A big hello to all new members!

[prezbucky]

Cool beans, thanks for the invite.
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Alan]

Hi,

Now come on. What on earth is cool beans when it's at home? And Cheeshead?

I guess you're a fan of a writer I consider the greatest ever - P G Wodehouse?

A
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Sea Expressions

[prezbucky]

Thanks... I think. hehe

"cool beans" is just another phrase that means "okay," "all right," "cool," "neat," etc.
_________________
Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[prezbucky]

(I knew I forgot something)

Green Bay Packers fans are commonly referred to as "Cheeseheads."

This moniker is also (sometimes, by some) applied to Wisconsinites in general.

Those who grew up in the north woods of Northern Wisconsin (AKA Tundra) -- in which really the only industry is tourism -- refer to people from Illinois (especially Chicago and its environs) as FIBs.

F stands for, well you know, plus the -ing suffix
I = Illinois
B = Bast*rd

hehe

Wisconsinites are really usually nice people, very kind and down to earth... don't let the FIB nickname's application fool you.
_________________
Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Alan]

Sorry I asked, really.

A
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English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story Words, words, words...

[prezbucky]

but you've learned something entirely useful! hehe
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Yankee]

Hey, Tom

I visited Wisconsin years ago. I lived in Michigan for a few years, so Wisconsin was practically "right around the corner" at the time. And I do recall all of the cheese lore. But, tell me something. Do Wisconsinites ever get annoyed that the Upper Peninsula of Michigan isn't part of Wisconsin? (hehe)

Amy
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Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[mhsiqbal]

Hi! Its me Shahjee a new member of this community for some learning. I hope it will be a great experince with you all friends.
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Shahjee

[prezbucky]

Amy

The UP accent is the funniest-sounding accent I've ever heard. If the Wisconsin/Minnesota accent is a 7 on the nasal-vowel scale, the UP accent would be a 9.9.

Yoopers (denizens of the UP) do not say "yes"... they say "yah" (literally the German "jah"). A favorite dish up there is the pasty (they're also a hit in Cornwall, if I'm not mistaken). But instead of pronouncing it with the hard A (rhyming with nasty), they pronounce it "pahsty" ... that is the accent, and it is something to behold.

Back in the day -- vaguely, sometime in the early 20th century -- there was a political movement to combine the top third (or so) of Wisconsin with the UP to form a new state, whose name would have been Superior.

I'm glad that the measure did not come to fruition -- I'm happy that I'm a University of Wisconsin Badger... instead of a University of Superior Fighting Muskies.

the coolest mascot/symbol ever is found in the upper-left-hand corner of this web site. They're called the Dutchmen (Flying Dutchmen in long form).

check this out:

http://www.oostburg.k12.wi.us/ohs/index.htm
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[prezbucky]

that's right...

it's a clog with wings... a winged clog.

that gets me rolling with laughter every time. My sister taught there for a couple of years (fairly recently).

So they're the Oostburg Flying Dutchmen, and their symbol is a singed clog. That is just too hilarious.
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[prezbucky]

singed = winged
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Yankee]

Hi Tom

That is hilarious. But I didn't realize what it was from the link you gave. There is a better picture of it in their online "apparel" store. The name of the town is a hoot, too.

Amy
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Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[prezbucky]

yep.

It's said that Wisconsin was settled mostly by Scandinavians and Germans, which goes a long way in explaining the hard nasal accent that Wisconsinites possess. Apparently a pocket of Dutch outcasts found a nook in which to settle.

Concerning the Wisconsin/Minnesota accent:

There is literally almost NO rounding of the vowels. In that sense, Wisconsin/Minniehaha vowels are almost Latin in their pronunciation.

The Wisconsin/Minnesota O and A are very nearly diphthongs.

The UP accent is the full (most extreme) manifestation of Wisconsin/Minnesota accent tendencies -- incredibly nasal vowels.
_________________
Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[prezbucky]

...and I'm glad that you found the flying clog to be a neat experience.
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[ron1970]