Cheddarhead Dictionary

The “Cheddarhead Dictionary” was created by the CFPB club in 1995 as part of one of our PackerPage articles and it has been copied and passed around the web hundreds of times since.  Here’s the original list.

Ain’a-hey: placed at the end of a profound statement; as in “isn’t it?”

Ahch!: same as, “darn!”

Barley-pop: beer; a Leine, Point, P-B-R, Blatz, Miller, Andeker, Hamm’s, Garten Brau, Adler Brau, Lowenbrau, Chief Oshkosh, Dunkel Weizen, Hefe Weiss, are some tasty Wisconsin barley-pops, but if you’re looking for a few barley-pop’s that are cheaper than bottled water, try Buckhorn, Fox Head, Gettelman, Weber, Red-White & Blue or Rhinelander; Here’s mud in your eye!

Bart: a Green Bay institution who doesn't need a last name; see "Vince."

Believe-you-me: attached to the beginning or end of a statement to make it more credible; same as, “really!”

Blaze orange: what deer hunters and cold-weather Packers fans wear at Lambeau.

Blinker: your vehicle’s turn signal.

Blue Bullet: a can of Point Special Beer.

Booyah: a thick chicken and vegetable stew sometimes prepared in a large drum and stirred with a canoe paddle at parish picnics.

Born in a barn?: a sarcastic question which usually means you left the door open.

Borrow: used in place of “lend,” as in, “could youse borrow me a couple two-tree bucks?”

Boat: same as “both;” as in, “I own boat a ski-boat and a fishing-boat”; also pronounced as “boad,” but Wisconsinites are usually heard using both.

Brat: a sausage; a Wisconsin tailgate favorite; doesn’t have anything to do with a spoiled kid.

Brett: a soon-to-be Green Bay institution who doesn’t need a last name; see “Bart.”

Bring-’em-back: what the loser of the last round of bar dice has to do to start a new game; a term used when shaking dice for drinks down at the tavern.

Bubbler: to the rest of the world outside Wisconsin's borders, it is known as a drinking fountain.

Budge: to merge without permission; cut in; as in "Don't you budge in line for a brat, I was here first!"

By: to; near; as in "Let's go by One Eyed Jack’s," or “She’ll come by Froggers tonight.”  It has nothing to do with a purchase.

Cheddarhead: someone from Wisconsin; see, “Cheesehead.”

Cheesehead: someone from Wisconsin; see, “Cheddarhead.”

Cheese curd: small pieces of fresh cheese that squeak when you bite into them; a parish picnic favorite when deep fried.

Chook: a knit hat worn during winter; without your chook, you’d be shakin’.

Com’ere-once: a beckoning call to another Cheddarhead.

Couple-two-tree: more than one; as in "Delmer and I drank a couple-two-tree beers down at the tap."

Cripes: a Wisconsin expletive.

Cripes-sake: a mild Wisconsin expletive.

Crymany-cripes-sake: a wild Wisconsin expletive.

Crueller: pronounced, “CRAW-ler;” a log-shaped cake-donut found at every grocery store and gas station in the state.

D: a substitute for words beginning with "TH;" as in "Dat guy over dere in dah Bears shirt is a FIB.”

Da-Fest: Summerfest in M’wakee.

Dasn’t: shouldn’t; ought not to.

Davenport: what your mom called the sofa; a couch.

Doan-cha-know: usually attached to the end of a statement, don’t-cha-know.

Down-below: south; as in, “Spread Eagle is just a bit down-below Florence, doan-cha-know.”

Dupa: same as “hinder.”

Euchre: a popular card game; pronounced just like Bob “Mr. Baseball” Uecker’s last name.

Farm & Fleet: see “Fleet Farm.”

FIB: an acronym; (all we can tell you is that the "I" stands for Illinois); similar to FISH.

FIBTAB: someone from Illinois taking up boat lanes while towing a boat slowly along Highway 51; similar to FISHTAB.

Fifth Quarter: the party, led by the University of Wisconsin marching band, which takes place following each Badgers football game at Camp Randall Stadium; “When you say ‘WI-SCONSIN,’ you’ve said it all!”

Fish fry: a Friday night dining ritual in Wisconsin.

Flatlander: Someone from Illinois.

Fleet Farm: a Cheddarhead’s answer to Bloomingdales; sometimes referred to as “Farm & Fleet.”

Frozen tundra: Lambeau Field.

Garsh: same as, “gosh.”

Geeez! a Wisconsin expletive a bit more harsh that “garsh.”

Go-ahead: proceed; as in, “go-ahead and back up your car.”

Gots: used in place of “have;” as in, “I gots my tickets to watch da Packers play on da Frozen Tundra.”

Grilling-out: what you do at tailgates.

Grundie: when your Froot-of-the-Loom briefs become thong underwear; same as a wedgie.

Guldarn: another Wisconsin expletive.

Hassock: what you put your feet on while sitting on the Davenport.

Hey: placed at the beginning or end of phrases for emphasis; as in, "Hey, how 'bout dem Packers?" or "How 'bout dem Packers, hey?”

