18 Words That Have A Totally Different Meaning In North Carolina

"I'm gone to Carolina in my mind."

1. Youngin'

Prayitno / Creative Commons / Via Flickr: prayitnophotography

What it means everywhere else: Just a young person under the age of 18.

What it means in North Carolina: A young person under the age of 21 who literally can't comment on the business of "grown folks."

2. Snow

Chris Conroy / Creative Commons / Via Flickr: dyfl

What it means everywhere else: A light, flaky type of precipitation that falls from the sky every winter.

What it means in North Carolina: If it's more than half an inch, the city is shutting down. Also, let's just hope you get to the grocery store in time or you'll be out of luck.

3. Blue

Tony Hammond / Creative Commons / Via Flickr: 8525214@N06

What it means everywhere else: Literally just a color.

What it means in North Carolina: It's still just a color, but you need to be specific. Do you mean Carolina blue or Duke blue?

4. Yonder

Wendy / Creative Commons / Via Flickr: smkybear

What it means everywhere else: Literally no one else uses this word except North Carolinians.

What it means in North Carolina: Yonder signifies a location that's so far out of reach you cannot even begin to describe it by any other name.

5. Bless Your Heart

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What it means everywhere else: A sincere, well-meaning phrase you say to someone who's going through something bad.

What it means in North Carolina: A phrase you use when you want to be "nicety" (nice+nasty), but there's definitely a shady undertone to it. Way more nasty than nice.

6. BBQ

Joshua Bousel / Creative Commons / Via Flickr: joshbousel

What it means everywhere else: Another word for grilling out.

What it means in North Carolina: A meat delicacy that varies by the region of N.C. that you're in.

7. Fall

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What it means everywhere else: The season right before winter.

What it means in North Carolina: The best time of year for county fairs, tailgating, and football.

8. Sweet Tea

Michelle Kinsey Bruns / Creative Commons / Via Flickr: sapphir3blu3

What it means everywhere else: Brisk Iced Tea

What it means in North Carolina: A delicious homemade beverage with at least five pounds of sugar. And it tastes best in a Mason jar.

9. NASCAR

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What it means everywhere else: A bunch of cars going around in a circle for hours on end.

What it means in North Carolina: It's a sport. It's a religion. It's a tradition.

10. Raleigh

James Willamor / Creative Commons / Via Flickr: bz3rk

What it means everywhere else: The capital of North Carolina, part of the Research Triangle.

What it means in North Carolina: A place that makes you wonder why Charlotte isn't the capital of the state.

11. Hey Y'all

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What it means everywhere else: Everywhere else this just means "you guys."

What it means in North Carolina: A standard greeting for anyone no matter the age. It's also used in maybe 90% of our sentences.

12. Late

Andrew Mager / Creative Commons / Via Flickr: mager

What it means everywhere else: Any time after 11:00 p.m.

What it means in North Carolina: Any time after 6:00 p.m.

13. 23

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What it means everywhere else: The number after 22 and before 24.

What it means in North Carolina: Refers to the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. Additionally, people sometimes refer to their 23rd birthday in North Carolina as their "Jordan year."

14. Fixin'

Ginny / Creative Commons / Via Flickr: ginnerobot

What it means everywhere else: No one says this outside of North Carolina.

What it means in North Carolina: You're thinking about doing something, but you have to muster up the strength to actually do it. Also refers to making food.

15. Downtown

James Willamor / Creative Commons / Via Flickr: bz3rk

What it means everywhere else: A huge, exciting place with multiple skyscrapers, clubs, and bars.

What it means in North Carolina: A few big buildings and maybe two bars.

16. Dook

Toni Holmes/ Creative Commons / Via Flickr: tonibduguid

What it means everywhere else: Probably refers to poop or someone's name.

What it means in North Carolina: A word for arguably the most loathed basketball team on the planet.

17. "Raise Up"

PeteyPabloVEVO / Via youtube.com

What it means everywhere else: A cool song by Petey Pablo.

What it means in North Carolina: The anthem for our state. "Take ya shirt off, twist it 'round ya head! Spin it like a helicopter."

18. 336, 919, 252, etc.

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What it means everywhere else: Just a random three digit number.

What it means in North Carolina: Someone representing where they grew up. Shout out to the 336.

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Rock on, North Carolina.

Jul. 06, 2014, at 23:41 PM

This post has been updated with a picture of the Charlotte Motor Speedway. An earlier version of this post listed Bristol Motor Speedway.