Local slang terms you should know from each state (2023)

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The United States is a large and diverse country. The approximately 350 million citizens of this country not only come from different backgrounds and come in all shapes, sizes and colors, they also live in very different areas and states. Although most Americans speak English, everyone speaks it a little differently. And that means one thing:strange handlingevery state.

There are someThings only Midwesterners say— "Ope," anyone? About the,Southerners have their own slang.But even in these smaller regions, there are phrases that are perfectly normal to citizens of one state and utterly hilarious to people in any of the other 49 states.

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Alabama is just Alabama to almost everyone else in the country, but it's "Bama" to locals. The short form is used as a nickname for the state and the University of Alabama. According to Dictionary.com, "bama" can also beslang for someoneIt's neither stylish nor cool, although we doubt Alabama people subscribe to that version of the word.

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The word “outside” might just mean leaving home or being homeless for most, but for the people ofAlaska, the term "outside" refers to any country beyond the borders of Alaska.

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A swamp cooler is called an evaporative cooler in Arizona, which is an air conditioner that uses water evaporation to cool the air and add moisture. It's a great way to cool your home in the dry Arizona heat.

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Cattywampus is funny to hear and funny to say, but in Arkansas andother southern states, means something unconventional or lopsided.

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a certaintySigns from someone who grew up in Californiais the use of the term "hella" in regular sentences. There's a chance the word was made even more popular by Gwen Stefani, a native of California, on No Doubt's song "Hella Good." "Hella" simply means "very", "really" or "very".

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Fourteener means a mountain over 14,000 feet above sea level, Colorado has fourteen more than any other state in the Union and this is how Coloradons refer to themmajestic mountains.

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Connecticut has some really great pizza, or as the locals in New Haven call it, "Apizza," pronounced "ah-BEETZ." It's a Neapolitan-style pizza that can be topped with fresh mussels or shrimp, among other things. It may not look like a traditional tomato sauce pizza, but it is one of thembest pizza in america.

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How is this callednight before halloween- if any? Most people in the country don't have a word for it, but in Delaware, 88% of people call it "Night of Mischief," according to a statewide language survey by the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. By the way, the night of evil is strongly represented on the north-east coast of the country.

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You know that brief 15-minute thunderstorm that happens while the sun is still rising? if you have visitedFlorida for the summer, maybe you have already experienced this. This very specific weather phenomenon occurs when just a cloud turns to rain. Florida folks are so used to it that not only do they have a name for it, but they probably walk 50 feet away to dry again.

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Many of the colloquial terms in Georgia probably originated fromAtlanta. The phrase "no cap" is used in place of "no lie" or to emphasize that someone is telling the truth about something that seems far-fetched.

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"Da kine" is an expression in Hawaiian pidgin, a creole language partly based on English and used by manyHawaiianer am Strand. "Da kine" has endless uses - it can be a placeholder like the English slang words "thingy" or "whatchamacallit" and used as a noun, verb, adverb or adjective. It's not that the speaker can't think of the word, but it is speaker and listener who share a common understanding of what the speaker is trying to convey.

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In Idaho, a prairie dog is more commonly referred to as a whistling pig. Prairie dogs are also the same as ground squirrels or groundhogs.

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Illinois slang termsnationwide different, but one thing is on everyone's lips: sneakers. Most people in other states refer to them as sneakers or trainers, but in this Midwestern state, they're the shoes you wear at the gym - sneakers. Another slang term more specific to Chicago, Illinois is "LSD." Not the psychedelic drug LSD, but Lake Shore Drive with its mix of urban architecture, beaches and lake views.

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When something small but silly, surprising, or amazing happens, you'll hear a little "Ope!" from someMiddle West, including those in Indiana. It's somewhere between an "oops" and an "uh-oh".

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In Iowa and parts of the Midwest, this isstupid handlingused to call a car with a missing tail light. If you find one while traveling, hit the roof and say "Paddle" to start a car driving game common to Iowans.

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You may not be the overly polite type of person to use "damn" as a term of admiration, wonder, or frustration, but if you're from Kansas,You've probably heard it. Loosely translated, this means "wow!"

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No, it isn'tnice location for scenic walks. It's a mullet, a haircut characteristic of the people of Kentucky, so that slang.

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In Louisiana, people often use the word "cher" to refer to a man or woman as darling and beloved. It comes from the French Cajun.

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There aremany ways to say yesin English - of course, yes, yes, definitely, etc. In Maine, there is a completely different one: “ayuh”. Ayuh is an informal version of yes or just a way of acknowledging someone or something. Bibliophiles can look up the term in some of Stephen King's novels.

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Hon is short for honey, used asaffectionate way of addressing someone. In Maryland, and especially in Baltimore, conversations are full of "honey."

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While most people in the English-speaking world use "wicked" when referring to something bad, Native Americans in Massachusetts use it as an alternative to the word "very" or as an adjective meaning "great." As in: "The game was bad!" And alsoit's snowing in a "perverted" crowdMasse."

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sometimes aSlang term gets so much steam, it is added to the dictionary. This happened in Michigan, where people who live upstate are called "idiots." According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, "yooper" is a term that refers to people from Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

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In Minnesota "Oof there!" used to express emotions such as surprise, amazement, exhaustion, relief, dismay and almost anything else. A short statement makes a big difference.

