Mainah Glossary

Jimmies or Chocolate Sprinkles?

2011-03-14T09:29:00.001-04:00

From Boston.com:

Even before that tale got abroad, jimmies was trailing clouds of factoid and fancy. Its origins are murky, so — like “the whole nine yards” and “the real McCoy” — it attracts just-so stories, some plausible and some less so. At the “Boston English” section of the website UniversalHub, commenters will tell you that jimmies are named for the Jimmy Fund, the children’s cancer charity; for a kid named Jimmy who got them on his ice cream as a birthday treat (“they’re Jimmy’s”); for a mayor named Jim Conelson, or a Jimmy O’Connell who was extra generous with sprinkles; and for a guy who (maybe) ran the chocolate-sprinkles machine at the Just Born candy factory.

Of all these theories, only the last is even remotely plausible. Just Born, the candy company that still provides us with our marshmallow Peeps and Mike and Ikes, was founded in Brooklyn in 1923, according to its official history, though patriarch Sam Born had already come up with candy innovations like a machine to put sticks into lollipops.

The company’s website claims that “jimmies, the chocolate grains sprinkled on ice cream, were invented at Just Born, and named after the employee who made them.” (Company spokesmen have mentioned a Jimmy Bartholomew, but his existence is unverified.) But company histories often include a fudge factor, and this claim of invention seems dubious: Chocolate sprinkles, so called, were already popular in the 1920s, the newspaper archives show. The Nashua, N.H., Telegraph is advertising a treat made with chocolate sprinkles in 1921, before Just Born was born.

Rest of the story: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2011/03/13/the_jimmies_story/

Wicked good, awesome, bad, and indifferent

2011-02-21T17:20:00.003-05:00

Recent article about the current use of "wicked" in New England including these thoughts on its history:

Why wicked to begin with? Page explained that he often uses it, saying something was “wicked good,” or “wicked cool.” And since he specialized in distressed finishes, he thought of “wicked old.” “My logo used to have a little witch going through it,” he said.

The word often is used as a substitute for “very” or “really,” providing emphasis to another word.

“Given the kind of religious and Puritan past of New England, oftentimes there was a kind of social disapproval of using curse words,” said professor David Watters, director of the Center for New England Culture at the University of New Hampshire. “So, you’d get a lot of creative, non-cursing, and I think ‘wicked’ fell into that category. Sometimes you hear people say ‘hellish’ instead of ‘wicked.’ ”

Watters said he believes the expression originated in Northern New England and became more popular throughout the rest of New England in the last 20 years or so.

New Englanders ‘wicked’ cool with their word
http://www.telegram.com/article/20110221/NEWS/102210365/1052

Spose - Can't Get There From Here

2011-01-31T11:39:00.002-05:00

Love this song - had to share. Go check them out.

From http://www.pdank.com/v2/

Thursday, January 20, 2011

[verse 1]

with no rims on the whip and no collagen lips

i rip through the state of Maine with the halogens lit

i'm not Rick but i spit Slick

i'm raping and making the fakest of rappers who're thinking they're sinking my ship quit quick

ALL ABOARD

from the state where they think we all mate

with our cousins with no indoor plumbing

moose by the bakers dozen

we got lakes, ponds, deer on lawns

puff upon chron' rockin' long johns

spat verses over purchased thirty racks of beer

made peers laugh and cheer

throw your hands up in the atmosphere

cuz everybody knows my name like the cast of cheers

but they say i shouldn't rap from here: i made it finally

puffed all kinda leaves

wack rapper, time to leave

rhyme's sick, lyme disease

pine trees, skate rails

while mostly white trophy wifes rock fake nails at bake sales

and all the haters say

[chorus]

are you out of your brain?!?!

rapping from maine??!?!

you must be insane!

cuz you can't get there from here

or delusional

please quit the beats

and retreat to the cubicle

you can't get there from here

you must've lost your mind!

i mean, those rhymes:

they were fine for the time

but you can't get there from here

you're from the eastern-most, northern-most, boredom-soaked state

you can't be great

you can't get there from here

[verse 2]

i'm from where teenage moms and their babies dwell

where people downgrade from cocaine to oxy pills

where the wives get beat and no one hears them yell

and it's not compton or brooklyn or ATL

we spend most times weeded

cuz the coastline's scenic

but the chances of succeeding are slimmer than a bulimic

still i put my life in rhyme form and recorded it

on my debut and stayed true to my coordinates

no, never aborted it

ask my subordinates

since back when my weed had more seeds than tournaments

i'm going for the gold (as if that wasn't obvious)

and stopping spose? that's like tryna handcuff an octopus.

woke up every morning wrote a new verse

even if i wasn't winning i wasn't a loser

look if you want to excel like huge shirts

doesn't matter what your zipcode is, just do work

[chorus]

[verse 3]

they say you can't get theya from heya without magic

well POOF! i Google Maps'd it. i'm there, maxin'.

i-i-i seen em laughing now i'm the Maine attraction

and when i die, they'll pour out all their Pabst in my absence

steered off course fuck your path i'm the

Captain Crunch time all day, serial with my actions

no need for Lucky Charms just a bit of passion

to make it from where Frosted Flakes fall to relaxin'

yeah i fooled fools, used Trix on silly rabbits

did it just for Kix when I started out rapping

and I grew up in Maine so they said, "It'll never happen."

but we got the alphabet, too, and i'm nasty:

coming to kill it abilities some of the illest they

ever did see and they love it. they haven't a crumb of my skill and i'm sonning the dumbest of villains (i'm cunning) i stomached the summit no vomiting from it, above all the beef and the killing and bluffing, i'm bigger than something to bump when you're drunk and you're puffing your stuff. call me Spose.

[chorus]

or so they say

to my cam groves

stiky-1

and to them motherfuckin Educated Advocates

keep keep on

to lab 7

luch and eliza

just keep keep on

to my man foodstamp

keep keep on and on and on and on

New words!

2011-01-27T09:42:00.000-05:00

Here is our suggestion

"Skun up"
v. " He fell down and his knees got all skun up"

Stoved up
v. When damage is done to your car.

Liz and Holly, Thomaston Maine

Just a couple of college students getting a kick out of your list =)

I do still exist...

2010-05-08T14:37:00.004-04:00

I'm still having problems with my Charter email (need to investigate more) so until then, feel free to post suggestions here or to lorilady_at_gmail_dot _com.

Hope those of you that find this blog and the subsequent website, do enjoy it. I also recommend trying to track down a copy of:

John Gould's Maine Lingo from 1975

I would love to help do a next edition some day (maybe when I do not have a full-time job and the kids are in college!).

~Lori

Sorry - suggestions...

2009-10-23T12:43:00.002-04:00

I had not checked my email box for quite some time {sigh} and it looks like all the mail was lost in there.

If you have sent me an email recently, please re-send with any suggestions you have for the Mainah Glossary.

Even better, just post a comment here!

LL Bean is bringing back my favorite sweater!

2009-05-13T11:58:00.002-04:00

Blog posts:

Number 1

Number 2

And the one that started it all!

Yeah!!

Not entirely on topic but still...

2009-04-09T15:57:00.004-04:00

I agree with this reporter's opinion. As someone who has visited Boston all her life and lived there for 6 years, I don't see the Big Dig in as negative a light as many other people. I also toured the Big Dig site twice before it was opened - absolutely amazing engineering project.

Yes, it was expensive but picture Boston today without it. I don't want to...

Apr 9, 2009

Big Dig and other marvels

Albert B. Southwick

The three most impressive engineering achievements in Massachusetts history are:

No.1. The railroad from Boston through Worcester to Albany, completed in 1842. It opened up New England to trade from the west via the Erie Canal and ensured that this region would not wither on the economic vine.

No.2. The construction of the Quabbin Reservoir and aqueduct, completed in 1937. The 25-mile aqueduct, dug mostly through solid rock, sometimes 600 feet below ground, is the size of a subway tunnel and is a gigantic siphon that daily sucks 600 million gallons of water uphill from the Quabbin Reservoir to the Ware River diversion and then downhill to the Wachusett Reservoir in Clinton from which it is distributed to Greater Boston. It ensures that eastern Massachusetts (and Chicopee) will have enough water for centuries.

No.3. The Big Dig, Despite all the horror stories, it rates as the most complex and brilliant engineering project in Massachusetts history and has turned Boston from a dingy, traffic-clogged nightmare into a modern city with a bright future.

The Big Dig has become a symbol of waste, fraud, runaway costs and tragic blunders, which is too bad. Its long-term benefits vastly outweigh all those negatives. Despite its inexcusable cost overruns, it already is lowering expenses for commuters traveling through Boston by millions of dollars a year and is reducing air pollution by an estimated 14 percent.

In 1995, the Central Artery, an ugly, rusting eyesore, and the two old tunnels to East Boston were carrying 168,000 cars a day. The idea of putting all that traffic underground was daunting. Many of Boston’s building foundations are below sea level. Much of downtown Boston sits on thousands of tons of fill of questionable stability. And its underground is laced with utility lines, sewer pipes, water mains, and subway supports. It seemed hopeless. But Fred Salvucci, then working for the Dukakis administration, was convinced that it could be done, and he proved persuasive. Design planning began in the 1990s.

The actual construction over the years has been done despite staggering difficulties. Thousands of cubic yards of clay, fill and gravel had to be excavated and carted away. Much of the old utility complex underground had to be rebuilt. Meantime, the old Central Artery had to continue carrying its daily load of 100,000-plus vehicles, and the two old tunnels were loaded to safe capacity and beyond. But when it finally opened, it moved Boston into a sparkling new era.

With the help of Holly Sutherland of the Mass Turnpike’s public relations office, I undertook an estimate of what the big project means and will mean to Boston and eastern Massachusetts. In 1995, the Central Artery and the two old tunnels were carrying about 168,000 vehicles daily. By 2005, the Big Dig and the Ted Williams Tunnel were carrying about 207,000. Average speed through Boston had increased from 13 to 36 miles per hour, which meant that the average motorist probably saved a half hour or more and possibly a half gallon of gas. That would add up to 100,000 hours of time and 100,000 gallons of gas saved daily.

One estimate concluded that the new complex, by reducing traffic delays and accidents, saves $500 million a year. In 10 years, that would add up to $5 billion. But that is only part of the story. Had Boston done nothing, according to estimates, traffic on the Central Artery would have ground to a crawl 16 hours a day. Boston’s neighborhoods would have endured a miserable era of traffic strangulation and air pollution.

The quality of life in Boston will be notably improved and has been already. The noisy, ugly barrier that divided Boston is gone. The daily torrent of more than 200,000 vehicles and their pollution has been removed from the city streets. Neighborhoods have been reconnected. More than 260 acres of surface have been reclaimed for park, recreation, memorial and other purposes.

Fred Salvucci, who had so much to do with the idea and launch of the Big Dig, has had no connection with it for years. Wondering what his thoughts were now, I called him at his office at MIT, where he is a research professor of transportation logistics.

He said that he is impressed by some of the brilliant engineering that was done on the Big Dig, but also appalled by some of the fraud and shoddy work, such as what led to a fatal roof collapse of a tunnel entrance. But he has no doubts as to the big project’s long-term value to Boston and eastern Massachusetts.

“Just try to imagine what Boston would be like if nothing had been done,” he remarked.

The Boston to Albany Railroad, the Quabbin Reservoir and Aqueduct, the Big Dig: sometimes it pays off to think big.

Albert B. Southwick’s column appears regularly in the Telegram & Gazette.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20090409/COLUMN21/904090620/-1/OPINION

Article: Colloquialisms abound, A to Z

2009-03-25T13:29:00.004-04:00

Some day I would like to read the Dictionary of American Regional English. Until then, I will have to look into what these amazing people are doing:

Monday, March 23, 2009

Colloquialisms abound, A to Z

Regional expressions go native

By Ryan J. Foley
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MADISON, Wis. — If you don’t know a stone toter from Adam’s off ox, or aren’t sure what a grinder shop sells, the Dictionary of American Regional English is for you.

