Folkways Of Tampa

As the history of the fine old town of Tampa accrues, so too do its unique and charming customs.

ARGOT

"Kendy"--an attractive woman.

"Tomin'"--interesting, intriguing.

"Fallokin", "Fallahkin", etc.--friendly greeting.

"Ho ho co"--derisory call.

"Doppler"--a car. Popularized in the early 1990s by Mr. Soak's infamous single "I Just Killed Your Hypeman".

"Trimmers"--traffic lights.

"Don't come dawdle"--don't interfere with me.


CUISINE

"Boig"--equivalent of grinder, hoagie, et al. elsewhere. Pickled radish is a frequent add-on.

"Mobies"--balls composed of one prawn and one scallop, covered in cornmeal and fried. Generally sauced with green Tabasco; infrequently found in "boigs".

"Sweet Tree"--popular soft drink, half vanilla ice cream and half guava juice.

"Chore Boy"--bismuth cocktail infamous among the nightclub set.


GESTURES, GAMES, ETC.

In the Tampa Bay area, it is at this point more common to "flip the bird" with the ring finger, rather than the middle.

A common children's game is a variation of tag called "twink". If the pursued child can sing a doggerel song in its entirety,


Cindy, Cindy, tallin'-a-mink,
Coby, Casey, tillin'-a-twink!


the pursuer must leave off and chase someone else. The safe area is known as "the till".

"Choctaw"--a jargon of concealment--all vowel sounds are shifted, "a" to "e", "e" to "i", etc. Example: "O went tu gu ta thi ber." Usually spoken quickly, with a distinct nasal inflection.

"Dog funk"--local form of dog racing. Elaborately decorated homemade courses are set up throughout a neighborhood, with hand-operated rabbit decoys. Large cash prizes are awarded to the winner.