1. Coke
What it means everywhere else: Short for a specific kind of soft drink, Coca-Cola.
What it means in Atlanta: Literally any soft drink.
2. Summer
What it means everywhere else: The time of the year when you swim, host backyard barbecues, and soak up the sun.
What it means in Atlanta: The time of the year where humidity reaches 80% and you just try not to die of heat stroke.
3. Hospital
What it means everywhere else: A place that treats people who are ill.
What it means in Atlanta: The Atlanta hospital where you were born that you bring up as a part of your identity.
4. MARTA
What it means everywhere else: A female given name.
What it means in Atlanta: The absolute worst way to get anywhere ever.
5. West Egg
What it means everywhere else: The place where all the new money people live in “The Great Gatsby.”
What it means in Atlanta: The best place in town to stuff your face with delicious steak and egg burritos or French toast in the morning.
6. Directions
What it means everywhere else: The instructions you give someone so they can get from point A to point B.
What it means in Atlanta: “Take Peachtree toward Peachtree, then make a right on Peachtree.”
7. Purgatory
What it means everywhere else: A place of terrible suffering where the souls of sinners go before heaven.
What it means in Atlanta: Atlanta traffic at rush hour.
8. Underground
What it means everywhere else: Where you go when the FBI starts watching you.
What it means in Atlanta: The least fun shopping and entertainment district ever.
9. Big Chicken
What it means everywhere else: A chicken that’s significantly larger than usual.
What it means in Atlanta: An unusual KFC restaurant sign in the Atlanta Metro area that serves as a point of reference when giving directions.
10. All The Way
What it means everywhere else: That thing you bragged about doing in high school when in reality you were sitting in your basement watching “The Lord of the Rings” for the sixth time.
What it means in Atlanta: The best way to order a hot dog from The Varsity.
11. New Year’s Eve
What it means everywhere else: Watching the Ball Drop in New York or on TV.
What it means in Atlanta: Watching the Peach Drop after jamming out to some live music and eating a bunch of delicious fried foods.
12. Fox
What it means everywhere else: A carnivorous mammal.
What it means in Atlanta: The best place to catch a touring Broadway show.
13. “The Walking Dead”
What it means everywhere else: A super popular zombie show.
What it means in Atlanta: The super popular zombie show you watch just so you can scream and point at the screen every time you recognize a location.
14. Atlanta
What it means everywhere else: The capital city of Georgia.
What it means in Atlanta: The only part of Georgia that actually exists in an Atlanta native’s mind.
15. Waffle House
What it means everywhere else: A fast food breakfast chain.
What it means in Atlanta: A fast food breakfast chain with magical restorative properties where you’ve spent every Saturday night/very early Saturday morning.
16. Fair Weather
What it means everywhere else: Mild, tolerable weather.
What it means in Atlanta: Every single Braves, Hawks, and Falcons fan.
17. Hip Hop
What it means everywhere else: A style of music.
What it means in Atlanta: A style of music that—between Lil Wayne, Outkast, Soulja Boy, Waka Flocka, and just about everyone else you hear on the radio—Atlanta basically invented.
18. Hotlanta
What it means everywhere else: A nickname for the city of Atlanta.
What it means in Atlanta: An accurate nickname for the city of Atlanta that is absolutely never used by locals (unless they’re being totally ironic).
19. Snow Storm
What it means everywhere else: Several inches to multiple feet of snow that fall suddenly.
What it means in Atlanta: About one to two inches of snow that sends everyone scurrying to the grocery store to empty out the shelves.
20. Festival
What it means everywhere else: A major gathering of people for a series of related events.
What it means in Atlanta: Every other day at Piedmont Park.
21. OTP
What it means everywhere else: One true pairing.
What it means in Atlanta: Outside the I-285 loop, where everyone claims they’re definitely not from (even though they most likely are).
22. Pollen
What it means everywhere else: A fine powder that comes from flowers and other plants that makes you sneeze sometimes.
What it means in Atlanta: You number one worst nemesis.
23. Hooch
What it means everywhere else: Illegally produced liquor.
What it means in Atlanta: What you’ve always called the Chattahoochee River for short.
24. Airport
What it means everywhere else: Where you go to catch your flight.
What it means in Atlanta: The busiest, most ridiculous, nightmarish place on Earth.
25. Sweet Tea
What it means everywhere else: Iced tea sweetened with sugar.
What it means in Atlanta: A totally redundant way to say tea.
26. 404
What it means everywhere else: An error message on your computer.
What it means in Atlanta: An Atlanta area code that usually only longtime residents have.
27. Turn Signals
What it means everywhere else: A flashing light signal to other drivers that you’re about to turn or merge into a lane.
What it means in Atlanta: Those things you’ve never actually used.
What other words mean something completely different in Atlanta? Tell us in the comments below! 
