Noun

A ring-shaped bread roll traditionally boiled before baking, producing a glossy crust and dense, chewy interior.

““I’ll take an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese.””

A casual local term that may refer to a balaclava or face covering, with meaning depending strongly on context and community usage.

“Him pull up the bally before the rain start.”

A Jamaican baked pastry with a flaky yellow crust and seasoned beef filling, widely available through New York Caribbean bakeries, restaurants, and shops.

““I grabbed a hot beef patty before getting on the train.””

A round Jewish bread roll with a depressed center, usually baked with onion or another savory topping rather than boiled like a bagel.

““She ordered a warm onion bialy with cream cheese.””

A neighborhood event held on a temporarily closed street, commonly featuring food, music, games, tables, family activities, and local organizations.

““The whole block came outside for the annual block party.””

A small neighborhood grocery or convenience store, often independently operated and woven into daily city life.

““I’m going to the bodega—need anything?””

A public drinking-water fountain.

“There’s a bubbler right next to the park benches over there.”

A marked street lane reserved primarily for buses during posted hours so they can bypass general traffic.

““The bus moved faster once it reached the red bus lane.””

A street corridor designed to give through-priority to buses and certain permitted vehicles while restricting ordinary private-car travel.

““Cars can use that block for local access, but the corridor operates as a busway.””

A hot sandwich of chopped ground beef and melted cheese, commonly served on a hero with toppings and strongly associated with New York bodegas.

““Let me get a chopped cheese with lettuce, tomato, and hot sauce.””

Bold nerve, audacity, gall, or striking self-confidence, with the judgment ranging from admiration to disapproval.

““It took real chutzpah to demand a refund after causing the damage.””

A television remote control.

“Pass me the clicker—the Sox game is starting.”

A soft, slightly sweet Jamaican bread made with coconut milk or coconut-derived ingredients, often folded around a patty or used for sandwiches.

““Put the beef patty inside the coco bread.””

An affectionate nickname for a New York street-cart hot dog kept hot in seasoned water before being placed in a soft bun.

““He ordered a dirty-water dog with mustard and onions.””

A basic New York cheese pizza slice sold through a low-price, high-volume counter model historically centered on a one-dollar price point.

““We grabbed a dollar slice before getting back on the train.””

A small commuter van serving recurring neighborhood routes, especially where riders want an alternative or supplement to buses and subways.

““She caught the dollar van along Flatbush Avenue.””

A New York fountain drink traditionally made with milk, flavored syrup, and seltzer, despite containing neither egg nor cream.

““He ordered an egg cream with the sandwich.””

An exterior emergency egress structure attached to some older apartment buildings, usually made of metal platforms, ladders, and stairs.

““The bedroom window opens onto the fire escape.””

A New England milkshake made with ice cream, milk, and flavoring.

“I’ll grab a cheeseburger and a chocolate frappe.”

A man; sometimes a distinctive, older, confident, or streetwise man.

“Some geezer asked for directions.”

A green-painted borough taxi authorized for street hails in northern Manhattan and the outer boroughs, with specific pickup restrictions.

““They took a green cab from Queens to the restaurant.””

Severe traffic congestion in which vehicles block one another and movement becomes extremely slow or stops.

““Midtown was in gridlock after the street closures.””

A long filled sandwich similar to a sub, hoagie, or hero; usage is stronger in some parts of New England than in Boston itself.

“He ordered an Italian grinder with hots and extra provolone.”

A long sandwich made on a split roll, the common New York label for what other regions may call a sub, hoagie, or grinder.

““Let me get a chicken cutlet hero with lettuce and tomato.””

A smooth frozen dessert made mainly from water, sugar, and fruit flavoring, commonly sold from neighborhood shops, carts, pizzerias, and seasonal stands.

““We got lemon Italian ice after the slice.””

A familiar way to address or refer to a friend, peer, acquaintance, or other person, regardless of actual age.

“What’s up, kid? What are we doing tonight?”

A baked or fried pastry filled most famously with seasoned potato, though other savory fillings are also used.

““I grabbed a potato knish for the train ride.””

A for-hire vehicle connected to a licensed car-service base and generally arranged in advance rather than hailed like a yellow taxi.

““The car service sent a livery cab for the airport trip.””

Salt-cured salmon traditionally served in thin slices, especially with bagels, cream cheese, onions, tomatoes, capers, or other appetizing-store foods.

