Ask for directions in Wisconsin, and you might hear a word or two that stops you in your tracks. Locals don’t think twice about them, but other Midwesterners do. Here’s what these Wisconsin words mean, and where a few of them came from. 1. Bubbler Bubbler is Wisconsin’s word for a drinking fountain, according to…
Cross the Ohio River, and some everyday Kentucky words may need a translation. A few sound familiar, and a few sound made up, but plenty earn a puzzled look from your northern neighbor. Here’s what Kentuckians mean when they use them. 1. Directly Directly sounds like it means right now, but a 2018 Winchester Sun…
Thanksgiving plans have a way of getting complicated before the turkey’s even thawed. One host’s Reddit post about her sister and a side dish split commenters, and Californians who’ve hosted a holiday dinner may see a bit of their own family in it. Then she posted an update, and things got messier. How would you…
Order dinner in New Mexico, and you might get asked a question you don’t know how to answer. Here’s what New Mexicans mean, from the dinner table to the irrigation ditch. 1. Burque The city’s public library lists Burque as a nickname for Albuquerque, next to Duke City. Many out-of-staters can hear Burque and not…
It’s Friday night in October, and the bleachers fill up long before kickoff. For many Ohioans, rivalry games are about more than the final score. Here are the Ohio high school football traditions that fans don’t take lightly. 1. Victory Bell The Victory Bell goes each year to the winner of the regular-season high school…
You ask a new coworker across the country to grab you some Nabs, and they look at you like you’re crazy. Lots of North Carolina words and foods feel perfectly normal right up until you’re somewhere else. Here are the Tar Heel favorites that only stand out once you’re far from home. 1. Cheerwine Cheerwine…
If white barbecue sauce at a cookout doesn’t faze you, we’re willing to bet you’re from Alabama. Here are the signs that instantly give away someone who grew up in the Yellowhammer state. 1. County Numbers on Plates Alabama license plates carry a number that names their home county. The code gives the first three…
Sit down at a Maryland crab feast, and the table talk can start to sound like a code. Some of it comes from Baltimore, some from the Eastern Shore and some straight from the Chesapeake. Here’s what Marylanders are actually saying when out-of-staters start to look lost. 1. Hon Merriam-Webster dates “hon,” short for honey,…
An orange doesn’t have to look orange to be ready to eat. That’s one of the details Floridians may have missed in school, even in a state that’s so closely tied to the fruit. Here are the citrus facts that change how you look at the produce aisle. 1. Freezes and the I-4 Line Interstate…
Some South Dakotans can still name the pheasant opener’s date years after they’ve moved away. Habits like that tend to follow people long after they leave the state. Here are the signs that give away a South Dakota upbringing, wherever you live now. 1. Pheasant Opener State rules open the regular pheasant season on the…
