I think the dividing line between the folks who call them "killies" and those that call them "minnows" or (more properly) "minnies" is somewhere between Forked River and Tuckerton.
I remember calling them killies my whole life. I had never heard any one call them "minnies" in Forked River.
The first week after I took over the tackle shop on LBI an older gentlemen came in and asked me if I had any "minnies". I honestly had no idea what he was talking about! So I asked him, "Mini what?"
He looked at me kinda funny and repeated much louder (like he was talking either to a deaf man or a slow child) "MINNIES. DO YOU HAVE ANY MINNIES?" This line of questioning actually went back and forth a few times between us. He kept asking me for minnies and I kept asking "Mini what?"
I know this sounds dumb, but as much as I wanted to help him, I couldn't (for the life of me!) figure out what tiny, little, "mini" objects this man wanted to purchase from me! So finally I just blurted out, "I'm sorry I don't know what you're talking about!"
Finally another customer, who had just walked in, turned to me and said, "I think he's asking for killies." And the guy said, "Yeah! Killies! Minnies!"
And I thought, "Duh! Why didn't you just say so?!"
I have never felt so dumb in my life!
Well... maybe
never is a bit too strong.