The collection of regional words and phrases is beloved by linguists and authors and used as a reference in professions as diverse as acting and police work. And now, after five decades of wide-ranging research that sometimes got word-gatherers run out of suspicious small towns, the job is almost finished.

The dictionary team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is nearing completion of the final volume, covering “S” to “Z.” A new federal grant will help the volume get published next year, joining the first four volumes already in print.

“It will be a huge milestone,” said editor Joan Houston Hall.

The dictionary chronicles words and phrases used in distinct regions. Maps show where a submarine sandwich might be called a hero or grinder, or where a potluck — as in a potluck dinner or supper — might be called a pitch-in (Indiana) or a scramble (northern Illinois).

It’s how Americans do talk, not how they should talk.

“It’s one of the great American scholarly activities and people will be reading it for a century learning about the roots of the American language,” said William Safire, who frequently cites the dictionary in his “On Language” column in The New York Times Magazine. “It shows the richness and diversity of our language.”

Doctors have used it to communicate with patients and investigators have referred to it in efforts to identify criminals, including the Unabomber. Dialect coaches in Hollywood and on Broadway have used the dictionary’s audio recordings of regional speakers to train actors.

Author Tom Wolfe has called the dictionary “my favorite reading.”

In awarding the two-year, $295,000 grant that will get the final volume into print, National Science Foundation reviewers called the dictionary “one of the most visible public faces of linguistics,” and a “national treasure.”

The concept dates to 1889, when the American Dialect Society was formed. But the project did not start in earnest until 1965, when English professor Frederic Cassidy dispatched workers to 1,000 carefully chosen U.S. communities to interview residents and make audio recordings of their speech.

Workers often slept in “word wagons” — vans emblazoned with the UW logo — and even were chased out of a few Southern towns. The field work alone took five years and collected 2.5 million different words and phrases.

Since then, linguists have painstakingly researched the words using print materials to decide which should be included. The dictionary project has about a dozen workers and a $750,000 annual budget.

Cassidy died in 2000, still looking toward publication of the final volume. His tombstone reads: “On to Z!”

Hall, who has worked at the dictionary since 1975 and been editor since 2000, said the complete series of five volumes published by Harvard University Press will contain about 75,000 entries.

Draft entries for the final volume are still being reviewed. During a recent visit to their offices at UW-Madison’s English department, one was tracing the history of the word “stone toter,” a type of fish found in parts of the eastern U.S.

After the final volume is published, the next phase of the project will be to put the dictionary online. Hall envisions an online edition that will be updated constantly.

Hall said her all-time favorite word is bobbasheely, used in Gulf Coast states as a noun meaning a good friend or as a verb meaning to hang around with a friend. It comes from the language of the Choctaw tribes.

Two people interviewed in Texas and Alabama in the 1960s used the word. Further digging revealed that Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner had once used it in a novel, and it was used in the early 19th century by a colleague of former vice president and duelist Aaron Burr.

The dictionary has occasionally been put to serious use.

Forensic linguist Roger Shuy said he occasionally referred to the dictionary when he studied the Unabomber’s writings in the 1990s for clues to the writer’s identity. His profile didn’t help catch Ted Kaczynski, but it turned out to be pretty accurate: He guessed the Unabomber had a doctorate, grew up near Chicago and was older than some investigators initially believed.

Hall also was sought for help by reporters who didn’t understand President Bill Clinton’s comment in 1993 that an Air Force official who had criticized him “doesn’t know me from Adam’s off ox.”

Hall said the phrase is used west of the Appalachians in place of the more popular “he doesn’t know me from Adam.” The “off ox” refers to one of the two oxen once used to plow fields.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20090323/NEWS/903230337/1160/SPECIALSECTIONS04&source=rss

What American accent do you have?

2009-02-11T14:14:00.002-05:00

http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have

Supposedly mine is from the West.

I guess a combo of growing up in Maine, living in Boston, London, DC, and CT! I've become "neutral!"

Ah, winter in the country...

2009-01-22T16:45:00.003-05:00

Dear Diary:

Aug. 12 - Moved into our new home in Maine. It is so beautiful here. The hills and river valleys are so picturesque. I have a beautiful old oak tree in my front yard. Can hardly wait to see the change in the seasons. This is truly God's Country.

Oct. 14 - Maine is such a gorgeous place to live, one of the real special places on Earth. The leaves are turning a multitude of different colors. I love all of the shades of reds, oranges and yellows, they are so bright. I want to walk through all of the beautiful hills and spot some white tail deer. They are so graceful; certainly they must be the most peaceful creatures on Earth. This must be paradise.

Nov. 11 - Deer season opens this week. I can't imagine why anyone would want to shoot these elegant animals. They are the very symbol of peace and tranquility here in Maine. I hope it snows soon. I love it here!

Dec. 2 - It snowed last night. I woke to the usual wonderful sight: everything covered in a beautiful blanket of white. The oak tree is magnificent. It looks like a postcard. We went out and swept the snow from the steps and driveway. The air is so crisp, clean and refreshing. We had a snowball fight. I won, and the snowplow came down the street. He must have gotten too close to the driveway because we had to go out and shovel the end of the driveway again. What a beautiful place. Nature in harmony. I love it here!

Dec. 12 - More snow last night. I love it! The plow did his cute little trick again. What a rascal. A winter wonderland I love it here!

Dec. 19 - More snow - couldn't get out of the driveway to get to work in time. I'm exhausted from all of the shoveling. And that snowplow!

Dec. 21 - More of that white sh*t coming down. I've got blisters on my hands and a kink in my back. I think that the snowplow driver waits around the corner until I'm done shoveling the driveway. *sshole.

Dec. 25 - White Christmas? More freakin' snow. If I ever get my hands on the sonofab*tch who drives that snowplow, I swear I'll castrate him. And why don't they use more salt on these roads to melt this crap??

Dec. 28 - It hasn't stopped snowing since Christmas. I have been inside since then, except of course when that SOB "Snowplow Harry" comes by. Can't go anywhere, cars are buried up to the windows. Weather man says to expect another 10 inches. Do you have any idea how many shovelfuls 10 inches is??

Jan. 1 - Happy New Year? The way it's coming down it won't melt until the 4th of July! The snowplow got stuck down the road and the sh*thead actually had the balls to come and ask to borrow a shovel! I told him I'd broken 6 already this season.

Jan. 4 - Finally got out of the house. We went to the store to get some food and a god*mn deer ran out in front of my car and I hit the bastard. It did $3,000 in damage to the car. Those beasts ought to be killed. The hunters should have a longer season if you ask me.

Jan. 27 - Warmed up a little and rained today. The rain turned the snow into ice and the weight of it broke the main limb of the oak tree in the front yard and it went through the roof. I should have cut that old piece of sh*t into fireplace wood when I had the chance.

May 23 - Took my car to the local garage. Would you believe the whole underside of the car is rusted away from all of that d*mn salt they dump on the road? Car looks like a bashed up, heap of rusted cow sh*t.

May 10 - Sold the car, the house, and moved to Florida. I can't imagine why anyone in their freakin' mind would ever want to live in the G0d forsaken State of Maine.

A YouTube video you can't miss...

2009-01-08T15:11:00.003-05:00

I'll admit it - I'm not a fan of YouTube. I've probably seen less than 6 videos on YouTube but this one you have to watch. Priceless.

Maine Man Song

See - aren't you glad you watched it? And now it will be stuck in your head the rest of the day. You're Welcome!!

- L.

Can't get there from here

2008-11-12T10:26:00.002-05:00

Album mocked Maine ways

By Jerry Harkavy THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PORTLAND, Maine— Some of the classic lines that define Maine humor emerged 50 years ago, on a record made by two Yale University students in a dormitory room.

Uttered in exaggerated Down East accents, the exchanges between Marshall Dodge and Robert Bryan on the “Bert and I” album inspired generations of storytellers both in-state and beyond, including the likes of Garrison Keillor of Lake Wobegone fame.

Some of Dodge and Bryan’s bone-dry punch lines remain familiar even today.

Summer tourist to Mainer: “Which way to Millinocket?” After considering and then rejecting a few possible routes, the native concludes, “Come to think of it, you can’t get there from here.”

Then there’s the day 85-year-old Arnold Bunker “from Bailey Island way” appears in court. Asked if he’d lived there all his life, he replies: “Not yet.”

Maine’s Islandport Press has marked the 50th anniversary of “Bert and I” by putting out a CD that features 34 stories compiled from Dodge and Bryan’s four albums, a concert appearance by Dodge and a public television special.

Though neither was from Maine, Dodge and Bryan were familiar with the state and its people and had a keen ear for dialect, along with a knack for low-tech sound effects. Their first recording, made in their dorm room at Yale University, featured a wastebasket as an echo chamber.

They made 50 copies for friends and family members, then pressed 50 more.

Dodge died in 1982 in a hit-and-run crash while bicycling in Hawaii.

Bryan, a divinity student who went on to be ordained as an Episcopal priest, is a bush pilot, at 77, with the Quebec Labrador Foundation, a nonprofit he founded nearly 50 years ago.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20081111/NEWS/811110501

Okay, this one is a little off-topic...

2008-10-01T10:16:00.004-04:00

But I had to share...

Fake cop pulls gun after stopping federal agent

Police say a 21-year-old Portland man used a blue portable strobe light to pull over a car on Forest Avenue, then pulled a shotgun when approached by the off-duty federal agent he had stopped.

Andrew J. Chaisson faces charges of impersonating an officer and criminal threatening with a gun following the 11 p.m. incident Monday.

The federal agent told police a man in a black 2007 Chevrolet pickup activated a blue strobe light and pulled him over on Outer Forest Avenue.

The truck then backed into a driveway, squealing its tires. The agent became suspicious and was approaching the truck on foot, when the driver threatened him with a shotgun, police said.

The suspect fled in the truck but the agent got the license plate number, a vanity plate "ACE HI."

Police went to Chaisson's home where he was arrested and a shotgun was confiscated, police said.

Police said they have no similar reports of someone impersonating an officer.
Police say that unmarked cars are used for traffic enforcement but typically have multiple blue lights built into the car's grill and have laptop computers and radar visible in the cab. Officers are in uniform.

Police say motorists being pulled over by an unmarked car should stop in a well-lit, well-traveled area if possible and may call 911 to confirm that a bona fide officer is stopping them. If the officer is not in uniform, the motorist should ask that a uniformed officer also respond.

Please go to the article for a picture and comments which, of course, are priceless...

I know...I know...

2008-10-01T10:05:00.001-04:00

I'm a terrible blogger...Sorry!

Here is a "recent" email (is July considered recent?):

How about Maine villages…….

Yahoo village is a group of houses in Poland. There are numerous vehicles without hoods, many appliances on the lawns and deer hanging from different trees throughout the neighborhood. People often seen with Budweiser, Marlboros and fat @ss in a glass.

Bog Hoot refers to all of Mechanic Falls. The local snowmobile club goes by the name of “The Bog Hooters”.

Submitted by T. from Lewiston by the sea - Biddeford

Words, words, words...

2008-02-28T13:56:00.003-05:00

Keep them coming!

These are from Chris in Jefferson, ME:

‘bout

Adv., About: “That theyah fellah jus’ ‘bout got stove up.” Also see “ ’magine”

Cussed

Pronunciation \kuss–ed\
Adj., Cursed or obstinate. – “That dang deeyah run right’out front of the cah, and I jus’ ‘bout nailed the cussed thing.”
Also cantankerous.

Friggin’

Adj., Used to add a great deal of emphasis. “that powah fellah thumped himself with that theyah hammah pretty friggin’ hahd.” To which one could reply “Friggin’ ‘magine!” (see ‘magine)

Friggin’ skiddah: (see skidder) A terminology often used to describe a stout, or sometimes poorly thought of large woman.

‘magine

v., Imagine: Used as an affirmative agreement, or an affirmation to someone’s statement. “D’you see the size of that theyah lobstah?”, “friggin’ ’magine.”

