If you’ve had a chance to travel, you’ve noticed differences in the way people talk in other places. This is something that anyone who has traveled the U.S. is keenly aware of. The people in Seattle talk differently than New Yorkers, and Texans are a whole other kettle of fish. Even then, we can usually figure out what people mean when they break out a colloquialism or a local version of an idiom. Sometimes, though, we’re left scratching our heads. Here are a few of those strange sayings that will have you wondering if everyone’s still speaking English.
For most of us, “banging” something either means you’re making a big noise, like construction workers hammering nails into a wall or … well, you get the idea. We do use “bang” informally, but nowhere is the verb more informal than in Rhode Island where locals might tell you to “bang a U-ey”. “U-ey” is pretty common slang for a U-turn. When Rhode Islanders tell you this, they just want you to make a U-turn, and there’s no need to make a lot of noise about it. The term might be related to the phrase “bang one out,” which essentially means to do something, but it sure sounds strange nonetheless. If you happen to be told to do this, your Rhode Island tour guide will likely be impressed if you just wheel it around, no questions asked.
The Bluegrass State is known for some of its quirky Southern slang, although it shares much of this lingo with other Southern states. One interesting phrase you might hear only in Kentucky is, “your wig’s a little loose” or “I think your wig’s a little loose.” This is essentially telling someone you think they’re crazy—not exactly a compliment. The phrase is comparable to idioms like “doesn’t have his head on straight” and “I think you have a few screws loose.” Wonder if this phrase got its start in the early days of the Union, when everyone was still wearing powdered wigs?
The Dakotas get a bad rap: the weather isn’t all that great, there’s not much to see or do and the locals are friendly, but perhaps a little strange to many. One thing you’ll quickly notice is that South Dakotans, much like Minnesotans and North Dakotans, have some different turns of phrases. One of the most intriguing is “get a wiggle on,” which essentially means “hurry up.” Others might be familiar with the phrase “get a move on,” which uses the same construct and means the same thing. We’re not entirely sure why South Dakotans want everyone to wiggle to their destination, though maybe it has something to do with keeping warm during the harsh winter weather. Nonetheless, if a South Dakotan acquaintance happens to suggest you should get your wiggle on, you needn’t bust a move like you’re on the dance floor—a bit more spring in your step will do.
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the Golden State has some pretty slangy terminology. While a lot of California idioms have arisen from surf culture and then spread to a wider demographic through the magic of Hollywood, there are still a few turns of phrase that are uniquely Californian. One of those phrases might be “gotta get flat,” which, at first glance, seems pretty obtuse. Why do we need to get flattened out? Is this something to do with earthquakes? Or maybe it’s some new twist on “getting down.” It actually just means “I need to lie down”.
Michigan’s strangest idiom might seem relatively tame or even understandable from some points of view. It’s a sort of mild swear, certainly not as rude as some of the phrases you might find around the world. In some ways, it’s almost cute and it’s definitely Michigan. “Geez-o-Pete!” is an exclamation that’s sort of like “Jesus Mary Mother of God!” with much the same meaning and parallel structure in that it calls on Jesus and St. Peter. If you hear your Michiganian friends shouting this, you know something’s caught them off-guard and not in a good way. It’s just that polite company is forcing them to keep it G-rated—so you don’t hear some other choice words.
“Just because a cat has her kittens in the oven don’t make them biscuits” comes from Vermont. Vermont seems to take the cake with their own colloquialism of local pride of what makes a local a local. They might tell you “just because a cat has her kittens in the oven don’t make them biscuits.” What they’re really saying is that even if you were born in Vermont, you’re not necessarily a Vermonter. Just like putting those kittens in the oven doesn’t make them biscuits. Once an outsider, always an outsider in Vermont, it appears. It apparently takes a couple generations to be considered a real Vermonter.
Georgia’s another Southern state with that peculiar Southern way of speaking. The Peach State has its own lingo, and one of the native phrases is “that dog won’t hunt” or “that dog don’t hunt.” While outsiders might think nothing of this idiom, it’s actually a way of saying something won’t work—much like a dog that won’t hunt. Other versions of the phrase include “that horse isn’t a runner” and the historical predecessor “that cock won’t fight”. Today, if someone from the Peach State tells you the dog won’t hunt, you’d better go back to the drawing board.
Wyoming is a relatively “young” state and this Western state has been decidedly rural throughout most of its history, even before statehood. With a large interest in ranching, it’s little wonder that Wyoming’s slang would take on a distinctly rural flavor. The phrase “looks like 10 miles of dirt road” is an example of that. This phrase is pretty easy to figure out: it means someone looks disheveled or unwell. Dirt roads are often unkempt and bumpy, washed out by storms and rutted—so saying someone looks like 10 miles of that is not a compliment!
At first glance, the phrase “I’m going by your house later” may not seem all that strange. In fact, some of us may have offered someone a ride home from a party or offered to drop something off because we were “going by later.” But in Louisiana, “going by your house later” doesn’t mean someone is just going to drive by. It means they’re actually going to stop in and visit. Whereas people from other places might say, “I’m going to stop in later,” Louisianans like to keep you in suspense by suggesting that they’ll be in the neighborhood, at some point.
Alabama is probably best known for its Southern drawl. Alabamans have a few expressions that set them apart from other Southern states. One of the best and most mystifying is “butter my butt and call me a biscuit!” This is an exclamation expressing delight at discovering something surprising yet pleasant. Just don’t take the suggestion too literally if you’re visiting the Heart of Dixie—nobody actually wants to be buttered and called a biscuit, although they’d surely be surprised if you did!
So you might be from Montana if you know our slang: “Cowboy up”; “Rig”; Borrow Pit; a Crick; Pertinear; outfit; Jockey box; slow elk; and last but not least “When 2 of you are hiking in the woods, and a bear charges, you don’t have to run faster than the bear, just run faster than the other guy.”