"High Tider" or sometimes "Hoi Toider" is a nickname for a native of the rural eastern coast

Outer Banks

The Outer Banks is a 200-mile long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, beginning in the southeastern corner of Virginia Beach on the east coast of the United States....

 region of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

, specifically from several small townships such as Atlantic

Atlantic, North Carolina

Atlantic is an unincorporated community in eastern Carteret County situated along the Core Sound, located in what was known to early settlers of the area as Hunting Quarters. It is the location of US 70's eastern terminus and the ferry terminal for journeys to North Core Banks in the Cape Lookout...

, Smyrna, Sea Level

Sea Level, North Carolina

Sea Level is an unincorporated community in northeastern Carteret County, North Carolina. It rests on the banks of the Core Sound and has a population of roughly 450. It is located in what was known to early settlers as Hunting Quarters. Sea Level has one of the lowest elevations in North Carolina;...

, and Harkers Island in eastern Carteret County

Carteret County, North Carolina

Carteret County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 66,469. Its county seat is Beaufort. Most of the county is part of the Crystal Coast....

, and from Ocracoke

Ocracoke, North Carolina

Ocracoke is a census-designated place and unincorporated town located at the southern end of Ocracoke Island, located entirely within Hyde County, North Carolina. The population was 769 as of the 2000 census...

. It is also the name of the distinctive dialect spoken by people from these regions.

The term originates from an old colloquial jargon phrase that reflects the story told by an old fisherman: "High tide, can't fish, gotta eat mash potatoes."

Dialect

People raised in the Down East

Down East (North Carolina)

In North Carolina, Down East historically refers to the group of communities east of Beaufort in Carteret County in the Coastal Plain region of the state. The residents of Down East Carteret County have referred to their group of communities by this name for many decades, but recently, the media...

 area of North Carolina have a very distinct accent of which the most evident characteristic is a variation of the hard "I" sound. "I" becomes "oy", so "high tide" would be pronounced "hoi toid". A similar accent can be found in the Tidewater

Tidewater

Tidewater may refer to:*Tidewater , a geographic area of southeast Virginia and northeast North Carolina*Tidewater , a company providing marine services to the offshore petroleum industry...

 region of Virginia, particularly the island of Tangier

Tangier, Virginia

Tangier is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States, on Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay. The population was 727 at the 2010 census. The tiny island community has attracted the attention of linguists because its people speak a unique English Restoration era dialect of American English...

.