Meaning
Making groceries is an iconic New Orleans expression meaning shopping for groceries or buying groceries.
How it is used
New Orleans visitor material glosses makin’ groceries as grocery shopping, while Tulane sociolinguistic research identifies it among iconic local features that younger speakers may use less than earlier generations. The expression therefore remains culturally recognizable without being presented as universal modern speech.
Examples
- “I’m making groceries after work.”
- “We need to make groceries before the weekend.”
Pronunciation
/ˈmeɪkɪŋ ˈɡroʊsəriz/ · MAY-king GROH-suh-reez
Tone and register
Ordinary and domestic when used naturally, but the phrase can become performative when outsiders repeat it as a novelty marker of New Orleans identity.
Visitor guidance
Understand the phrase first rather than forcing it into your speech. Do not use whether someone says making groceries as a test of whether they are a 'real' New Orleanian; local language changes by generation, community and personal history.
Cultural context
Making groceries is frequently linked in popular explanations to long-term French influence on Louisiana English, but Maperla does not require a single simple calque story to explain current meaning. The stronger fact is sociolinguistic: the phrase became locally iconic and is now part of discussions about language change in post-Katrina New Orleans.
Places represented
Open the reviewed place guide for each regional sense carried by this canonical entry.