Sandwiched between Massachusetts and the New York metro area, visitors might be tempted to think Connecticut just picks up slang from both places. We know Connecticut has a language of its own. Here’s its dictionary:

1. Connecticutians doesn't really have a ring to it, does it? That's why we call ourselves "Nutmeggers," after Connecticut's unofficial nickname "The Nutmeg State."
Wikimedia/Baptiste Vauchelle
2. "The Merritt" isn't a virtue; it's a parkway. Drivers will act less than virtuous if you move too slowly in the left lane.
Flickr/Joe Shlabotnik
3. The package store, or the "packie" for short, sells liquor. Head to Staples for any actual packaging needs.
Facebook/Liquor Depot Inc.
4. What is a garage sale? In Connecticut, we have tag sales when we want to sell old stuff.
Wikimedia/Jim Chute

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5. In Connecticut, a grinder isn't an app or something to mill coffee with. Okay, maybe it's both of those things. But, first and foremost, it's a sandwich.
Flickr/jeffreyw
6. Sally's, Modern, and Pepe's elevate pizza to such a high level, Nutmeggers had to give New Haven-style pizza its own name: Apizza.
Flickr/Ethan Prater
7. It's much more fun to say "U-ey" than "U-turn."
Flickr/Bill Selak
8. Are we bitter over the fact that Long Island got naming rights over the sound that separates Long Island and Connecticut? Whether we are or we aren't, we just call it "the sound."
Flickr/slack12
9. Imagine calling Dunkin by its full name? No one in Connecticut has ever done that.
Flickr/Andrew Abogado

Be warned: outside of Connecticut, people don’t understand our language. Have you ever tried using these expressions out of state? If you moved here from somewhere else, were you confused by Nutmegger’s language when you first arrived? Share in the comments!

For more Connecticut culture, here’s a list of 10 Questions People ALWAYS Ask When They Know You’re From Connecticut.

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