A Guide to Understanding Directions Given in Maine Slang Terms

This may not happen too much these days thanks to tools like actual GPS devices made by companies like Garmin and TomTom, and especially since our phones have GPS built into them so Google Maps or Waze is a tap away.

But back in the days of printing out MapQuest directions to try and follow or, in the very old school days of *gasp* having to actually try and follow handwritten directions, it was pretty common to pull over somewhere like a gas station or convenience store to ask for directions somewhere.

Even with all the technology we have at our fingertips, built-in GPS apps on our devices aren't always foolproof, and sucking up our pride to ask for more clear directions still happens every now and then (unless you're wicked stubborn, but that's besides the point.)

Only one problem, if you end up talking to someone that uses nothing but the most thick, local, difficult to understand Maine slang, and you're from away, you'll end up getting more confused (and more lost) than you started out.

Thanks to a post on the Allagash Outpost page on Facebook, if you're either a tourist trying to make your way through Vacationland or new to Maine and still trying to get your bearings, Bub, there's now a cheat sheet to understand what exactly a Mainer means when they're giving you directions.

For example, if someone tells you that your destination is "right next door," it's actually more 1-2 miles away. "Right up the road" is more like 5-10 miles away. "A couple miles" is more like 10-20.

Or, like we do, if someone gives you direction using time instead of distance, "not too far" is anywhere between 20-50 minutes away, and "a pretty good haul" is far enough where you should plan on snacks and bathroom breaks.

(By the way, yes, this is obviously edited to be Maine-based from whatever the original is, but ask any local and it still holds up.)