““She ordered a bagel with lox, cream cheese, tomato, and capers.””

A coarse insult or self-deprecating nickname for a Massachusetts resident, often associated with aggressive driving, blunt behavior, or exaggerated state pride.

“The out-of-state driver complained about a Masshole cutting across two lanes.”

A person regarded as decent, honorable, responsible, and trustworthy.

““He stayed late to help everyone clean up—a real mensch.””

A soft drink or fizzy drink, especially in older, regional, or hospitality-related usage.

“Will you have tea or a mineral?”

A foolish, gullible, or easily deceived person; also an informal word for a face.

“I felt like a mug for paying twice.”

An informal New England shortening of “package store,” meaning a liquor store.

“The packie down the street closes early on Sundays, so hurry up.”

A whole pizza, especially when contrasted with ordering one or more individual slices.

““Get a large pie—we have six people coming.””

A small or secondary city residence kept for occasional use rather than as the owner’s full-time primary home.

““They wanted a pied-à-terre near the office for two nights a week.””

A person, event, or thing that is especially funny, impressive, memorable, or frustrating; tone and context determine the direction.

“That concert at the Garden was a wicked pisser.”

A cupboard, cabinet, or enclosed storage space.

“The mugs are in the press beside the sink.”

A small, inexpensive, brightly colored sweet drink sold in plastic barrel-shaped bottles and remembered as a neighborhood-store childhood staple.

““We grabbed chips and a quarter water from the corner store.””

A circular road junction, commonly called a traffic circle or roundabout elsewhere.

“Be careful entering that rotary in Quincy; traffic moves fast.”

A temporary elevated framework or platform used to support workers, tools, or materials while construction, repair, or façade work is performed.

““Workers were repairing the façade from the scaffolding.””

A spread or layer of cream cheese on a bagel; it can also mean a spreadable topping more generally.

““Everything bagel, toasted, with a scallion schmear.””

An insulting slang term for a foolish, unlikeable, inconsiderate, or contemptible person.

““Only a schmuck would block the doorway during rush hour.””

Plain carbonated water, historically delivered in pressurized siphon bottles and deeply associated with New York Jewish food, soda-fountain, and home-delivery traditions.

““The egg cream gets its fizz from a strong shot of seltzer.””

A bus used to replace, connect, or supplement train service when part of a subway or rail route is unavailable.

““The train ends here, so follow the signs for the shuttle bus.””

One portion of a pizza, commonly ordered by itself at a New York pizzeria rather than by naming the whole pie.

““Two plain slices and a soda, please.””

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.

“Someone put a chair in the spot as a space saver after the storm.”

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.

“My grandmother called that Italian sandwich a spuckie.”

The entrance steps and small platform outside a house or apartment building, often treated as a neighborhood social space.

““We were sitting on the stoop after dinner.””

A small secondhand sale arranged on a building’s front steps, sidewalk edge, courtyard entrance, or immediately outside a city residence.

““We found two chairs at a stoop sale in Brooklyn.””

A public-transit passenger, especially a regular subway or bus rider who may have to stand.

““Every straphanger checked the board when the delay was announced.””

The building superintendent or resident maintenance worker who handles repairs, building systems, cleaning, access, and day-to-day property issues.

““Call the super—the radiator is leaking again.””

A multi-family rental building, especially one associated with the crowded working-class housing developed during New York’s nineteenth- and early twentieth-century growth.

““The museum preserves apartments inside a former Lower East Side tenement.””

The New York State Thruway, or more generally a major limited-access road identified by that regional name.

““Traffic was backed up on the Thruway.””

A thing or person; in some contexts, a romantic interest, attractive woman, partner, or casual connection.

“Pass me that little ting by the charger.”

A sweet carbonated soft drink; broadly equivalent to soda or pop in this older regional usage.

“We got burgers but forgot to buy any tonic.”

A long-time local resident strongly identified with a particular town or Boston-area neighborhood.

“He’s a Charlestown townie and knows every shortcut.”

A person who moved to New York from another city, state, or country rather than growing up locally.

““She’s a transplant who has lived in Queens for twelve years.””

A creamy spread made from smoked whitefish mixed with mayonnaise or similar binders and seasonings, often served on a bagel or bread.

““I’ll take a toasted bagel with whitefish salad.””

A medallion taxi recognizable by its yellow color and authorized to accept street hails throughout New York City.

““We hailed a yellow cab outside the hotel.””