22 Must-Know Pittsburgh Slang Terms for Locals and Visitors

Pittsburgh’s unique geography, nestled in the Appalachian mountains and situated at the meeting point of three rivers, creates a maze of roads that can be challenging to navigate. Locals might sound like they’re speaking a foreign tongue, and in a sense, they are. This unique dialect, known as “Pittsburghese,” is packed with local slang that can help you avoid standing out as a tourist—even if you’re still figuring out the city’s layout.

1. The Bathtub

In Pittsburgh, the term 'The Bathtub' refers to a section of the Parkway East near the Monongahela River that frequently floods during intense rainstorms.

2. Black and Gold

Pittsburgh stands out as the sole city where every major professional sports team dons the same colors, inspired by the city’s official palette.

3. Chipped Chopped Ham

This popular lunch item features a pressed ham loaf called chopped ham, often sold chipped instead of sliced at deli counters. The dish was famously associated with Isaly’s, a convenience store chain that once thrived in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. (They’re also credited with creating the Klondike Bar.) Many locals still miss the chain since its closure.

4. Cookie Table

A cookie table is a wedding reception highlight, showcasing an array of cookies (this tradition also extends to Youngstown and parts of Eastern Ohio). Originating from times when families couldn’t afford a wedding cake, relatives would bake cookies to celebrate the occasion.

5. Farkleberry Cookies

These festive Christmas cookies, infused with orange and cranberry flavors, studded with white chocolate chips, and dusted with powdered sugar, have a quirky backstory. It began in the late 1960s when a KDKA radio DJ hosted a remote broadcast at a Children’s Hospital fundraiser. He quipped, 'Start your heart, eat a farkleberry tart.' This led to farkleberry tarts being sold for fundraising, eventually evolving into the beloved farkleberry cookie.

6. Grant Street

This downtown street is lined with courthouses and government buildings. Saying 'I gotta go dahna Grant Street' could mean anything from picking up a marriage license to attending a court hearing.

7. Gumband

A rubber band.

8. Incline

In the past, Pittsburgh was home to numerous funiculars—hill-climbing trains that operated on a counterbalance system. Today, only two remain: The Duquesne and the Monongahela, both scaling Mount Washington. Locals call them inclines.

9. Iron City

Long before Pittsburgh earned the title of the Steel City, it was known as the Iron City, boasting a thriving ironworking industry. In 1861, a brewery named Iron City was established. The beer, pronounced “arn” instead of “iron,” has remained a local favorite, often enjoyed with a shot of Imperial whiskey (locally referred to as an Imp ‘n’ Arn).

10. Jagoff

Jagoff is a derogatory term used to describe someone who’s annoying or incompetent. While Chicagoans also use the term, there’s ongoing debate about which city originated it.

11. Kennywood’s Open

Kennywood, a beloved amusement park in West Mifflin, is famous for its rides and attractions. However, the phrase Kennywood’s open isn’t about the park—it’s a clever way to let someone know that their zipper is undone. (Eat ‘n’ Park, a well-known restaurant chain in Western Pennsylvania, even features bathroom signs asking, 'Is Kennywood Open?')

12. Liberty Tubes

Pittsburghers refer to the tunnels connecting West Liberty Avenue through Mount Washington to the Liberty Bridge as liberty tubes. When they debuted in 1924, they held the title of the world’s longest automobile tunnels.

13. The Mon

The Mon is shorthand for the Monongahela River, one of Pittsburgh’s three rivers. This vital industrial waterway was once severely polluted, leading to the dark joke that anyone who fell in wouldn’t drown—they’d dissolve.

14. N’at

Literally meaning 'and that,' it’s used more broadly to mean et cetera, as in 'Went to Primanti’s for some sammiches n’at.'

15. Nebby

Nebby describes someone who’s overly nosy or intrusive. A person who takes this curiosity to an irritating level is called a nebshit.

16. Parking Chair

In Pittsburgh and nearby suburbs, it’s common to spot lawn chairs reserving parking spots on narrow streets. While not officially legal, locals honor the tradition of the parking chair. (Chicago also has a slang term for this practice: dibs.)

17. Parkway

Pittsburgh has two primary highways that follow a wheel-and-spoke system, funneling all traffic through the city center. While officially labeled I-279 and I-376, locals simply call them the Parkway. I-279 to the North Hills is the Parkway North; I-376 from the Fort Pitt Tunnels to the airport is the Parkway West; and I-376 from downtown to Monroeville’s turnpike is the Parkway East.

18. Primanti’s

When a local mentions grabbing a sammich at Primanti’s, they’re talking about Primanti Bros., a beloved regional chain known for its hefty sandwiches. Legend has it that Joe Primanti once fried potatoes and added them to a sandwich, creating a hit with truckers who could eat it one-handed. The signature sandwich, packed with meat, cheese, fries, and vinegar-based coleslaw, has made Primanti’s a Pittsburgh staple.

19. Redd Up

Redd up means to tidy or make a space neat. For instance, when PNC Park hosted the All-Star Game in 2006, the mayor launched a 'Redd Up' initiative to spruce up the city.

20. Slippy

Slippery, as in, 'It’s snowin’ n’at. Roads are getting slippy.'

21. Three Sisters

Pittsburgh’s numerous bridges, many painted in the same yellow shade (Aztec gold, to be exact), are a defining feature of the city. The Three Sisters bridges, built in the 1920s, cross the Allegheny River at Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Streets. Though they’ve been renamed after Roberto Clemente, Andy Warhol, and Rachel Carson, locals still refer to them by their original name.

22. Yinz

Yinz serves as a second-person pronoun, singular or plural, depending on usage. For example, 'Are yinz heading to the Penguins game?' Yinzer refers to someone from Pittsburgh, a term embraced with pride or used teasingly.