Ever been trying to describe a situation that was particularly crazy, chaotic or over the top, but just couldn’t seem to find that perfect descriptor?
The Norwegians can help you out. Try, “Texas.”
Yep, Texas Monthly chased an online trail that led it to the discovery about the Lone Star State.
It started with a Tumblr post, where one person asked [all sic]:
so is it a thing in (american) english to use “texas“ as a word for like, something that’s out of control or chaotic, or as like, “crazy”? like “that party last weekend was totally texas!”
because that is a thing people say in norwegian and i just think it’s important for americans to know that?
No, we did not know that one.
And Texas Monthly rounded up some empirical evidence:
- Here is an article from Aviso Nordland from March 2014 about reckless international truck drivers traveling through the northern part of the country. Norwegian police chief Knut Danielsen, when describing the situation, tells the paper that “it is absolutely texas.”
- Here’s one from a 2012 edition of Verdens Gang, a Norwegian tabloid, in which Blackburn Rovers soccer manager Henning Berg—a Norwegian former star who played for the British team—describes the atmosphere at a match between the Rovers and the rival Burnley Clarets as “totally texas.”
- And here’s a fisherman telling the local news about the rare swordfish he caught in Northern Norway: “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,” he says and continues: “It was totally texas!”
So, apparently, it’s a thing.
Who knew? That’s totally Texas.
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