Growing up in the South (if you did) were you bewildered by Northernisms

[Bossy Monkey]

such as the first robin of the spring, and that whole "March: in like a lion, out like a lamb/ April showers bring May flowers"? As a small child, I always sort of reacted, "Come again?" More like February showers bring March flowers, isn't it? And I don't think robins ever go away here; anyway I've definitely seen them in December. Mind you, I appreciate that all this is pretty niggling stuff; just wondering if anyone else had this experience. (It's also possible that they aren't Northernisms at all, but Britishisms, but I'll have to defer to somebody with greater knowledge of the subject should such a person turn up.)

[RoyGBiv]

1. Food ...

With me, it was mostly food and little things like someone saying "Please?" when they meant, "What?"

The food was the big thing. My uncle was in the Air Force and so traveled all over, and I hated it when we visited him when he was stationed up North, particularly North Dakota. The place was fine -- the little trip into Canada was great -- but the food was just confusing. I've always loved hash browns. Seems people who live north of somewhere in Kansas don't have a clue what they are. They still sell them, but that mess is not hash browns.

And don't get me started on tea. :-)

The "Please?" thing got me in trouble, more than once. "Hey, can I go over there?" (This was on a military base.) "Please?" My little mind was thinking that this sounded like a question, but seemed more like and indication my aunt wanted me to go, so I went, and then I found myself be grilled about why I was getting into an officer's jeep. I learned "Please?" meant "What?" as in "I didn't hear you," but I never understood it. Still don't.

[southlandshari]

2. Tee hee!

I grew up in Alabama and went to school in Georgia - ended up in Washington, DC, and then Missouri later in life, and the "please?" meaning "what?" or "come again?" got me, too.

I'll also never forget the first time a gracious host asked me "do you want a pop?" WHAT?!!! Finally figured out they meant soda pop, which we always just called coke growing up, no matter what "flavor" it was.

[carolinayellowdog]

3. Envied the Bobbsey twins, Hardy boys, etc. for all the snow

Every kid in the series books got to go sledding, ice skating, etc. constantly. In VA March definitely comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, so that never seemed odd.

When they say "pop" I hear "pot" and show appropriate interest.