A State-by-State Guide to the Most Hilarious (and Annoying) Slang Across the US

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Delaware

This state is scrunched up between New Jersey and Maryland. In the north, it’s all about giving the New Jersey tourists the “side-eye.” In the “slower lower” half of the state, the dialect borders on downright Southern, where they say things like “Hi hon” to greet you and “colley flare” to describe a white vegetable similar to broccoli.

Florida

The first time I visited this state I was quite surprised to discover that they speak fluent Southern. Even the transplants from up North learn to slow down and say things like “On her wedding day she was happier than a seagull with a french fry.”

Georgia

In other parts of the country, saying “That dog won’t hunt” means that you have a defective dog. Down here, it means that the speaker is highly suspicious of what he or she has just been told. As in, “something about that smells a little fishy.”

Hawaii

Hawaiians use a lot of extra vowel sounds, but all of those long vowels are about as clear as mud to someone who speaks with extra ahs and uhs. I do love how they use “Auntie” as a respectful way to refer to any woman of your parents’ generation.

Idaho

Even people I know who have lived in Idaho can’t find much original about the language there. But if you want to fit in, the capital city is pronounced “boy-see.” There is no “z.”

Illinois

A “sawbuck” refers to $10 in this state, and “brewskies” are what you spend your sawbuck on down at the local bar.

Indiana

“Hoosiers” may be the team name for the state university here, but it’s best not to call a resident of the state a “hoosier” because it’s the equivalent of calling them a redneck. Which by the way is an insult in only some cases. In others, it’s a badge of honor.

Iowa

What the rest of us call a “wedgie” seems to have a softer-sounding version in Iowa, where they call it a “snuggie.” Yup, like the diapers.

Kansas

So let me get this straight — y’all walk into KFC and order a bucket of “yardbird”? As in, “Please pass the mashed potatoes and yardbird”? All righty then.

Kentucky

I know that there are “hollers” in other states, but most folks call them “valleys.” After six seasons of Justified, I kind of prefer “holler” myself. They also have funny sayings like “I think your wig’s a little loose.” Translation: “What kind of nut job are you, anyway?”

Louisiana

They say quite a few things in Louisiana that I don’t understand, mostly because of the accent and the speed of the conversation. The one that perplexes me most is, “I’m going by your house later.” Well, why just go by when you could stop on in?

Maine

Don’t you just love the sound of the phrase “leaf peepahs”? It refers to all of us non-Mainers who go there to see the fall foliage.

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Maryland

A “chicken necker” is a tourist trying to catch crabs. Unless, of course, said tourist is from Kansas, which would make him a “yardbird necker.”

Massachusetts

I dearly love any state that attaches the word “wicked” to everything they love. It’s wicked good.

Michigan

“Geez-o-Pete!” is an expletive involving Jesus and St. Peter. Y’all Midwesterners are more polite about your cussing than we are in Texas.

Minnesota

Where do you even begin with Minnesota? They say some weird stuff up there. The rest of us add “ish” to a word to mean “sort of.” Up there they use it as a stand-alone word meaning “yuck” or “eew.” Probably has something to do with the fact that their lips are frozen solid for half the year. And what the heck does “uff da” mean?

Mississippi

When your mama doesn’t like your friends, she will tell you that they don’t have a “lick of sense.” Then she’ll tell you that if she catches you with them again, she’s going to “slap you naked and hide your clothes.”

Missouri

I have never been quite sure if the way Missourians say the names of the two St. Louis interstate highways is an accent thing or a commentary on the aroma. Either way, it’s hard to keep a straight face when they give directions that involve “Farty” and “Farty-Far.”

Montana

Idahoans may not have their own funny phrases, but the neighbors have got them covered. A “spud muncher” is what Montanans call someone from Idaho.

Nebraska

Nebraskans love football and lovingly call their Cornhuskers the “‘skers.” Gotta wonder if the “Oracle of Omaha,” Warren Buffett, is included in that group. Locals also lovingly refer to Omaha as their “homeaha.”

Nevada

I am not sure that Nevada’s transient population can claim any long-term language oddities, but they surely are responsible for some relatively new descriptive terms that would make their neighbors in Utah blush. “Pornslappers” are those annoying people on street corners handing out little invitations to strip shows.

New Hampshire

Pronunciation can drastically alter the meaning of a word. Most of us use the word “draw” as a verb meaning to sketch or take another card. In New Hampshire, it’s where they store the silverware, as in, “The spoons are in the draw.” They sometimes also have an odd way of putting things. When it’s nap time, they say, “Put down the baby.” In Texas, we “put down” our animals to end their lives humanely.

