The United States is home to many ideas and concepts that you’d be hard pressed to find in other countries. For instance, Americans largely rely on imperial measurements, have an unparalleled obsession with college sports, and love spray cheese that comes in a can. The version of English spoken in the United States stands out from the crowd as well. In every region of the country, there are slang terms and idioms that only Americans use — including some that are unique to that specific region. Here’s a look at a few uniquely American words and phrases.
Jawn
Let’s begin in Pennsylvania with a catchall slang term you won’t hear anywhere else: “jawn.” It can be used in place of virtually any other noun. For instance, you could offer someone a cheesesteak by saying, “Take a bite of this jawn.” Or if you like someone’s new jacket, you might say, “That’s a great jawn.” “Jawn” originated in New York City African American communities around the 1970s as an evolution of the word “joint” (referring to a location), and it migrated to Philly, where it remains an indelible part of the collective lexicon.
Bodega
In New York City, the bodega is a cultural institution. The term “bodega” isn’t uniquely American — it was originally used by Spanish speakers to refer to a warehouse or storage area, often meant for wine. But the more modern slang usage is a New York invention. In the 1950s and ’60s, Puerto Rican communities in NYC started referring to neighborhood corner stores as bodegas. Today, bodegas are found in nearly every New York neighborhood. These stores, often open late into the night, sell food, toiletries, and other basic household goods.
Wicked
You can’t discuss Northeast slang without a Bostonian busting out the term “wicked.” This intensifier, which gained widespread popularity in the 1960s, essentially acts as a substitute for the word “very,” as in “Did you see the Red Sox game? It was wicked good!” New Englanders are also likely to say “bubbler” instead of “water fountain” and to refer to ice cream sprinkles as “jimmies.” If you hear any of these terms, you’ll know you’re talking to a New Englander.
Cattywampus
The Southern American dialect features slang terms and idioms that are different from not just the rest of the world, but also the rest of the U.S. Look no further than the word “cattywampus,” a variant of the word “catawampus.” This 19th-century adjective is used to describe something that’s askew or awry. “Cattywampus” is still widely used among Southerners today.
Y’all
No trip to the American South is complete without hearing the word “y’all,” which you’d be hard-pressed to hear abroad. This unique pronoun refers to a group of two or more people; it’s a shortening of the phrase “you all,” and the specific spelling came about in the middle of the 19th century.
Kiss My Grits
Some Southerners may tell you to “kiss my grits” as a substitute for the more common “kiss my butt.” This cheeky little idiom originated on the sitcom Alice, which ran from 1976 to 1985. It was originally the catchphrase of Flo Castleberry, portrayed by native Alabaman Polly Holliday. Many of Holliday’s fellow Southerners were inspired by her character and follow in her linguistic footsteps today.
Yooper
Have you ever heard someone described as a “yooper”? They’re almost certainly from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. “Yooper” is a play on “U.P.,” an abbreviation for “Upper Peninsula.” Someone from the lower portion of Michigan, on the other hand, may be referred to as a “troll,” not as an insult, but as a reference to the fairy-tale bridge troll trope. People in lower Michigan live “under” the famous Mackinac Bridge that connects the state’s lower and upper parts.
Ope
One of the most popular colloquialisms to come out of the Midwest is the word “ope,” which Midwesterners rely on as another way to say “sorry.” One theory says the word may simply be a shorthand take on the word “oops,” but it’s hard to pinpoint the exact etymological origin.
Pop
Another dead giveaway that someone is from the Midwest is if they use the word “pop” when talking about a carbonated soft drink. In fact, each region tends to have a different word for this beverage. Northeasterners call it “soda,” some people in the South call all soft drinks “Coke,” and the Midwest uses “pop.”
Hella
As you head out West, you’ll hear Bay Area Californians use the word “hella” quite often. This intensifier is a substitute for “very,” much like how Bostonians use “wicked.” Geoff Nunberg, a linguist at UC Berkeley, believes the term came about in Black communities in Oakland in the late 1970s, and it was quickly adopted by various communities throughout Northern California, including surfers and skaters.
Shotgun
The slang term “shotgun” — to refer to the front passenger seat of a car — is an Americanism from the days of the Wild West. It dates to the 1850s, originally referring to the marksman who sat next to the stagecoach driver for protection. “Shotgun” gained its modern slang meaning in the 1950s, thanks to the many Western-themed films released around that time. While “shotgun” has since spread throughout the U.S., it’s a Western-origin slang term through and through.
Da kine
Now let’s go even further West to Hawaii. One of the Hawaiian islands’ most popular slang expressions is the Hawaiian pidgin phrase “da kine,” meaning “that kind.” This acts as a placeholder for pretty much any other thing, much like how people in Philly use “jawn.”
Plead the Fifth
For all the regionalisms across America, some shared slang is understood in every corner of the country. The phrase “plead the Fifth” falls into this category, referring to the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right to stay silent and avoid self-incrimination. Many Americans use this phrase casually to avoid saying something embarrassing or to avoid answering awkward questions.
Sign Your John Hancock
“Signing your John Hancock” is another phrase used throughout the country. This idiom comes from the founding father who famously signed his name as big and legibly as possible on the Declaration of Independence. It took on its slang connotation in the 19th century, and now refers to signing one’s name in any capacity.
These are just a few examples of the many slang terms and idioms that Americans know and love. They may cause an English speaker in another part of the globe to scratch their head in confusion, but they’re an integral part of our collective American linguistic identity.
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