Handy Guide to Regional Slang in the 50 US States
Handy Guide to Regional Slang in the 50 US States
We’ve written before about how the same language can sound completely different in different countries. Specifically, we’ve explored the differences between American and British regionalisms and the various Spanish expressions used in the different Spanish-speaking countries. But what about regional slang within the same country? Have you ever traveled within the United States and had trouble understanding someone from a different state, wondering if you had somehow ended up in a completely different country? Just as the different countries around the world have their unique regional characteristics, including their use of language, so too do the 50 US states. In honor of America’s birthday earlier this week, let’s have a look at some regional slang, expressions, and terms in each of the US states.
Alabama
Cattywampus: crooked, sideways, crazy, messed up
Flip: slingshot
Roll tide: a multipurpose term used to greet someone, show appreciation, or show agreement
Alaska
Sourdough: a longtime Alaska resident
Lower 48: the continental United States (i.e. all the states except for Alaska and Hawaii)
Banana belt: the warmest sub-region of an otherwise cold region
Arizona
Greasewood: creosote bush
Snowbird: a visitor from somewhere colder who comes to Arizona to escape harsher winters
Arkansas
Renthouse: a house that’s rented out
Tump: to tip over or dump out
Gallery: a porch on a house
California
Hella: very, extremely
Colorado
Fourteener: a mountain more than 14,000 feet above sea level
Connecticut
Packy store: short for package store—a beer or liquor store
Delaware
Sneak: tennis shoe
Bag up: to laugh loudly or for a long time
Jeet: “Did you eat?”
District of Columbia
Slug: hitchhiker
Bama: loser
Florida
Toad-strangler: a heavy or severe rainstorm
Scaper: rascal or critter
Green: a way of describing something messed up. Another Floridian term to describe this concept would be “flaw.”
Georgia
Burk: vomit
Dingnation: damnation or hell
Get to gettin’: “It’s time to go.”
Hawaii
Huhu: angry
Aloha: greeting or farewell
Da kine: a universal term for describing something, especially if you can’t remember the name of it
Auntie/Uncle: older family friends or elders you respect
Idaho
Whistle pig: prairie dog
Rig: a large vehicle
Illinois
Scramble dinner: potluck
Grabowski: a hardworking, tough, blue collar worker
Gym shoes: tennis shoes
Indiana
Belling: loud celebration
Hoosier: someone from or who lives in Indiana, or a country bumpkin
Sweeper: vacuum cleaner
Pitch-in dinner: potluck
Iowa
Kittenball: softball
Padiddle: what you say when you see a car with one working headlight
Kansas
Doodinkus: a random object
Shucky darn: “Wow!”
Ornery: a troublemaker
Kentucky
Ridy-bob: seesaw
Clughole: pothole
Coke: any soda/soft drink. If you actually want a coke, you would ask for a “regular coke.”
Louisiana
Banquette: sidewalk
Cher: (pronounced “sha”) cute or endearing
Cream cheese: cottage cheese
Mom’n’em: family
Wrench: to wash
Maine
Putty around: be idle
Ayuh: yes
Maryland
Snoopy: finicky
Sice: exaggerate
Massachusetts
Rotary: traffic circle or roundabout
Wicked: awesome or cool; also very
Frappe: milkshake
Michigan
Sewing needle: dragonfly
Yooper: someone from Michigan’s upper peninsula
Pop: soda or soft drink
Minnesota
Uff da or ish: expressions of disgust
Ohfer: a way of emphasizing what you’re trying to say
Mississippi
Squab: a fat person
Nabs: peanut butter crackers
Bless your heart: Unlike how it sounds, this is a way of insulting someone.
Missouri
Hall tree: clothes rack
Montana
Coulee: valley
Graupel: a ball of ice
Whiskey ditch: whiskey and water
Nebraska
On pump: on credit
You betcha: an exclamation uttered when experiencing something good
Nevada
Pogonip: thick, icy fog
New Hampshire
Crawm: food waste
Poky: scary or eerie
Janky: of poor quality
New Jersey
Laggy: lethargic
Jug handle: an intersection where you’re forced to turn right in order to then turn left
Down the shore: the beach
New Mexico
Christmas: a green and red chili mix
All: very
New York
Mad: very, much, a lot
Tureen dinner: potluck
North Carolina
Cackalacky: a nickname for North Carolina
Yonder: a place; “over there”
Table tapper: amateur preacher
North Dakota
Uff da: an expression of surprise, disgust, or exasperation
Hotdish: casserole
Ohio
Carry-in: potluck
Please: what you would say if you want someone to repeat themselves
Devil strip: a small patch of grass between a sidewalk and a street
Oklahoma
Quakenado: an earthquake that occurs at the same time as a tornado
Fixin’ to: getting ready to
Oregon
Jojos: potato wedges
The coast: the beach
Pennsylvania
Yinz: you all, you guys
Jagoff: a jerk
Woolies: collections of dust or lint that build up in places you rarely sweep or vacuum
Jawn: an all-purpose word that can be used for a stand-in for just about anything—objects, concepts, events, places, and people
Rhode Island
Driftway: access road to the sea
Cabinet: milkshake
Bubbler: water fountain
Frappe: milkshake
South Carolina
Cascade: vomit
Sucree: an unexpected gift
Might could: another way of saying “could”
South Dakota
Soak: serious drinker
Taverns: sloppy joes
Tennessee
Buggy: shopping cart
Whirlygust: a strong wind
Hunk: bumpkin
Texas
Worrit: nag
Hoss: partner or friend
Washateria: a laundromat
Utah
Sluff school: to cut school or play hooky
Oh my heck: “Oh my God!”
Vermont
Pestle around: putter around
Creemee: a soft-serve frosty treat
Virginia
Might could: another way of saying “could”
Brick: a long time
Garlicky: having a bad flavor
Washington
Jumble sale: yard sale/tag sale
West Virginia
A mess of: a lot of
Holler: road
Wisconsin
Whoopensocker: something extraordinary
TYME machine: an ATM (automated teller machine)
Bubbler: a drinking or water fountain
Wyoming
Dout: to put out a fire
Barking squirrel: a prairie dog
If you’d like to learn more English, regional slang and expressions, or prepare for your next trip in the United States, Konversai is the place to do it. Konversai is your one-stop shop for any and all personal human knowledge on any subject you can imagine. The online platform connects providers of knowledge with seekers of knowledge through one-on-one live video conversations. Knowledge providers have the opportunity to make money by sharing with others what they know on their own time without having to leave their home. Knowledge seekers have the opportunity to engage in a personalized conversation on exactly what they’re looking to learn with an actual human being. All users are encouraged to be both knowledge providers and knowledge seekers on any and as many topics as they wish. Whether you’re on the platform as a provider or a seeker, you are sure to come out of the conversation feeling enriched. So whatever you’re passionate or curious about, bring it with you to Konversai. Get started today!
By Pavita Singh
Sources:
- Hershberger, Matt. (2016). The 13 best regional slang words in America. Matador Network.
- Kofyman, Stef. (2017). The Best of American Regional Slang. Babbel Magazine.
- Malady, Matthew J.X. The United Slang of America. Slate.
- Rackham, Casey. (2018). Here are the Best Slang Words From Each US State.
- The Daily Meal. The Weirdest Regional Slang Across America.
- Weeks, Linton. (2015). Do We Talk Funny? 51 American Colloquialisms. National Public Radio.
