Maryland-isms

by David Hoffman and Craig Berger

Old Bay, crabs, the loud "O!" during the national anthem, and professional sports teams named for dark birds. We all know the obvious Maryland-isms: the things that make Maryland, Maryland.

But if you're from Maryland and have always lived here, maybe there are some Maryland-isms you don't even realize are unusual and not simply the way things are everywhere. The two of us are migrants from other states (David from California, Craig from Ohio), so we're going to do you the service of naming a few. 

Outside of Maryland, it is very rare that ...

1. People identify themselves by which county they grew up in, or which high school they attended.
2. People use (or know) the term "Delmarva."
3. All the place names refer to English royals, nobles and locales.
4. Lacrosse is a big deal. (For David and everyone from Southern California, LAX is an airport).
5. The War of 1812 is a big deal.
6. The place you go to get or renew a driver's license is called the "MVA." (In other states it's called the Department of Motor Vehicles--DMV--or Bureau of Motor Vehicles--BMV).
7. Counties are known by acronyms like BalCo, HoCo or MoCo. (Really, in other states nobody talks about counties!).
8. High school student governments are called SGA's. (In other states they're called student councils).
9. So many people know when the state legislative session begins and ends.
10. So little travel time is required to experience so many different kinds of terrain.
11. The state flag has four different, highly contrasting colors.
12. So many people live in so many rowhouses.

• More Information about Maryland-isms