Boston, USA
Boston English · Eastern New England English
Eastern Massachusetts, United States
This expanded starter dictionary covers 20 highly searched Boston and New England terms. Usage differs across neighborhoods, generations, ethnic communities, social groups, and individual speakers; no entry should be treated as a universal Boston rule.
- Coverage scale
- Boston metro area and wider New England context where clearly noted
- Language tag
en-US- Dataset status
- Starter sample
- Revised
- July 20, 2026
What the current records claim.
Currentness and breadth are editorial signals, not population statistics. They expose uncertainty instead of hiding it.
bang a uey
To make a U-turn, especially in casual driving directions.
- Currentness
- Current
- Breadth
- Broad local recognition
- Confidence
- High starter confidence
bubbler
A public drinking-water fountain.
- Currentness
- Current
- Breadth
- Subregional recognition
- Confidence
- Medium starter confidence
clicker
A television remote control.
- Currentness
- Current but declining
- Breadth
- Generational and household-linked
- Confidence
- Medium starter confidence
Dunks
An informal local nickname for Dunkin’, the Massachusetts-founded coffee and doughnut chain.
- Currentness
- Current
- Breadth
- Broad regional recognition
- Confidence
- High starter confidence
frappe
A New England milkshake made with ice cream, milk, and flavoring.
- Currentness
- Current
- Breadth
- Broad food-service recognition
- Confidence
- High starter confidence
grinder
A long filled sandwich similar to a sub, hoagie, or hero; usage is stronger in some parts of New England than in Boston itself.
- Currentness
- Current
- Breadth
- Wider New England recognition
- Confidence
- Medium-high starter confidence
jimmies
Tiny candy sprinkles placed on ice cream, doughnuts, and other desserts; some speakers use the word especially for chocolate sprinkles.
- Currentness
- Current but variable
- Breadth
- Broad regional recognition
- Confidence
- High starter confidence
kid
A familiar way to address or refer to a friend, peer, acquaintance, or other person, regardless of actual age.
- Currentness
- Current
- Breadth
- Very broad recognition
- Confidence
- High starter confidence
Masshole
A coarse insult or self-deprecating nickname for a Massachusetts resident, often associated with aggressive driving, blunt behavior, or exaggerated state pride.
- Currentness
- Current
- Breadth
- Broad recognition
- Confidence
- High starter confidence
packie
An informal New England shortening of “package store,” meaning a liquor store.
- Currentness
- Current but uneven
- Breadth
- Regionally recognized
- Confidence
- Medium starter confidence
pisser
A person, event, or thing that is especially funny, impressive, memorable, or frustrating; tone and context determine the direction.
- Currentness
- Current but context-sensitive
- Breadth
- Speaker and generation dependent
- Confidence
- Medium starter confidence
rotary
A circular road junction, commonly called a traffic circle or roundabout elsewhere.
- Currentness
- Current
- Breadth
- Broad Massachusetts recognition
- Confidence
- High starter confidence
space saver
An object placed in a shoveled-out curbside parking spot after a declared snow emergency to mark that a resident intends to return, where City rules allow it.
- Currentness
- Current but regulated
- Breadth
- Strong Boston recognition
- Confidence
- High starter confidence
spuckie
An older or neighborhood-specific Boston term for a sub-style sandwich, an Italian sandwich, or in some families the long bread roll used to make one.
- Currentness
- Limited and generational
- Breadth
- Neighborhood and family linked
- Confidence
- Medium starter confidence
Storrowed
Describes a truck that strikes or becomes wedged beneath a low bridge, especially after entering Boston’s Storrow Drive despite height restrictions.
- Currentness
- Current and seasonal
- Breadth
- Broad Boston recognition
- Confidence
- High starter confidence
the Pike
The Massachusetts Turnpike, the east–west toll highway that forms part of Interstate 90.
- Currentness
- Current
- Breadth
- Broad statewide recognition
- Confidence
- High starter confidence
the T
The common local nickname for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and especially its subway and light-rail system.
- Currentness
- Current
- Breadth
- Universal local recognition
- Confidence
- High starter confidence
tonic
A sweet carbonated soft drink; broadly equivalent to soda or pop in this older regional usage.
- Currentness
- Fading but still recognized
- Breadth
- Older and family-linked usage
- Confidence
- Medium starter confidence
townie
A long-time local resident strongly identified with a particular town or Boston-area neighborhood.
- Currentness
- Current
- Breadth
- Neighborhood and college-town recognition
- Confidence
- Medium starter confidence
wicked
An adverbial intensifier meaning “very” or “extremely.” In Boston and wider New England speech, it commonly appears before an adjective or adverb.
- Currentness
- Current
- Breadth
- Broad regional recognition
- Confidence
- High starter confidence