“ ‘bout ‘magine” is used to agree with hypothetical ponderings, “I bet that cah was doin’ a buck twenty easy!” (Translated: I assume that you agree with me that the automobile that passed us previously on the highway was traveling at a velocity that I could easily assume was in excess of 120 mph.) “’bout magine!” (Translated: I can only imagine that the statement you just made is an accurate guesstimation given the circumstances surrounding the situation.”

More thoughts on Allen's Coffee Brandy...

2008-02-28T13:53:00.001-05:00

Mmm...I love coffee!!

From Graham:

Allen's Coffee Brandy

aka: 'fat ass in a glass,' 'Champagne of Maine,' 'gorilla milk,' In northern and central Maine, Allen's is jokingly referred to as ''the flower of the tundra.''

'Liquid Leg Spreader'
Scale ingredients to servings
4 oz Allen's® coffee brandy
4 oz whole milk
Stir ingredients together in a highball glass half-filled with ice cubes, and serve.

Coffee is extremely popular throughout New England. People in Maine love coffee and products with a genuine, pronounced coffee flavor. Allen’s probably has the truest coffee taste. Coffee liqueurs and some other coffee flavored brandies tend to be sweet, Allen’s focuses on the coffee flavor not additional sweetness. Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy uses a natural extract from Brazilian coffee beans.

People in Maine have found that Allen’s CFB makes the perfect sombrero. Sombreros were first made with coffee brandy, sombreros made with coffee liqueurs came later. Consumers may also consider Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy to be a great value as opposed to imported coffee liqueurs.

Allen’s CFB is proud to be the number one spirit in Maine. Allen’s CFB appreciates having some of the most loyal customers in the world. Allen’s CFB customers span generations and the product has crossed all regions of the state from fishing villages to downtown Portland.

More emails...

2008-02-19T11:10:00.004-05:00

Thanks to all that keep emailing me!

I'll get to a glossary update at some point! (:

L.

New word:
innerestin - pretty intersting (from J. - 12th generation Mainah!)

New websites:
http://www.wickedgoodmaine.com/
http://maineliving.blogspot.com/

And a great email:

I'd love to add anothah definishun for "spider" or "spidah" -- Lobstah.

Also, the "green front" was the local likker stoah, from the green paint on the front. Coahss, that 'twas befoah Hannafohd and Shaw-uz stahted sellin' the stuff.

Seriously, I used to have to teach my Mainer students (7th-8th graders in Oakland) how to talk Yankee. I'd have spelling lessons and grammar lessons on the board, because they were actually losing the dialect. One of the rules of spelling was that if a syllable ended with "r" it should be replaced with "h." Almost always wohked. Oh, and any one syllable wohd could be pronounced in either 1, 2 or 3 syllables, as in "good", "goo-ahd" or "goo-wad-ah"

Now that I'm retired and living in Kentucky, I find myself saying "you-all" much of the time, though when people, especially women, say "Y'all have a naahce day, hun" I still find myself responding with "A-yuh."

Mike D. Formerly of Oakland/Waterville, now in Parksville, KY

Go Pats!

2008-02-02T14:19:00.001-05:00

Not specifically relating to Maine (taken on Rt. 1 by Logan) but had to share...

Vote results...

2007-12-18T13:55:00.000-05:00

Way-back-when I posted a poll:

http://mainahglossary.blogspot.com/2006/12/time-to-vote.html

67% voted for Ay-yuh - I will change the entry next time I do an update.

L.

Priceless...

2007-12-18T13:25:00.000-05:00

$30 for an old scrap snowblower body
$13 for wheels from Marden's
Being able to plow your driveway with your 1998 Honda Civic...Priceless!

Love the quote "I can't hit the snowbank hard, because it could set off the car airbags."

Portland Press Herald article

BTW, sorry for the lack of posts! Any new words for me? I'm wicked behind again.

You know you're from Maine if... (long)

2007-08-09T19:02:00.000-04:00

1.. you've had arguments over the comparative qualityof Fried Dough. Yes
2.. you get four inches of snow and you call it "a dusting."
3.. your neighbor's house was foreclosed after an unlucky 24 hour mini-cruise on the Scotia Prince.
4.. you don't understand why there aren't fried clamshacks elsewhere in the country.
5.. you know what an Irving is and the location of 15 of them. Absolutely
6.. you knew all the flavors at Perry's Nut House.
7.. your car is covered in yellow-green dust in May. Sigh
8.. you can drive the Augusta rotaries without slowing down. Yep
9.. you've hung out at a gravel pit.
10.. you think a mosquito could be a species of bird.
11.. you once skipped school and went to Bar Harbor, Old Orchard Beach or Reid State Park.
12.. even your school cafeteria made good chowder.
13.. you've almost fallen asleep driving between Houlton and Presque Isle .
14.. you know how to pronounce Calais and Machias. Yes
15.. you've made a meal out of a Jordan's red dye hotdog, a bag of Humpty Dumpty potato chips and a can of soda. Yep
16.. you've gone to a Grange bean supper. Yes
17.. in high school, you (or a friend) packed Deering Ice Cream cones. Yes
18.. at least once in your life, a seagull pooped on your head.
19.. at least once in your life you've said, "It smells like the mill in here." Yep
20.. there's a fruit and vegetable stand within 10 minutes of your house.
21.. you have shopped at the Big Chicken Barn.
22.. your idea of a traffic jam is being the second car at the stoplight.
23.. you wonder out loud if the state can just close its borders to people from away.
24.. your house converts to a B&B every July & August for people from away that you happen to know.
25.. all year long you're tracking sand in the house; from the beach in the summer and the roads and sidewalks in the winter.
26.. you have a front door but no steps to get to it.
27.. you use "wicked" as a multi-purpose part of speech. Use to
28.. you have to have the sand cleaned out of your brake system every spring.
29.. you do the majority of your shopping out of Uncle Henry's.
30.. you've ditched the car on the side of the road somewhere because you thought you saw some good fiddleheads!
31.. you've had a vacation from school just to help the family pick potatoes.
32.. you know a lobster pot is a trap, not a kettle. Of course!
33.. you know not to plant tender crops until the last full moon in May.
34.. when you go to the dump and bring back more than you brought.
35.. when people from "away" ask for directions and you intentionally led them in the opposite direction they wanted to go.
36.. you watch "Murder She Wrote" and snicker at the stupid fake accents.
37.. you know how to find the rope swing at the quarry.
38.. you take the New Hampshire toll personally. Yes
39.. you feel really really good when you cross the Piscatiqua River bridge into Kittery. I read the sign out loud almost every time
40.. you always wave when you see a Maine license plate in another state.
41.. a roll of duct tape and a can of flat black spray paint will get your car to pass inspection.
42.. you know how to avoid all the traffic at the Fryeburg Fair by using the "Secret Entrance".
43.. you have to replace your mailbox yearly because ofthe town plow.
44.. you know how to get from Cumberland to Fryeburg via the "Egypt Road".
45.. you can remember when the "Egypt Road" was a dirt track through the woods.
46.. when you're supposed to dress up, you wear plaid flannel with a tie.
47.. you know that Moody's Diner does NOT take credit cards!
48.. you actually miss the fifteen below zero mornings in winter (that have been eliminated by the greenhouse effect) because you enjoyed running or walking to workin the silent crystal stillness, punctuated by an idling car engine as the owner waited indoors for the car to warm up before his mad dash from warmth to warmth, and your lungs did not freeze; thank you verymuch for your concern.
49.. the word "stove" refers to what you did to the right front fender of your truck after you've had a wicked bring-up on a rock.
50.. there's too much "stuff" in your 2 "cah" garage to get either of your cars into it.
51.. you know what a frappe is. Yum!
52.. you know the smell of Woodsmens fly dope.
53.. you eat supper at night and dinner at noon.
54.. your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.
55.. "vacation" means going to the Allagash for the weekend.
56.. you measure distance in hours. Still do!
57.. you know several people who have hit moose more than once.
58.. you often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
59.. you use a down comforter in the summer.
60.. your grandparents drive at 65 mph through 13 fee to snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.
61.. you see people wearing hunting clothes at social events.
62.. you install security lights on your house and garage and leave them both unlocked.
63.. you think of the major food groups as moose meat, beer, fish, and berries.
64.. you carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend knows how to use them.
65.. there are 4 empty cars running in the parking lot at the convenience store at any given time.
66.. you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
67.. driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
68.. you think sexy lingerie is tube socks and flannel pajamas.
69.. you know all 4 seasons: almost wintah, wintah, still wintah and construction.
70.. you know what it means when someone says they are going upstreet.
71.. rumble strip warn not of toll booths, but moose crossings.
72.. school kids toss their lunch (homemade bread and lobster sandwiches) in the wastebasket because they have them so often.
73.. you can actually see the milky way. Yes
74.. you can use your brights on the highway. Yes
75.. L.L. Bean's not just a store, it's a way of life. Absolutely
76.. you encounter any sign reading: "Next Exit: 246 miles".
77.. the nearest mall is 2 hours away.
78.. you have to yield for snowmobiles.
79.. lobster is $1.00 a pound.
80.. the state closes down at five o'clock.
81.. "The City" means exclusively Portland. Yes
82.. "salt damage" is a viable insurance claim.
83.. all of the traffic lights blink yellow at 10 o'clock at night.
84.. it's not a storm, it's a nor'eastah.
85.. open 24/7 might as well be Greek.
86.. you say room and people think you are saying rum.
87.. you can buy a minivan with four wheel drive and chained tires.
88.. all addresses start with RR# Mine use to!
89.. you've seen a woman mowing her lawn in the nude.
90.. a rest stop means a pit toilet and a picnic table.
91.. you know Moxie isn't a woman's magazine. Yes
92.. you know that L/A doesn't mean a city in California. Yes
93.. you know who "Marty on the mountain" is.
94.. you go "off-roading" before and after school.
95.. you just go for rides in your truck around town for no apparent reason other than to take a ride in your truck around town.
96.. you get turned on when you see a big pickup witha loud muffler.
97.. you diet all week so you can consume 40,000 calories at a fair. Yes
98.. you eat ice cream with flavors like 'MooseTracks" and "Maine Black Bear".
99.. you know that a chocolate doughnut is not a white doughnut with chocolate frosting. Yes
100.. you call any long sandwich an "Italian". Yes
101.. you know what fly dope is. Yes
102.. you eat potato chips with flavors such as "clamdip", "ketchup" and "dill pickle". Yes
103.. the smell of clam flats at low tide, while disgusting, brings back fond memories of childhood trips to the beach.
104.. you call the basement "downcellah." Sometimes
105.. your grandmother called shorts "shots".
106.. you live in a mobile home and have a brand new car and a satellite dish.
107.. you see a beat up Ford Pickup with a bumber sticker that reads: "I'd rather be bowhunting."
108.. you can hum the tune of "You should have bought it when you saw it at Mardens?" Yes
109.. you actually know what "Cumby's" is. Yes
110..You know what the Old Port is. Yes
111..You understand the theory behind Dimillo'sfloating restaurant. Umm...

Another word...

2007-07-20T21:36:00.000-04:00

Gunkhole, n - a small body of shallow, stagnant, and boggy water, usually with poor fishing (for trout). Usage - "Ain't no use fishin there, nothin' but chubs and sunfish in that gunkhole!" Can also be used as an adjective, as in "near that gunkhole brook over by McDuff's corner"

- Submitted by KFB (Bangor, Maine)

I am behind...

2007-07-10T14:29:00.000-04:00

Really need to update the glossary at some point. Glad I can at least post the suggestions I receive here! Also, did you notice that I finally update the format a bit today?

Here are a couple more suggestions...

Flush - n., a toilet (I worked in home health care as an occupational therapist when we first moved here and had many elderly Mainer's ask about grab bars and such to help them "get up off the flush.")

Quillypig - n., a porcupine (I heard this from a co-worker from Machias, referring to an animal her husband, a game warden, had dealt with.)

Received from LS (Hoosier now in Hampden, ME)

Recent suggestions...

