I thought of this while leafing through Sam McCool\u2019s New Pittsburghese: How to Speak Like a Pittsburgher<\/a>. Published by Goodwill Industries in 1982, the booklet uses a dictionary-like approach to cover the ins and ahts of yinzer speak.<\/p>\n What struck me about this weird little handbook, laid out alphabetically and with humorous illustrations, was how unfamiliar some of the entries were to me, someone who has lived in Pittsburgh for over 20 years. Amongst the many, many instances of replacing \u201co\u201ds with \u201cah\u201ds were \u201conion snow\u201d (defined as a \u201clight, late spring snow\u201d), \u201ccarbon oil\u201d (another word for kerosene), and \u201ccarline\u201d (streetcar or trolley tracks). Others include using \u201cgommed up\u201d to describe dirty kids, \u201cgrinny\u201d as an alternative for chipmunk, and \u201chap\u201d for a blanket.<\/p>\n The Pittsburgh City Paper staff members who had grown up in and around the area even seemed perplexed as I read some of the more curious lingo. Even our Director of Operations, Kevin, by far the most yinzer of our crew, shook his head at some of the entries.<\/p>\n Being that the book was published over four decades ago, it\u2019s safe to assume that some of these terms have gone extinct. This book also came out long before Pittsburgh started topping lists as the country\u2019s most livable city<\/a> and a desirable travel destination<\/a>, back when its post-industrial economic decline and soot-strewn history made it the butt of jokes. It was seen as a filthy, rough, Rust Belt mill town devoid of culture (despite its world-class universities and museums), populated by uneducated, ill-mannered sports fanatics who talked funny. (This isn\u2019t an exaggeration \u2014 I can\u2019t tell you how many of my out-of-town visitors, including my own sister, expressed surprise at how \u201cclean\u201d Pittsburgh is, as if they expected one big burning tire fire).<\/p>\n Given that many U.S. citizens in the early 1980s likely never traveled to Pittsburgh due to its bad reputation and perceived lack of attractions, they would have no idea how anyone here actually talked. On that note, the author could have easily made shit up, and no non-Yinzer would be the wiser. I imagine out-of-state \u201880s yuppies chortling at this book while enjoying their cottage cheese and Tab, never once questioning its validity.<\/p>\n That the bulk of the book contains mostly yinzer pronunciations of existing words, not original expressions specific to the Pittsburgh area, makes it appear as though the author was likely desperate to fill the nearly 40 pages. That being said, it also makes some glaring omissions, including the word most commonly used to define native Pittsburghese speakers \u2014 instead of \u201cyinz,\u201d knowing readers are met with \u201cyunz.\u201d Also missing is \u201cn\u2019at,\u201d an amusing catch-all that even City Paper is guilty of overusing. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pittsburghese-book-illo2.jpg\")
Illustration in Sam McCool\u2019s New Pittsburghese: How to Speak Like a Pittsburgher Credit: CP Photo: Amanda Waltz<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pittsburghese-book-illo.jpg\")
Illustration in Sam McCool\u2019s New Pittsburghese: How to Speak Like a Pittsburgher Credit: CP Photo: Amanda Waltz<\/p>\n