Meet the ‘LIARRS’—a term coined by some frustrated New Yorkers to address a peculiar linguistic habit surrounding the Long Island Rail Road. Residents from the East End have been dubbed this nickname for their insistence on pronouncing the transit agency’s acronym as the “Lurr,” much to the chagrin of many true New Yorkers.
King Law, a regular commuter traveling from Massapequa to Midtown, voiced her disapproval of the term. “If you’re calling it the ‘LURR,’ chances are you’re not from New York,” she remarked. “You might hail from elsewhere in the country, but here, it’s simply not a thing.”
Law expressed her disbelief at the persistence of this mispronunciation. “It’s eye-roll-worthy that people even think ‘LURR’ is a thing,” she continued. “I’ve never heard anyone actually say it out loud—it just doesn’t sound like New York.”
Kevin, another commuter and native of Queens, echoed her sentiments, albeit more colorfully. “It’s nonsense,” he stated bluntly, choosing to keep his last name private. “Growing up in Woodside and using the Long Island Rail Road all my life, I can confidently say that no one calls it ‘LURR.’ Not once have I heard that.”
For those wondering how to refer to the transit system correctly, Kevin offered a straightforward answer: “It’s ‘The L-I double-R.’ That’s how New Yorkers do it.”
The correct way to say it, he said, is “The L-I double-R.”
The recently settled LIRR strike had folks throughout the New York metropolitan area talking about the massive railroad — and exposed the hidden tendency by some on the island to pronounce the acronym as a mono-syllabic word.
While a handful of folks who grew up with the habit told The Post that it’s the right call, the vast majority of metro area commuters thought it was just plain silly.
“Calling the L-I-R-R ‘LURR’ is like auditioning for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ on the Oyster Bay branch,” Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino chimed in. “At that point, your monthly pass should come with a parrot and a bottle of rum.”
Bayside resident Margaret, who grew up in Flushing, said LURR “sounds made up.
“Have you found anyone who said they’ve heard that before?” she asked a reporter. “I say train. Most people just say Long Island Rail Road.”
Of the 17 commuters interviewed at the Bayside train station, none had ever heard someone use LURR before, and only one of 15 quizzed at the Mineola station knew the debate existed at all.
The sole dissent came from Emilio Onolfi, a Long Island native.
“Of course, I’ve heard it forever,” Onolfi claimed to The Post. “I live in Manhattan now but I grew up on the South Shore and that’s how I’ve always heard it. I still here LURR.”
Uday Sekhon, an LIRR ticket agent at the Mineola station who lives in Queens said he’s heard it all, and said he also hears the railroad called “LEER” a lot, adding fuel to the controversy.
“I think LURR is definitely picking up steam, especially online,” he said. “People from Nassau [County] don’t really say it, but I feel like a lot more people from the city are saying it.
“There’s been a lot of arguments online, a lot of people getting bashed during the last week, during the strike,” Sekhon added. “I’ve seen more debate online this past week than every about LURR.
“But yeah, it’s real. I say LURR. Lots of people do.”