2007-06-19T11:24:00.000-04:00

Well I su'pose...

phrase, Necessary to signal someone you're visiting, that you're about to leave.

Hamburg

n. used to define ground beef or an actual hamburger; as in "Do you want cukes with your hamburg?"

Numnuts or Nummynuts

?? My aunt was known to call her kids this when she got exasperated with them.

- MIE originally from Costigan, Maine

Recent email...

2007-06-04T15:46:00.001-04:00

I heard my grandmother use the expression "well, for land's sake" when she was surprised at something or, for example, if she met up with an acquaintance she had no seen for a long time. She was from the Casco Bay islands so no doubt heard that in the early days; she was born in 1892.

Jeff

Portland, ME

2007-05-01T19:32:00.000-04:00

An older article but still interesting. There were many things I already knew about Portland but also a few I hadn't heard before. The comment about Portland being more liberal could be said about most cities.

Where the square is a triangle
Oddities are everywhere in this hip, diverse city, so different from its neighbors

By Judith Gaines, Globe Correspondent December 11, 2005

This quirky city was once known, fittingly enough, as ''Quack." Examples of its pleasure in things odd are everywhere. Monument Square, in the heart of downtown, is actually a triangle. The famous Casco Bay Bridge doesn't span any part of Casco Bay. (It crosses the Fore River.) The area near the local sewage treatment plant provides some of the best bird-watching in the state. And the city is home to what must be the only topless doughnut shop in the country.

With a population of 64,249, Maine's largest city is concentrated in a small geographic area, and it has always had a spunky, creative, somewhat wacko charm that endears it to other Mainiacs, while also setting it apart.

Its population is younger, hipper, and more liberal than elsewhere in the state. Public buses here have bicycle racks.

It's also more diverse. According to the last census, almost 9 percent of Portland's population is nonwhite, compared with 3 percent in the state. Officials say 51 languages are spoken at Portland High School. Mayor Jill Duson (whose term ends this month) isn't just the first black female mayor in the state but also only the second black woman ever elected to any office in Maine, she says.

Portland is so different from its neighboring communities that less than a year ago an issue of Down East magazine asked: Is it really part of Maine? Editors noted that all five Green Party candidates in 2004 elections came from districts in Portland, and one of them won. On issues like gun control, gay rights, hunting, and environmental politics, the magazine observed, Portlanders hold significantly different views from voters in the rest of the state.

Portland is home to the state's biggest symphony, top art museum, its only professional sports teams, and its largest concentration of restaurants. In a state almost without skyscrapers, the few high-rise buildings clustered along Congress Street, Portland's main thoroughfare, are as close as Maine gets to a downtown financial district. Although Augusta is the capital and legislative center, the state Supreme Court and the largest concentration of lawyers are here.

According to Guinness World Records, Portland is the only city in the country with one street on which a person could satisfy all his or her educational needs. A preschool, two elementary schools, a middle school, two high schools, and a branch of the University of New England are on 2-mile-long Stevens Avenue.

Some people have both their winter and summer homes in Portland. They spend winter on the mainland and summer on one of several Casco Bay islands technically inside the city limits: Peaks Island, Great Diamond, Little Diamond, Cushing's and Cliff islands among them. (For a quirky island tour, you can ride the mail boat as it delivers letters, freight, and passengers to the islands.)

The city houses at least two oddball, one-of-a-kind museums: The Umbrella Cover Museum (on Peaks Island), displaying all sorts of umbrella covers, humble and exotic, from around the world; and The Museum of Cryptozoology, dedicated to animals whose existence has not yet been confirmed, such as Big Foot, assorted sea monsters, and the like.

Especially in the historic Old Port, the city boasts a large assortment of one-of-a-kind shops and many distinctive galleries. Among them is SPACE, which sponsored an event in September that included rolling a huge swath of sod down Congress Street, making it an impromptu park, and turning dumpsters into theaters for puppet shows, dance, and other performances.

Other art openings take place in similarly unconventional settings. Just a few weeks ago, a hair salon called Head Games hosted the opening of an exhibit by photographer Arthur Fink. Fink said he was drawn to the salon as a place to show his work because of its light and space, and he likes the idea of new art constantly appearing throughout the city in surprising places.

For Portlanders, Fink said, being quirky ''is a way of staying fresh and alive, and making new connections."

Now through mid-February, visitors also can see the arresting sculptures of Pandora LaCasse, which she describes as ''little oases of light and cheer to warm the dead of winter." An abstract sculptor, LaCasse wraps trees, poles, and homemade forms in strings of colored lights all over the city. In a park at Middle and Exchange streets, turquoise ovals hang from pink trees. On Congress Street, fanciful orange and red megaphones cluster in front of the Time and Temperature Building. On Commercial Street by the harbor, blue and green spheres protrude from some shops, as if they were big water bubbles.

Portland's quirkiness is long-standing. Right from the start, it developed a reputation as a liberal, free-thinking place.

Maine was settled in part by people who objected to what they considered the Puritanical, restrictive ways common in Massachusetts, and they seem to have gravitated particularly to Portland, established in 1786. When Maine became the nation's 23d state in 1820, Portland was its first capital.

One guidebook describes Portlanders in the 1800s as ''boozehounds" and says waterfront laborers routinely took ''grog breaks" in the mornings and afternoons. Munjoy Hill, in the east end of town, was known as ''Mount Joy Hill," in honor of the prostitutes who frequented the area.

One of the city's towering oddities is the Portland Observatory, which looks like a lighthouse in a distinctly urban setting on Congress Street. Sandwiched between the Portland Free Methodist Church and the Fire Department and across from Colucci's Hilltop Superette, it is actually an old signal tower, erected in 1807 as a communication aid for ships heading to port.

Over the years, several well-known distilleries have had headquarters here, including McGlinchy's and the John Morgan Brewing Co., and the city remains famous for its microbrews such as Shipyard, Allagash, Geary's, and Gritty McDuff's. It has a flourishing nightlife, with several nightclubs and saloons where you can hear local bands. So many bars are crowded into the Old Port that a person can bar crawl without having to drive.

Most of Portland's attractions are concentrated on its peninsula, a compact area about three miles long and less than a mile wide. Still, outlying areas bear exploration as well. Within the city limits are at least two waterfalls and a network of about 30 miles of trails that meander around the Back Cove, along the Fore River, around the harbor, and through the Maine Audubon Sanctuary, which has two important sites in the metro area. Bird-watchers especially enjoy a trail that passes the city's sewage treatment plant, where ospreys have erected a huge nest on an abandoned railway trestle, and where you can sometimes see a bald eagle or exotic sea gulls.

Just north of the city limits but well within Metro Portland is Mackworth Island, a good place to witness the local pleasure in fun and fantasy. Given to the state by Percival Proctor Baxter as ''a sanctuary for wild beasts and birds," the island now is home to the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf, but a 1 1/4-mile trail around the perimeter is open to the public. The path passes a pet cemetery (the final resting place of 13 Irish setters and one horse); a ''listening tree" said to be able to understand the sign language of the hearing impaired as well as entreaties from more conventionally speaking people; and an extensive ''community village for fairies," where children are invited to build fairy homes out of natural materials.

On a recent day, Delaney Derrig, 7, a second-grader in nearby Westbrook, was beginning construction of one of these little twig dwellings under the watchful eye of her grandmother. She said fairies are drawn to the area ''because there are homes for them. They need somewhere to live."

Portland also is a restaurant town. Many locals proudly claim it has more restaurants per capita than anywhere in the country except San Francisco. One list shows 187 restaurants in Portland, or one for every 343 people.

City regulations do not allow food chains downtown, and the restaurants can be as quirky as the city itself. You will never pay more for less food than at Bandol's, where the portions are so tiny as to be laughable. (A recent entree of braised veal on a potato pancake with chanterelle mushrooms measured no more than two inches in diameter, including the sauce.) Hugo's, the trendiest spot in town, with somewhat bigger portions and considerably better food, offers cod tongue tempura.

Street & Company, the favorite of many locals, may be one of the few restaurants in the country that serves no meat; it's strictly about seafood. Silly's, a popular cheap eats joint near Munjoy Hill, sells an avocado milkshake, which is better than it sounds. Joe's Boathouse boasts a local favorite known as ''The Zook," a wrap with fresh chicken, tomato, onion, and homemade caper mayonnaise.

Sitting at Joe's, you can watch the comings and goings in the outer harbor and gaze upon another local oddity: Fort Gorges. This looks like a huge granite square floating in the bay with some grass on top. In fact, it's an old fort built on Hog Island in 1858 to defend Portland Harbor. However, no shot ever was fired from it.

The topless doughnut shop, part of an adult center called Platinum Plus, looks more like a plush nightclub lounge than a morning breakfast spot. But it's open Monday through Saturday, 6-11 a.m., and it does sell doughnuts, $1.50 apiece. They don't make their own, though, a young blonde woman called ''La Bomba" told me when I finally mustered the nerve to go in. When I asked who does, she giggled and said, ''It's a secret."

Coffee Brandy is #1 (and #2 and #6 and #9)...

2007-04-17T13:56:00.000-04:00

BANGOR - When it comes to spirits, coffee brandy remains Mainers' libation of choice.

State sales figures for last year show that Allen's Coffee Flavored Brandy remains by far the top-selling brand of liquor in the state, just as it's been every year for more than a decade. Nearly 994,000 bottles worth $11.9 million were sold in four different bottle sizes in Maine in 2006.

Allen's is so popular that its different bottle sizes rank first, second, sixth and ninth on the Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations list of the top 25 alcoholic items sold last year. Allen's is the only brand that appears more than once in the top 10.

No. 2 in revenue totals was Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, with $4.7 million worth of sales in Maine and 252,300 bottles sold. Bacardi Light rum sold 253,643 bottles, with revenues of almost $4.3 million.

Other top sellers in Maine in 2006 included Orloff Vodka, which sold 212,000 bottles, and Absolut Vodka, which sold 135,000 bottles. Absolut ranked fourth in terms of revenue with $3.3 million.

Coffee-flavored brandy is something of a New England specialty and is not well-known outside the region. Allen's is made by family-owned M.S. Walker Inc. of Somerville, Mass.

The dark-colored liquor that's been called "the champagne of Maine," while immensely popular, is also associated with the state's substance abuse troubles.

A decade ago, state Superior Court Judge Robert Crowley was quoted as saying the brand "is very prevalent in the criminals who come before me. I don't know whether brandy is more bang for your buck but it runs the gamut. I see it in bar fights, domestic assaults, (drunk driving) and worse crimes."
------
Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

A couple more...

2007-02-12T15:50:00.000-05:00

chimbly: "You pobly ought clean tha chimbly - don't need no fyah heya!"
pobbly: "I pobbly stove up the truck on thayt deeah yestidy - sides all staved in."

- From Mike (Ex-Mainer)

New words...

2007-02-05T17:49:00.000-05:00

axe - Not the thing you chop wood with. The things that the wheels on your car, truck or four wheeler roll on. "I hammered the throttle off the line and she broke an Axe." (from Mike S. of Passadumkeag, ME)
buot - As in "Why don't cha take the buot out the cove n' check some a them pots?" Often spelled "Boat" due to a total corruption of the pronounciation outside a the coast a Maine.
punt - Ain't got nothin ta do with the football. It's just the name given to the thing you row in when yer goin from the wharf to ya buot. "You gonna walk out theyah, Jimmy, or take the punt like a told ya?"

A couple of "new" blogs...

2007-01-17T14:29:00.000-05:00

Found these during my wanderings today:

Words Matter

All Things Maine

L.

More words...

2007-01-11T16:41:00.000-05:00

Bay-Ree
A tiny little fruit that grows on a bush.

Bake Be-Uns
Downeast style baked beans.

They's
Same as "there is."

Submitted by D. Crouse (from Stow and Bangor, Maine)

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T14:06:00.000-05:00

Finally found the time to do a website update today...

Added a new joke (Maine Barbies - really bad but still funny) and several new words. Don't forget to vote in our Ah-yuh vs. Ay-yuh poll.

