10 Words And Phrases People In Arizona Just Don’t Understand

My boyfriend comes from the East Coast and has the accent and slightly odd vocabulary to prove it. He pronounces water as “wood-er,” radiator as “RAD-iator” with a hard “a” sound, and bury as “burr-ee.” He even occasionally says “I says” rather than “I said.” He denies that he speaks like this but I like to poke fun at these in a good natured way.

Since a growing number of Arizonans come from other parts of the country (and world!), I think encountering traditionally regional words, phrases, and pronunciation is becoming far more common than it was when our parents were children. Today, we’re going to take a look at a few words that you wouldn’t typically encounter when walking down the street in Arizona. Consider this a chance to improve your literacy in American dialects!

Laser Burners/Flickr

I first heard this word when watching Law & Order marathons. It sounds fancy but it’s just a New York convenience store, like the neighborhood 7-Eleven.

torbakhopper/Flickr

Another East Coast word (you’ll find quite a few of those listed here), this is a type of municipality. Most people know this word for the five boroughs in New York City, which were five independent cities until they merged into New York City in 1898.

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Indigo Skies Photography/Flickr

Oh, you mean drinking fountain?

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Eric Schmuttenmaer/Flickr

We might use this word to describe a computer program that isn’t working properly but other states (and countries) use this word for their shopping carts.

Jason Lam/Flickr

Arizonans know these as pork rinds or chicharrones.

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Brian Ambrozy/Flickr

This is some peoples’ way of saying they want everything (all the toppings) on their sandwich.

Jeffery W/Flickr

Hero, like Captain America? Nope, this kind refers to the sub sandwich. Delicious no matter the word.

Brandon Schauer/Flickr

I first heard this word used just last year. I grew up calling these things casseroles, which is what mom would bring to a potluck.

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Chris M. Morris/Flickr

If you grew up in Gallup, New Mexico (I’ve never heard it used elsewhere), you know the perky as the wash that runs through town. Everyone else knows this as someone’s cheerful demeanor.

Anders Adermark/Flickr

Meaning, to wrestle.

How many of those words have you heard before? Wonder what kind of Arizona words people may not understand when they first them? Check out our article, 13 Words You’ll Only Understand If You’re From Arizona.