If You Understand These 14 Slang Terms, You’re Definitely from Arkansas

If you can tell the difference between “y’all,” “all y’all,” and “y’all’s,” you’re probably from Arkansas. The Natural State’s slang is part Southern charm, part country wisdom, and part “you just had to be there.” From Razorback pride to backroad directions that involve three landmarks and zero street signs, Arkansans have a language all their own.

So grab your sweet tea, settle in on the porch swing, and see how many of these sound like home.

1. Y’all

Translation: You all. Plural. The universal Arkansas greeting and sentence filler.
Example: “Y’all come on in and grab some pie!”

2. All Y’all

Translation: The super-plural form of “y’all.”
Example: “All y’all better be at the tailgate by noon.”

3. Bless It / Bless Your Heart

Translation: A polite way to express sympathy—or subtle disapproval.
Example: “He wore flip-flops to the wedding? Bless his heart.”

4. Buggy

Translation: Shopping cart.
Example: “Go grab a buggy before you head into Walmart.”

5. ’Bout Near

Translation: Almost or nearly.
Example: “We ’bout near hit that deer on Highway 7.”

6. Holler

Translation: A small valley—or a place where your cousin lives off the beaten path.
Example: “We’re headin’ down to the holler for the weekend.”

7. Cattywampus

Translation: Crooked, sideways, or just plain messed up.
Example: “That shelf is all cattywampus—hand me the level.”

8. Yonder

Translation: Over there, somewhere between “close enough to point at” and “you’ll know it when you see it.”
Example: “The old barn’s over yonder past the creek.”

9. Tump Over

Translation: To tip or spill something.
Example: “Don’t tump that cooler over—Mama’s sweet tea’s in there!”

10. Fixin’ To

Translation: About to do something.
Example: “I’m fixin’ to start the grill—y’all hungry?”

11. Worsh

Translation: The Arkansas-approved pronunciation of “wash.”
Example: “I gotta worsh the truck before church tomorrow.”

12. Doohickey

Translation: That thing you can’t quite name.
Example: “Hand me that doohickey by the wrench.”

13. Crick

Translation: A small stream or creek.
Example: “Let’s go fishin’ down at the crick behind Pawpaw’s.”

14. Hawg

Translation: Not just a pig—a Razorback, and the pride of Arkansas.
Example: “Go Hawgs! Woo Pig Sooie!”

If every one of these terms makes perfect sense to you, then your blood runs Razorback red and your soul smells faintly of barbecue smoke. You’ve spent summers on the lake, falls yelling “Woo Pig,” and you know that directions always start with “turn where the old store used to be.” Bless your heart—you’re as Arkansas as it gets.