31 Words That Are Interpreted Entirely Differently In El Paso

1. Pickaxe

What it means everywhere else: A hand tool that especially comes in handy if you’re one of the Seven Dwarves and need to get back to work on the railroad.
What it means in El Paso: The hand symbol used to accompany “Fight! Miners Fight!”

2. Ay!

What it means everywhere else: Tagline of The Fonz, thumbs up.
What it means in El Paso: Tagline of an El Pasoan in which “ay ay!” can mean “shut up!” or “no way!”

3. Chihuahuas

What it means everywhere else: Those tiny dogs Paris Hilton carries around in her purse.
What it means in El Paso: The El Paso Chihuahuas. Only the best baseball team ever. So what if they’re triple-A?

4. Cattlemen

What it means everywhere else: Guys who herd cattle.
What it means in El Paso: Cattlemens Steakhouse. The steakhouse Ron Swanson would travel to the ends of the Earth to eat at. It is, after all, the “Manliest Steakhouse In America.”

5. Roll

What it means everywhere else: Those extra few pounds that have made their way above your beltline since the holidays.
What it means in El Paso: Rolled tacos. The sexiest way to do tacos, in case you were wondering. Order two singles from Chico’s for the best.

6. Red

What it means everywhere else: The color of blood, fire engines, tomatoes, and the light that Roxanne doesn’t need to turn on.
What it means in El Paso: A michelada, otherwise known as red beer. Bottoms up.

7. Franklin

What it means everywhere else: That Benjamin fella, lightning enthusiast and face of the hundred dollar bill.
What it means in El Paso: The Franklin Mountains, the proverbial stairway to heaven.

8. Sunshine

What it means everywhere else: What Katrina and The Waves always sang about walking on.
What it means in El Paso: It’s always sunny in Philadelphia? Try El Paso, which gets over 300 days of pure, unadulterated sunshine every year. Now pass the sunblock.

9. Rain

What it means everywhere else: The precipitation which causes you to reach for an umbrella.
What it means in El Paso: The precipitation which causes you to reach for a life preserver.

10. Star

What it means everywhere else: A bright, little dot alongside a bajillion others lighting up the night sky.
What it means in El Paso: Those 459 little dots that make up one giant star that lights up the night sky from the side of the Franklin Mountains.

11. Chico

What it means everywhere else: A Spanish word for small boy, or a nickname for a guy you knew in high school.
What it means in El Paso: Chico’s Tacos, otherwise known as heaven on Earth.

12. Broncos

What it means everywhere else: A mega horse on steroids or perhaps Denver’s football team.
What it means in El Paso: Swap meet! Find yourself everything from a cheap pair of shoes to some killer elote.

13. Salt

What it means everywhere else: The condiment you quickly realized was nothing like sugar when you accidentally put it in your coffee.
What it means in El Paso: Beer salt, margarita salt, red beer salt. SALT ALL THE DRINKS!! Except for coffee – that’s still nasty.

14. Breakfast

What it means everywhere else: The most important meal of the day.
What it means in El Paso: Breakfast burritos. Or, if you’re in a particular rush, brakfas burritos.

15. Coliseum

What it means everywhere else: A Roman amphitheater on your bucket list of things to see.
What it means in El Paso: The El Paso County Coliseum, home to the rodeo and local cowboys.

16. Wild West

What it means everywhere else: The era which you learned about through Back to the Future III and Young Guns.
What it means in El Paso: What El Paso was before it became The Sun City, complete with brothels, gambling, and shooters with an itchy trigger finger who took advantage of the pre-1900s lawlessness.

17. Circus

What it means everywhere else: The place you went as a kid to see trapeze artists, elephants, and hula hoopers while eating cotton candy and cultivating an undying fear of clowns.
What it means in El Paso: The Amigo Air Show, where you can go home and say you saw some dude standing on the top of a plane while it flew the air and not be lying. Also, no clowns. Double word score!

18. Balloons

What it means everywhere else: Popular party decorations that double as floating nightmares to anyone with a latex allergy.
What it means in El Paso: Decorations for the entire El Paso sky during the annual three-day Balloonfest.

19. Showdown

What it means everywhere else: A fight or confrontation between two rivals, usually the climax of every underdog film in Hollywood.
What it means in El Paso: The Texas Showdown Festival, the largest tattoo festival in the world that doubles as a pretty epic music fest, too.

20. Air Conditioning

What it means everywhere else: What you turn on during the hot days in the summer.
What it means in El Paso: A necessity to function properly in El Paso at least half of the year.

21. Fiesta

What it means everywhere else: A party, most likely one full of color and some spice-tastic food.
What it means in El Paso: The Fiesta Drive-In, an adult drive-in movie theater that skeeves everyone out. Even the people who go there.

22. Fox

What it means everywhere else: A sneaky animal with a vocabulary which no one can seem to agree on.
What it means in El Paso: Fox 92.3, the radio station of classics and home of The Fox Jukebox on Sundays.

23. Mexico

What it means everywhere else: The country south of the border you visited during Spring Break or your honeymoon.
What it means in El Paso: Your backyard. Some days, you’ll find more Mexican culture here than you will “American” culture.

24. Ghosts

What it means everywhere else: Those supernatural entities you see in movies.
What it means in El Paso: Those supernatural entities all around El Paso. Believe the stories, y’all.

25. Tram

What it means everywhere else: A trolley or cable car.
What it means in El Paso: What’s better than a cable car? A flying cable car, of course. Wheeee!

26. Margarita

What it means everywhere else: That frozen concoction that helps you hang on.
What it means in El Paso: The famous tequila-based drink, thought to be invented at Tommy’s Place Bar right here in El Paso in the 40s.

27. Monk

What it means everywhere else: Those quiet guys living in robes under strict religious principles.
What it means in El Paso: Beer. The hoppiest kind on Earth.

28. Safe

What it means everywhere else: That big metal box with a lock in which your parents keep all their valuables due to unsavories in the neighborhood.
What it means in El Paso: What El Paso is. No, really. It gets the official ranking for safest big city over 100,000 residents year after year, so clearly the good guys mean business.

29. Sun

What it means everywhere else: That big fire ball in the sky.
What it means in El Paso: The Sun Bowl, both the Miners’ stadium and an annual event that brings out thousands of cheering fans, complete with two pickaxes.

30. Hell

What it means everywhere else: The place you told your ex to go after they insisted on keeping the cat.
What it means in El Paso: Hell Paso Zombie Walk, the event that brings to life just how many zombie enthusiasts “walk” among you.

31. Music

What it means everywhere else: What you listen to in order to gear up for your day.
What it means in El Paso: What you listen to in order to gear up for the Sun City Music Fest every year. What other words mean something different in the El Paso? Tell us in the comments below!