New York does not speak English..

..nah, just kidding, it does. But with certain words it is so fixated you'll get stared down if you don't say it their way. Let's go through a dummy's checklist below.

For getting around in the city: don't say North/South, replace with Uptown/Downtown.

Ordering food/drinks in-store: be ready to say "To Go" or "Stay" depending on whether you want it packed to take with you or you want to dine in. Sometimes dine in has higher tax (mandatory service charge aka tip).

There's no waste/garbage in the city and no dust, this place only generates "trash". So ask for "trash bin" if you're looking for one. 

I hilariously learnt that tissue papers are always only found in washrooms. To wipe the grin off your face without checking into the washroom, ask for "paper napkins".

Do you know that New Yorkers don't stand "in line"? No Sir, they stand "on line". So when you're confused about the end of the line, ask the person ahead of you if they are "on line". NEVER say "queue"!!

I bike, actually means I cycle. Not the gym cycle, just the normal one. This reminds me, that when one cycles in the gym, it's called spinning. That's universal gym lingo, sigh.

The whole pizza is known here as a pie. So just bark your "pie to go" order at your favorite pizza place.

Pedestrians should walk on the side of the road and not in the middle of it. Use "sidewalk" please. You're welcome, in case you're travelling here without insurance.

Want to drink at someplace else or even just drink at home, either before hitting that expensive restaurant/club/theatre, and/or just be high and drunk already? Be cool and suggest "pregaming" to your friends. 

Hope you find these useful. If you can remember these, it will also save you a lot of breath as these are abbreviations that New Yorkers have developed to go about their everyday lives.

The list of such words is actually almost endless, but I've tried to list those that one is most likely to encounter in this city.