This week on "A Way with Words":  It's the language of Wisconsin: If you're nibbling on slippery Jims or sipping sweet soup, chances are you're in the Badger State. Also, the famous abolitionist whose name became an exclamation. And how to respond if someone says to you, "Well, aren't you the chawed rosin!" Plus, parking garages vs. parking ramps, trouper vs. trooper, my boo, and the possible origin of toodles.FULL DETAILSThe robin may be the official State Bird of Wisconsin, but a listener from the Badger State shares a limerick about the unofficial state bird: the mosquito.Boo and my boo are a terms of endearment common among African-Americans, going at least as far back as mid-90s jams like the Ghost Town DJ's' "My Boo." In parts of Wisconsin, parking garages are called parking ramps.The part of a church known as a foyer, vestibule, or lobby is sometimes called the narthex. This word appears to go back to the ancient Greek term for "fennel," although beyond that, its etymology is unclear.What is sweet soup? It's a Wisconsin specialty, made of cherry or raspberry juice mixed with prunes, raisins, and tapioca, and served either warm or cold.Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a twist on a challenge that's a favorite among members of the National Puzzlers League, the classic fill-in-the-blank game called The Flat.The exclamations I'll be John Brown! and I'll be John Browned! have a sticky history, going back to view that the abolitionist John Brown was doing something damnable by arming a slave revolt.Is the correct expression He's a real trouper or He's a real trooper? In its original form, the correct word was trouper, and referred to that the mantra of dedicated actors everywhere, The show must go on!In Wisconsin, a slippery Jim is a kind of pickle.A former waiter in Underhill, Vermont, is annoyed by restaurant patrons who respond to a server's query with I'm good rather than No, thank you when asked if they've had enough.Among Sconnies, or Wisconsinites, a synonym for beer belly is Milwaukee goiter. In parts of Wisconsin where the dialect is heavily influenced by German, it's not unusual to hear phrases, like Let's go buy some bakery for "let's buy some baked goods," and from little on up, meaning "from a young age."I don't want nairn, meaning "I don't want any," is a contraction of never a one, and it's been used for hundreds of years. Well, aren't you the chawed rosin! is a reference to the chewy sap of a gum tree, considered a sweet treat. It's used to refer to people who think highly of themselves, and is heard primarily in the South Midlands of the United States.In Wisconsin, the game Mother, May I? goes by the name Captain, May I?Toodles, meaning "See you later," may come from toddle, as in to "amble" or "take leave," or it might simply derive from the sound of an old car horn.Christmas Fooling, the Norwegian tradition of dressing up and visiting folks around Christmas time, was once popular among young Wisconsinites.This episode was hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett.....Support for A Way with Words comes from National University, which invites you to change your future today. More at http://www.nu.edu/.--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2013, Wayword LLC.