If a host in eastern Kentucky says “I don’t care to,” you’d probably hear a flat no. But it can mean the opposite. Kentucky hosts rarely stop to explain lines like that, so guests are left to read the room. Here’s what Kentuckians say to guests that guests misread, and what each line really means….
If you grew up in Virginia, a city that isn’t part of any county sounds normal. Outside the state, there are only three. Here’s what only a Virginia childhood teaches you. 1. Virginia Studies Virginia Studies is a fourth-grade course in places like Newport News and Virginia Beach, so you meet your state’s history early….
Order a drink at 5 p.m. in Massachusetts, and you’ll pay the regular price. Happy hour deals aren’t allowed. That one raises eyebrows next door, and it’s not the only one. Here’s what Bay Staters do that the rest of New England finds strange. 1. Sacred Cod If you sit in the public gallery of…
Hang your coat in the press? If you grew up in West Virginia, you know that’s the closet. Out-of-staters hear a word like that and start looking for an iron. Here are the words and sayings out-of-staters get wrong, and what they really mean. 1. Smooch West Virginia Tourism says a “smooch” is a kiss…
A saguaro can take 70 years to grow six feet tall. That’s a long wait for a cactus, and it’s one reason Arizonans want visitors to treat saguaros with care. Here’s what Arizonans wish you knew about saguaros before you visit. Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Plant protection rules and permit requirements…
Say ‘tree plot’ in Indiana, and your neighbor knows what you mean. An out-of-stater probably doesn’t. These are the things Hoosiers say that confuse the rest of America. 1. Pitch-In If someone invites you to a pitch-in dinner, you’re headed to a potluck. The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) labels the phrase chiefly Indiana,…
In southwestern Pennsylvania, company coming means it’s time to redd up. If you grew up in the Keystone State, you know exactly what that means. The rest of America has to guess. Here are the things Pennsylvanians call by different names than the rest of America. 1. Gumbands A gumband is what Pittsburgh calls the…
Back in the 1960s, a Georgia catfish was just a fish with whiskers. Words change, and if you grew up in Georgia then, you used the words in this article the old way. Here’s what they meant back then, and what they mean now. 1. Spam Spam meant a canned luncheon meat long before it…
Ask for soft serve at a Vermont farm stand, and you’ll get a polite, confused pause. Vermonters have a whole vocabulary that never shows up on menus or road signs, and the quickest way to get spotted as an out-of-stater is to guess. Here’s what the sayings mean, so you can order, ask for directions…
If a snowplow clips a mailbox on a state highway in Maine, you’re not owed a new one. That’s one reason Mainers start preparing before the first snowflake, and why a checklist that looks like overkill to visitors starts to make sense. Here’s what to do before winter hits Maine, plus the help available if…