Hey-dere: a Cheddarhead greeting.

Hinder: same as “dupa.”

Hoistin’: drinking; as in, “Arnie’s down at Paul & Plautz hoistin’ a few tasty Leine’s.”

Holy-cry-yiy!: as in, “wow!”

Horse-a-piece: a phrase used when it doesn’t matter either way; comes from a term used when shaking dice for drinks down at the tavern.

How’s-by-you?: a greeting; the same as, “How is everything?”

Humdinger: a beauty; as in, “dat crappy youse caught up-nort is a real humdinger.”

Ida: short for, “I would have;” as in, “Ida brought some beer, but they were outta Buckhorn at the Citgo.”

Jeet: short for, “Did you eat?”

John Deere: a Cheesehead's other vehicle.

Kitty-corner: not just across the street, but diagonally on the other side of the intersection; as in, “Me and Scottie tipped a few at the Square in Point before we staggered to the Top Hat, which is located kitty-corner from the American Legion.”

Kringle: it’s a tasty pastry, not Santa Claus, although they are a tasty treat on Christmas morning.

Leine: short for Leinenkugel Beer from Chippewa Falls; cheaper than a Heinie.

Lookin’-to-find: just a strange way of saying you’re searching for something.

Ludefisk: whitefish soaked in brine and drained out; an upper midwest yummy.

M’wakee: Wisconsin's largest city; located just down the lake from Trivers and Mantwoc.

Name-from-home: woman’s maiden name; as in, “Margie Buchburger’s name-from-home is Margie Schedlo.”

N-so?: a word inserted at the end of a statement; used as a substitute for "right?" or "correct?"

Oh-for-cry: short for “cryin’-out-loud!”

Oh, yah: depending on emphasis, it’s either used as acknowledgment (as in, “that’s correct”) or skepticism (“that’s bull”).

Ona-cana: because, "Can't go to the game today ona-cana I'm goin' deer huntin"

Opening Day: no, not the Brewers’ first home game, instead it’s the first day of hunting season.

Ort: sometimes heard used instead of “at.”

Parish picnics: social events of the summer up-nort.

Pert-neer: near; in close proximity; just about.

Pig, the: nickname for those Piggly Wiggly grocery stores.

Polka: what you do at parish picnics.

Pop: a non-alcoholic drink; if not “pop,” it’s a “soooo-da.”

Rubbers: prophylactics for your shoes; also known as “galoshes.”

Scansin: the state where Cheeseheads are from.

Schmeltin’: the act of fishing for schmelt (smelt).

Schmelt: the common name for any of several species of slender, small marine and freshwater trout-like fish of the family Osmeridae of the northern hemisphere characterized by the presence of a small adipose fin on the dorsal surface of the body, and by rather large scales which readily fall off; tasty little buggers too when degutted, deep fried and then eaten whole, bones and all.

Seen: see “saw.”

Sheepshead: a popular Wisconsin card game which features it’s own lingo (“trick,” “schmear,” “schneider,” “schnitz...”)

Shunta: same as, “shouldn’t have;”

Side-by-each: used instead of, “next to each other.”

Skeeter: Wisconsin state bird.

Skip-in-line: see “budge.”

Skootch: to slide your butt over just a little bit.

Spider: usually a round frying pan made of cast iron.

Start wit me last: to forfeit your turn.

Stop-and-go lights: what everyone else refers to as traffic signals.

Supper club: a restaurant up-nort, no membership required.

Swampers: hip waders worn while fishing.

Tailgate: a pre-game food fest invented outside of Lambeau Field.

Tap: another name for a tavern.

Tipping: what Cheeseheads do more to cows than bartenders.

Tombstone: a Medford-made pizza; not just something in a graveyard.

Tripp: a sausage made with cabbage and pork that when cooked has the same odor as something you might scrape off of your shoe.

Turn-the-corner-round: to turn around the corner.

Turned-round: what happens when you get lost.

TYME machine: a Wisconsin ATM; not what Michael J. Fox used in “Back To The Future.”

Uff-dah: an expression of weariness or exertion.

Un-thaw: to defrost.

Up-above: opposite of “down-below.”

Up-nort: where most Wisconsinites go on vacation after the lakes un-thaw.

Up-side right: right side up.

Waffle Stompers: heavy duty boots that leave a tire-like imprint when you walk through snow or mud.

Warsh: what one does to dirty dishes or laundry.

Where-bouts: locality; proximity; as in, “where-bouts are youse guys from?”

White sooo-da: a non-alcoholic fizzy lemon-lime drink.

With: a word many Cheeseheads end sentences with; as in, “I’m gonna watch the Packers play, wanna come with?”

Vince: another Green Bay icon who doesn't need a last name for recognition; see "Bart.”

Yah-hey-dere: standard Cheddarhead greeting; “yah-dere-hey” also acceptable.

You-betcha: affirmative.

Youse: pronounced "YOOS;" it means "you," as in "youse guys goin' up nort?"

Yooper: someone from even further up-nort than you; the U.P.

Zink: where you warsh the dishes