Written by: Jaymi Firestone
Every state has their own lingo, New Mexico included. Just like Canadians say “eh,” New Mexicans have words or phrases that are common to the Land of Enchantment. For much of the country though, the words/phrases we use here carry a much different meaning.
Here are a few of those words or phrases that we know to mean something totally different than what the rest of the US thinks they mean.
1. Tumbleweeds
What other people think it means: Cute decorations representing the Wild West.
What people from New Mexico know it means: Menacing, nasty, thorny assemblages of evil that chase innocent pedestrians, shut down traffic, or trap people inside their homes.
2. Adobe
What other people think it means: The software giant whose products include Photoshop, Flash, and Acrobat.
What people from New Mexico know it means: Our native architecture, revered for its beautiful simplicity and environmental sustainability.
3. Hatch
What other people think it means: What happens when a chick breaks out of an egg.
What people from New Mexico know it means: The Chile Capital of the World and the only type of chile worth eating.
4. Honey
What other people think it means: A term of endearment, or a sweetener for tea or toast.
What people from New Mexico know it means: What you squirt into your sopapillas when you’re eating them for dessert (as opposed to the sopapillas you ate as an appetizer and main course).
5. Turquoise
What other people think it means: A blue-green stone; the color of same.
What people from New Mexico know it means: The color/mineral/stone adorning most structures, decor, jewelry, and closets in the state. Love it or hate it, turquoise is inescapable in N.M.
6. Truth or Consequences
What other people think it means: An old game show.
What people from New Mexico know it means: An actual town (known to us as “T or C”) named after a game show. People who aren’t scared off by the name soak in its famous hot springs or Elephant Butte Lake.
7. Breaking Bad
What other people think it means: The greatest show of all time.
What people from New Mexico know it means: The greatest show of all time that was recorded in our beautiful state. Breaking Bad will forever belong to the Land of Enchantment.
8. Taos
What other people think it means: Where Julia Roberts lives.
What people from New Mexico know it means: Artist Haven. Its artist colony included Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams. Taos also means skiers (the Taos Ski Valley boasts some of the most challenging slopes in the country).
9. Portal
What other people think it means: An internet site providing access to other sites.
What people from New Mexico know it means: New Mexican architecture is unique and so too are the words we use to describe it. A portal (the emphasis is on the second syllable, port-aahl) is a covered front or back porch.
10. Coke
What other people think it means: Coca-Cola.
What people from New Mexico know it means: All kinds of soda from Coca-Cola to Mountain Dew. Everything is coke. Even Dr. Pepper.