Also, here are some other Mainah words up for debate:

Bah Hahba or Bah Hubbah?
Bangah or Bangowah or Bangor?
Cohen or Con?
Powrtland or Pawtlan?

Feel free to post your comments on pronounciation here!

Time to Vote!

2006-12-07T08:06:00.000-05:00

Let your thoughts be heard! (:

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

Quiet November

2006-11-15T16:49:00.000-05:00

Well, the craziness of the holidays must already be taking over as it has been pretty quiet as of late. So, here is another blog to tide you over until I post again in December:

Strange Maine

I will probably do an update on the website at that time as well.

Happy Turkey Day!

It all leads to coffee brandy…

2006-10-27T14:55:00.000-04:00

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Police: McDonald's robbery report false

By DOUG HARLOW
Staff Writer

WATERVILLE -- A pregnant 20-year-old was arrested Wednesday and charged with felony theft and filing a false report of a robbery Oct. 3 at the McDonald's Restaurant where she worked on Kennedy Memorial Drive.

Lisa Didas of 296 Main St., Waterville, reported being robbed at gunpoint at the drive-up window of the fast-food eatery.

Didas went as far as sitting down with police the next day to compose a sketch of the bearded man she said drove off in a dark colored car and disappeared.

She told police she was desperate for cash and needed help.

There was no robbery, no gunman and no getaway car, Waterville police Detective William Bonney and Police Chief John Morris said Wednesday.

Didas allegedly stashed more than $1,000 in McDonald's cash receipts on her body in a place she felt sure police would not search, they said.

"She was an employee of the McDonald's," Bonney said. "She's pregnant, she's got a 6-month-old child and she told me she can't do it alone; she needs some help and this was kind of a last resort for her."

Bonney said Didas has a boyfriend, but no husband and no child support.

The first report came into the command center at the Waterville Police Department at 2:40 p.m. that Tuesday.

Police officers fanned out across the city, some monitoring Interstate 95 for a possible getaway car.

The driver was said to be a man with dark or black hair with a lot of facial hair.

A young female employee of McDonald's, who turned out to be Didas, was interviewed by police in the parking lot, then extensively inside the restaurant.

She declined to comment on the robbery to a reporter as she left the restaurant.

"We're not supposed to talk about what we saw," she said.

Bonney said Didas probably had the money on her person during the interviews.

"She took the money, concealed it and then called 9-11," Bonney said. "She made the story up -- she told me that she was desperate, she needed the money."

"There was no robbery and there was no accomplice," Morris added.

Bonney and Morris said Didas was "checked" that day and not searched.

"She wanted it to be over," Bonney said. "She was scheduled for a polygraph on Monday.

"I knew that this was wearing on her and I went to talk with her and she was ready for it to be over."

Bonney said he tried to investigate the robbery as if it had happened the way Didas had reported it, but he kept his options open and continued looking at her as a suspect as well.

"I was never able to eliminate her as a suspect," he said. "There were things right from the start that didn't make sense."

The theft charge is a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.

The false report charge is a misdemeanor, punishable by no more than 364 days in the county jail.

"We spent a lot of time chasing our tails because of the false information she provided to us, including the composite she made for us," Morris said.

Morris added that Didas also was arrested a few days after the robbery and charged with theft at Hannaford's supermarket. He said she was not stealing food for her family; she was caught stealing alcohol.

She was charged with stealing a half-gallon of Allen's coffee brandy and a liter of Southern Comfort.

Didas was released without having to post bail Wednesday on the theft and false report charges and will appear in court to face the charges in the coming weeks.

http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/3263351.shtml

A poem of Mainah words...

2006-09-24T13:27:00.000-04:00

Found this today during a Google search. It was posted in March 2005 but I had missed it before:

'While Lookin' Out Thuh Winduh'

Check it out!

New word

2006-09-24T13:13:00.000-04:00

Bookin' it - to go wicked fast
ex.: "Man, I tell yah, he was bookin' it tryin' ta make tha last boat out ta tha island!"

- from LB (Bangor, ME)

Who's reading?

2006-09-11T15:15:00.000-04:00

Occasionally I will do a Google search to see who has been reading/citing the Mainah Glossary. Here are a couple recent/new examples:

- Nettie's First - best if read out loud

- Kalloch Family Maine Links

- All Things Maine

And, if I wasn't anti-Wikipedia, I would update this site.

A couple new words...

2006-08-25T09:28:00.000-04:00

Smiggin
n., (pronounced with soft “g”) Wicked small porchun. “Want ‘smoah lobstah?” “Jista smiggin!”
- Submitted by BEM (as told by his fahtha, one Mainah to anutha)

Purchase
n., Grasp or grip. “Heft up that theyah crow bah ‘an git 'smoah purchase.”
- Submitted by BEM (as told by his fahtha, one Mainah to anutha)

Mainah word?

2006-08-17T14:27:00.000-04:00

I was wondering if anyone heard this word before in Maine. It was new to me but Longfellow did have connections to Maine...

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 17th:

thank-you-ma'am \THANK-yoo-mam\ noun

: a bump or depression in a road; especially : a ridge or hollow made across a road on a hillside to cause water to run off

Example sentence: "That night on the way home, thinking of his pleasant visit, he was suddenly shaken out of his tranquility ... when his touring car hit a 'thank-you-ma'am' in the unpaved road." (Hugh Manchester, Centre Daily Times [State College, PA], August 22, 2000)

Did you know? "Thank-you-ma'am" might seem like an odd name for a bump in the road, but the _expression makes a little more sense if you imagine the motion your head would make as you drove over such an obstacle. Most likely, the jarring would make you nod involuntarily. Now think of the nodding gesture you make when you're thanking someone or acknowledging a favor. The "thank-you-ma'am" road bump is believed to have received its name when someone noted the similarity of those two head bobbing motions. It's a colloquialism particular to American English, and its earliest printed use is found in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1849 prose piece, Kavanagh: "We went like the wind over the hollows in the snow; — the driver called them 'thank-you-ma'ams,' because they make every body bow."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Make sure it is a Mainah lobstah!

2006-07-31T11:42:00.000-04:00

Still having problems uploading images - see the new tags at the original article:

Sure it's a Maine lobster? Check for an ID

By Bella English, Globe Staff July 31, 2006

At restaurants throughout the world, menus feature "Maine lobster," that sweet, succulent stuff that makes grown people don bibs and make a delicious mess. Like Idaho potatoes, Vermont maple syrup, and Florida oranges, Maine lobster has become a name brand. The state produces 75 percent of the lobster catch in the United States, and it brings a premium price, both at the docks and on the table.

But are you really getting Maine lobster, or is it what some Mainers call an "impostor lobster," from Canada or elsewhere? Under a new program that kicks off today in Portland, lobster dealers will be encouraged to tag the catch, identifying it as being caught in Maine waters. The plastic tags will hang from the claw knuckles and state simply: "Certified Maine Lobster." On the front will be a picture of a lobster and a lighthouse; on the back, "lobsterfrommaine.com." At a press conference, Governor John Baldacci will tag the first "official" lobster, caught in Casco Bay.

Because of increasing competition from Canada, the Maine Lobster Promotion Council is having to market a product that's been a mainstay of the state for centuries, and whose iconic crustacean image graces the state's license plates. "We hope every lobster caught in Maine waters will soon be wearing these new ID bracelets," said Kristen Millar, the council's executive director. "It's truth in advertising. All lobsters are called 'Maine lobsters' and yet they're not all from Maine. It has become this generic term, like Kleenex."

"Don't buy impostor lobster" is the campaign slogan, which will be printed on all sorts of items, from lobster bags to placemats.

The program will be voluntary, dependent upon everyone from the dealers who buy lobster off the docks for resale to retailers or processing plants. John Hathaway, a lobster dealer and processor who owns Shucks Maine Lobster in Richmond, loves the idea. "We have the best lobster in the world, and we need to let people know what they're getting."

What they're getting, he said, are environmentally sustainable creatures carefully harvested by experts. "It's not some big trawler out there dragging the bottom. These are guys who go out and they take them by hand, only take the right size, and they place them down carefully. There's a lot of TLC involved."

But Maine sells 60 to 70 percent of its catch to Canada, where much of it is processed and packaged as lobster meat, then sold back to US fish shops and restaurants as a "product of Canada." (Canada has several lobster processing plants, which are subsidized by the government, while Maine has three privately owned plants.)

According to US law, retailers are required to disclose the country of origin for seafood, says Millar. But federal law also states that if a US product is radically transformed in another country, it becomes a product of that country. Hence, a Maine lobster sold to Canada where it is taken out of the shell, cooked or left raw, and then packaged is a product of Canada.

Maine's new tagging program won't change Canadians' habits, but officials are hoping to raise awareness among US consumers. If the program works, customers will be able to determine whether the lobster they're buying is really from Maine. Ultimately, the state's fishermen say more local processing plants need to be built to support an industry that last year harvested 65 million pounds of lobster, for sales of $300 million.

Naturally, if you ask anyone in Maine, its lobster is vastly superior to Canada's. Michael Gagne is chef/owner of the Robinhood Free Meeting House, a five-star restaurant on Georgetown Island. He'll use only local lobster, which he said is incomparable. "Most of Maine lobster tends to be softshell so it's easier to eat, not so fibrous, and is sweeter," he said.

But chef Jasper White, who owns four Summer Shack restaurants in the Boston area, said he uses lobsters from Canada and Maine, as well as other New England states. For him, it's not a matter of which is better, but which is available. "If people come in here in February and ask for Maine lobster, I'll tell them to go wake up the lobstermen and the lobsters, because the lobsters go dormant in winter," said White, who wrote the cookbook "Lobster at Home."
Canada has the majority of the North American market, said White. He added that he's glad Maine is starting to market its product. "For rolling up your sleeves and enjoying steamed lobster, you can't beat Maine lobster in the summer."

Maine lobstermen and dealers tend to be an independent lot, and supporters of the tagging program hope they'll cooperate. "The quintessential symbol of independence in this area of the country is the Maine lobsterman," said Gagne. "And that is both the boon and the bane. They need to work together because this is a global marketplace."

Millar recently sent a letter to Maine lobster dealers, explaining the program and asking them to sign an agreement that they will participate. Once they do, they'll receive the tags and other promotional materials.

But once the lobster leaves the dealer's hands for a fish store or a restaurant, it's the honor system: What's to stop a retailer from advertising his Canadian lobster as Maine lobster? "We will hear through the grapevine, through the marketplace . . . . We are going to be very aware of those folks who say they're serving it, but they're not, and we'll make a big deal out of it," stressed Millar.

New word

2006-07-28T08:28:00.000-04:00

This ones comes from Sheila in Kennebunkport:

lozenger: n., a small medicated tablet intended to soothe the throat. (Brand of choice in Maine? Obviously Fisherman's Friends.)

She also mentioned that she didn't learn that it was called a lozenge until she attended college out of state.

This happened to me recently too. I was commenting on a cool parker that I had seen and was corrected that it is actually called a parka. Now I have lived "away" for 12 years and I just learned this!

Half-baked Lobster?

2006-07-14T12:45:00.000-04:00

Okay it really wouldn't be half-baked but half-boiled, right?

Hmm...I'm having a hard time uploading the picture. Go here to see it:

http://www.bangornews.com/news/templates/?a=137338

Very rare crustacean caught by Down East lobsterman
Friday, July 14, 2006 - Bangor Daily News

BAR HARBOR - The newest addition to the Mount Desert Oceanarium's lobster colony looks half-baked.

But it's nothing personal.

The rare 1-pound crustacean, caught earlier this week in Steuben, is a genetic mutation with a two-toned shell.

One side is the usual mottled dark green. The other side is the orange-red shade of a lobster that's already spent some time in the hot pot.

The odds of this kind of mutation occurring are very rare - something like one in 50 million to 100 million, according to oceanarium staff. The chance of finding a blue lobster is far more common, at one in a million.

