Washington state is known for a quirky set of regional expressions, many of which you won’t hear outside the Pacific Northwest.
10 Hilarious Sayings Unique to Washington
“The Mountain is Out” – Locals say this when Mount Rainier is visible and the weather is clear, marking an unofficial celebration.
“Pop” – Instead of “soda,” Washingtonians almost always say “pop” for soft drinks.
“Do the Puyallup” – Refers to attending the Washington State Fair in Puyallup; a classic annual tradition.
“Bag of Dick’s” – In Seattle and Spokane, this simply means food from Dick’s Drive-In or Dick’s Hamburgers, not what outsiders might think.
“Joe Joes” – What locals call potato wedges, especially in grocery stores, notably Safeway.
“Spendy” – A lively adjective for anything expensive, like “That coffee is too spendy for me”.
“Warshington” – Some folks add an extra “r” when pronouncing “Washington,” often unconsciously.
“The Coast” – Refers to the Seattle area, even though Seattle isn’t on the actual coast of the Pacific.
“Tolo” – A Sadie Hawkins-style school dance, using a word from the local Chinook Jargon.
“Sun break” – The blissful moment when sun peeks out from clouds; locals treasure it during gray seasons.
These sayings capture the humor and distinctiveness of life in Washington—and may leave out-of-staters scratching their heads.
SOURCES
(https://929thebull.com/9-slang-words-and-phrases-in-washington/)
(https://www.iheart.com/content/2021-08-25-if-youve-said-this-slang-word-youre-probably-from-washington/)(https://97rockonline.com/washington-state-slang/)
(https://kw3.com/washington-phrases/)(https://www.reddit.com/r/Seattle/comments/1bvyx86/what_are_some_wordsphrases_that_people_in_seattle/)