New Jersey

Sometimes extra words are thrown in, as in “Not for nuthin’ but” at the beginning of almost any sentence. Other times New Jerseyans seem to randomly leave out words, like when they say “down the shore” instead of “down to the shore.”

New Mexico

Quite a bit of Western slang is used in New Mexico but with almost no trace of the twang that usually goes with it. They also have an interesting blend of English and Spanish that’s acceptable for both languages. “Carrucha” is Spanglish for a low-rider car. There’s no Spanish definition for the word, but it sure is fun to say.

New York

New Yorkers like to be different, so they tend to say they are standing “on line,” not “in line.” They also pronounce the popular street Houston as “Hows-ton,” not “Hews-ton” as they say in Texas.

North Carolina

While most of us turn lights off, in North Carolina they “cut the lights out.” They also “might could” use a “buggy” at the grocery store (a grocery cart to everyone else).

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North Dakota

Phrases with double meanings can make it hard for outsiders to get the subtleties of a conversation. When someone from North Dakota says “Yah y’betcha yah,” either he or she understands and agrees with you or thinks you are an idiot.

Ohio

Regardless of the meaning in other states, in Ohio, “cornhole” refers to a beanbag toss game. And the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street is called the “devil’s strip.” The obvious question is whether they play cornhole in the devil’s strip. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Oklahoma

Since they mostly talk just like Texans, I don’t think Okies sound funny at all. The rest of you probably think it’s odd that they say “gonna run into town” even when they live in town.

Oregon

People we used to call “tree huggers” are now described with the adjective “granola” in Oregon. “Stop being so granola and eat your hamburger.”

Pennsylvania

This is a state that has its own official dialect. So it’s OK when they say that sub sandwiches are “hoagies.” Ice cream sprinkles are “jimmies.” And if you need to tidy up a mess, you “red it up.”

Rhode Island

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Rhode Island is the only state to call a hot dog a “hot weiner.” They also say, “bang a u-ey” when they mean “make a U-turn.”

South Carolina

Language is so endearing in this state. They have a nice way to say almost anything. “Bless her li’l ol’ heart” can mean they empathize with someone or they despise that person. “Bow head” is a not-so-polite way to describe a sorority girl.

South Dakota

There are lots of crossover words between the Dakotas and Minnesota. “Hotdish” is a casserole, “get a wiggle on” means “hurry up,” and “tots” are not children but frozen potatoes that they most likely just added to the hotdish.

Tennessee

The city we all call Nashville is becoming “Nashvegas,” and there ain’t no sense in “bawling and squallin” about it.

Texas

I admit that we have a colorful way of saying things in my home state. Sometimes we drag things out, and sometimes we speak in our own shorthand. I am going to trust you with one of those secret short versions. When a female in this state says, “Ah HELL no,” it could mean anything from “the horse busted out of the barn” to “that hussy better not be talking to my man.” It could also mean that she’s got a flat (either her tire or her hair). Whatever she means, it’s better to just get out of her way.

Utah

If you hear about a student “sluffing,” don’t be too alarmed. He isn’t shedding skin, he’s just cutting class. Utah is also one of those polite swearing states. They say, “Oh my heck!” when their kids are caught sluffing.

Vermont

They are proud of their heritage up there in Vermont. They have a saying about transplants who claim to be Vermonters. “Just because a cat has her kittens in the oven don’t make them biscuits.”

Virginia

“Squids” are not cousins to octopi along the Virginia coast; they’re newly enlisted sailors. And in the hills, “et up” means “eaten up,” as in “I got et up by them skeeters last night.”

Washington

Is it being “granola” of people in Washington to insert the word “blip” in place of a curse word? Or are they just polite? And what do Seattle natives think of being called “web-footers”?

West Virginia

There are “hollers” here, just like in Kentucky, and they “pert near” (“pretty near”) have their own language, including a drink called “co-cola.”

Wisconsin

Sentences ending in prepositions and odd sayings like “upside right” are common in America’s dairyland. They probably think the rest of us are “dumber than a sack of hammers” for speaking any other way. And if you want to grab a drink, go to the “bubbler,” also known as the “drinking fountain.”

Wyoming

Someone who “looks like 10 miles of dirt road” is more than a little disheveled. And you’d never catch a “buckle bunny” chasing a pro-rodeo cowboy looking like that!

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