Ask any native and they will tell you that living in New York and being a New Yorker are two different things. You cannot sound like a native overnight. No, we aren’t talking about the accent. That’s the easier part. The real thing is code-switching, shortcuts, and the whole attitude, which may take years to pick up. Now, we know you don’t want to spend another year trying to belong. You can really get ahead of the learning curve if you know what actually separates locals from everyone else. It’s all about knowing the local slang, phrases, and expressions before you speak. And we’ve got it covered for you. Read on.
The City
Remember the time when Andy (The Devil Wears Prada) said she is rushing into ‘the city’ for a meeting? When a native New Yorker says ‘the city’, they mean Manhattan. Period. Not Brooklyn, not Queens, definitely not New Jersey. The city means Manhattan. Everything else is somewhere else. So next time your roommate asks you to meet her in the city, you know where. This is how the linguistic map works in New York.
Bridge and Tunnel
You have heard this multiple times in films and series if New York is involved. You have heard of ‘bridge and tunnel’ people. Once you grasp that, the term ‘bridge and tunnel’ clicks. While some may argue that it’s an insult, it really isn’t. It’s just a descriptor for anyone who doesn’t live in the city—Manhattan. In fact, a true New Yorker can spot them immediately. Bridge and tunnel people come from Jersey, or they commute from Queens or Brooklyn. They’re not wrong for existing; they just inhabit a different geography. And that geography shows in how they move through the city, what they wear, even where they eat.
The Train
If you are a true-blue Friends devotee, you know this already. Remember the time when Ross (Geller) shared his decision to move to an uptown apartment near Columbia University, and Joey (Tribbiani) screams how it was way uptown: “That’s like three trains away!” You see, New Yorkers don’t take the subway; they take ‘the train’. They take the train downtown, uptown, to Long Island. But if you’re leaving the city entirely, for instance, heading to Connecticut or upstate, it means you take the railroad.
Bodega
Every neighbourhood has one. It’s that corner shop: the place you duck into for coffee, aspirin, lottery tickets, milk—whatever you need at 11 p.m. People in other parts of the world may call it a convenience store, but for New Yorkers, it’s a bodega. Most natives know the owner of their neighbourhood bodega. They have a rapport, and perhaps they are the first ones to notice if anything goes wrong in the neighbourhood.
What am I, chopped liver?
This is the best New Yorker thing you can say. It’s resentment compressed into eight syllables: what am I, chopped liver? This phrase simply means someone is ignoring you, talking over you, acting like you don’t exist. Your BFF didn’t slip you those invites for the girls’ night party, and then you meet her and she is suddenly acting so close. So you ask, “What am I, chopped liver?” The phrase works because it’s absurd enough to defuse the actual frustration underneath.
Like a hole in the head
Now, a birdie tells me this is going to be your favourite. You don’t need something like a hole in the head. You absolutely don’t need it. It’s humorous, hard-hitting, and very New York-y. This is New York’s way of saying, ‘No, thank you’. For instance, “I need to see that play like I need a hole in the head,” or “Extra work? I need that like I need a hole in the head.” This phrase kills the unwanted conversation before it even starts.
For the birds
When something is a waste of time, genuinely pointless, they say it’s for the birds. For instance, ‘Working on that report all weekend is for the birds.’ ‘Waiting in line for an hour for brunch is for the birds.’ New Yorkers don’t have time to waste, so they’ve developed language that dismisses things quickly and completely. It’s economical aggression.
Forget about it
This is the phrase that does the heavy lifting. It’s more like ‘never mind’, or ‘don’t even consider it’, or sometimes just ‘yeah, exactly’. The phrase is quite famous, thanks to The Sopranos. Now, New Yorkers don’t have all the time in the world to pronounce it, so you will hear a native saying fuhgeddaboudit. Want to sound native? Start with this word.Master these phrases and people will believe you’re a native.
