1. Oakland
What it means everywhere else: A city in California.
What it means in Oakland: The greatest city on Earth. Also lovingly referred to as Oaktown.
2. Fairyland
What it means everywhere else: A magical land full of flying sprites and teeth purchased from human children.
What it means in Oakland: A real place in Oakland, Children’s Fairyland. Whether you’re a kid or an adult, you’ll always love it here. Which is why Disneyland was modeled after it.
3. Raiders
What it means everywhere else: The football team with some of the craziest fans ever. And I’m using crazy literally.
What it means in Oakland: The most passionate and loyal fans ever. Have you ever spent three hours putting on makeup and impaling yourself with three-inch spikes just to cheer for your team, win or lose (and, let’s face it, it can be a lot of lose)? Didn’t think so.
4. Grit
What it means everywhere else: The stuff that the people on the East Coast are made up of.
What it means in Oakland: The stuff that the people in Oakland are made up of.
5. Deep Dish
What it means everywhere else: Deep dish pizza, a Chicago staple.
What it means in Oakland: Zachary’s. Deep dish pizza a thousand times better than Chicago’s.
6. Banjo
What it means everywhere else: The instrument they play in Deliverance.
What it means in Oakland: The instrument played by the world’s biggest A’s fan, the Oakland A’s Banjo Man.
7. Hammer
What it means everywhere else: The You Can’t Touch This guy. That was your jam.
What it means in Oakland: The man, the legend, and hometown boy who changed the face of dancing and the appropriate bagginess of pants, forever solidifying himself as too legit to quit
8. Creamery
Fenton’s Creamery Facebook
What it means everywhere else: An old-fashioned ice cream parlor.
What it means in Oakland: Fenton’s, a class 100-year-old ice cream shop that is as iconic and spectacular as its overflowing, coma-inducing concoctions. Maybe you even noticed it in the Pixar film Up.
9. Tom Hanks
What it means everywhere else: Mr. Forest Gump himself.
What it means in Oakland: An Oakland native turned blockbuster star who went from selling concessions at the Oakland Coliseum to getting kidnapped by Somalian pirates.
10. Hella
What it means everywhere else: A word pop artists like to throw into their songs for instant street cred.
What it means in Oakland: Hella weird. Hella cool. Hella cold. Hella everything.
11. Waffles
What it means everywhere else: Fluffy, cooked dough, perfectly patterned with syrup pockets, by far superior to pancakes.
What it means in Oakland: Stroopies. Traditional Dutch-style waffles that are thin, cruspy, and by far the superior way to waffle.
12. Serenity
What it means everywhere else: Feeling calm. (Also a highly underrated film.)
What it means in Oakland: Lake Merritt. Technically a lagoon, it’s the one thing that you can always depend on to be still against the chaos of the city, the first official wildlife refuge in the country, and the prime spot in town for a first kiss.
13. Lake Monster
What it means everywhere else: The Loch Ness Monster, cousin of Big Foot, otherwise known as Nessie, who hides in Lake Loch Ness in Scotland.
What it means in Oakland: The Oak Ness Monster, otherwise known as Oakie and Merrittzilla, who is most definitely real. Happy paddling!
14. A’s
What it means everywhere else: That other Bay Area baseball team.
What it means in Oakland: While everyone else is busy jumping on the Giants bandwagon, Oakland stays loyal to their beloved A’s. Have fun with those $50 Giants tickets while A’s fans are getting in for $2 on certain Wednesdays.
15. Gnomes
What it means everywhere else: Those creepy little guys your crazy aunt has all over her yard.
What it means in Oakland: Those adorable little guys that can be found all over Oakland, usually painted and nailed to telephone poles, who have become little ambassadors for the city.
16. Bonsai
What it means everywhere else: What Mr. Miyagi always yelled out to Daniel-san.
What it means in Oakland: The oldest bonsai tree in the country, found at the bonsai garden at Lake Merritt, deserving of a true “bonsai!”
17. Wave
What it means everywhere else: What you ride in on a surfboard. Assuming, of course, that you can get up on said surfboard.
What it means in Oakland: The classic baseball fan-cheer, the Wave. It was first seen here in 1981 when the A’s played the Yankees by Krazy George Henderson on national television. In no time flat, the Wave caught on across the country and the rest is history.
18. Artists
What it means everywhere else: All those quirky, creative types you find when you visit the art district in your city.
What it means in Oakland: All those quirky, creative types you find all over Oakland. The city has more artists per capita than anywhere else in the country, which is what keeps things so fresh in the city.
19. The Fox
The Fox Theater – Oakland Facebook
What it means everywhere else: What, exactly, does the fox say? Has it ever been decided?
What it means in Oakland: The Fox Theater, the best place to see a show on the West Coast. Period.
20. Bruce Lee
What it means everywhere else: The greatest Kung Fu fighter who ever lived anywhere.
What it means in Oakland: The greatest Kung Fu fighter who ever lived anywhere, but especially in Oakland, where he taught his craft.
21. Tourettes
What it means everywhere else: A neurological condition characterized by various physical and vocal tics.
What it means in Oakland: Tourettes Without Regrets, the self-proclaimed Fight Club of underground art, which gets together the first Thursday of every month for incredible displays of everything from burlesque and beat boxing to poetry readings and haiku battles.
22. Parish
What it means everywhere else: A congregation of church goers.
What it means in Oakland: The most underrated venue with the most talented bands and musicians in the city. You’ll even find the occasional secret show by natives like Too Short if you’re lucky.
23. Geese
What it means everywhere else: Cute, harmless birds that float gracefully on lakes.
What it means in Oakland: Glorified poop machines. Don’t dare feed them, because if you stop, they’re coming for you.
24. Parkway
What it means everywhere else: A highway like any other highway; lots of traffic, with just a few more trees.
What it means in Oakland: The New Parkway Theater. A sort of makeshift theater, complete with couches, reclining chairs, pizza, beer, and movies. In other words, your living room combined with everyone else’s living rooms, only cooler looking.
25. Mai Tai
What it means everywhere else: A Hawaiian cocktail which inevitably leads to wearing a lampshade as a hat.
What it means in Oakland: The delicious cocktail invented right here in Oakland in the 40s at Trader Vic’s. The rest of the world just stole it and tried taking credit for it.
26. Ecstatic
What it means everywhere else: Bubbling over with excitement.
What it means in Oakland: An interactive dance party on steroids for hippies.
27. Pride
What it means everywhere else: The passion you feel for something you love.
What it means in Oakland: The passion you feel for Oaktown. People can say whatever they want, but this is your home, and there’s no place else you’d rather be.
What other words mean something entirely different in Oakland? Tell us in the comments below! 
