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Texas Slang Words To Sound Like A Local

10 Texas Slang Words To Sound Like A Local

There’s more to Texas than oil fields, great burgers, and Cowboys fans. This vast state is home to a variety of different sub-cultures, each one as unique and intriguing as the next. However, Texas slang is something pretty consistent across the entire Lone Star State.

From the piney woods to the gulf prairies and all the way out to the rolling plains, Texas slang is something you’ll want to get a hang of before visiting and one of the state’s ten different eco-regions.

Want to learn how to speak Texan? We’ve got 10 Texas slang words for you that’ll have you yee-hawing in the local language in no time.

Here are 10 Texas Slang Words To Sound Like A Local

1. Y’all

This one’s famous, y’all. But, few visitors know how to use it correctly. Y’all is the southern contraction of you all, and it’s meant to be used for when you’re addressing more than one person. If you’re talking to a large group of people, you can emphasise it by saying all y’all.

2. Fixin’ To

If you’re fixin’ to do something, it has literally nothing to do with fixing anything. Fixin’ to means you’re about to do something. Like, when your roommate asks you if you’re going to wash the dishes and you tell her you’re fixin’ to do it. Best to drop the “g” on pretty much everything in Texas if you want to fit in.

3. Bless Your Heart

There’s a reason Texas is called the Friendship State. People here are as sweet as pecan pie, which is why they’ll usually exclaim “Oh, bless your heart” when something bad happens. However, this one can also be used sarcastically, too.

4. Might Could

Even though Texans love to shorten things in order to make it easier to say, the phrase might could is one instance where they take a phrase and draw it out. It’s literally just another way to say could but with an additional word in there. Instead of saying “I could do that for you,” they’ve got to say “I might could do that for you.”

5. All Hat, No Cattle

If someone’s all hat and no cattle then it means that they’re all talk and no followthrough. Or, it means that someone speaks highly of themselves when they really don’t have anything to be bragging about.

6. Corn-Fed

The phrase corn-fed in Texas doesn’t have anything to do with corn at all. If you’re corn-fed then it means you’re big. Most people use this phrase for tall, broad-shouldered men. Blake Shelton, who’s 6’5”, might be described as a corn-fed country boy, for example.

7. Dad Gum It

If you break this phrase down, it’s likely that you understand all three words separately, but together, it’s got nothing to do with a dad or gum. Dad gum it can be used to replace virtually any swear word in Texas. Stub your toe? Dad gum it! Lock your keys in the car? Dad gum it!

8. All Git-Out

You’ll use the Texas slang phrase all git-out when you want to convey the most extreme case of something. If you’re dining at a steakhouse and want to comment on how great the meal is, you could say “This steak is as good as all git-out.”

9. Pitch A Hissy Fit

To pitch a hissy fit means to throw a tantrum. While it’s often used for children, adults can also pitch hissy fits. If you really want to learn Texas slang and impress the locals, then next time someone’s throwing a fit, exclaim “Wow, she’s throwing a meaner tantrum than a two-dollar rattlesnake.”

10. Come Hell Or High Water

If there’s one thing to know about Texans, it’s that they’re pretty loyal. If they tell you they’ll do something, then they’ll do it come hell or high water. This means that they’ll do it no matter what it takes.