Prepping for your next trip to USA’s Washington, after visiting Wisconsin and West Virginia? Then you might be interested in learning about the different slang expressions of the state, that have been born and used in Washington for decades. Many of them are based on cultural influences only prevalent in Washington. Ready to begin speaking like a local? Then without further delay, let’s take a look at the coolest Washington slangs you need to know!
Fill me up with leaded
This slang is actually incredibly useful if you like drinking a lot of coffee. It means give me coffee while putting emphasis on the coffee. When you start up your day and wish to wake up while in Washington you’ll want to fill yourself up with leaded!
Seattle Tuxedo
Not the kind of tuxedo you’re accustomed to. The Seattle tuxedo actually refers to a flannel shirt or a fleece and jeans combination. This is the opposite of the classy or fancy that the regular tuxedo is but this fashion style is very prevalent in Seattle so it’s in a way a sarcastic jab at the fashion sense of Seattle’s people.
Filthy
While the literal sense of the word is dirty and negative, the slang term of Washington actually means very good, or a lot. For example when someone is very rich you can say “He’s filthy rich” or if some burger you’re eating tastes amazing, you could say “Wow, this burger is totally filthy!”
Jumble Sale
Jumble sale in Washington is another expression for yard sale. It’s when someone is planning to move or spring cleaning and if getting rid of old stuff by selling them at very low prices in their garage or yard. This is done all over the United States, but in Washington it’s called a jumble sale!
Banana belt
Banana belt in Washington refers to the warmer regions, usually ones that are within a bigger, colder region. A good example for this are the regions west and east of San Juan Islands, which are relatively warm while the rest of the area is cold. This is the banana belt for Washington.
I-5
This one is more of an abbreviation than a slang term, but we’re including it because of how much it’s used and because it could cause confusion to someone who’s not in the know. It stands for Interstate 5 and is a region that runs North and South through Seattle. Keep in mind however that you can never refer to it as “the” I-5.
Microserf
This one has its roots in Microsoft, what not with it being one of the biggest corporations in Washington and the world. A microserf is the slang term for an employee of Microsoft. If you’re working for Microsoft as a programmer or coder while in Washington, you have more than likely been called microserf before. It usually refers to those who are just starting out of are still small time programmers in the company and still have a ways to go to reaching fortune and success in the company.