"Isn't he pretty?" Bette Spurling of Southwest Harbor cooed Thursday as she stroked the lobster's shell to calm him down. "It's quite a drawing card for people because they're quite unusual."

Spurling is the wife of a lobsterman and works part time at the oceanarium. She explained that lobster shells are usually a blend of the three primary colors - red, yellow and blue. Those colors mix to form the greenish-brown of most lobsters. This lobster, though, has no blue in half of its shell.

That was a shock to longtime lobsterman Alan Robinson, who hauled him out of Dyer's Bay in Steuben.

"I didn't know what to think," Robinson said. "I thought somebody was playing a joke on me. Once I saw what it was ... it was worth seeing. I've caught a blue one before. But they claim this is rarer than the blue ones."

In his 20-plus years of fishing, he has never seen a lobster like this one.

"It was something with the line drawn so straight like that," Robinson said.

Bernard Arseneau, the former manager at the oceanarium's affiliated lobster hatchery, drove to Lubec on Wednesday to pick up the two-toned creature. He explained that lobsters have a growth pattern in which the two sides develop independently of each other.

"Even regular colored ones have a left-right sort of growth," Arseneau said.

Children visiting the oceanarium were struck right away by the unusual coloration.

"Dude, it's half orange and half, like, regular color for a lobster," exclaimed Alyssa Bonin, 12, of Webster, Mass.

Robinson donated the colorful crustacean to the oceanarium, which often is the beneficiary of strange things that fishermen pull up from the sea. It has received only three two-toned lobsters in its 35 years of existence, officials said.

"Fishermen have been super to us over the years, bringing things in to us," said David Mills, the co-director and owner of the oceanarium. "Our charge is to teach people about the marine life and commercial fishing in Maine."

Mills intends to keep the two-toned lobster over the winter and have him on display for educational purposes, though he has no plans to name him. "

Lobsters are interesting but not personable," he said.

July 4th + 1

2006-07-05T15:46:00.000-04:00

In honor of July 4th, here is Merriam-Webster's word of the day:

Yankee \YANG-kee\ noun

1 a : a native or inhabitant of New England b : a native or inhabitant of the northern U.S. *2 : a native or inhabitant of the U.S.

Example sentence: "They mistake who assert that the Yankee has few amusements...and men and boys do not play so many games as they do in England." (Henry David Thoreau, Walden)

Did you know? Many etymologies have been proposed for "Yankee," but its origin is still uncertain. What we do know is that in its earliest recorded use "Yankee" was a pejorative term for American colonials used by the British military. The first evidence we have is in a letter written in 1758 by British General James Wolfe, who had a very low opinion of the American troops assigned to him. We also have a report of British troops using the term to abuse citizens of Boston. In 1775, however, after the battles of Lexington and Concord had shown the colonials that they could stand up to British regulars, "Yankee" became suddenly respectable and the colonials adopted the British pejorative in defiance. Ever since then, a derisive and a respectable use of "Yankee" have existed side by side.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Also, the above picture is thanks to my sister who was lucky enough to spend July 4th on the USS Constitution.

It's news now that Mainahs did it.

2006-06-29T08:59:00.000-04:00

When I first heard this story I wasn't really interested. But, now that I know that they are Mainahs - it is time to post it here!

-----------------------

Home chemistry gag cooks up Internet fame
June 29, 2006

PORTLAND, Maine --A pair of Mainers who became Internet celebrities by plopping Mentos into Diet Coke to create geysers are about to become hits on mainstream media.

Fritz Grobe, 37, and Stephen Voltz, 48, were scheduled to appear on David Letterman's show Thursday night and on the Today show Friday morning to demonstrate their explosive and entertaining chemistry experiments featuring candy and soda.

The Buckfield residents have had more than 3.5 million hits on their Web site since they posted a 3-minute video of their homemade experiment involving more than 500 Mentos and more than 100 two-liter plastic bottles of Diet Coke in early June.

"This has turned into a global phenomenon in a way that was totally unexpected. We expected to tell our friends, who would tell their friends, and then maybe a few weeks later we would start seeing some larger interest. But we never anticipated this," Grobe said Wednesday.

Grobe and Voltz are known around Maine for their regular appearances as part of "The Early Evening Show" at the Oddfellow Theater, a 156-seat theater in Buckfield.

Their Mentos-Diet Coke experiment began on a whim eight months ago. "Stephen heard from a friend that if you drop Mentos in soda it makes a fountain. We tried it like so many others have, and said, 'This is really cool,'" Grobe said.

They started with 10 bottles and saw the potential for more. "We knew there were so many more possibilities. We were just scratching the surface," he said.

The geysers created on their video look like choreographed fireworks or the dancing fountain at Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.

On Letterman's show, they hoped to utilize 120 bottles of soda, if time permits.

Grobe said it isn't essential to use a Coke product, although diet soda seems to work better than regular soda, he said. "And don't forget Moxie," he said of the soft drink that originated in Maine. "Moxie works very well, as well."
------
On the Net:
http://www.eepybird.com
------
Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com

Good news for the sweet tooth

2006-06-15T13:59:00.000-04:00

My favorite Maple syrup product are those sickly sweet Maple leaves. But, I haven't had one in years...Mmmm...So yummy.

-------------------------------
Maine syrup production up 13 percent
June 15, 2006
SKOWHEGAN, Maine --Maple syrup production rose 13 percent in Maine this year, while production nationwide increased 17 percent, according to Department of Agriculture statistics.

Syrup production in Maine during the spring totaled 300,000 gallons, up from 265,000 gallons in 2005, the department said in a report released this week. Nationwide, syrup production rose 17 percent to 1.45 million gallons.

The rise in production is credited to an increase in yield as well as an increase in the number of syrup taps. In Maine alone, syrup producers this year had more than 1.3 million taps, which was 15,000 more taps than in 2005.

Production in Maine varied in different parts of the state, said Jeremy Steeves, secretary of the Maine Maple Producers Association.

"If you tapped in the southern part of the state, you had an average of below average year," he said. "In the northern areas, it was above average. It was purely weather-related."

As usual, Vermont was the No. 1 syrup state with 460,000 gallons produced, according to Department of Agriculture numbers. Maine was the No. 2 state, followed by New York, with 253,000 gallons.

Elsewhere in New England, New Hampshire produced 64,000 gallons of syrup, Massachusetts had 40,000 gallons and Connecticut came in at 10,000 gallons.

Production values have not yet been calculated for 2006.

For 2005, production nationally was valued at $37.1 million. Maine's production was valued at $5.7 million, while Vermont came in at $11.4 million.

The Department of Agriculture report said temperatures in maple-producing states varied widely across the country.

While producers in Maine, Michigan, Ohio, Vermont and Wisconsin reported favorable conditions, producers in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Michigan and Pennsylvania said it was either too warm or too cold for a favorable sap flow.
------
Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com/

Website updated today!

2006-06-04T15:12:00.000-04:00

Another rainy day in the Northeast = a Mainah Glossary update.

Keep those words coming!

New words

2006-05-23T15:00:00.000-04:00

It's about time for me to do another update of the glossary - maybe over the long weekend (but only if it rains again!).

These were sent in by CB from Dexter, Maine:

huck - To throw: "Quit huckin' rocks at youah sistah!"
skidder - (skiddah) A heavy, four-wheel tractor used to haul logs, especially over rugged terrain. A specialized type with claws for picking up bundles of logs is known as a "grapple-skiddah". Skiddahs make and use "Skiddah-trails" and are owned and operated by members of the "skiddah-crowd" and often do double-duty as the ultimate form of tow truck for when a Mainah goes muddin' and gets in a real gaum: "We buried her so deep that we had to get a skiddah to yahd her out."
Voc Boy - A vocational school student. The term "Voc Boy" is used to identify a class of student at a high school, much like the terms "Jock", "Prep", "Nerd", and "Druggy" are used to identify their respective classes of students; with the main criteria being that they are male and they attend vocational school learning things like carpentry, truck drivin' or automotive mechanics, as opposed to more conventional academic studies such as readin', writin' an' 'rithmetic.
flatlander - (flatlandah) A general term to describe someone not from Maine; someone from away; an outta-state-ah.
Maine State Bird - mosquito.

Lighthouses

2006-05-19T17:59:00.000-04:00

Everyone seems to love lighthouses. Although I grew up inland and only made occasional visits to the ocean growing up, I also am drawn to lighthouses. For me, it is the unique architectural design and the thought that not too long ago these were the main safety system for brave mariners. I recently was in DC (one of my favorite cities) and during a search through the Smithsonian website, I came upon this little corner:

http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/lighthouses/browse_region.cfm?state=ME

The neat part about the site is the old postcards and up-to-date facts on each lighthouse.

Here is one example - Pemaquid Point which is now on the Maine state quarter. If any of you are interested in a very nice print of Pemaquid Point with a Maine state quarter in the matte around it, post here. I have connections... (:

Take this Test!

2006-05-11T10:44:00.000-04:00

I was 32% Dixie but still definitely a Yankee!

http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/yankeetest.html

L.

Something to tide ya over...

2006-05-07T20:56:00.000-04:00

It's been quiet here again but I found a little story to pass the time...

http://waldo.villagesoup.com/community/story.cfm?storyID=71623

L.

Couldn't resist this title...

2006-04-01T13:24:00.000-05:00

Love-struck males are increasingly smitten by cars

By JEN FISH, Portland Press Herald Writer
Friday, March 31, 2006

It's tough out there for a turkey.

Male wild turkeys, which must perform elaborate courtship rituals to attract females, are facing an even more difficult hurdle to finding love this spring mating season: the Maine Turnpike.

At least six male turkeys presumably on the prowl have met an untimely end on the turnpike this month, prompting state police to warn motorists to add another wild animal to their potential driving hazards.

Most of the accidents have occurred in the stretch of road between Gray and Lewiston, said Stephen McCausland, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman.

"There have been about a half-dozen collisions in the last month," he said. The most recent accident occurred Wednesday.

"The turkey didn't make it," McCausland said. "The turkeys, fortunately, have not caused any injury but are probably the last thing you would expect when driving on the turnpike."

Trooper Robert Andreasen, who patrols the highway south of Lewiston, has responded to three turkey collisions in the past two weeks. He said he has seen more of the birds during his patrols over the past few years.

Andreasen said motorists should be aware of the increase and that "they might fly up on you."

Drivers such as Terina Dobson of Portland are already on the lookout.

Dobson said she visits friends in Sabattus several times a week and always sees the birds resting on the side of the road on the southbound side between Auburn and the New Gloucester tollbooth.

"Knock on wood, they've been staying on the side of the road," she said.

Wild turkeys have made a big comeback in Maine. They were all but extinct here in the early 1800s, said Inland Fisheries and Wildlife spokesman Mark Latti. The birds were reintroduced by the state in the early 20th century, but were not successfully re-established until the late 1970s.

Since then, the population of wild turkeys has steadily increased to the point that the turkey hunting season, once determined by a lottery, was opened to all who purchased a license last year.

Latti said the state estimates there are between 17,000 and 20,000 turkeys. Although that number may seem high, he said, the birds remain outnumbered by moose, deer and bears.

But as the numbers have increased, the state has allowed more and more people to hunt them. Last year, 23,951 permits were issued, compared to 15,600 in 2004.

Male turkeys are generally 3 to 4 feet long, with a 5-foot wing span and weigh between 16 and 25 pounds. The females are much smaller, weighing between 9 and 11 pounds.

Most turkeys searching for mates should be off the roads by the end of May, Latti said.

Staff Writer Jen Fish can be contacted at 282-8229 or at: jfish@pressherald.com
-----
Go here to read or post comments: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/060331turkey.shtml

The Geographic Center of Maine...

2006-03-29T15:09:00.000-05:00

Really is in the middle of nowhere! (:

http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/me_geography.htm

Found this great site today - a way to pass the time and learn something new:

http://www.netstate.com/states/index.html

L.

"I'm all set..."

