The New Orleans slang terms you'll hear most are the ones people use to address each other: cher (pronounced "sha"), boo, baby, dawlin', podna and bra. Most mean some version of "dear" or "friend," and you'll get called at least two of them by strangers before lunch.
This is a city where the woman ringing you up at the pharmacy calls you baby and the guy at the bar calls you podna, and neither one is being forward. It's just how people talk. Here's the guide, from a shop that has been saying all of these to customers on Magazine Street and Chartres Street for twenty years.
Cher: The Louisiana French One
Cher is pronounced "sha," and it means "dear." It comes from French, where "cher" and "chère" are the masculine and feminine forms of the same word.
Wikipedia's overview of Louisiana French notes that cher is still heard as a term of endearment among English-speaking Louisianians, which is exactly how most people here use it. You don't have to speak French to say it. Plenty of folks who couldn't order a coffee in Paris call their kids "cher" every day.
You'll hear it more often the farther you drive toward Cajun country, but it's very much at home in the city too. "Come here, cher." "Aw, cher." Said right, it's soft and a little bit sorry for you.
Boo: Not Just for Couples
Boo is a term of endearment, and in New Orleans it isn't limited to romance. Chuck Taggart's Yat lexicon at the Gumbo Pages defines it as a term of endearment for children, even grown ones, and says it's believed to be Cajun in origin.
That means your grandmother calls you boo. So does your mother, even when you're forty-five and visiting from Houston.
Baby: For Everyone
Baby gets used with anyone, regardless of gender or age. A writer for Be New Orleans describes it as gender neutral and nearly impossible to spell the way it's actually said, something closer to "baaaaaybeee."
If a stranger calls you baby here, they're being kind. Take it.
Dawlin': The Universal Address
Dawlin' is "darling," New Orleans style. The Gumbo Pages calls it a universal form of address: women use it for just about anybody, and men use it mostly toward women.
It's the word that tells you you're in New Orleans. Hear it from a waitress at a neighborhood diner and you'll know you're somewhere good. It's also core Yat vocabulary, the same accent that gave us "where y'at" and "awrite."
Podna, Bra and Cap: How Men Talk to Men
New Orleans men have a whole set of words for addressing a guy whose name they don't know. The Gumbo Pages lists several.
Podna. Partner. Friendly, often used with strangers.
Bra. Short for brother. "Hey bra, you dropped something." You'll also see it written "bruh," which covers the same territory. Some people insist the spelling matters. Most don't care.
Cap. Same job as podna, used for strangers. According to the Gumbo Pages, women generally don't use this one.
There's no hierarchy here. Pick whichever comes out of your mouth naturally, and if none do, just say "hey."
Cajun vs New Orleans Usage
Visitors sometimes lump all of south Louisiana into one accent. They're different worlds that happen to share plenty.
Cajun country, out in Acadiana west of the city, is where Louisiana French held on longer in daily life, and words like cher feel most at home there. New Orleans talk is its own thing, built on the Yat accent, with influences from Creole French, Irish, Italian and German neighborhoods. Some words travel freely between the two. Cher and boo show up in both. Dawlin' and podna are much more city than country.
Creole and Cajun are different cultures with a lot of shared history, and both deserve to be gotten right. Our Creole Cajun Sticker is a small nod to both.
Wear the Words
If you'd rather let your shirt do the talking, If You Can Read This, You're A Local is a decent icebreaker for anyone who grew up hearing "boo" from their grandmother. The Where Y'at? Patch is another easy one.
Moved away and missing it? Our New Orleans diaspora gift guide is for you. Moving here and trying to fit in? Start with our guide to moving to New Orleans. And the rest of our local vocabulary, letter by letter, lives in our hub post, The New Orleans Alphabet.
New Orleans Slang Terms: FAQ
What does "cher" mean in Louisiana?
Cher, pronounced "sha," means "dear." It comes from Louisiana French and is still widely used as a term of endearment by English speakers in south Louisiana.
What does "boo" mean in New Orleans?
Boo is a term of endearment, often used by parents and grandparents for their children, even adult ones. It's believed to have Cajun roots.
What does "podna" mean?
Podna means "partner." It's a friendly way for a man to address another man, often a stranger.
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