1. Bless your heart

It is possible there are actually some Texans out there who say this with genuine feelings of compassion. Nevertheless, for many of us, it’s often associated with pity, contempt, and sometimes even hatred. “Bless your heart, you’re drinking real Coke.” (See item 8.)

2. It’s not that far

In fact, it is. We Texans just grew up with such skewed ideas about distance and traffic we don’t think that much about traveling for an hour to meet a friend or driving a few hundred miles on the weekend.

3. Texas Tea

Though it might be from Texas, it doesn’t look like tea and can’t be drunk (safely). Texas Tea refers to that rich black stuff that comes out of the ground, oil.

4. This ain’t my first rodeo

Though this expression is popular in Texas and across the world to express confidence when entering a familiar situation, it’s misleading. Many Texans letting these words escape their lips have in fact never seen a rodeo.

5. It’s cold out

That just means it’s below 50 degrees and we’ve had to dig our winter clothes out of storage.

6. He’s packing

He’s not stuffing a suitcase full of clothes for an exciting international trip. Rather, he’s wearing a gun strapped to his side because he’s scared and feels inadequate.

7. Mexican food

It’s worth pointing out that plenty of Texans know the difference between Tex-Mex and Mexican food, but for some, these words are interchangeable. I don’t know how to break it to my friends going to Mexico for the first time they’re not going to find sizzling fajitas…

8. Coke

Just because Texas is the home of Dr. Pepper doesn’t mean residents have the best words to appreciate the difference. While northeasterners like saying “pop” and the rest of the country “soda”, Texans tend to call all soft drinks “coke”, from root beer to Sprite.