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12 Expressions You Should Learn Before Coming to Kansas

Kansas
by Ashleigh Lee Feb 19, 2018

Sometimes, living in Kansas feels like we are in our own separate country. We are proud of our unique food, tradition, history, and culture. Kansans get so excited talking to newcomers about our home that we forget that not everyone will know our colloquialisms.

Here are 12 expressions you should learn before coming to Kansas.

1. “Caddy Corner.”

A direction best used to describe something on the opposite corner. “Her house is caddy corner to the Quiktrip.”

2. “Ope.”

Short for “oops” but it’s more of a sound someone makes when they drop something or run into another person or inanimate object.

3. “That’s nice.”

It’s the Kansas way if saying “I don’t give a shit.”

4. “Rock chalk.”

What to say to a fellow KU fan. The appropriate response is “Jayhawk!”

5. “EMAW”

This stands for “every man a wildcat.” What a battle cry.

6. “Pop.”

The south has “Coke” and the east has their “soda.” But us Kansans? We got our pop.

7. “Bless your heart.”

This is best used whenever someone really tries at something but fails. It’s a nicer way of saying “you’re an idiot.”

8. “Driving like a bat out of hell.”

Used to describe Missouri drivers.

9. “Giving them the runaround”

When someone is being evasive to a situation or another person. “Joe keeps giving Jane the runaround when she asked him about where he was the other night.”

10. “Sun shower.”

This is a weird phenomenon where it rains while the sun is shining. Because, Kansas.

11. “Hot minute.”

When it’s been awhile since you’ve seen someone, been somewhere or done something, but not a significant amount of time has passed. “I haven’t seen cousin Bob in a hot minute!”

12. “For crying out loud.”

What your mother says when you give her the runaround.

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