Us New Yorkers take pride in having our own *unofficial* language, and if any non-New Yorker has a problem understanding us, we simply just say fuggedaboutit.
And, though we apparently have the least attractive accent in the entire world–which is obviously not true–we’re going to continue using our silly little slang whether or not others like it, ya heard?
Incidentally, 1,000+ U.S. residents were recently quizzed on various slang from all 50 states to determine which state’s slang has the most Americans stumped, and 54.83% of people incorrectly deciphered our slang…which is actually less than we were expecting.
The slang that stumped them the most–grill. As in when someone is staring rudely at you (not when someone is asking you a lot of questions, like those who were quizzed on it initially believed).
I mean, even more outlandish than that is South Dakota’s slang use of the word “taverns.” It’s not a bar like one would think, but instead their way of referring to a Sloppy Joe sandwich.
Suddenly, grilling someone makes much more sense.
Overall, Maine is home to the most misunderstood slang, with 88.18% of Americans incorrectly defining their terms. On the flip side, if you’re not the best at slang words to begin with you’ll likely be able to hold your own in a conversation in good ol’ Arkansas, where only 7.60% of their slang is misunderstood.
To the frightened tourist planning a visit to NYC, here are 43 slang words you can expect to hear when you’re here–so get to studying! And always remember–baconeggncheese is one word.
If you’re looking for more slang to attempt to decipher, the full study can be found here.