It’s Pop Not Soda, Gym Shoes Not Sneakers, and Other Illinois Slang

No matter where you travel, you always hear things a little different. How a term is used, what part of the word does someone not from here emphasize, and "they called that a what?"

I will never forget meeting someone out on the west coast that thought midwestern people (me) talked so "weird." You grow up talking a certain way and using terms that seem normal....It's not like we are hitting you up with a "y'all." If someone from here does that, it's fake and for show.

What are some terms that Illinois folks use that seem foreign to others not from here? ONLY 

We do not pronounce the "S" at the end of Illinois, and it's a pop not a soda...Although I have heard one that destroys that entire argument. Met a person years ago that calls ALL of those types of drinks a "Coke." So if you want a Coke it's a Coke, if you want a root beer you ask for a Coke, but a root beer...so confusing.

So let's do this Only in Illinois list:

• Washroom (not bathroom)
• Sammich (not sandwich)
• LSD (Lake Shore Drive)
• Gym Shoes (not sneakers)
• The El (the Chicago train) 
• Pop (Not Soda)
• Jewels (Jewel-Osco but with an "S")
• Grabowski - Term used to describe the 85 Bears
• Casimir Pulaski - It's a dude that gets kids a day off school
• Knee High by the 4th of July - It's a corn thing

I'm sure there's tons more, but this is a damn good list.