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A "buggy" is better known as a cart horse hauler in most parts of the country. But in Mississippi, buggy is what state residents call a grocery cart.

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Although Missouri is spelled with an "i," most people in the state pronounce it "MissourAH." As a general rule of thumb, "Missoura" is most commonly heard in the western upstate region. Both pronunciations are acceptable, but they areright to start a debate.

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sleet issnowfallThis happens when extremely cold water droplets are collected and frozen into a falling snowflake. They may not have a term for it, but in Montana they call it "sleet."

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What do you call something that is on the other side of the street at an intersection or at an angle in general? Diagonal probably. In Nebraska, most people call this the "smarter corner." In the poll conducted by the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, 55% of Nebraskans said they say catty-corner instead of diagonal.

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Toke used in certain cases may have something to do with potentially illegal drug use. But in Las Vegas it is actually a tip given to a casino dealer. It can be short for "thank you sign".

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What the rest of the country calls catfish, the people of New Hampshire are very specific. They call one type of catfish a "hornpout".

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Pitcher handles are all over New Jersey, but they existnot so common in other states. Jug handles are right exits that allow left turns, removing the driver from the lane and allowing them to turn left. It is in the shape of a jug handle. These are basically intersections where drivers must turn right in order to turn left.

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That's itChristmas in New Mexico all year roundwhen we talk about hot sauces. The duo of red and green chilli sauce is festively called "Christmas". Give it a try while you're there: "Can you make it through Christmas? I want more spice in these enchiladas."

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New Yorkers tend to have their own language, and some words make their way into official dictionaries. "Schlep" is one example - the word, meaning to drag or carry, is popular with New Yorkers and has made an entry in Merriam Webster.

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This is more of a nickname than slang, thoughit's still popular. "North Cackalacky" is a nickname for North Carolina. It's not obvious where the term came from, but two linguistics professors at North Carolina State University believe it may have evolved as a parody to mock the rural mores of people in the South.

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In North Dakota, "hot dish" is slanghot and bubbly casserolestraight out of the oven. Throughout the Midwest, it's not uncommon for a meal served on a griddle to be referred to as a hot dish.

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"Sweeper" sounds like another term for broom, but actually refers to a vacuum cleaner. For Ohioans, sweeping the living room means opening the vacuum. The context has to count for something.

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A "Quakenado" is not officialExtremes WetterTerm, but Oklahomans use it both as a joke and as a mark of honor when referring to an earthquake that occurs simultaneously with a tornado.

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In Oregon and other northwestern states, expensive or costly things are given the colloquial name "shabby".

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Similar to Southern "y'all", Pennsylvania contributes to the American vocabulary "yinz". Yinz is a substitute for "you all" or you.

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When you order a frappe in Rhode Island, you get a plain milkshake. No fantasy, muddy textureJava chip that you can order from Starbucks. And Rhode Island Frappes are caffeine-free, too.

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If there is anything “beyond” in the South, including South Carolina, it is by a considerable distance. It's quite an ambiguous form of direction, almost like "it's there".

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In South Dakota it's pretty boring to say something is close or very close, so they say "pert'near". It's a versatile word that can be used for distances or as a synonym for almost. As in "thisDelicious cakeIt's almost ready in the oven."

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"Fixin' to" is one of those quintessential Southern slang phrases — and you can't get any further south than Tennessee. Fixin' is used in place of "I'm going" or "I'm getting ready for".

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Wassweet carbonated drinkwe all know and love that it's "pop" in the Midwest, soda in the Northeast and across the country, but in Texas it's just plain "Coke." Cartographer Alan McConchie created a web project called "Pop Vs. Soda" to see how the terms differ across the country. In Texas, of the 20,000 people surveyed, more than 14,000 said they use the word "cola" when describing a carbonated beverage.

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If you skip class or school at work, "talk" in Utah. It's fun to say and even more fun to do.

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Vermont has a name for people who drive to see its trees shimmering gold, red, and orange in the fall. "Folheiros," they call them, are townspeople who travel to the coastGet some of those pretty fall foliage.

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Most of the country refers to a purse as a purse, but in parts of Virginia they call it a "poke". It is related to aold slang"Buy a pig in a poke" was when grocers in the Middle Ages tried to trick customers by selling them a cat or dog in a bag instead of a pig.

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Washington natives call a flea or flea market a "jungle sale."

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The word roar usually means to call out to someone or to attract attention. In West Virginia, however, it means something completely independent. "Holler" actually means a road or remote area to a West Virginian, and considering the Appalachian Trail runs through the state - there are quite a fewto dare "Holler"..

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You've heard of being second to none, and in Wisconsin it can be "rematched" too. Dictionary.com doesn't say it's a word, but people in Wisconsin don't seem to care. In fact, Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport has officially established the middle ground,Kind of chaotic area after going through TSAals "Recombubulation Area".

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According to Wyoming State Archives Reference Archivist Suzi Taylor, Greenies are people from Colorado, usually tourists and people who have recently moved to Wyoming. The term is sometimes used in reference to outsiders in general, and comes from the color of old Colorado license plates. Regardless of what Wyoming residents call tourists, everyone is welcome to explore the area.one of the most amazing mountain towns to visit in winter.

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