In Norway, 'Texas' is slang for 'crazy'


It started like this: A Tumblr post asked if "it is a thing in (American) English to use 'Texas' as a word for [...] something that's out of control or chaotic, or as like, 'crazy'?" Because, the post went on, "that is a thing people say in Norwegian."
When the post went viral, Texas Monthly looked into whether "texas" is actually a thing people say in the Land of the Midnight Sun to signify when something is nuts.
Turns out it is.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Usually, when the word 'texas' — as an adjective, most often without capitalization — appears in Norwegian, the context involves the phrase, 'det var helt texas,' which translates to, roughly, 'it was totally/absolutely/completely bonkers.' You wouldn't call a person 'totally texas' — it usually describes a chaotic atmosphere," Texas Monthly explained.
The expression, which apparently dates back several decades, gives insight into how Scandinavians understand the Lone Star state: "'Texas' = 'cowboys' = 'Wild West' = 'an unpredictable, exciting, sometimes scary atmosphere.'"
This isn't just some internet joke. Actual people are quoted dropping the adjective in interviews, like that time a fisherman told the local news about catching a rare swordfish: "I heard a loud noise from the bay, but I did not know where it came from right away. Thirty seconds to a minute later it jumped out in the fjord. I got to see some of it before I took up the camera. It was totally texas!"
The only appropriate response to this revelation is retaliation. Although that wouldn't be very Norway of us, would it?

Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.