Cattywampus: not centered or straight; crooked; crazy

Excuse us while we immediately add this word to our vocab. We don't care if city folk look at us like we're straight

up cattywampus. 

 

Sourdough: longtime resident of Alaska

The term dates back to the Klondike Gold Rush, when prospectors carried the dough due to its hearty nature. 

Snowbird: a person who lives in Arizona during the winter to escape the cold

These 'birds' clearly take after actual birds.

Tump: to spill or dump out

"Be careful, Margot, and don't tump the Budlight!"

Hella: very; extremely; a lot of 

"That wave was hella dope, brah!"

Fourteener: a mountain taller than 14,000 feet above sea level 

*Looks at the Rocky Mountains*
Doug: Man, that's a lot of fourteeners right there.
Stu: That's what she said.

Glawackus: a creepy-a** critter from urban legends that attacks livestock and children

AKA the Northern Devil Cat, folklore claims that by looking into its eyes (which are blind, btw) a

person's memory will erase. Last sighting? Glastonbury, CT.

Baggin’ up: to literally LOL

"After Stan crashed his bike into the bench, we couldn't stop baggin' up!"

Toad-Strangler: a severe thunderstorm; torrential downpour

Obviously, the phrase means there's so much rain it could drown a frog... amiright, Floridians?! 

Dingnation: aka hell

"This place is going to dingnation in a handbasket."

Aloha: hello/goodbye 

Another term that originated in Hawaii? Brah, which is the slang word for "bro", or at least that's what Urban Dict claims.

Whistle Pig: prairie dog 

The term refers to the critter's "distinct trilling call". Other animals also called whistle pigs and whistle hogs include: woodchucks, gophers, groundhogs, and squirrels.

Grabowski: hardworking, blue-collar

In the Chicagoland area, the term is also considered a complimentary word to describe someone of Polish ethnicity, according to CBS Local Chicago. Which makes sense,

considering the surname of many Polish people is, in fact, Grabowski.

Hoosier: someone who lives in Indiana

No surprise there. Didn't they make a movie about it? Think so.

Kybo: port-a-potty

According to The Week, "kybo" is a term used by Boy Scouts and acts as an acronym for Keep Your Bowels Open or Keep Your Bowels

Operating. Yikes. 

Shucky Darn: loosely translates to "Wow!"

"Shucky darn, I'm so happy for you, Harold!"

Chughole: pothole in the road

However, Urban Dict defines the term as something much more, er, vulgar. Click if you dare!

Banquette: sidewalk

While most people refer to a sidewalk as a "sidewalk", the French term originated in New Orleans, where they once "called the footpaths on the banks, banquettes." 

Ayuh: yes

While most of Maine's millennials don't use the word, it originated in the Eastern part of the state. This source classifies the term as a nautical

word, an explanation for why it has roots in Scots-Irish vocabulary, as well.  

Hon: a one-syllable term of endearment, short for "honey"

"What'cha doing, hon?"

Wicked: awesome

While the Old English use of the word dates back to the 13th century, Bostonians honestly have no idea when its slang definition originated. However, this

source attributes the usage to a variety of possibilities, from a 1942 political figure who dated Margaret Hamilton (the Wicked Witch in "Oz") to Matt Damon & Ben Affleck in "Good

Will Hunting." 

Yooper: person from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Michigan also has a couple other slang terms for its residents and tourists, like trolls and fudgies. Residents who live south

of Mackinac Bridge are called trolls; they live under the bridge, get it? Fudgies are what the people of pure Michigan call tourists who vacation up north to buy fudge. 

Uff Da: an expression meaning surprise or disgust

Multiple sources confirm that the term originated in Norway and was transplanted in American vocabulary by Scandinavian immigrants. 

Nabs: peanut butter crackers

The term serves as an affectionate ode to the Nabisco company who introduced the snacks in the 1920s. 

Missouri: *?*

Apparently, there are four different pronunciations of the state's name, from Missour-ee or Missour-uh.

Graupel: tiny ice balls

Derived from German, the word "graupel" is defined by the National Weather Service as "small pellets of ice created when super-cooled water droplets

coat, or rime, a snowflake."

Runza: a sandwich filled with beef and cabbage

Apparently one of Nebraska's "most-treasured foods," the Runza "meat pocket" dates back hundreds of years to German immigrants.

Pogonip: icy fog

According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, a pogonip "is a meteorological term used to describe an uncommon occurrence: frozen fog." It originated in Native American

language, many believing that breathing the fog would harm the lungs. 

Poky: scary

This one's got several definitions, actually, the most well-used being "slow" or "to dawdle". Poky can also mean insignificant, or act as a synonym for jail. 

Jug Handle: a traffic intersection that forces the driver to turn right, in order to turn left

These intersections sound a little unnecessary and involve traffic ramps and

all that, but apparently they're pretty common in New Jersey.

Christmas: chili mix

And we don't mean the holiday. In New Mexico, the word is also synonymous with green and red chili mix. 

Mad: very; exceptionally

According to Urban Dict, New York's vocab inclusion of the word "mad" is equivalent to Cali's "hella" and Boston's "wicked." 

Cackalacky: another name for the Carolina states and BBQ sauce

"Hey, y'all, let's drive down to Cackalacky!"

Hotdish: casserole

We're ROFL over this Wiki definition: "a casserole, which typically contains a starch, a meat, and a canned or frozen vegetable, mixed with canned soup."

Carry-in: potluck

Jill: What are you bringing to Robin's carry-in?
Julie: I dunno, I prefer to carry-out ...
*And then they lolz*

Quakenado: an earthquake that occurs simultaneously with a tornado

Slate's original sentence is too good: "This quakenado could really use some sharks." That it could, people of Slate. That it

could.   

Jojos: potato wedges

Jim: "Hey, pass me some of 'dos jojos, Clarence!"
Clarence: "What in the heck's a jojo?"
Jim: "The tater wedges, dammit!"

Yinz: you all

This regional dialect just reminded us of this quiz from the "New York Times". Researchers compiled data from more than 350,000 surveys and created a

dialect map for the country. 

Cabinet: milkshake

"Juniper! Get over here, your strawberry cabinet is meltin'!"

Surcee: a surprise gift

According to Garden & Gun magazine, a surcee is—"a word with Scotch-Irish roots—that many Southerners use to describe a 'just-because' gift."

Chislic: cubed meat

Sorry, but the words "cubed meat" just sound disgusting. So, we'll be passing on any chislic for the foreseeable future.

Whirlygust: strong wind

Gotta say, this is one of our favorite slang words! It sounds like it's straight from a Winnie-the-Pooh storybook.

Hoss: friend

Urban Dict credits the word's origin to the popular 1959 western sitcom called "Bonanza" where one of the show's characters (Dan Blocker) was affectionately called Hoss. 

Oh my heck: a derivative expression of “Oh my God”

Can't say we've heard this slang phrase in action before 😂

Creemee: soft serve

The term dates back to the 1940s when the original founders of today's Dairy Queen decided that they liked their ice cream better in its creamy

state. And so on, and so forth, so the word "creemee" became a fad. 

Might could: can

We can only imagine that in the state of Virginia, this dialect phrase would be an English teacher's nightmare.

Jumble sale: yard sale

"Hey, Mary Jo, did you price all the items for the jumble sale?"

Mess: a measurement

"Jeffrey, bring Grandmama a mess of those green beans, will ya?" 

TYME machine: an ATM

According to Wiki, TYME is an acronym for "Take Your Money Everywhere".

Dout: put out a fire

"Don't dout that campfire, we're making S'mores!"