Which Of these Midwest States Has the Strangest Slang?
We've all got phrases or words that aren't necessarily "the norm" in other parts of the country, but some states go above and beyond with their slang terms. Some come from cheering for sports teams, such as Kansas' strangest slang phrase, "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk." OR, a specific way to order food, like in Tennessee, where you get a "Meat and three." (Pick a meat, and three sides.)
But we live in the Midwest, and of course have our own slang here, so which one of these Midwest states has the strangest slang word?
Stacker recently put out a list of the strangest slang words for every state in the country. For the record, we looked through the entire Midwest, and whittled down the options to the four strangest ones... though... some of these aren't THAT strange to some of us. But if you live outside of these four Midwest states, you might have NO idea what's happening if someone says one of these.
So, which of these Midwest States has the strangest slang word?
Ohio: Devil's Strip
This is apparently something that got coined in Akron. It refers to the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the road, and oddly enough, I've heard it in other places, but apparently it's origin was here. Some people think it started when rubber factory workers told this to their kids to scare them from playing too close to the road, saying "the devil" lurks there. Others believe it came from railroad lingo, which refers to the area between tracks as a "devil strip," too.
Michigan: Yooper
Of course, Michiganders know this one. It refers to people who live in the Upper Peninsula, or the "U.P." Anyone not from Michigan will find this one strange, but it's very quick to understand. This is considered a slang term, though, because "Yooper" does not appear in the Dictionary... yet. (Honestly, I would have assumed "Troll" was stranger than "Yooper.")
Indiana: Hoo Hoo
OK, here we go. This one is very strange, but in Indiana, if you're a Hoosier fan, it's nothing out of the ordinary. The chant rings out as a rally cry during sporting events, and is short for "Hoosier." Of course, it also has a different meaning in some circles, referring to the female genitalia. Great choice of chant IU.
Illinois: Woo Wap da Bam
OK, What the hell is this? Now we're talkin' some strange slang. Apparently, this is strictly a Chicago thing, and is used as a "sentence filler," that expresses the same idea as "yadda yadda' or "et cetera." The only time it's really been used outside of the city is when Chance the Rapper used it in a Kanye West song, "Ultralight Beam." ("Now they wanna hit me with the woo wap da bam.")
Well, what's the verdict? Which one of these four Midwest states has the strangest Slant term? (It's Illinois, right?)
THAT'S SUS! Slang kids and teens now say and what the heck it means
Gallery Credit: Mike Brant