Throughout the parade, masked riders stand atop two and three tiered papier-mache, tractor-towed constructions from which they throw plastic cups, panties, and beads, as well as metal doubloons inscribed with the logo of the krewe, to the eager crowd. The riders often spend over $1,000. on their individual stock of "throws" to give out during the parade.

    In the early days of the festivities, merry-makers used to carry bags of flour that they would throw at each other. When a mischievous few mixed pepper with their flour, the practice had to be discontinued and safer things thrown. These days, the typical throws are beads, "doubloons" (fake coins), and, in recent years, Zapp's potato chips, which come packaged in Carnival colors. Probably the most valued throws are the hand-painted coconuts tossed by the krewe of Zulu. Onlookers vie energetically - sometimes boldly - to catch the most "stuff". In recent years, it's become more commonplace for women to expose their breasts than to shout the conventional phrase, "Throw me something Mister!" in return for a long strand of faux pearls. Be warned - many an ordinarily gentle, little old sterling-headed grandmother will stomp your knuckles bloody for that aluminum doubloon, and that bamboo and rubber spear. Most important, never ever put your hand on the ground to pick up anything! If you want those beads or that doubloon, put your foot on it and don't lift your toe until you have it firmly in your hands.

    Other tips for catching favors include taking a nun in habit with you, and standing under a street lamp: she'll be a favorite target for the good Catholics on the floats. Or make a posterboard sign that says "John" and hold it up at each float, figuring that there must be at least one guy named John on every float. Or cut a large bleach bottle in half and attach the spout to a broom handle so that you have a handy tool to hold up to the riders. Another version of this is to turn an umbrella inside out and hold it up to the riders. Some parade goers with kids use a special 8 to 10 foot ladder fixed with a bench at the top for the little ones, while parents stand below balancing them. These pre-made parade ladders can be bought at many local hardware stores and cost about $60. Ladders should not be hooked together, placed at intersections or against barricades, or left unattended - or the police will confiscate them.

    Those who live within walking distance from the parade routes sometimes joke that "Mardi Gras" must be an old Creole expression meaning, "May I use your bathroom?" Nowadays the city puts out a lot of Port-O-Lets, and restaurants and bars will let their patrons avail themselves of the facilities. Those groups who have large packs of newly toilet-trained kids or big drinkers in their party might consider renting a hotel room on the route.

    The estimated size of the Mardi Gras crowd is based on the amount of trash generated. A good crowd is one that has produced 2,000 or more tons of refuse. Each parade is followed by the Sanitation Department with its street sweepers, water and brush trucks, and blowers. Watching them is almost as much fun as watching the parade.

The people of New Orleans have their own language.

  Ball - (ball masque, tableau ball) a themed masked ball, where the
    krewe royalty is presented to the club members.

  Banquette - (ban' ket) Sidewalk--French meaning a small bank along
    the road.

  Bayou - (by' you) Slow stream, or body of water running through a
    marsh or swamp.

  Beaucoup Crasseux - (boo coo cra sue) Translated: very dirty
    organization.

  Big Easy - Nickname for New Orleans.

  Boeuf Gras - (French word) this is a large bull or ox, which
    represents the ancient symbol of the last meal before the
    Lenten season of fasting.

  Boogalee - Translated: A Cajun

  Bourre' - (BOO' ray) Translated: A French card game. "Wildly
    popular way to gamble on the old riverboats, and still is
    amoung Cajuns. Makes high-stakes poker look like Old Maid-
    it's that viscious!"

  Cafe Brulot - (caf-ay broo-loh) This dramatic after-dinner brew is
    a blend of hot coffee, spices, orange peel, and liqueurs. It is
    blended in a chafing dish, ignited, and served in special cups.

  Calliope Street - (Cal' i ope) (The ope said like rope--no "e"
    heard) Don't ask where "Cal-lie-o-pea" is, nobody will
    understand what street you're looking for!

  Cajun - (kay' jun) French Acadians that settled here from Canada.

  Camelback - (cam' l bak) A single row house with the back half
    made into a two story. The front section remains a single.

  Captain - This is the leader of each Carnival organization.

  Cher - New Orleans Translation: An expression many use when
    greeting another..."Dear, Love"

  City that Care Forgot - A nickname for New Orleans.

  Crescent City - A nickname for New Orleans, originating from the
    shape of the Mississippi River as it bends around the city.

  Crescent City Connection - Twin bridges connecting the Eastbank
    with the Westbank.

  Den - Mardi Gras float warehouse

  Dirty Rice - Pan-fried leftover cooked rice sautéed with green
    peppers, onion, celery, stock, liver, giblets and many other
    ingredients.

  Dixie - Making money in the "Land of Dixie" was a term used by
    rivermen and merchants -- because $10.00 bank notes were
    earned, and the French word for ten is Dix.

  Doubloons - (duh bloons') aluminum objects resembling coins, which
    bear the insignia of the krewe on one side and the theme on the
    other; Rex krewe introduced the first one in 1960.

  Do-do - (dough dough--not du-du!) In New Orleans, it's a cute
    word children use when tired and sleepy
    (from the french "to sleep" = dormir)

  Dressed - Sandwiches served with lettuce, tomatoes and
    mayonnaise -- "the works" (And, of course....the way those
    with class catch their Mardi Gras throws!)

  Fais do-do - (Fay' dough dough) A Cajun dance party, after the
    children have gone to sleep.

  Fat City - A region of Metairie that is a popular place to party
    during Mardi Gras, originating from the term Fat Tuesday, the
    literal translation of Mardi Gras.

  Favor - These are souvenirs, given to friends or guests attending
    the Krewe's ball by the members.

