Corn Belt Vocab List, part 1 of undetermined

Here are some words that I am having to incorporate and trying to use properly. Last week I was asked, "Did you graduate from Odebolt?" so apparently I am fooling them all!!! Okay, fooling one person. On a semi-related note, I have now been mistaken twice for a mortician in town. I can't wait to meet this smart, attractive mortician!

Speaking of...

1) Meet (verb), past tense met: in California one can meet a person by way of first-time introductions. In Iowa, we meet people on the road or in a hallway. CA near synonyms: pass, see. "Why didn't you wave when I met you on the blacktop?"

Which brings us to...

2) Blacktop (noun): a county road that is paved with asphalt. CA synonym: street. "You know the Wall Lake blacktop heading east from 39? I live three miles south from there."

3) Cafe (noun): cafe. CA synonym: cafe. The pronunciation differs here. In CA we have CAfes and in IA we have caFES, which makes the "a" in the unstressed syllable sound like a schwa. "Cronk's Cafe in Denison is the oldest restaurant in Iowa."

4) Supper (noun): the evening meal. CA synonym: dinner. This is one I am just beginning to incorporate because when I don't it's confusing as all get out. Sometimes dinner means lunch but lunch also means lunch and noon meal also means lunch. "My husband cooks the noon meal and supper at the old bowling alley in town on Fridays." I've even heard, "I wish my parents would have come to eat dinner with me at lunch when I was in school!" The latter usage generally indicates this was the child of a farmer in my experience.

5) Pop (noun): a carbonated nonalcoholic beverage. CA synonyms: soda, Coke. In California, "Can you get me a Coke?" may be followed with the question of, "What kind?" which makes no sense really. "I don't like diet pop but I drink sugar pop all the time, especially if it is fountain pop."

6) Yet (adverb): I haven't figured this one out...yet. There is a definite difference in usage that is characterized by something ongoing rather than something to be done. CA near synonym: still. "There's a whole lotta corn in the field yet."

7) Blown shut (adjective): when the wind has pushed snow drifts or snow mounds across a gravel road to the point where no vehicles can pass through. CA synonym: N/A. "The blizzard was three days ago but our road is blown shut...yet."

8) Heavy (adjective): a reference to beer that is not light beer. CA synonym: N/A. "You want another Bud Heavy?"

9) Erwhatnot (pronoun, filler, interjection): variable definitions. CA near synonym: like. "So we were going over there, erwhatnot, and we talked to that guy who works at the C-store erwhatnot and he said those two were dating erwhatnot."

Oh yeah, then there's...

10) C-store (noun): convenience store, especially Casey's, and generally on site with a gas station. CA synonyms: liquor store, mini-mart, 7-11. "After supper can we stop by the c-store for a fountain pop?"

11) 'brasfurnimar (noun): a gigantic furniture and appliance store in Omaha that is spelled Nebraska Furniture Mart but never fully pronounced. "If you need anything for your house 'brasfurnimar is having a thirty percent off sale."

and, thanks to Heather...

12) Fenderberg (noun): the dirty chunk of icy snow that falls off of your car fender or wheel well. CA synonym: N/A. "I kicked a big ol' fenderberg off my truck this morning!"