2006-03-10T16:27:00.000-05:00

It became apparent to my sister and I on a recent trip to Mississippi that "All set" should be added to the Mainah Glossary. When asked if we need any more ice tea, we would respond: "I'm all set..." I remembered after a few blank faces that "All set" is not used widely outside of New England. Usually, people would respond: "No, thank you" to that sort of question.

"All set" means "I'm good," "I'm finished," "No, thank you" all wrapped into one.

L.

Quiet Month

2006-02-27T16:44:00.000-05:00

Only one post this month.

Actually more of an addition to a current word:

Fun site. How about "Mahdens" (mardens)......as in "We-uhs goin' down ta Mahdens and get some wicked good bahgins."

Thanks, Chuck W.
Topsham, Maine (That's pronounced Top-sum...Home of the Topsum Fayuh)

Hopefully we will have more suggestions next month!

L.

'Champagne of Maine'?

2006-01-09T13:57:00.000-05:00

Sent to me by a Mainah friend today...I've never had it...

A Bittersweet 'Champagne of Maine'
Potent Coffee Brandy Is Top-Selling Liquor but Is Linked to Alcohol Abuse

By David A. Fahrenthold
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 9, 2006; A03

PORTLAND, Maine -- The dark-brown liquid that some people call "the champagne of Maine" tastes, to the uninitiated, like equal parts alcohol, sugar and coffee-pot slag. It puckers the cheeks, coats the tongue with syrupy sweetness and leaves a mouthwash feeling on the lips.

This is coffee-flavored brandy. It is one of the odder stories of American imbibing, the number-one-for-20-years-running liquor obsession of Maine.

The caffeine-infused spirit, largely unknown outside New England, is a staple at house parties, mill town bars and urban street corners here -- popular enough that a Bangor newspaperman once suggested putting it on the back of Maine's state quarter.

On the other hand: "I've thought, in more than one case, that you can put it on someone's headstone," said Erik Steele, an emergency-room physician who works at four hospitals in rural Maine.

In this state, it turns out, everything that is both fun and tragic about alcohol is embodied in the same intensely bittersweet drink.

"People are addicted to coffee brandy here," said Barbara Dacri, executive director of a Portland-based treatment center called Crossroads for Women.

Compared with those of other states, Maine's totals of chronic and binge drinkers are not terrifically high. But officials say alcohol remains this state's most readily available and widely destructive drug, cited by 59 percent of those seeking substance-abuse treatment here.

And in Maine, officials say you can't talk about alcohol for long without talking about one particular brand: At last tally, the best-selling bottle of hard liquor in the state was the roughly half-gallon container of Allen's Coffee Flavored Brandy. The No. 2 seller was . . . the liter-size bottle of Allen's.

According to the state, Allen's sells 98,000 cases of its 60-proof spirit a year -- more than double the second-best-selling spirit. It has been Maine's favorite for two decades.

"We're very grateful to the consumers of Maine," said Gary Shaw, a vice president at M.S. Walker Inc., which makes Allen's by combining coffee extracts with "neutral brandy" at its plant in a Boston suburb.

At Raena's Pub in the northern city of Bangor, bartender Carrie Smith said she can easily spot the brandy drinkers.

"Bleached-blonde, teased hair. . . . They always play the 'Redneck Woman' song" on the jukebox, she said, describing the typical drinker who orders a "sombrero," or Allen's mixed with milk. Smith said she once saw a woman dump her cocktail on the head of a beer-drinking man who referred to the drink by its nickname, "fat ass in a glass."

Mainers say Allen's is sometimes favored by vagrants, who like its low price, or by teenagers, who mainly like beer but sometimes choose Allen's because it lacks the burn of other hard stuff.

But, in the world of coffee brandy drinkers, women seem to be the core customers.

One recent afternoon at a halfway house run by Crossroads for Women outside downtown Portland, all but one of nine women had a story about coffee brandy, and she wasn't from Maine.

The others in the living room talked about how they would pour it in morning coffee, hide it in a Dunkin' Donuts cup, or take it to school in a water bottle. How, in Portland's housing projects, its nickname was "gorilla milk" because it turned people into animals. How the milkshake taste of a sombrero drew them in and the coffee buzz kept them going.

"I can drink coffee brandy for 24 hours," said Amy, 38, who like the others asked that her last name not be used. "And the caffeine and the booze even each other out."

"You can down 'em," agreed Catrina, 26.

Lori, 28, said she remembered her mother drinking Allen's when she was growing up, and smiled at her own memories of the syrupy drink with a kick. "That initial warm from drinking," she said, relishing the thought. "It's like, 'Whew!' "

But soon after, another idea stopped her: "My kids, that's what they'll remember me drinking."

The story of brandy's influence is also written in the state's police logs, where the drink and in particular the Allen's brand have shown up in connection with crimes both odd and heartbreaking.

In 2003, a woman from Penobscot dug up the ashes of her boyfriend, then later explained, "I never would have done that if I hadn't been drinking Allen's," according to a report from the time. A year before, a man from Bangor had been discovered asleep in a stranger's bed wearing stolen pink underwear; he explained later that he had consumed a half-gallon of brandy.

One of the most notorious incidents involving coffee brandy occurred in 1997, when a drunken driver with a half-empty bottle in his car plowed into a car at a Maine Turnpike tollbooth. A woman and her daughter in the other car were killed.

Police say they notice the drink showing up in less newsworthy incidents all the time -- on the kitchen counter during a domestic-violence call, in the car of youths caught shoplifting liquor. Officer Ryan Reardon of Waterville, Maine, said he has encountered coffee brandy so many times that he can find it with his nose.

"Just by smell, you can tell someone's been drinking it," he said, asserting that the sickly sweet, alcoholic odor emanates from the skin.

Thomas J. Connolly, a defense lawyer in Portland, said he believes that the combination of caffeine and alcohol in coffee brandy makes it worse than other liquors: "It's like an ideal food for crime."

"It keeps you awake, it keeps you going, it keeps you sexualized," said Connolly, who said he has heard a client explain, "I was drinking Allen's, and then I was in the blackie" -- blacked out.

Many officials in Maine don't agree. To their minds, there is nothing particularly sinister about the makeup of Allen's or any other kind of coffee brandy.

The only thing these drinks are, they say, is popular.

"If it wasn't Allen's, it would be something," said Steele, the emergency-room physician, who is also chief medical officer for a regional hospital chain. "Alcohol itself is the problem."

© 2006 The Washington Post Company

Glossary updated today!!

2006-01-07T10:30:00.000-05:00

Only three months since last update. More words coming soon!

Funny how things happen...

2006-01-02T15:26:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I bought the "Forgotten English" 365 day desk calendar. Every other year I have bought Dilbert but I have a Dilbert day planner now so I decided it was time to branch out. I put it in my office today and what was the first word?

scurryfunge - "A hasty tiding of the house between the time you see a neighbor and the time she knocks on the door." - John Gould's Maine Lingo: Boiled Owls, Billdads, and Wazzats, 1975.

Of course, I immediately googled this book - what a find! I just ordered it from Green Apple Books in San Francisco. I can hardly wait to get it.

More information on John Gould and his works can be found at: http://library.bowdoin.edu/arch/mss/jgg.shtml

Also, during my search I found this website which also talks about John Gould and Maine lingo: http://www.mgilleland.com/march2004.htm#lingo.

Quite the find of Mainah lingo today!

A couple of new words...

2005-12-27T16:17:00.000-05:00

fritta tenda - fritter tender - the turner used in frying or to "tend the fritters on the stove"
yow uns - children or "young ones"

Maine is the 8th healthiest state

2005-12-13T16:57:00.000-05:00

"America's Health Rankings" from United Health Foundation has released their classifications of the health of each state. It was nice to see Maine at #8 as well as Connecticut and Massachusetts at #7 and 9 respectively. Maine improved across the board except in the "Prevalence of Obesity" category where it increased from 19.9% to 23.3% of the population between 2004 and 2005. Ouch.

New words/definitions

2005-11-16T12:34:00.000-05:00

Found all of these on http://www.laughmaine.com/. A great site! LaughMaine.com's administrators are from Bethel, Maine.

They will be added to the glossary soon!

