re just looking for another excuse to try out more pain killers.
-Kaitlyn
August 30th, 2005 at 4:18 pm
It does sound a tad dippy!!
August 30th, 2005 at 5:23 pm
Hey now wait a minute. If you google pickup toppers….you will find approx 55,000 links for “pickup topper”. Amazingly enough TOYOTA (as well as many other auto companies)must come from that crazy Hoosier land.They actually have a site for their “toppers”! You need to contact them and tell them how amusing the use of “toppers”is, why imagine the increase in sales, if they actually stopped sounding like Hoosiers! ha ha
-suzy q
August 30th, 2005 at 7:06 pm
Yeah, let’s all laugh at the dumb Indiana people…GRRRRR.
I can laugh as hard as the next guy, though, since I don’t live there anymore.
Next assignment: define “hunnerd” and “savendy.”
August 30th, 2005 at 7:18 pm
Reminds me of the old “Soda vs. Pop” thing. Of course here in slower lower Delaware we always call a soda a soda. We also call those pickup “toppers” “caps” around here. And “stones” for a driveway we call “crush and run” or “gravel” or “stones”. Neither term will get a smirk or a raised eyebrow around here.
August 30th, 2005 at 9:08 pm
rob, that is because delaware is “blue” country and you guys are solidly tolerant…
as for hoosierville slang…how about “acrossed…onced…spanish(spinach)checken tandurs…anglesh(used to refer to non-germanic minnows)”
August 30th, 2005 at 9:12 pm
Kaitlyn — but they never gave me any!! And just you wait till I start in on Canadians!
Suzy — if I was selling canopies I’d advertise to the “topper” crowd too. No need to refuse to take their money just because they’re a tad dippy!
Val — oh I have many times!
Rob — CAPS!!! Ha ha ha!! I forgot about that one! Oh my goodness! If laughter is the best medicine I think you just healed my eye!!
August 30th, 2005 at 10:20 pm
Tom, Glad I could be of such medicinal value to you. My pleasure for sure.
Some other funny Delaware pronunciations include…
1. Wooder (water)
2. Hot Wooder Heater (wooder heater) think that one through a bit.
3. The word “Alls” is a big one around here. I need to put this one in a sentence for you. “Alls I need is a cap for my pickup.”
I hope these laughs clear up any other ailment you may have Tom.
Your welcome! Rob
August 31st, 2005 at 7:56 am
The term “topper” is hardly confined to Hoosierland. It’s the term that I grew up with and me and my parents have no connection to IN. I was in IN for the first time in my life a few months ago.
Now, stones, that’s weird!
August 31st, 2005 at 9:14 am
And, let’s not forget “youns.”
August 31st, 2005 at 11:33 am
Ha! “Spreading stones” sounds like something that I would have gotten in trouble for doing in the parking lot while I was being potty trained, and as for the “canopy – topper” issue, I thought that a canopy was something they used to keep under their beds in the old days. I think you should do a defining list on what makes a person a hoosierbilly, (those dear people.) What more do you expect from people who don’t change their clocks to daylight savings time in the summer. (And say “youns.”)
September 1st, 2005 at 4:04 pm
Me and a couple friends were talking about this subject after I saw this post and brought it up.
A cap is not something you put on a pickup, but something you wear on your head. Therefore, could a tonneau cover (The canvas/tarp-like things that snap over a pickup bed) also be called a veiling? Ha ha!!
The Baritone