9 Regional Slang Words We Should All Start Using

[garbon]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/17/best-regional-slang_n_5572269.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel

We Americans love our slang. Winky terms like terrific and awesome are now so ubiquitous that they barely even qualify as slang anymore. We wear bling to parties and have a blast; we goof off and then catch some z's.

Despite the pervasiveness of slang, however, there are deep reserves of regional slang that we haven't yet taken mainstream. Texas isn't the only English-speaking region with some killer phrases begging for nation-wide popularization. What about the quirky terms used only in NorCal, the U.P., or Boston -- just for starters?

Here are 9 useful -- and fun -- regional slang terms we should all start using as soon as possible:

hella
Used in: Northern California and the Pacific Northwest
Translation: "really"
Example: "These kimchi tacos are hella good."

Why should Northern Californians -- and Gwen Stefani -- have all the fun? Using hella instead of very evokes a laid-back surfer vibe that can make any conversation seem more chill.

wicked
Used in: New England
Translation: "really"
Example: "These tacos are wicked good."

In today's hyperbolic culture, the words very and really have become really, very overused. We need all the colorful alternatives we can lay our hands on.

y'all
Used in: The South
Translation: "you all"
Example: "When are y'all going to get tacos?"

Try as we might, we can't come up with a more succinct, gender-neutral term to address a group. You guys? All of you? You all? None has quite the effectiveness and simplicity of y'all. This needs to catch on outside of the South already.

bubbler
Used in: Eastern Wisconsin, eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Australia
Translation: "drinking fountain"
Example: "Eating that taco made me so thirsty. I really need to find a bubbler."

Not only is this one of the original patented terms for the device, it's cute, descriptive, and much easier to say than the cumbersome drinking fountain.

garburator
Used in: Canada
Translation: "garbage disposal"
Example: "If you're not going to finish that taco, just put the rest down the garburator."

Okay, so this clever word only saves you one syllable -- but that isn't nothing. And aside from being faster to say, garburator just sounds neater and more gadgety than garbage disposal.

loo
Used in: Britain
Translation: "bathroom"
Example: "Does this taco place have a loo I could use? Too many margaritas!"

We've had toilets for decades, but Americans don't yet seem to have a good euphemism for them. Bathroom? Powder room? Restroom? Little boys' room? Crapper? None possesses the ideal combination of brevity and delicacy. We need a loo.

pank
Used in: Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Translation: "compress or tamp down"
Example: "I'm gonna pank more kimchi down into this taco so each bite is spicier."

Who wouldn't get a lot of use out of this word? Every day we're panking down the garbage so we can fit another night's leftovers in there, or we're panking down the laundry into the hamper. Okay, maybe people who do their chores in a timely manner won't use it as much, but it's still a solid addition to the language.

bufflehead
Used in: Pennsylvania
Translation: "idiot"
Example: "What kind of bufflehead doesn't like kimchi on his tacos?"

Don't get confused: Bufflehead can also refer to a "buoyant, large-headed duck," which is more of a scientific term. But if someone snippily calls you a bufflehead, they probably mean that you're a fool -- it just sounds way funnier.

whoopensocker
Used in: Wisconsin
Translation: "a superlative instance of something; something wonderful of its kind"
Example: "This taco

I think it would be alright if we didn't use any of these. My ironic use of hella turned into genuine use.

[Admiral Yi]

Already use y'all and wicked.  The others are shit.

[Maximus]

I don't think the article makes a good case for any of them.

[crazy canuck]

I really hated hearing "hella" and "wicked" -  thankfully those dropped out of use around here fairly quickly.

y'all is a good early warning device to detect M'erica Fuck Ya types.  It can give a false positive but better safe than sorry. 

[garbon]

Bubbler was the one that confused me the most when I moved to Massachusetts. Kids stepping out of class to ask if they could go to the bubbler.

[Eddie Teach]

garburator

Garbon! Garbonzo! The Garburator! Making copies!

[derspiess]

Bubbler was the one that confused me the most when I moved to Massachusetts. Kids stepping out of class to ask if they could go to the bubbler.

Still confuses me why it's called a bubbler if no bubbles come out.

[CountDeMoney]

"Hella" is still too popular.  People Assfuck Millennial Aspies who use it need throat cancer.

[garbon]

"Hella" is still too popular.  People Assfuck Millennial Aspies who use it need throat cancer.

[Admiral Yi]

Another regionalism I like and use is the Minnesota "yah sure, you betcha."

[mongers]

Not sure how an English slang word can be described as 'regional'. 

[garbon]

Not sure how an English slang can be described as 'regional'. 

I feel like they got lost when they added England and Canada.

[mongers]

Not sure how an English slang can be described as 'regional'. 

I feel like they got lost when they added England and Canada.

Yeah, there must be literally tens of thousand of American slang words they could have chosen from.

[CountDeMoney]

"Hella" is still too popular.  People Assfuck Millennial Aspies who use it need throat cancer.

It's lazy and it's ignorant.  You know better than that.

[garbon]

"Hella" is still too popular.  People Assfuck Millennial Aspies who use it need throat cancer.

It's lazy and it's ignorant.  You know better than that.

Lazy? I think it requires a bit more energy to say "that's like hella awesome" as compared to "that's like awesome." It also has a bit more flavor to it than "that's like very awesome."

Besides, ignorant?