Interred - 1.) In - turd 2.) A result of doing something that could be perceived as dangerous or risky or just plain stupid. 3.) Fred was planning a practical joke on his wife in the outhouse and he slipped and fell down the hole. He was "interred" up to his ears.
Affidavit - 1.) Afa Day Vit 2.) A Maine expression used to describe a serious event that is happening or will in the near future. 3.) "I jus saw Mabel a few minutes ago n she wuz madder in hell at her husband. I think she got the shotgun and she's going 'affidavit' with it."
Amused - 1.) Uh muzed 2.) What Maine men say when they leave the house and head out fishin with the boys. 3.) "Man, you take that kinda talk from your ole lady?" "Yeah, 'amused' to it!"
Annex - 1.) An Nex 2.) Usually found beginning the second part of a compound sentence. Used sometimes when it shouldn't be that gets your buddy into trouble like 3.) "Oh, yeah, Mabel! You don't gotta worry none about ole Fred. Last night at the bar he was sitting right next to me 'annex' to him on the other side was Suzy May."
Appear - 1.) Up Peeya 2.) a descriptive word used many times by Fred when he was in hot water. 3.) Bob went out to the barn to find Fred. When he walked in he heard, "Psssst! I'm 'appear' hiding from Mabel."
Ardor - 1.) Ahh Dowah 2.) A possessive compound word use with many other simple nouns to express possession 3.) "Hey, Ma! Did you see the front of that new house back theyah? They got a dowah looks just like 'ardor'!" Other examples would be: "Arson"
Summons - 1.) Summ unz 2. Alert to danger. When a sentence begins with this word, run like hell as fast as you can. 3.) "'Summons' gonna get their ars handed to em if I can't find that last can of Budweiser!"
Gesture - 1.) Jest yure 2.) An expression of anticipation. 3.) "'Gesture' wait and see what Santa brings you for Christmas!"
Asunder - 1.) Ah sundah 2.) A descriptive phrase of action. Could be mistaken for a verb of male domination. 3.) "Well, I told ya a hunnerd times! Get yer 'asunder' the damned blankets and ya won't be so cold!"
Mayonnaise - 1). mannayz 2). a word used at the beginning of most Mainah's statements. 3). "mannayz a lot of mosquitoes this year"!
European - 1). yer a peein 2). a phrase that describes an action that generally takes place when you're out with the boys and you stop beside the road. 3). "Would ya mind turnin the other way. Yerapeein on my boots."
Fascinate - 1.) fas in ate 2.) compound word used to describe something that needs to be done or attempted. 3.) "Oh, man! I ate way too many of them there Maine lobstahs. I musta gained twenty pounds. I got ten buttons on my shirt and I can only 'Fascinate'"
Witchadija - 1.) wich a didja 2.) a form of a prepositional phrase derived from the ancient language of the northern Canadians mixed with the strong Franco American accent. 3.) While out hunting is the northern woods of Maine, Fernand and his son Michel discovered that neither one of them had any ammunition for their guns. Fernand said, "You didn't bringed the box of ammo "witchadija"!
Initiate - 1.) a nish ee ate 2.) this is a word that is used in transitioning between to parts of a compound sentence. 3.) I went to Spinney's Restaurant the other night for some fried clams and I couldn't help noticing this very fat woman sitting across the way at another table. First they brought her a big salad and she ate that all up "initiate" a bowl of soup, "initiate" a ....... and from here we go to the next word.
Ascot - 1.) ass cot 2.) a word used to describe the result of a repetitious action. 3.) Watching this woman eat all that food at Spinney's Restaurant, it didn't take me long to figure out why her "ascot" so damned big.
Raisin Bread - 1.) raze in bred 2.) a term or short sentence used in several small out-of-the-way towns in remote Maine 3.) "Don't make fun of him! He can't help it! Don't you know that "Ray's inbred"?
Sunzabitches - 1.) Sunz ah bitchiz 2.) A word used to describe a group or gathering. 3.) "Every time I go into the Wal Mart down in Norway, them "sunzabitches" ain't never got what I want!"
Masking - 1.) Mass kin 2.) Disguised as a single word, it really is a short statement made by notoriously loud-mouthed people. They generally leave the "g" off the ending. 3.) Maskin' ya whayad the hell did ja go last night. Maskin' ya for the last time and I ain't askin agin.
Ashcan - 1.) Ash Kan 2.) A term used by a Maine husband when his wife comes home from Weight Watchers. 3.) If you don't go to that there Weight Watchers more than you are, I don't think your ashcan fit in them pants no more.
Askew - 1.) As Ku 2.) Used most often as part of a threat in a heated argument between two married Mainers. 3.) (Said very loudly) I ain't gonna askew again!!
Aspect - 1.) Ah Spekt 2.) The start to a quizzical or pondering statement. Used when a Mainer is about to say something deep. 3.) Aspect you ain't gonna help me with gittin in some mowah fiyah wood ah ya?
Asperse - 1.) As Purz 2.) A noun used to describe a sack or a carrying bag worn many times by outta staydahs. 3.) Them outta staydahs wear them pocket books strapped around theya waists and when they turn em around ta the back, it's an asperse.
Aspire - 1.) A Spiya 2.) A decorative onnamant that goes on a bahn in Maine. 3.) Mabel, that thing on top of the bahn cupola is called aspire.
Associate - 1.) A So She Ate 2.) Used to describe an act by an overly hefty woman bellied up to a table in Captain Newick's restaurant eating everything on the menu. 3.) I sat and watched in disbelief as the woman downed all the food on her table. Associate even more than I thought was possible.
Asthma - 1.) Azz Ma 2.) the beginning part of a prepositional phrase used by most old Mainers when they either have nothing of interest to talk about or they have forgotten they have told you the same story 6 times already. 3.) Asthma pappy used to say, he was happier than a dead pig laying in the sunshine.
"THE YANKEE NOD" - a means of saying hello without actually speaking. Usually done while driving a pick-up, tractor or skidder. The yankee nod is when the person tips their head up and back and at the same time, and this is critically important, they open their mouth real wide.
"THE ONE-FINGER WAVE" - Not to be confused with "Givin um tha fingah". No, the one-finger wave is done the vast majority of the time while driving a pick-up truck. Place both or one hand if your driving on pavement, on the steering wheel. The hand or hands need to be at the top of the steering wheel and all four fingers wrapped tightly around the wheel. When you meet an oncoming vehicle of someone you might know, the index (pointy) finger shoots straight up in the air. That's a one-finger wave. The old timers have variations of that. Sometimes even when driving on dirt roads, they only use one hand while driving and they do the one-finger wave at the same time. A real Mainer can slide one or both hands up the wheel while the oncoming car approaches and prepare for the one-finger wave. And in my travels I have seen and this is not recommended to try at home, a Mainer actually raise one arm up to about 90 degrees WITHOUT grasping the wheel and conducting a one-finger wave. AMAZING!
"THE WOODSMAN'S DIP" - This is not a dance or something you stick in your mouth. The woodsman's dip is a quick and more importantly an effortless "hello" (again, not spoken). While approaching another person, quickly dip your chin toward your chest bringing the rest of your head with it of course. Eye contact is not necessary and not highly recommended either. Many times this gesture is followed by a quick glance away from the approaching individual. This way you will be sure to avoid any unnecessary verbal exchange. Using this means of "cummunicadin" while in a pick-up truck is really a waste of time because it is so subtle it won't be seen by the oncoming person and that may lead them to assume you are stuck up or something. Maybe you been around them flatlanders too long or something. FOR THE EXPERT: While driving you can use the Woodsman's Dip and the Yankee Nod in combination but it has to be done right. The Woodsman's Dip comes first followed immediately by the Yankee Nod! In case you are wondering, there are no recorded incidences of anyone using a Yankee Nod, a One-finger Wave and a Woodsman's Dip in combination - well at least that lived!
AYUH! - Simply means yes! Not to be confused with "Yarrr". Sometimes it is a generational thing. The younger generation finds it a bit cooler to say "Yarrr" instead of "Ayuh".
HOT NUFF FAW YA? - That is a question that is casually asked by Mainers when they meet someone that they know ain't a flatlander. Usually posed to an acquaintance. When the asker poses the question, which by the way is "Is it hot enough for you?" They really are not seeking an answer and sometimes not even a response - although most times a low grunt will be okay. Obviously this question is asked only during the summer month (notice month is not plural) when the temperature reaches 80 degrees. Mainers notoriously despise the warmth - well the cold too and the mud season, and the black flies. Fall ain't too bad except the damned leaf-peepers!
CHUPP TA? - Which means: "What are you up to or what are you doing?" Very much like "hot nuff faw ya?" this does not require a response. It's just another way of saying hello.
Blinkkah - This one really confuses many Outta Staydahs. You see, those from away, although they never use them themselves refer to this as a "turn signal" or sometimes a "directional light". In Maine it's called a "Blinkkah" (blinker for the illiterate). With the strong influence of the French Canadians in Maine, a blinkkah is a difficult concept to understand. Once a man in a IGA parking lot was having some difficulty with his and asked a passer-by if he could tell him if his blinkkah was working. In a very thick French accent the man replied, "Ayuh, nope, ayuh, nope, ayuh, nope......."

The Glossary now has a home!

2005-11-15T16:45:00.000-05:00

I finally bought a domain name for the Mainah Glossary - it only took 10 years! Please bookmark:

http://www.mainahglossary.com/

More to come!

Current book

2005-10-30T15:31:00.000-05:00

I generally read about 2-3 books at a time, and I usually use my "fun" books as an excuse for not reading my MBA school books. Not a good habit.

One of the books I'm currently reading is The Lobster Chronicles by Linda Greenlaw. I generally do not read books about Maine (why read about where you grew up?) but this one caught my eye because 1) it was already sitting on our bookshelf, 2) it is about Isle au Haut and 3) it is about lobsters (in a way). I think everyone is fascinated by island life. Many people dream about living on an island away from it all, but, of course, very few of us will ever get the chance. This is probably a blessing in disguise as island life is not the easiest way of life, especially in Maine winters.

That is why I am really enjoying The Lobster Chronicles. It gives you a glimpse of island life from the perspective of a woman who grew up on the island, left to be an off-shore fisherman, and came home. For those of you not familiar with New England books and movies, Linda Greenlaw and her boat were portrayed in the The Perfect Storm and has written two other books about her experiences as a fisherman. The Perfect Storm is another great book that I have read and recommend by Sebastian Junger.

In addition to islands, I have always been fascinated by lobsters. My grandfather owned a fish market in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts and I remembering playing with the lobsters when I was a child as if they were my pets.

And the final reason I was interested in the book was because I have received submissions from an Isle au Haut resident. His website also gives a great glimpse of island life and has even more lobster information. So, if you are one of the many who dream of living on an island or are fascinated by lobsters, read Linda Greenlaw's book. It is a quick read but very enjoyable and she does use quite a few Mainah words. (:

Motivation

2005-10-14T21:56:00.000-04:00

is a rainy Friday night with a brand new Blog which I just told all my Mainah friends about...

So, I decided it was time to update the The Wicked Good Guide to Mainah English.

Lots of updates - new jokes, fixed links, and all of the suggestions that I had received since March (yes, March). Seven months is not the longest period of time I have gone without updating. I think I once had suggestions that were over a year old and when I emailed some of the submitters to thank them, their email no longer worked.

At least I now have a spot where I can quickly upload new suggestions until the next rainy Friday night...

"Recent" suggestions

2005-10-12T16:41:00.000-04:00

The most recent suggestions have been:

Taxationland, pretty obvious, right up there with Taxachusetts [Norma, Waldoboro, Native Mainah]

All from Alice (Borgen) Carleton, Old Town:

Spleeny-Jeannie....means cranky (wonder if it comes from the word: spleen--like a spleen actin' up or sumthin!)
Robin showah: Means a snowstorm in spring (Like when you shouldn't be gettin' any mowah snow!)
Dahkah than the inside of a pocket: No explanation needed!

All from Glenn Harmon, Portland:

By-the-Jesus (I'm not kidding around now)
By Godfrey (affirmative in the extreme)
Long Way Round Robin Hood's Barn (not taking the shortest route)
Slower Than Molasses Going Uphill in January (to take one's time)
Hotter than Living Haying time (wicked hot)
No More Sense than Carter's Got Liver Pills (not too clever)

All from Angie Hafford, Allagash:

Well there"- Moosetowner's way of saying "Well, ain't you ever full of sh*t!"
"Chop-chop!"- Moosetowner's way of saying "Hurry Up!" or "Quick!"
Fellers- (Moosetown lingo) A group of people.
Bogan (Bow-Gan)- (Moosetown lingo) A little pond like area with nasty water
Dog Days- (Moosetown lingo)Time in the fall when the waters are low and pretty dirty.
Jeslus (Gees-Luss)- (Moosetown lingo) "Them jeslus fellers!"
Anti-Christ- (Moosetown lingo) "Well you wouldn't look at that jeslus anti christ!"
G'way- Moosetowners way of saying "Go Away!"
Yas Now- (Moosetown lingo) Another way of saying "Well there!" Usually said after someone tells a tall tale or something that makes no sense.
Peeked (Peak-Ed) - (Moosetown lingo) Sharp, to a point, peeked!! Usually used as "the peeked part" or describing someone to have a peeked face.
Frogs- Nickname for the St. Francis and Fort Kenter's
Blueberries- Nickname for the St. Johner's
Cheesetown- AKA: Van Buren
Swampdonkey- Moose

History of the Mainah Glossary

2005-10-12T16:17:00.000-04:00

I honestly do not remember when I first started the Mainah Glossary, but the Internet Archive Wayback Machine has one of my original glossary sites from 1996 with about 60 words. As of today, there are over 300 words in the Mainah Glossary.

And, yes, I still use mid-90s html to keep it going - no frames, flash, java, etc. It keeps it easy to copy, email, and print and I still get visitors suggesting new words each month. Content is better than style, if you ask me.

What I have been bad at is keeping it updated. I get suggestions but I don't find the 20 minutes to update the glossary. This site isn't going to replace the glossary (and I do hope to have my own domain soon!), but it will let anyone who visits here to see what new words have been suggested and hopefully comment on them. Stories make the suggestions all the better.

Next up - "recent" suggestions that I haven't added (yet).

Mainah Glossary

Jimmies or Chocolate Sprinkles?

Wicked good, awesome, bad, and indifferent

Spose - Can't Get There From Here ﻿

New words!

I do still exist...

Sorry - suggestions...

LL Bean is bringing back my favorite sweater!

Not entirely on topic but still...

Article: Colloquialisms abound, A to Z

What American accent do you have?

Ah, winter in the country...

A YouTube video you can't miss...

Can't get there from here

Okay, this one is a little off-topic...

I know...I know...

Words, words, words...

More thoughts on Allen's Coffee Brandy...

More emails...

Go Pats!

Vote results...

Priceless...

You know you're from Maine if... (long)

Another word...

I am behind...

Recent suggestions...

Recent email...

Portland, ME

Coffee Brandy is #1 (and #2 and #6 and #9)...

A couple more...

New words...

A couple of "new" blogs...

More words...

Happy New Year!

Time to Vote!

Quiet November

It all leads to coffee brandy…

A poem of Mainah words...

New word

Who's reading?

A couple new words...

Mainah word?

Make sure it is a Mainah lobstah!

New word

Half-baked Lobster?

July 4th + 1

It's news now that Mainahs did it.

Good news for the sweet tooth

Website updated today!

New words

Lighthouses

Take this Test!

Something to tide ya over...

Couldn't resist this title...

The Geographic Center of Maine...

"I'm all set..."

Quiet Month

'Champagne of Maine'?

Glossary updated today!!

Funny how things happen...

A couple of new words...

Maine is the 8th healthiest state

New words/definitions

The Glossary now has a home!

Current book

Motivation

"Recent" suggestions

History of the Mainah Glossary

Spose - Can't Get There From Here