Street voices
Michael
·
United States
"Buhl is a word to refer to an individual. Instead of saying person, you would use this word instead. For example, I never met buhl, but I heard he is cool."
What it means
A Philly way to say a guy, dude, or just some person. It comes with that local Philly sound on it, so it feels more neighborhood than standard boy. You use it when you're talking about somebody quick and casual, like that buhl over there or some buhl I know from around the way.
Usage examples
"I met this buhl at the corner store who knew every Eagles stat since 2004 and still had time to roast my snack choices."
"Some buhl at the bus stop gave me directions, walked me half a block to be sure, and waved off any thanks like it was nothing."
"Yo, that buhl from South Philly fixed my tire, took twenty bucks, and told me keep the change energy for somebody else."
"This oldhead buhl on the El was talking trash about the Sixers like he was on payroll for disappointment."
"That young buhl at the papi store really tried to tell me Tastykakes beat homemade pound cake and stood on it too."
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Where it comes from
Buhl comes from Philadelphia speech as a local pronunciation of boy. In Philly AAVE and neighborhood talk, the vowel shifted hard enough that it started sounding like its own word. After that, it stuck as an everyday way to mean a guy or person, with a real Philly stamp on it.
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