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

Norway's flag
(Image credit: iStock)

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.

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"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?

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.