Idaho’s Favorite Slang Term Is…This?
Everyone knows that if you travel to Idaho, you're bound to hear a few potato jokes. Which would lead one to believe that the most popular slang term in Idaho has something to do with spuds, right?
Not so fast, Toretto.
The good folks at Slate.com have compiled a list of the (unofficial) word for each state, and a lot of them are...weird.
Let's start with a few of our neighbors. For California, their unofficial word would be "hella." As in "This word is hella random, don't you think?"
Oregon gets even weirder with "jojos," a slang for potato wedges. (How did Oregon get the potato pun here?)
The state of Washington's unofficial word? "Jumble sale," another term for your friendly neighborhood garage sale.
Now, onto Idaho.
According to Slate, if Idaho had an official word, it would be...whistle pig. As in, a prairie dog. As in "Damn it Ted, get inside and stop shooting at that little whistle pig!"
That begs the question, have you ever even seen a prairie dog in Idaho? Obviously, they're somewhat common, but so much so that they're the (again, unofficial) go-to slang term for Idahoans? Seems sus.
In Slate's defense, their list is very tongue-in-cheek. They even explain their process for putting this list together:
Next we researched online message board discussions about zany terms that have gained popularity in different states. We also surveyed friends and colleagues on the words they most associate with their home states and polled Slate readers on Facebook.
What do you think? Is whistle pig a term you've heard or used before? Hit us up on Facebook and let us know!