Just an informal survey of slang/idiom.

[achtung_circus]

I relocated back to my place of birth. After 25 years away people don't know WTF I'm talking about sometimes (and vice versa)

SO

if I were to use the word "toolies" would you know what I meant?

can't say more as context can give away the meaning.

PS if you answer please give some broad indication of where you know this word from. This is a spatially-based idiom research experiment and my government funding requires it.

[GOPisEvil]

1. Not a clue.

:shrug:

[Richardo]

15. Me neither...

...and I've lived in the Western PA, SoCal, Rockies and Texas.


(Sounds Canadian to me... ;-) )

[Village Idiot]

2. Hmmm...toolies, hmmmm?

don't you use them to fix "carsies?"

[mac56]

3. We used the term "toolies" to describe a desloate rural area.

It was short for the occasionally used "tooliewogs".

It was commonly used slang in outstate Minnesota back in the 70s.

[achtung_circus]

4. Bingo has been called

please do not move your markers until the winning card has been verified.

But what is a tooliewog?

[mac56]

5. No clue.

It was the longer, more formal use of the term. "High Minnesotan"?!

[StClone]

6. Sticks, boondocks...

Now if I saw ungles and schlook what would those words pertain too?

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

14. in California its Tule....

...pronounced Toolies....

....This is from the Central Valley area (esp Sacramento and the Delta), and referred to swamp lands that was filled with tulares. a type of rush...Americanized to Tule.

...could mean boondocks. Also a type of very thick, long lasting fog..Tule Fog..pronounced Toolie Fog.

This is a very specfic term to Northern California, I think..never heard it outside of that part of the USA.

[mrboba1]

7. never heard of it.

I live in the south and have never heard this before in my life.

[ScreamingMeemie]

8. Butt F-ing Egypt??

That's what I remember the toolies as being. And then you'd get thirsty and there would be not a bubbler in sight...sigh.

[Speck Tater]

9. Being out in the toolies...

is being about 3 miles short of reaching the boondocks. Another 6 miles and your out in the sticks, and if you go 41 miles further you'll be 50 miles from nowhere.

[Bowline]

10. I'd go with "boondocks", or perphaps "the sticks"...

middle of nowhere?

[eyesroll]

11. Not a clue (grew up in Chicago suburbs)

But, after reading the replies -- we'd use "boonies" or "BFE" (standing for what Mrs. Grumpy said) to describe that area.

On edit: "Bumblefuck" also was acceptable.

[JVS]

16. Western PA: Boonies, sticks, or East-Kabumfuck

[achtung_circus]

12. This sample seems to confirm my suspicion

that it a more westerly phrase than an easterly phrase. It's out there in the sticks, boondocks. It isn't used or known (apparently) here in Ontario, whereas it's commonly iused in Alberta.

BTW I learned that it's Bumfuck, Idaho, not Egypt.

[davsand]

13. I have no idea!

I am just not a cool person, I guess.

I was amazed a while back when somebody told me Endo is slang for pot/reefer/marijuana too...


Laura

[Lydia Leftcoast]

17. Some of my relatives use the quaint phrase

"where God left his overshoes."

:shrug: