As you mix and mingle with people from all over the country, you might run into some unfamiliar words. Read on to prepare yourself for some of the more popular terms you might hear.
Bubbler: water fountain (East Coast)
“The bubbler outside of the girls’ bathroom is broken.”
Coke: a general name to refer to all soft drinks (South)
A: “I’d like a Coke with my meal.”
B: “What exactly do you want?”
A: “Err… I’ll have a Diet Mountain Dew.”
Chill: cool or tight (West Coast)
“Yeah, I met my roommate. He’s real chill.”
Coupon: a certificate exchangeable monetary value (East Coast)
“I lost my Saks coupon!”
Coupon, pronounced “q-pon”: a certificate exchangeable for monetary value (South)
“I lost my Cracker Barrel coupon!”
Dicey: uncertain or dodgy (East Coast)
“His chances with that girl are dicey.”
Fixin’ to: to prepare to do something (South)
“I’m fixin’ to go out and milk the cows in the barn.”
Hella: very (West Coast)
“That movie is hella cool.”
The Hill: an area in St. Louis with many Italian restaurants (Midwest)
“Let’s go to the Hill and get some pizza.”
Jimmies: sprinkles
“Mom, put some jimmies on my birthday cupcakes!!”
Po Po: the police (East Coast)
“The neighbors just called the Po Po on this party!”
Pop: soft drink (Midwest)
“I got some pop for the fridge!”
Sick: awesome (West Coast)
“He has sick surfing skills.”
Sketchy: shady (widespread)
“Your boyfriend is so sketchy. He just disappears all the time.”
SLU: St. Louis University (Midwest)
“SLU’s right around the corner from WashU.”
Taxed: robbed or mugged (Pacific)
“Be careful downtown. It’s easy to get taxed.”
Wicked: extremely (East Coast)
“That movie was wicked awesome.”
Y’all: second person plural (South)
“OMG, y’all, come here!”