![If Illinois Had an Official State Word, it Would be This [VIDEO]](http://townsquare.media/site/721/files/2015/09/United-Slang-of-America.jpg?w=980&q=75)
If Illinois Had an Official State Word, it Would be This [VIDEO]
If Illinois had an official state word, it would be this....
The state of Illinois has been making local headlines as of lately after Governor Bruce Rauner has spent precious time in Springfield signing bills and petitions to make sweet corn the official state vegetable and pumpkin pie the official state pie of Illinois; leaving a lot of us wondering what could possibly be left to name as an official identifier for the Land of Lincoln.
The people over at Slate.com have found one. They came out with an interactive map called, "The United Slang of America"; and after talking to linguists, asking friends and colleagues and even let people on Facebook chime in, they came up with "Grabowski" for Illinois.
Because I'm not from Illinois, I had to do a little research to get some history on the word, which by definition is: hard-working, tough, blue-collar individual.
According to my friend Christine, who lives in Lombard, the word "Grabowski" makes a lot of sense. It's a term that is often used as a complimentary way to refer to someone who's polish; like her husband.
The city of Chicago, itself, has a large Polish population and the surname "Grabowski" is pretty popular.
Would you agree that "Grabowski" is a good choice for an "official" state word?
Other official words for other states in our area include:
Minnesota: Uff da- uff da (expression): a brief statement of surprise or disgust
Uff da, was Jesse Ventura really the governor at one point?
Wisconsin: TYME machine (noun): an automated teller machine
Where can I find a working TYME machine in this town?
Iowa: kybo (noun): port-a-potty
Whoa, I gotta go! Where’s the kybo?
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