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

If you’ve ever eaten something you couldn’t spell, given directions using parishes instead of counties, or considered Mardi Gras a season rather than a day, then you’re probably from Louisiana. The Bayou State has a language all its own—part French, part Cajun, part pure attitude—and outsiders don’t stand a chance without a translator (or a few hurricanes… the cocktail kind). From gumbo to gators, everything here comes with flavor.

So grab yourself a cold Abita, turn up the zydeco, and let’s see if you talk like a true Louisianian.

1. Lagniappe

Translation: A little something extra—like the baker’s dozen of Southern hospitality.
Example: “They threw in a slice of bread pudding for lagniappe.”

2. Parish

Translation: What everyone else calls a county. Louisiana’s just special like that.
Example: “He’s from Jefferson Parish—don’t hold it against him.”

3. Cher

Translation: Pronounced “sha.” A term of endearment meaning “dear” or “sweetheart.”
Example: “How you doin’, cher? You eat yet?”

4. Gris-Gris

Translation: A little voodoo charm or spell—depending on who you ask and how good your karma is.
Example: “Don’t mess with her—she got some gris-gris from her grandma.”

5. Laissez les bons temps rouler

Translation: “Let the good times roll.” The Louisiana state motto (unofficially and spiritually).
Example: “It’s Mardi Gras, baby—laissez les bons temps rouler!”

6. Lagniappe

Translation: A little something extra, because Louisiana life always has a bonus.
Example: “You ordered beignets, they gave you four instead of three—that’s lagniappe.”

7. Neutral Ground

Translation: What New Orleanians call a median—the strip of grass in the middle of the road.
Example: “We’ll meet on the neutral ground by Canal Street.”

8. Boudin

Translation: A Cajun sausage stuffed with rice, pork, and love.
Example: “Stopped at Billy’s for some boudin—worth every mile.”

9. Treme / The Bywater / Uptown

Translation: Neighborhoods in New Orleans that double as personality types.
Example: “He’s from Treme—plays trumpet like he was born doin’ it.”

10. Crawfish (Never “Crayfish”)

Translation: The tiny crustaceans Louisianans boil, season, and devour by the pound.
Example: “Crawfish boil Saturday—bring beer, not opinions.”

11. Po’boy

Translation: The state’s superior sandwich, stuffed with shrimp, roast beef, or oysters and always served “dressed.”
Example: “I’ll take my po’boy dressed—with extra remoulade, please.”

12. The Parish Line

Translation: The invisible border that separates you from better food or worse drivers.
Example: “You can tell when you cross the parish line—gas goes up and the roads go down.”

13. Make Groceries

Translation: The local way to say “go grocery shopping.”
Example: “We’re goin’ to Rouses to make groceries.”

14. Bayou

Translation: A slow-moving stream, swamp, or—let’s be honest—half the state.
Example: “Our camp’s down by the bayou—bring bug spray and beer.”

If these words sound natural to you, cher, you’re pure Louisiana. You know gumbo’s not soup, Mardi Gras beads aren’t optional, and “spicy” means something entirely different down here. You measure time by festivals, weather by humidity, and happiness by the number of beignets you can eat without shame. So go on—laissez les bons temps rouler—because life’s always got a little lagniappe in Louisiana.