  Fixin to - means "about to".
    I'm a'fixin' ta' make groceries. (Go grocery shopping)

  Flambeaux - (flam' bo) (plural) Lit torches historically carried
    during night parades - Naphtha-fueled torches, which used to be
    the only source of light along the parade routes;
    now, they are carried along as part of the parade.

  Gallery -(galllll rreeeee) Balcony--walkway outside of homes on
    the second floor.

  GNO - Greater New Orleans area.

  Gris Gris - (gree gree) Voodoo luck charms.

  Grits - Coarsely ground wheat or corn, cooked down in water and
    served with salt and butter. Somewhat similar in appearance to
    mashed potatoes, but the taste is closer to corn.

  Hi-rise - Anything above sea level! - (just joking--with a bit of
    truth!) The elevated interstate roadway.

  Hurricane Party - What some do after securing your house for a
    hurricane--throw a party! (If it's safe to stay, that is!)
    Get some snacks, drinks, and buddies - and hunker down
    to watch Nash Roberts give hurricane updates on TV!
    Hurricane is also the name of a famous New Orleans drink
    --be careful; they sneak up on you.

  Indians - Black men who dress up in very ornate, hand-beaded,
    sequined and feathered outfits as representing American Indians.

  Krewe - (crue) A Carnival organization's members

  Lagniappe - (lan' yap) This word is Cajun for "something extra,"
    you didn't pay for -- thrown in to sweeten the deal -- like the
    extra donut in a baker's dozen. An unexpected nice surprise.

  Laissez les bon temps rouler - (lay-zay lay bon ton rule-ay )
    Let the good times roll!

  Lundi Gras - The day before Mardi Gras when King Rex arrives on
    the riverfront and Orpheus parades! (French for Fat Monday)

  Makin' groceries - Buying groceries--(usually at Schwegmann's--
    New Orleans' well-known grocery store!)

  Mardi Gras - Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent....the day to
    celebrate before the traditional Catholic tradition of
    sacrificing and fasting during the 40 days of Lent.

  Maskers - Float riders & anyone dressed in costume.

  Mie-nez - Translated: "mayonnaise"; a pronunciation unique to
    Creole New Orleanians.

  Metairie - (Met' tree) A suburb of New Orleans--between the  
    Airport and New Orleans.

  N'awlins - "New Orleans"--It's faster that way!

  Neutral Ground - Median or grassy area between the paved areas on
    a boulevard.

  "Pass a Good Time" - Translated: Have a good time.

  Picayune - (Pic' ee yoon)
    1. Small, nit-picky
    2. (It was a Spanish coin worth more than a nickle
        and less than a dime -- 6 1/4 cents to be precise)
    3. Name of the only daily newspaper, the "Times Picayune".
    4. Small town north of New Orleans in Mississippi.

  Pirogue - (Pee' row) Flat-bottom canoe -- perfect in the bayous.

  Police Jury - Similar to a City Council, but has more legal
    authority concerning individuals.

  Shotgun house - Usually part of a "double"--a single row house in
    which all rooms on one side are connected by a long single
    hallway--you can open the front door and shoot a gun
    straight through the back door, without hitting a single wall.

  Sno-ball - Shaved ice (nearly powder) served with flavored syrups.
    Those of you in the north might throw 'em.....we eat 'em!

  Slave Quarters - Houses behind the main building of large
    plantation homes where slaves lived.

  Soc au' lait - (Sock-o-lay) Translated: sack of milk. Used in
    place of What the?, Ouch!, or WOW!

  Tchoupitoulas Street - (Chop a two' les) Interesting street
    name .... one of the trickiest to pronounce.

  The Parish - Louisiana has Parishes not Counties, but this often
    refers to Chalmette, a suburb outside New Orleans.

  Throws - Trinkets such as beads, cups, and doubloons that are
    tossed from the floats to the crowds during Mardi Gras parades.

  Throw Me Something, Mister! - What everyone yells at parades to
    get throws from the maskers on the floats!

  Twinspan - The twin bridges connecting the Northshore at Slidell
    with New Orleans across Lake Pontchartrain.

  Uptown - (uhp' tawn) Area "upriver" from the French Quarter

  Vieux Carre' - (Vooo ca ray') (View ca ray') The French Quarter
    including world-famous Bourbon Street.

  Vignette - (Vin Yet') A sketch or illustration of a person, place
    or thing.

  Voodoo - (Voo'-doo) A form of witchcraft.
    (See my: VOODOO page.)

  West Bank - You have to look east to see the "other" side of New
    Orleans, on the west bank of the Mississippi. The East Bank is
    really the west side of the Mississippi River...to get to the
    Westbank side, you have to travel east across one of the bridges!
    Finding one's way around in New Orleans is not for the 'faint of
    heart'.

  Yat - Standard greeting--("Where yat?" is "Hello, how are you
    doing?")

  Zydeco - (zi-de-co) A relatively new kind of Cajun dance music
    that is a combination of traditional Cajun dance music,
    R&B, and African blues.

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The Language of New Orleans     

Its tone, lilt, and slang are indigenous to this city and reflect its ethnic history and tradition. New Orleans is part of the deep south, but you won't find much of a stereotypical southern drawl; in fact, there are several distinctive dialects. One of the most surprising is a Brooklynese style heard in the 9th Ward, Irish Channel, and Chalmette sections of New Orleans. Little or no French is spoken by the majority of folks in New Orleans, but it isn't without the French influence.

      Aside from having everyday words and expressions that aren't used elsewhere in the States, New Orleanians throughout the city give meaning to and pronounce certain words their own way. Many of them are related to...(no surprise here!)...food! See a list of cajun food terms on NewOrleansRestaurants.com

Laissez le bon temp rouler!

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