History Main / StockAmericanPhrases

** "How are you?", "How you doing?", and "How's it going?": Often used in place of "Hello." One must be aware of whether the speaker is simply greeting you or if he is actually trying to initiate a conversion. It's usually just a greeting. In this case, the expected response is a short neutral or positive statement such as "Fine," or "Great!" If someone really wants to start a conversation, they'll make the statement a bit longer, such as "So, how have you been doing lately?"

** "What's up?" or "What's going on?": Another greeting, usually with limited expectations on the response. Sometimes shortened to "'Sup?"

* "Catch these hands" is a New York City phrase that refers to inflicting physical violence upon someone or otherwise stating an intention to fight them. It can also function in a more dismissive manner with the threat being more implied than stated outright; "_____ can catch these hands" means that the speaker doesn't care what they have to say and may inflict harm upon them if they want to push the issue, whereas "_____ is gonna catch these hands" is a direct threat and/or invitation to fight.

* "Yankee". To non-Americans, this (along with the shortened form, "Yank", which is almost never heard in the US) is a catch-all term for Americans in general. In the US, however, it refers strictly to people from the Northeast (especially New England) and, sometimes, the Midwest and the West. It is ''never'' used in reference to people from the South. To quote E. B. White:

** "What's up?" or "What's going on?": Another greeting, usually with limited expectations on the response.

** "See you (around/soon)," "see you later," "see you" and "later" are all more informal versions of "goodbye".

->''Gawd dammit!''
--> Pvt Hank The Yank, ''Adventures in the Rifle Brigade''

Phrases often used by Americans in fiction, especially of the stereotypical kind. Ironically, most of these show up in American fiction as stock ''regional'' phrases.

* "Jagoff" is Pittsburghese for an undesirable person, though it can also be used as a rough but good-natured greeting for one's friends. Elsewhere in the United States, "jack-off" or "jerk-off" ''only'' refers to a person the speaker views with contempt (e.g., "That jack-off stole my wallet!") or as a synonym for masturbation. Compare "wank/wanker" for those across the pond.

* "Jagoff" is Pittsburghese for an undesirable person, though it can also be used as a rough but good-natured greeting for one's friends.

* "Jawn" is an almost exclusively Philadeliphian and Southern New Jersey all-purpose placeholder noun that is used for any noun that the speaker either can't think of or doesn't feel like saying.

** "Yo" is commonly associated with blue-collar New Yorkers and more generally African-Americans.

** Yinz, associated with Pittsburgh and some surrounding areas.

** "Where Y'at?" is a common greeting in {{New Orleans}}.

TotallyRadical tends to use traditional (and out-dated) American surfer slang. See also AmericanAccents and UsefulNotes/AmericanEnglish.

See also AmericanAccents and UsefulNotes/AmericanEnglish.

* "Fuhgeddaboudit" is "forget about it" said in a Northeastern, Italian-American accent, most heavily associated with [[BigApplesauce Brooklyn]]. The phrase has a number of uses, from the literal, to "[[BigOMG oh my God!]]" to "shut up!"
** Also stereotypically said by gangsters, in similar context to [[DeadlyEuphemism "I took care of him."]]
* "Mason-Dixon Line." A demarcation line that initially marked the northern border of Maryland, it was later stretched west to denote the traditional boundary between Northern culture and Southern (Dixie) culture, running along the northern borders of Virginia (including what is now West Virginia) and Kentucky. Thus, "north of the Mason-Dixon line" would be Northern, and vice-versa. Today, the distinction between North and South has become more vague. Maryland and northern Virginia (the UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC suburbs) are now generally seen as being more Northern than Southern, while parts of southern Illinois and Indiana are often treated as an extension of the South.
** And then there's Florida, where the demarcation is ''inverted''. The northern part of the state is Southern in culture, whereas the more southern and central parts have taken on Northern sensibilities, thanks to snowbirds from the Northeast, the Cuban exile community, the tourism industry, and NASA.

* "Yankee". To non-Americans, this (along with the shortened form, "Yank", which is almost never heard in the US) is a catch-all term for Americans in general. In the US, however, it refers strictly to people from the Northeast (especially New England) and, sometimes, the Midwest and the West. It is ''never'' used in reference to people from the South; call a Southerner a Yankee, and [[BerserkButton you will receive a]] [[AmericanCivilWar long rant on the subject]].
** To quote E. B. White:

** Can also indicate proper construction. As in "Waxed and wicked as a candle."

** "Sure", when drawn out, expresses doubt or disbelief, à la SarcasmMode. For example, if someone says, "I totally kicked that guy's ass" and the other person doesn't believe them, they might say, "Sure" or "Sure you did." Drawing out the word "Right" can also mean the same thing (think Dr. Evil from ''AustinPowers'').

*** This one has infested Ireland to the point where people who know they are almost certainly never going to lay eyes on you again in their life will say "see you soon" instead of "bye".

*** When someone takes a formulaic greeting as a conversation starter, much [[HilarityEnsues awkwardness ensues,]] as illustrated [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffUDDYYIX04 in this commercial.]]

** "Hey" by itself is a very informal greeting, and can be considered somewhat rude, especially when used with your elders or social betters.

** "Y'all," short for "you all," is strongly associated with the South, and to a lesser extent the West. For additional emphasis that every single person is included in the statement, the speaker might say "all y'all."

** "Have a nice day" or "Have a good one." A generic farewell. Note that "Have a nice day" in particular is associated with service personnel (cashiers, clerks, receptionists, etc.) almost to the point of cliche, so using it with people you know will feel distant and rigid.[[note]] PeterUstinov used to respond to "Have a nice day" with "Sorry, I've made other plans."[[/note]]

** "Have a nice day" or "Have a good one." A generic farewell. Note that "Have a nice day" in particular is associated with service personnel (cashiers, clerks, receptionists, etc.) almost to the point of cliche, so using it with people you know will feel distant and rigid.

** "Sure", when drawn out, expresses doubt or disbelief. For example, if someone says, "I totally kicked that guy's ass" and the other person doesn't believe them, they might say, "Sure" or "Sure you did." Drawing out the word "Right" can also mean the same thing (think Dr. Evil from ''AustinPowers'').