Pheasant season is in full swing, and the fields are filling up with hunters. South Dakotans who’ve hunted for years have picked up details that visitors may not catch on their first trip. Here’s what locals know about the season that nobody else seems to. Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Season dates,…
Louisianans who’ve moved away know it doesn’t take much to miss home. One smell, song, or menu item can be enough to bring the whole place back. Here are the things that can make a Louisianan long for home. 1. Crawfish Boils A boil is a springtime ritual in Louisiana, according to the online encyclopedia…
Most kids assume everybody else lives the way their family does. South Carolinians often find out otherwise the first time they mention a family tradition to someone from out of state. Here’s what felt normal growing up that can puzzle everyone else. Note: This is general information, not legal advice. School calendar rules and tax…
Getting through an Arizona summer takes more than sunscreen and a water bottle. Arizonans plan their days, their bills and even their hikes around the heat, and visitors may find some of it hard to believe. Here’s what locals do to make it through, and the rules behind some of it. Note: This is general…
Ask a Wisconsinite where the drinking fountain is, and their answer may be a bubbler. Many lifelong Wisconsinites don’t think twice about it. But visitors certainly do. These are the things Wisconsinites say that confuse many out-of-staters. 1. Eye Stitcher “Eye stitcher” is a name for a dragonfly. The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE),…
Your kids have their costumes ready, but in Ohio, the big candy night may not fall on October 31. Many towns pick their own night, and it can change from one town to the next. Here’s why so many Ohioans go trick-or-treating on a different night. The Thursday Rule Trick-or-treat moves to the Thursday before…
You spot a town name on a highway sign and sound it out with total confidence. Then a local corrects you. Here’s how Georgians actually say some of the state’s trickiest town names. 1. Louisville Louisville, Georgia, takes its name from King Louis XVI of France, a Revolutionary War ally. The legislature began meeting there…
Words come and go, and some that Michiganders used in the 1960s left along with the places and rules they described. Here’s what they meant, and why they don’t come up anymore. 1. Exchange Names Detroit phone numbers once began with a word, and CApitol, LAkewood, TIffany and VErmont were four of them. In 1930,…
Talk to a Californian for five minutes, and you may hear a word that needs a footnote. Many of these terms come from the weather, the freeway or the tax bill, so people in other states never had a reason to learn them. Here’s what these California phrases mean. Note: This is general information, not…
Stub your toe in Utah, and you might hear something you’d expect from a kids’ cartoon. Plenty of Utahns have a word for that moment, and it’s rarely the one visitors expect. Here’s what these stand-ins mean, and where they come from. 1. Oh My Heck A 2000 Salt Lake Tribune report on Utah stand-ins…
