23 Wisconsin sayings

Have you ever visited the great state of Wisconsin and wondered what in the world people were saying? Read on for common Wisconsin sayings and what they mean.

Wisconsinites are known for many things—always having beer and cheese on hand, exhibiting plenty of Midwest-nice quirks, and, of course, using some silly Wisconsin sayings. While people on the East or West Coast have a distinct accent that gives them away, and our friends down South have a signature twang, you can almost always spot a Wisconsinite by our fun and unique sayings. 

Whether it’s a weather-related saying or one of the endless habits we engage in to be as polite and friendly as we can, there is a lot to be learned about the people who live here just by hearing our favorite phrases. So go ahead and take a look at some of the most common phrases and sayings you’ll hear in Wisconsin.

If you’re from here, how many do you know? If you’ve visited, how many have you heard?

Wisconsin slang & sayings explained

1. Were you born in a barn?

While we have quite a few barns throughout the state, this question has nothing to do with the fields or farmlands. What we’re really asking is, “Why did you leave the door open?”

2. Cripes! Cheese an’ rice! Jeez Louise!

When the Packers miss the game-changing field goal, instead of yelling out a string of expletives, we curse without cursing. Cripes, cheese an’ rice, jeez louise, and the like are our ways of excitedly expressing ourselves. 

1. 3. How are “we” doing?

You might be sitting alone, a sole person hanging out doing nothing, but if a Wisconsinite wants to check in, we’ll ask, “How are we doing?” instead of “How are you doing?”

4. Going Up Nort’ 

When we’re hitting the road to head out of town (but are staying in Wisconsin), and you ask where we’re going, we’ll almost always tell you we’re going up Nort’ (yes, we drop the “h”) regardless of what direction we’re actually headed.

5. Pop

Some call it soda, some call it Coke, others call it soda pop, but in Wisconsin, we just say pop.

Various cans of soda, or, as we say in Wisconsin, “pop.” (Jason Rojas/Unsplash)

6. Ope!

This iconic Wisconsin saying highlights our quirky inability to say excuse me when trying to pass behind someone. Instead, we lead gently with a high-pitched “Ope!” or “Let me squeeze right past ya.” 

7. Bubbler

If it’s a warm day at the park and you’re looking for some hydration, ask us where the water fountain is, and we’ll correct you—pointing out the bubbler right over there.

Water bubbler in Humbolt Park, Milwaukee. (Photo Image Sulfer/CC by SA 3.0)

8. You betcha

When a simple yes isn’t sufficient to answer the question, we excitedly make sure to express that we understand with a “You betcha!”

9. Stop and go lights

What has three colors, stands at intersections, and helps direct the flow of traffic? In Wisconsin, we call them stop and go lights (as opposed to traffic lights). Also, no one at a four-way stop wants to be the first to go—it’s no wonder there are 554 roundabouts in our state.

Traffic, aka “stop and go” lights. (Eliobed Suarez/Unsplash)

10. Can I ask you something real quick? 

If you know anything about Midwesterners, you’ll know we hate to inconvenience anyone with almost any request. So, when there is a pressing matter, we’ll say, “Can I ask you something real quick?” or “Can I borrow you real quick?”—either way, be reassured it’ll be real quick.

11. You’re fine

It doesn’t matter if you bumped into us in the hallway or if we heard you trash our seven-layer dip when you thought we weren’t listening. If we tell you, “You’re fine,” we mean we’re totally unbothered by that thing you did.

12. Flipping (or other F-explicative) Illinois Buddy

It’s a fairly friendly and wildly sarcastic name for our friends directly south of us, primarily because people from Illinois drive like maniacs (in our opinion). 

13. Un-thaw

To say “thaw” or “un-thaw,” that is the question. Wisconsinites go with the latter, even though they mean the same thing. 

14. “Yeah, no” means no, and “No, yeah” means yes

For example, when you ask, do you think the Bears will beat the Packers today? The correct answer is yeah, no (as in no way). On the other hand, when we end a statement with, “No, yeah,” it means yes, totally.

15. Drawing vowels out

It’s not a bag—it’s a baaag, just like it’s a baagel. Sometimes, we even turn the O in Wisconsin into “Wis-CAN-sin.” 

16. Just gonna stop by the TYME machine

When we need to stop at the ATM to withdraw cash, we’ll ask to stop by the TYME machine (real quick, of course). 

A TYME machine ATM at Landmark Credit Union in Wisconsin. (Photo Link) MrSchimpf/CC-BY-SA-4.0

17. Start with me last (when we aren’t ready to order yet)

When we stop by Culvers Friday night for fish, and we don’t know if we want the cod basket or the fish sandwich, we’ll ask you to “start with me last” because it’ll probably be a while before we decide. 

18. Calling out cow sightings

It doesn’t matter if we’ve driven the same stretch of county roads twice or a hundred times each (and every) time we pass cows in the field; there is a primal Wisconsinite urge to call it out. 

19.  Outdoor temps of 20° to 30° is still sweater weather 

Sweater weather isn’t a phrase heard only in Wisconsin, but only in Wisconsin (and maybe next door Minnesota) is 20 to 30° considered a reprieve from the cold and opportune “sweater weather” time. Kind of like how a light, fluffy snowfall can also be outdoor grilling time if the wind isn’t bad.

In Wisconsin, sweater weather lasts all winter long. (Dan Gold/Unsplash)

20. Winter weather isn’t “bad” without a windchill

Along the same lines, we embrace the extreme cold by dealing with it the only way we know how—justifying the awful temps. If you live in Wisconsin, you’ve heard, “It wouldn’t be bad if it weren’t for the wind”—and by wind, we mean a windchill of -15°.

21. Adding an “S”

Some corners of the country talk about a group of friends saying, “Y’all won’t believe that…”, but here in Wisconsin, it’s, “Yous guys.” Likewise, when we’re knee-deep in a story, a random “S” will find its way in. For example, “And then he said, ‘You guys are crazy, the Bulls are the best!’ And then I says, ‘You’re out of your mind; the Bucks are the best!”

22. Beer and meat raffles

At church gatherings, school fundraisers, and other events where you could win big, it’s almost guaranteed that one of those raffle baskets will be filled with meat (probably venison), and yes, it’s a totally normal thing. Another thing that’s normal? Beer and drinks at kids’ birthday parties and sporting events.

23. Measuring travel in minutes and never miles

When we take a trip out of town (that isn’t the next town over), we always measure the trip in minutes, never miles. After all, isn’t that what the GPS is for? It isn’t 120 miles to the Dells—it’s about two hours away.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.